Category Archives: Xanth

Babes in the Woods

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Nathan

I remember, back in high school, reading about Scandinavian tales of women living in the forest who looked beautiful and human from the front, but were hollow in the back. I think the book just called them elves, and they … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Authors, British, Fairy Tales, German, Greek Mythology, J.R.R. Tolkien, Language, Mythology, Names, Norse, Piers Anthony, Roman, Xanth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Big Birds

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Nathan

I don’t think I’ve ever written a post about the Simurgh, the giant bird from Persian mythology that I actually first came across in the Xanth series. Pretty much always identified as female, this peacock-like bird is often shown as … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Babylonian, Final Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Hinduism, Judaism, Monsters, Mythology, Persian, Piers Anthony, Religion, Semitic, Video Games, Xanth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Know Your Gnomes

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Nathan

I’ve been looking into the portrayal of various mythical peoples in works of fiction, and it seems to me that some are much better defined than others. I asked earlier today on Twitter and Facebook what people thought of when … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, British, C.S. Lewis, Characters, Chronicles of Narnia, Fairy Tales, Games, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Monsters, Mythology, Norse, Oz, Oz Authors, Piers Anthony, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Xanth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Just Another Day in Fairyland

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Nathan

The three books I’m reviewing this time all have to do with magical lands I’ve read about before. Board Stiff, by Piers Anthony – There’s really nothing new in this latest installment in the Xanth series, but hey, I’m a … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Chris Dulabone, Dave Barry, Marcus Mebes, Marin Elizabeth Xiques, Oz, Oz Authors, Piers Anthony, Xanth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Bunch of Books

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Nathan

Esrever Doom, by Piers Anthony – The thirty-seventh book in the Xanth series is very much by-the-numbers, and contains the usual flaws. Most notable is the constant flirtation and panty-flashing by pretty much every female character toward the male ones, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Book Reviews, Genetics, History, Humor, Language, Piers Anthony, Science, Xanth | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Age Issues in Xanth

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Nathan

Luck of the Draw, by Piers Anthony – An old man named Bryce is made younger, given the power of second sight, and sent to Xanth to participate in a contest for the hand of Princess Harmony. He receives a … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Piers Anthony, Xanth | Tagged | 3 Comments

Leave the Real World Far Behind

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Nathan

If you’ve watched the DiC Super Mario Bros. 3 cartoons, you’ll know that the inhabitants of the Mushroom World are always referring to the Earth we know as “the real world.” Wouldn’t their own world be more real to them? … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Harry Potter, L. Frank Baum, Mario, Oz, Oz Authors, Piers Anthony, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Television, Xanth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Pope, the Puns, and the Puppet

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Nathan

The Antipope, by Robert Rankin – I believe this was Rankin’s first novel, and it’s also the first volume of what came to be known as the Brentford Trilogy. It shows clear signs of what would become Rankin’s signature style, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Brentford Trilogy, Humor, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Piers Anthony, Robert Rankin, Xanth | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Woodn’t It Bee Gneiss?

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Nathan

Knot Gneiss, by Piers Anthony – This is the thirty-fourth book in the Xanth series, and really, there’s not much new here. The fact that Anthony acknowledges his plots are formulaic doesn’t change the fact that they ARE formulaic. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Marin Elizabeth Xiques, Oz, Oz Authors, Piers Anthony, Xanth | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments