Xanth
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Xanth is a fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for a series of novels.
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[edit] History
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The name Xanth is in itself an unintentional pun, which matches the playful tone of the books.[1] Anthony has said that the coincidence of the word Xanth sounding like a portion of his name ("Pier-XANTH-Ony") was unintentional, and in fact he only realized this years after the series was first created.
Anthony commonly states that he originally intended for Xanth to be a trilogy, and after the wild success of the first three books decided to expand the series to nine books. An extremely devoted fan base persuaded the author to continue writing the series, which is now open-ended. He has since declared, in the Author's Notes of Cube Route, that this 27th book ended the first "magical trilogy" and that he was beginning a new one with the 28th, punning on the fact that 27 is the third power of three, i.e. three cubed.
In an interview with Agony Booth.com, Anthony stated that he's kept the series going as long as he has because the Xanth novels are "just about the only thing the publishers want" from him.[2]
[edit] The world of Xanth
[edit] Inhabitants and talents
Each human character in Xanth is born with a unique magical ability, called a talent. With the exception of the curse fiends and the child Surprise Golem (Daughter of Rapunzel and Grundy Golem), these abilities never repeat exactly in individuals throughout the entire history of Xanth (although nearly identical talents show up on occasion.) Though many are limited in scope, (called the "spot-on-a-wall" variety), the series focuses mainly on individuals with "Magician" caliber abilities (one of the criteria for serving as King of Xanth).
In addition to the human characters, Xanth is populated by centaurs, demons, dragons, fauns, gargoyles, goblins, golems, harpies, merfolk, naga, nymphs, ogres, zombies, curse fiends, and other fictional beasts. Though initially introduced as obstacles to the human characters, some individuals from those groups become main characters in later books of the series.
As the series progresses, some of the half-human species are discovered to have the potential to possess magical talents. The centaurs of the primary centaur community, Centaur Isle, exile any centaurs who demonstrate a magical talent (although some centaur communities are more lenient about possession of talent); however, they tolerate talents in "lesser" races such as humans. Goblins and harpies are shown to have the potential to possess half-talents, the complementary half existing in a member of the other species, (i.e., a goblin must team with a harpy for them to utilize their talent); the hostility between goblins and harpies proved a major obstacle to any serious effort by them to work together to develop these potential talents. Other non-human species are also shown to possess potential for talents.
[edit] Geography
Geographically, modern Xanth resembles the real-life state of Florida. One major exception to this is the Gap Chasm, an enormous canyon a mile wide which completely bisects the country, though the position of the Chasm could technically correspond with the Cross Florida Barge Canal, which, similar to the chasm, is generally forgotten except for those who stumble upon it. The Gap is guarded by a resident dragon, known as Stanley Steamer, and is crossed by means of treacherous bridges. Many of Xanth's other geographical features are puns on those of Florida (for example, Lake Ogre-Chobee and the Kiss-Mee River). The Florida Keys also exist, though they are, in Xanth, actual keys. Other punnish features include the Isle of View ("I love you") and the Centaur Aisle created by a magician from the Centaur Isle. The moon is close enough that flying creatures may land there; one side is sweet and honeyish, the other has turned away and become curdled cheese, due to observing what has happened on Earth and Xanth. Plants may bear fruit of all descriptions (pie trees and shoe trees are common) or they may be carnivorous (such as the tangle trees), making travel in Xanth risky.
Xanth has a connection with the normal world, which is referred to as "Mundania," its people are called "Mundanes". Although any citizen of Xanth can enter Mundania at any time through an isthmus in the northwest, Mundanes enter the isthmus in Xanth from random geographic locations and time periods throughout history. In other words, Xanth does not seem to be a fixed location or time in the mundane world; and the timeline between Xanth and Mundania seems to jump backwards and forwards. For example, within a normal citizen of Xanth's lifetime, an American Mundane from 2008 could walk across the isthmus as well as an Egyptian Mundane from 3,000 B.C.; however, Mundanes seem to have trouble finding Xanth on a consistent basis, making any travel to Xanth a somewhat rare occurrence. Despite these seeming difficulties, Xanth was colonized in several waves by groups of invaders and nomads from Mundania over the course of several centuries. The series ties these colonization events to actual historical events on Earth, most notably the Punic wars.
[edit] Chronological Book List and Summary
Xanth was the enchanted land where magic ruled—where every citizen had a special spell only he could cast. That is, except for Bink of North Village. He was sure he possessed no magic, and knew that if he didn't find some soon, he would be exiled. According to the Good Magician Humpfrey, the charts said that Bink was as powerful as the King or even the Evil Magician Trent. Unfortunately, no one could determine its form. Meanwhile, Bink was in despair. If he didn't find his magic soon, he would be forced to leave Xanth forever....
Ordered by King Trent to determine the source of Xanth's magic, Bink and his companions were harried by an unseen enemy determined to thwart them. When even their protector turned against them, Bink still managed to reach his goal and carry out the King's orders...but the king did not expect Bink's next act—to actually destroy the magic of Xanth!
Millie, a ghost for 800 years wants only one man—Jonathan, and he's a zombie. To prove himself, Magician Dor volunteers to get the potion that can restore Jonathan to full life. But he has to go back through time to do it, to a peril-haunted, ancient Xanth, where danger lurks at every turn....
Dor agreed to act as King of Xanth so long as Trent was gone for a week. But the weeks passed and Trent did not return. Dor knew he had to rescue his king but with no magic powers, how could it be done...?
5. Ogre, Ogre
Smash, himself, was part ogre. Although ogres were considered so stupid they could hardly speak, and spent their time eating young girls, seven assorted females had suddenly turned to him for guidance and safety? In Xanth, one visit to the Good Magician Humfrey worked wonders....
6. Night Mare
Although the Nextwave of barbarian warriors was invading Xanth, Mare Imbrium discovered that ever since she had gained the half soul, the night mare had begun to mishandle her job of delivering bad dreams. Exiled to the day world with a message for King Trent, Mare met the relentless, unforgiving Horseman. For the night mare, it began to be all a horrible nightmare!
There is trouble in Xanth again. The Gap Dragon had escaped and was ravaging across the land, the forget-spell was causing mass amnesia, and three-year old Ivy was headed right for a hungry dragon. Could things get any worse? Probably....
8. Crewel Lye
Jordan was a ghost in Castle Roogna now. Although once he had been the most valorous of knights—that is, until he was betrayed by two wily magicians and the woman he loves. Now, if he only can remember how he was killed, he'll be able to reassemble his body.
Grundy Golem got no respect. So, to prove himself, he volunteered for a quest to find the long-lost dragon, Stanley Steamer. On the way, he somehow manages to free a damsel in distress—but not without incurring the wrath of the Sea Hag in the process. And when it comes to avenging herself on Grundy, the Sea Hag will never give up....
10. Vale of the Vole
When Esk, a young ogre-nymph-human, began his pilgrimage to the Good Magician Humfrey to rid himself of a seductive demoness, little did he know it would become a mission of mercy. A running river paradise and its harmless inhabitants were perishing in the wrathful wake of a greedy demon horde. Now it is up to Esk and his companions—a beautiful winged centaur named Chex and the brave burrower Volney—to search Xanth's treacherous reaches, gathering together a mind-boggling company of creatures to defend the precious Vale of the Vole.
11. Heaven Cent
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!
For a bored, young princess of Xanth, there's nothing more exciting than a Quest. Especially when all you do is sit around Castle Roogna. But when Ivy uses the Heaven Cent, it takes her not to the top of Mount Rushmost, where the winged monsters gather, not to the sea where the merfolk swim—but to Mundania, a world much like our own (that is, boring). It is here that she meets a young college student so dull that he doesn't even believe in magic, or princesses, or Xanth!
