Xanth

Xanth was the enchanted land where magic ruled - where every citizen had a special spell only he could cast. It was a land of centaurs, dragons and basiliks.But poor Bink alone had no magic. And unless he got some - and fast - he would be exiled. The Good Magician Humfrey was convined that Bink did indeed have magic, magic as powerful as any possessed by the King or Good Magician Humfrey himself. But no one could fathom the nature of Bink's very special magic. Bink was in despair. This was worse than having no magic at all...and he would still be exiled.

When college freshman Grey Murphy buys a computer program guaranteed to improve his life, it introduces him to Ivy, the lovely girl across the hall...whose only fault is her insistence that she comes from a magical land called Xanth. But before long -- through the interference of the computer program, which is actually an extension of the evil machine Com Pewter -- Grey finds out his attractive neighbor is telling the truth. Ivy is determined to return home to continue the search for the long-missing Good Magician Humfrey, and Grey agrees to help her. However, justifiably disoriented in a place he can scarcely believe in, enamored of a sorcerous Princess yet unwilling to believe magic is real, Grey could very well become Com Pewter's tool in its bid to attain absolute power.

After a year filled with harrowing adventures, all Breanna of the Black Wave and her newfound love, Justin Tree, want is a little time to get to know each other better and explore the wonders of the enchanted land of Xanth. But their incipient idyll is soon shattered by a stunning discovery. A climatic catastrophe is causing a massive meltdown that threatens to inundate the ancient forests of Xanth.

An abominable army of automatons has plunged Xanth into dire peril in Pet Peeve, the 29th hilarious adventure in Piers Anthony's beloved fantasy series. All that stands between the enchanted land and destruction is a most unlikely hero, a forlorn, mild-mannered Goblin named Goody, whose courteous ways have earned him the scorn of his ill-tempered goblin fellows. Assigned by the Good Magician Humfrey to find a appropriate abode for the Pet Peeve—a foul-mouthed fowl who insults anyone it encounters, Goody reluctantly sets out on this daunting quest, armed only with a bag of half-spent spells, and guarded by a brawny woman warrior called Hannah Barbarian. But when Goody's mission unknowingly triggers an invasion of Xanth by a horde of mechanical marauders from a faraway Robot World, he must enlist the aid of Xanth's many denizens—dragons, zombies, centaurs, demons, elves, and even goblins like himself. And, in the heart of Goblin Mountain, Goody finds an unexpected ally—Gwenny Goblin, a beautiful, strong-willed goblin chief who can help him rally Xanth to repel the robot army, and perhaps mend his broken heart as well. Brimming with heart-stopping adventure and heart-warming delight, overflowing with wicked wit and wanton wordplay, Pet Peeve is Piers Anthony in rare form, an exceptional new chapter in the continuing chronicles of Xanth.

In honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the best-selling fantasy series, the first three novels in Anthony's Xanth universe--A Spell for Chameleon, The Source of Magic, and Castle Roogna--come together in an enchanting omnibus edition that features a new introduction by the author.

"In Xanth, everyone has a talent. But that doesn't mean everyone loves his talent, and no one understands that better than Hapless. Endowed with the ability to conjure any instrument he wants, Hapless could be an extraordinary musician if only he could play a tune that didn't fall ear-piercingly flat. His one desire is to find an instrument he can play--and maybe a girlfriend or three. But like music, women have never been his forte"--Amazon.com.