Heaven Cent

This one was a fun read but left the reader hanging a bit which forces one to buy the next book. I planned to buy it but I do not like the push and though Anthony is as dependable as can be, I have been burned too often by writers who left cliff hangers and then got writer's block or some other life crisis or dropped dead and the answers are never given. I have said it before. I don't like cliff hangers and especially if I have to wait a year for the answer. I only get ticked over books I get engaged with to the point that I need the answer.

Prince Dolph, a shapeshifter, and his skeletal companion Marrow Bones are on a quest to find the missing magician Humfrey, encountering challenges: harpies, mermaids, and ogres while searching for the magical Heaven Cent coin that holds answers and progresses Dolph's coming-of-age, especially regarding his multiple romantic entanglements. The story integrates earlier books while delving into Xanth's evolving magic, the Adult Conspiracy, and introduces crucial plot points for the ongoing series.

Another quest and find love tale from Anthony. Luckily, he makes his characters somewhat interesting and one is able to enjoy different details and plot elements from book to book. This one is the start of a trilogy so approaches that plot machine from a slightly different angle. Poor Dolph, future King of Xanth, has all the female characters throw themselves at him. Life must be tough...

In my pre-teen years, when I began making reading choices for myself, I found, in the school library, several books by Piers Anthony. I’m sure there were lots of great authors that could have brought me into the fantasy genre family, but Anthony was an ‘A’ and so was at the beginning of the section. I ate those novels up. I couldn’t get enough. He was funny, on levels that I didn’t even understand at the time. He was creative. And every story had a moral, which a pre- and young-teen always needs. I continued to read Piers Anthony’s Xanth novels into my teenage years but then began to grow out of them. I moved on to other authors. Other genres.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across “Heaven Cent” in a bargain bin and just stood show more there holding it and grinning. So I got it and read it. As an adult reading another Xanth novel, I am able to appreciate even more of the humor, the puns, and Anthony’s use of allegory throughout. I found myself grinning and wondering what it would be like to reread all of those Xanth books I read growing up.

Xanth novels don’t have to be read in sequence, each gives you enough history pertinent to that particular story. So even after not having picked up a Piers Anthony book in nearly 15 years it was as if I had never left the mysteriously magical land of Xanth. With titles such as “Night Mare”, “Isle of View” (sounding like I love you, causing great confusion throughout many stories), and “Faun and Games”, it’s apparent what the reader is in for. And “Heaven Cent” is no different. show less

The Xanth books by Piers Anthony were some of the first SciFi/Fantasy books I ever read. I love puns so I have always enjoyed them. Upon re-reading them I can see that they have some weaknesses but overall they stand the test of time. They are a fun and fast read that keeps me amused without any deep thinking required.

#11 in the series-- You think this would get old but this is book eleven and still laugh out loud funny.
"The protagonist of Heaven Cent is Prince Dolph, shapeshifting son of King Dor and Queen Irene and younger brother of Princess Ivy. The story begins with Dolph, a pre-teen, setting out on a Quest with his designated Adult Companion Marrow Bones to locate the magician Humfrey, who had been missing since Vale of the Vole."

In the mind of Xanth's precious shapeshifting Prince Dolph, the perfect way to see the world is to search for the missing sorcerer, Humfrey.

Setting off with his faithful companion, Marrow, an enchanted skeleton, Dolph will penetrate an island of illusion, escape a goblin kingdom, outwit a husband-hungry mermaid, save marrow from bone-starved harpies, and find romance with a slinky snake princess--all on his way to discovering a magic coin with all the answers!