Piers Anthony fans, in particular Xanth?

[slideyfoot]

I was wondering if there were any fellow members fond of Piers Anthony's Xanth series? Golem in the Gears is the first one I read - I have a memory of going through it in a hotel room in Turkey at the age of around 12, I think. :)

The main things I've always enjoyed about Anthony's writing is his use of puns and the manner in which all the inhabitants of Xanth have a unique magic 'talent', which is a nice idea. The Good Magician Humphrey is an especially interesting creation, his system of 'tests' always providing a high point in any Xanth novel.

[Inklet]

I read probably the first 12-15 of the Xanth novels before I got tired of them. They were good fun. My favorites were A Spell for Chameleon, Castle Roogna, and Centaur Isle. At their best, some of the later ones remind me of an American Terry Pratchett. I really liked his "Blue Adept" series and the "Incarnations of Immortality" books, too.

On the other hand, I detested his "Tarot" books and Firefly.


He does something nice at the end of most of his Xanth books that I would like to see other authors emulate. He writes long author's notes about what was going on in his life and with his family while the book was being written. I've always enjoyed those.