13. Isle of View
Perplexed Prince Dolph should be in love but isn't. Nonetheless, he must choose between two fiancées – Nada the uninterested and Electra the uninteresting – or all three of them will suffer the most dire consequences. Luckily a convenient catastrophe has popped up to distract Dolph from his dilemma – the foal-napping of young Che Centaur by goblins. And the only one who knows the whereabouts of Che is Jenny Elf. If anyone can save the missing centaur...she sure can't.
14. Question Quest
Being grown up is a drag ... or so thinks Lacuna, one of the mischievous Castle Zombie twins. So she makes the Good Magician Grey an offer he can't refuse. She'll help him outwit the evil Com-Pewter if he'll send her to Hell (in a handbasket, no less) to find Humphrey, the missing sorcerer. And while there, she'll learn the True History of Xanth (simplified) and help rescue a blushing Rose from the demon X(A/N)th ... with the help of a gorgon or two.
We See England, We See Xanth, We See Mela's Underpanth! In fact, Gwenny Goblin, Che Centaur and Jenny Elf are just about the only creatures on Xanth who have been spared the sight of Mela Merwoman's undergarment – preoccupied as they are with helping Gwenny beat out her awful half-brother Gobble for chiefship of the goblin horde.
Playing the new fantasy/adventure computer game Companions of Xanth, teenagers Dug and Kim select companions from among the characters of Xanth, Dug choosing a sultry half-woman/half serpent and Kim a young Elven girl. Soon Dug and Kim find they have entered the actual Land of Xanth. Unknown to them, the demons that provide Xanth's magic are in mystic competition, using Kim, Dug and their companions as pawns.
17. Harpy Thyme
Gloha, the only goblin-harpy crossbreed in Xanth, attempts to find a male goblin-harpy to mate with and thus become a member of the Adult Conspiracy. After seeking advice from the Good Magician Humfrey from whom she receives a non-committal answer, she embarks on her quest alone, eventually joining up with a rejuvenated magician, a sultry demoness, a walking skeleton and a formerly invisible giant, among others.
Gargoyle Gary Gar, hereditary guardian and purifier of the waters of the Swan Knee River flowing from Mundania into Xanth, wants to make his job easier. The Good Magician Humfrey offers him an idea, but in exchange Gary must teach the wild child Surprise self-control, a task that requires him to assume human form. Agreeing with reluctance, Gary sets off to search for the suggested "philter" in the company of the multi-talented Surprise, the Sorceress Iris, demoness D. Mentia and the former juvenile delinquent Hiatus, who is seeking his true love, Desiree Dryad. Nearing their goal in the Region of Madness, the crew is cast back a millennium in time to find their quest tied to serious danger for all of Xanth.
Metria and company must assemble a court and jury to try Roxanne Roc, under unspecified charges from another magical Xanth bird, the Simurgh. On this loose structure are hung many outlandish characters, adventures, jokes and plays on words-such as the quarter horse that splits into four one-legged creatures, or the twins Ordinate and Abscissa, who can travel "by geometry."
20. Yon Ill Wind
A Mundane (human) family is blown to Xanth by a tropical storm that threatens the land's existence. To save Xanth and to win a cosmic wager, the Demon X(A/N) must become Nimby, a mortal, ass-headed pink-and-green-striped dragon and wring an unlikely tear from the hard-hearted maiden Chlorine. Anthony relates each episode of this frothy adventure through a different character's eyes in order to reinforce a gentle lesson about gifts and responsibilities.
21. Faun & Games
The miraculous and mirth-filled land of Xanth holds many marvels. But now an extraordinary new aspect of this remarkable realm unfolds as young Forrest Faun's quest takes him to a tiny planet hidden in the heart of Xanth. There, with a delightful "day mare" as his constant companion, Forrest will find more marvels than he ever dreamed of. Packed with magic, mystery, and mirth, Faun & Games is the freshest and most exciting Xanth adventure in a month of Pundays!
