The Xanth Series

Xanth, what can I say about this series. Let me start with the Author. I think that I've read more Piers Anthony books than any other author. I really like the way that he writes and several of his series are just great. Also, he is a prolific writer who has a good handle on how long a story should be. His stories neither drag or fly by; they are a good length for light reading.

Now, I just picked up a new to me Xanth book within the last month and read it, and to be honest I was thinking that I really wouldn't like it too much, being too juvenile for my tastes anymore, but I was pleasantly surprised. I guess I really go for that nostalgia feeling, and since Ogre, Ogre was the first book that I ever bought for myself as a kid of about ten years, reading this stuff sure fills that nostalgia fix pretty well.

The world of Xanth, which is almost the exact shape of Florida, is a magical world where strange punny things happen. Over the years Anthony has expanded the territory of the series to include a dream world in the gourd (read Ogre, Ogre) and Ptero and it's derivatives. Regardless, the whole world in which these stories reside seems to evolve over time, and in every book, a new facet of Xanth is opened up for discovery.

Xanth has two main properties. First it's magical and second it's humorous. Not all aspects are funny, but most things the characters run across in Xanth are mostly pun. It's actually really fun to read about the absurdity of the land and it's creatures and their unique interactions can be really entertaining.

I'll probably keep picking Anthony books up as long as he keeps writing them, and for a lighthearted read, Xanth books will probably always be at the top of that list.