Piers Anthony’s bestselling Xanth series is one of the cornerstones of fantasy, a lively and whimsical interpretation of a genre often criticized for taking itself too seriously. Anthony’s first Xanth novel, A Spell for Chameleon, was initially edited to target a more traditional audience. Now, in an eBook exclusive, A Spell for Chameleon has been reworked line by line—its language matching the simpler, playful way with words that made Piers Anthony an enduring fan favorite. Xanth is an enchanted land where magic rules, a land of centaurs and dragons and basilisks where every citizen has a unique spell to call their own. For Bink of North Village, however, Xanth is no fairy tale. He alone has no magic. And unless he gets some—and fast!—he will be exiled. Forever. But the Good Magician Humfrey is convinced that Bink does indeed have magic. In fact, both Beauregard the genie and the magic wall chart insist that Bink has magic as powerful as any possessed by the King, the Good Magician Humfrey, or even the Evil Magician Trent. Be that as it may, no one can fathom the nature of Bink’s very special magic. This is even worse than having no magic at all . . . and he still faces exile!

BEST NOVEL OF THE YEAR, BRITISH FANTASY SOCIETY • Discover the magical beginning of Piers Anthony’s enthralling Xanth series 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 and dragons and basilisks. For Bink of North Village, however, Xanth was no fairy tale. He alone had no magic. And unless he got some—and got some fast!—he would be exiled. Forever. But the Good Magician Humfrey was convinced that Bink did indeed have magic. In fact, both Beauregard the genie and the magic wall chart insisted that Bink had magic. Magic as powerful as any possessed by the King or by Good Magician Humfrey—or even by the Evil Magician Trent. Be that as it may, no one could fathom the nature of Bink’s very special magic. Bink was in despair. This was even worse than having no magic at all . . . and he would still be exiled! Thus begins Piers Anthony’s enthralling Xanth series. . . .

In the magical land of Xanth, Bink tries to discover his own magical power, King Trent investigates the source of Xanth magic, and Dor, a young magician, travels back eight hundred years in Xanth's history

A comprehensive three-volume reference work offers six hundred entries, with the first two volumes covering themes and the third volume exploring two hundred classic works in literature, television, and film.

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Commentary (books not included). Pages: 30. Chapters: Air Apparent, A Spell for Chameleon, Castle Roogna, Centaur Aisle, Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn, Cube Route, Currant Events, Demons Don't Dream, Dragon on a Pedestal, Faun & Games, Geis of the Gargoyle, Golem in the Gears, Harpy Thyme, Heaven Cent, Isle of View, Jumper Cable, Knot Gneiss, Man from Mundania, Night Mare, Ogre, Ogre, Pet Peeve (Xanth), Question Quest, Roc and a Hard Place, Stork Naked, Swell Foop, The Color of Her Panties, The Dastard, The Source of Magic, Two to the Fifth, Up in a Heaval, Vale of the Vole, Well-Tempered Clavicle, Xone of Contention, Yon Ill Wind, Zombie Lover. Excerpt: A Spell for Chameleon is the first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. In this adventure, Bink is exiled to Mundania because he has (inadvertently) broken Xanth law by not having a magical talent. He returns to Xanth with Chameleon, a woman whose intelligence and beauty vary inversely depending on the time of the month, and the evil magician Trent who was exiled 20 years earlier for attempting to usurp the throne of Xanth. At the beginning of the novel Bink is facing imminent exile from the magical land of Xanth and separation from his fiancee Sabrina for his lack of a magic talent. All human residents of Xanth possess some unique form of magic that ranges from incredibly powerful (such as the current King Aeolus's ability to summon and control storms) to relatively useless (such as the ability to make a spot appear on a wall). In the hopes of discovering his talent Bink sets out to see the Good Magician Humfrey, a magician whose talent has to do with the gathering of information. While on his way Bink fights his way through the perilous wilderness of Xanth, having several run-ins with dangerous plants and animals but always being saved by apparent coincidence. On this journey he...

Michael R. Collings examines the life and work of American science fiction author Piers Anthony. Starmont Reader's Guide 20.

Presents articles on the horror and fantasy genres of fiction, including authors, themes, significant works, and awards.

Indexes, covers and tables of contents of Paperback Inferno (issues 43-97, 1983-1992), the paperback reviews journal of the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA). As well as complete tables of contents of all these issues, this book includes indexes to every book and magazine reviewed, every cover artist, and every letter writer, along with summary statistics of the issues.

Twenty-five years ago, Piers Anthony fascinated us with the creation of Xanth-a wondrous land where magic rules supreme. Since then, the dazzling world of Xanth has delighted millions of readers. Now, here are the first three novels of this classic series to enthrall a whole new generation. . . . A SPELL FOR CHAMELEON "Winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel of the Year Though every citizen of Xanth has a special spell only he or she can cast, Bink of North Village has no magic. But the Good Magician Humphrey and Beauregard the genie insist that Bink indeed is capable of enchantment- magic more powerful than the King himself, or even the evil magician Trent. Now if only Bink can find his magic . . . before he is forced into exile. THE SOURCE OF MAGIC Curious about the source of Xanth's magic, the King sends Bink on a daring quest for truth. From the beginning, Bink and his companions are harried by an unseen creature determined to thwart them. But when some allies become enemies, it will take all Bink's ingenuity and luck to prevail on his mission, which takes an unexpectedly defiant turn. CASTLE ROOGNA Millie had been a ghost for eight hundred years. But now, restored by the magic of Xanth, she is again a beautiful living woman. She can have any man she desires . . . except one: Jonathan the zombie. To help Millie, young Magician Dor embarks on a journey for the elixir that will restore Jonathan to full life-an adventure that will take him to the past, where his intentions are thwarted by a surprising encounter. "Discover a magical world of dazzling imagination!

Youth is Wasted on the Young Being grown up is a drag . . . or so thinks Lacuna, one of the michievous Castle Zombie twins. So she makes the Good Magician Grey an an offer he can't refuse. Thirsty for a taste of the Elixir of Youth, 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) . . . with the help of a gorgon or two.