22. Zombie Lover
Since she spent most of her life in Mundania, Breanna knows all about stork-summoning, but she needs help to escape the unwelcome attentions of King Xeth of the Zombies. With the help of Justin Tree, Breanna escapes Xeth in a rather unconventional style. Along the way, she meets We Three Kings, and helps a werewolf prince find his true love.
When an environmental disaster threatens Xanth, Edsel and Pia, earthling game designers with a shaky marriage, exchange bodies with the presiding demon of Xanth, Nimby, and his consort, Chlorine. Nimby and Chlorine face culture shock and the risk of being trapped on Mundania (aka Earth), while Edsel and Pia grapple with the more complex task of averting a catastrophe.
24. The Dastard
Frustrated farm boy Anomy (aka the Dastard) gives up his soul in return for the ability to unhappen events. Since he uses this power mostly for ill, he adopts the sobriquet the Dastard and becomes a problem. The good guys send a half-dragon, half-human girl, a roc, and the princesses Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm on his trail.
25. Swell Foop
The twenty-fifth book of Xanth deals with a matter of some gravity. Specifically, the Demon Earth has disappeared, which means that eventually not only some but all gravity will disappear from Earth and Xanth. To solve the mystery and rescue the Demon Earth, the Swell Foop is required. That involves using the six magical rings of Xanth, which need to be found by means of a quest by five old friends of Xanth mavens—Cynthia and Che Centaur, Brianna and Justin Tree, and Sim, the immortal bird—as well as Jaylin, a girl from Mundane Hawaii.
26. Up In A Heaval
An innocent piece of Mundane Snail Mail has provoked the dreaded Demon Jupiter to hurl his Red Spot at the magical land of Xanth. The unwelcome ordeal of saving the enchanted realm falls to Umlaut, an unlikely lad with an unknown past and an uncertain future. With a handful of colorful companions at his side, Umlaut must unravel a high-stakes intergalactic puzzle, uncover the secret of his mysterious past, and learn to understand the urgings of his own heart.
27. Cube Route
In the magical land of Xanth, wishes are far more than mere words. So when a Plain Jane called Cube whispers a wistful wish to be beautiful, she finds herself leading a company of colorful companions on a search for the mysterious Cube Route—a perilous path that leads to danger, adventure, and perhaps her heart's desire as well.
28. Currant Events
Clio, the muse of history, has a problem connected with the twenty-eighth chronicle of Xanth. When she sits down to write it, she discovers that it has already been written – and unintelligibly. So the scholarly lady must repair to the real Xanth, where she is sent by the Good Magician Humfrey on a quest to save two pocket-sized dragons, Drew and Drusie, who are essential to the environment of Xanth. Naturally, the quest is successful – and what is more, along the way Clio finds true love with the magician Sherlock and meets a good many of the ongoing characters in the Xanth series.
29. Pet Peeve
This novel follows polite, generous and even-tempered Goody Goblin – an anomaly among males of his race, who are usually crass, unkind and violent – as Goody tours Xanth on a quest to dispose of a foul-mouthed bird known as the "Pet Peeve," which can mimic anyone's speech. Accompanied by the tough Hannah Barbarian, one of Anthony's most completely realized female characters, Goody passes through many parts and meets many people of Xanth, none of whom is willing to take the dangerously annoying bird off his hands.
30. Stork Naked
Surprise Golem is expecting. But Stymy Stork refuses to deliver and flies off through a hole in the fabric of reality. To track down her baby, Surprise embarks, with the brats she babysits and the obnoxious pet peeve in tow, on a quest through several alternate Xanths. While seeking the baby, the odd lot has trouble keeping track of each other. Eventually, mom finds babe and returns to ... Is this the home she left?
31. Air Apparent
Hugo, son of the Gorgon and Good Magician Humfrey, vanishes from his cellar, where the body of a murdered man just as suddenly appears. What's worse, Humfrey's book of answers has been scrambled, and blind Wira, Hugo's wife, has no idea how to solve a mystery. As they hunt down Hugo and the killer, Debra and Wira encounter the usual crop of terrible puns and characters both new and familiar.
