Swell Foop

When Cynthia Centaur journeys to ask the Good Magician Humfrey a very personal Question, she expects nothing more than the usual Challenges and Puzzles, as well as some small sort of Service, in exchange for her Answer. What she doesn't expect is that she will be responsible for the future survival of Xanth itself.
For a peril of immense gravity endangers the enchanted land of Xanth. Or, rather, a lack of gravity. The Demon Earth, who rules our own world, has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. Without Demon Earth's vast powers, everything on the surface of the Earth and all other worlds, including Xanth, will go whirling weightlessly away into space.

By merest chance, Cynthia Centaur has come to the Good Magician's castle at precisely the wrong moment. For the Muse of History has decreed that the very next Querent who asks Humfrey a Question will be charged with the awesome responsibility of finding the Demon Earth and saving Xanth.

It's whispered that another Demon (with a capital D) has done the dastardly deed. The only weapon that can prevail against such a cosmic being is the instrument known as the Swell Foop. And the only way to handle its awesome power is to locate the Six Lost Rings of Xanth, whose whereabouts are known only to the Zombies.

So Cynthia and five companions-her beloved mate, Che; Breanna of the Black Wave and her fiancé Justin Tree; Sim, the immortal bird who will one day know all the secrets of the universe; and Jaylin, a young human girl from the Mundane land of Hawaii -embark on a quest of utmost danger, to challenge an Unknown Demon for the fate of a dozen worlds.
A harrowing and hilarious escapade that ranges from Earth to Xanth to a galaxy far, far away, Swell Foop is pure magical merriment from the prolific pen of fantasy master Piers Anthony.

"Do you think the puns will ever run out?" a character asks early in Anthony's 26th funny Xanth adventure. "If they do, Xanth will dissolve into chaos... It is mostly made of puns," another character sagely replies. And so it goes. This fantasy confection is full of puns, clever mathematical and grammatical lessons and some gratuitous sexual innuendo. Cynthia Centaur and her companions must find the Six Rings of Xanth (Fire, Earth, Idea, Water, Air and Void) in order to rescue the Demon Earth from the thrall of the Swell Foop. These rings are the only artifacts capable of locating the Foop. When they are stacked and aligned, a person who sights through them will be able to see the Foop if the stack is pointing the right way, and if that person is destined to use it. The rings also control the six known Regions of Xanth. The ring bearers, who include Jaylin, a Mundanian human girl, as well as five Xanth creatures, must use their creativity and sense of humor to find Demon Earth, or else the gravity needed in Xanth and Earth will disappear forever. Diehard Xanth fans will rejoice at this fast-paced romp, but even they might get a bit tired of the incessant panty humor. Some readers may have raging hormones, but the preteens, who would most enjoy this book, aren't quite there yet, and many older teens are ready to explore more mature issues. (Oct. 17)autobiography, How Precious Was That While (Forecasts, July 23).

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The twenty-fifth book of Xanth deals with a matter of some gravity. Specifically, the Demon Earth has disappeared, which means that eventually not only some but all gravity will disappear from Earth and Xanth. To solve the mystery and rescue the Demon Earth, the Swell Foop is required. That involves using the six magical rings of Xanth, which need to be found by means of a quest by five old friends of Xanth mavens--Cynthia and Che Centaur, Brianna and Justin Tree, and Sim, the immortal bird--as well as Jaylin, a girl from Mundane Hawaii. The search is fraught with Anthony's usual cargo of puns. A bit longer than some recent Xanths, this is also a bit better, and even those who find it more of the same are likely to enjoy themselves. But starting with Xanth in a late book such as this is less advisable for finding out what the fuss is all about than going back as far as your library's holdings allow. Roland Green
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