32. Two to the Fifth
The future of Xanth is in frightful peril. A powerful magical bird named Ragna Roc has embarked on a campaign to become absolute ruler of that mystical realm. Those who swear loyalty to him are spared. The rest are simply disappeared. Cyrus the Cyborg, a handsome half-human playwright with little knowledge of the world, must assemble a troupe of traveling players to attract Ragna’s interest. And hidden in disguise among the bevy of beautiful young actresses are the young princesses, Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm, whose magics might just be a match for the evil bird.
33. Jumper Cable
Due October 2009. Jumper Spider, a distant descendant of Jumper in Xanth #3 Castle Roogna is caught by a Narrative Hook which hauls him into the foreign realm of Xanth Proper, which differs not in locale so much as scale: now he is the size of a pony. He rescues Wenda Woodwife, who is about to be molested by a village lout, and she becomes his closest friend. Wenda is a lush nymph from the front, but hollow from the back; she's actually a shaped shell formed of wood, magically animated. They decide to make common cause, going to see the Good Magician, who can tell Jumper how to return to his realm, and Wenda how to become a real woman with a backside. Along the way they gather an assortment of other maidens and a harpy, and by the time they reach the Good Magician's castle they are a party of six, all with their special problems. Humfrey gives them an assignment: locate and fix the cable that once connected Xanth to Mundania, something only Jumper can do, with the right help. And he adds two members to the group: the twin lovely nineteen year old princesses/sorceresses Dawn & Eve, who are on probation for quarreling over the same man.
34. Knot Gneiss
Due est 2010. Featuring Wenda Woodwife, who has a nymphly front but no back, being hollow from behind, who speaks with the forest dialect: "I wood knot dew that to yew." She has to transport a boulder made of petrified reverse wood that naturally terrifies (petrifies) everyone else.
Due est 2011. Title is a pun on the musical piece Well-Tempered Clavier. A clavier is an ancient sort of piano. This one's about a walking skeleton, Picka, the son of Marrow Bones, who discovers he can remove his clavicle (shoulder bone) and use it to tap beautiful music on his ribs. The music is so lovely that Princess Dawn falls in love with him. Unfortunately her nice bones are covered with shapely flesh, so she's not his type.
[edit] The Adult Conspiracy
The Adult Conspiracy is one of the prominent features of the Xanth world. Nearly every book except the very early ones contain references to the Conspiracy and its effects, particularly those novels in which the main characters are children.
At its core, the Adult Conspiracy seeks to protect children from knowledge that could bring them to great harm. The precise age for entering into the world of the adults is age 18, corresponding to the age of majority in most places. The primary principle that inducts children into the Conspiracy is the understanding of the secret of "summoning the stork." In Xanthian terms, "summoning the stork" literally means to put out a call to summon a stork which will deliver to the couple a child. In Isle of View, it is revealed that summoning the stork will release an "ellipsis" (...) into the air to fly off to the stork. This is a play on the joke that all the "adult" things happen after a paragraph ends in an ellipsis. Most inductees actually discover the specifics of the act "by accident" after marriage, or under the influence of a love spring (a magical spring which causes two drinkers, not necessarily human, or even of the same species, to fall madly, and lustfully, in love with one another at first sight).
Other faculties of the Adult Conspiracy include:
- Censorship of foul language - All foul words contain the ability to cause various effects (the wilting of plants (negative), removal of curse burrs (positive), etc.). These are automatically bleeped when said in the presence of someone who has yet to be inducted.
- Visual access to underwear - Because underwear is so closely tied to sexuality (even more so than nudity in Xanth), men become automatically "freaked out" when they view panties. This is made a common joke, most prominently in the novel The Color of Her Panties, and is often used by women to gain advantage over men. Panties only carry their effects when worn, but because of their nature, they are forbidden to be shown to children.
- Inability to have childish fun - Children believe that once they join the Adult Conspiracy, they will no longer have pillow fights, eat sweets and drink "tsoda popka" (soda pop), or want to have fun. While this belief is exaggerated, the entry to the Conspiracy does cause the couple to lose their bed monster, inadvertently creating the appearance of losing all childhood spirit under the responsibility of Adulthood.
It is important to note that there have been occasions when children gained access to the Adult Conspiracy prematurely. One case is that of Jenny Elf, Che Centaur, and Gwenny Goblin, three children who had to be given access to the Adult Conspiracy when Gwenny received a pair of contact lenses that corrected her poor eyesight while giving her the ability to see others' dreams (some of which could contain Conspiracy material). In one rare instance, a little girl was born with the magic talent of immunity to the magical censorship Adult Conspiracy, causing her family much distress. This was remedied with a vial of lethe water which erased her memory.
[edit] Mundania
Whenever Xanth characters visit the nonmagical land outside of Xanth, called Mundania, its natives (Mundanes) speak what sounds like gibberish to the Xanth characters. The gibberish can be translated by a simple replacement cipher, depending on the Mundane language being spoken. Often, the language is a simple shift in the alphabet, a letter or two forwards or backwards (See Caesar cipher). For example, the word "What?" is the Xanthan translation of "Xibu?" (one character after, when Mundanes speak modern English), "Vgzs?" (one character before, in the language spoken by King Oary in Centaur Aisle), or "Yjcv?" (two characters after, spoken by the Avars, also in Centaur Aisle).
[edit]
- Encyclopedia of Xanth (1987, by Jody Lynn Nye) a Crossroads Adventure role-playing game book
- Piers Anthony's Visual Guide to Xanth (1989, with Jody Lynn Nye)
- Letters To Jenny (1993, nonfiction)
- Companions of Xanth (a computer game described in and following the plot of Demons Don't Dream)
- A tongue-in-cheek French adventure comic series, Lanfeust of Troy, has also come up with a few characteristics similar to some from the World of Xanth, such as: humans possessing a single magical talents ranging from benign to powerful, jungle medieval/fantasy land with weird and extensive fauna, a young villager with an unknown-yet-powerful talent bound to become the hero, an arch-enemy wanting to conquer and rule the world, a quest for the source of magic ending up in the discovery of a fabulous creature, hero's love interest shifting from a beautiful and vain girl to a more complete type of women, humorous play on words on many names and titles, and so on.
[edit] Curse Fiends
Curse fiends are a fictional race created by Piers Anthony for the series Xanth. They are one of the earlier races in Xanth and are known for their talent to throw curses at their enemies. They are believed to be the primary cause for several different settings in Xanth: 1) the land of Air, 2) the land of Earth, 3) the land of Fire, 4) the land of Water (also called the Water Wing), and 5) the Void. The story about how these regions were created is described in Demons Don't Dream.
The curse fiends in the present day Xanth stay close to their own community where they put on plays. Because of this, they are well known for their acting skills.
[edit] References
- ^ "The name 'Xanth' was from my 'Names' book. I use these books not for the usual purpose of naming babies...but for naming characters in my fiction" (Piers, 213)
- ^ http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Interview_with_Piers_Anthony.aspx Agony Booth Interview
- Piers Anthony's Bibliography List
- Ghost of a Chance (ISBN 0-8125-6450-2) (1988) by Jody Lyn Nye (A Crossroads Adventure in the World of Piers Anthony's Xanth)
- Bio of an Ogre (ISBN 0-441-06225-3) (1988) by Piers Anthony (Xanth: Part Five: Number 4 p.213)
[edit] External links
- Xanth on Hipiers.com
- The Xanth series page at Tor Books
- Xanth series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- I was a captive of Xanth a review of the long-lived series from Salon (December 7, 2000)
- Xanthians Online the largest Xanth fan-based community and website
- The timeline of Xanth
- XanthDb A new Xanth fansite with databases of characters, books and more.
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