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A Xanth Novel — by Piers Anthony
Xanth Series in Order: 49 books
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A Spell for Chameleon
Book - 1
FOR LACK OF A SPELL...XANTH! That 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 ...
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Source of Magic
Book - 2
A quest for the source of power threatened to doom the land of XanthAs a ruler of a country steeped in enchantment, King Trent was naturally curious about the source of its magic. It made sense to order Bink, the only one of his subjects immune to su...
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Castle Roogna
Book - 3
Once upon a past. . . .Millie had been a ghost for 800 years. But now, restored by the magic of Xanth, she was again a maddeningly desirable woman. She could have had any man she wanted . . . except the one she did want, Jonathan the zombie. To grant...
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Centaur Aisle
Book - 4
INTO DARKEST MUNDANIA Dor was having troubles growing up to be the next Magician-King of the magic Land of Xanth. He wanted no part of running the Kingdom. But now Good King Trent was leaving on a trade mission to non-magical Mundania, home of suc...
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Ogre, Ogre
Book - 5
When a Nymph rides a Night Mare, Ogre beware!Smash knew all about ogres. After all, despite his having a human mother, Smash was an ogre himself. Ogres were not only huge and horribly ugly, as Smash was; they were also so stupid they could hardly spe...
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Night Mare
Book - 6
"BEWARE THE HORSEMAN!" The Nextwave of barbarian warriors was invading Xanth from the north, ravaging and destroying as they advanced. But Mare Imbrium had her own problems. Ever since she had gained the half soul, the night mare had begun to mish...
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Dragon on a Pedestal
Book - 7
There was trouble in Xanth again -- all kinds of trouble in fact. The Gap Dragon had escaped from the Gap and was ravaging across the land. The forget-spell that had covered the Gap was breaking up into small forget-whorls that wandered about, givin...
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Crewel Lye
Book - 8
A knight of ghosts and shadows!Jordan was a ghost in Castle Roogna now, spending his time with little five-year-old Ivy and watching his own past unfold on the magic tapestry. But once he had been a valorous knight, riding his ghost horse Pook on a f...
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Golem in the Gears
Book - 9
A golem to the rescue!Grundy Golem was the size of an inconsequence, and nobody had any respect for him -- including Grundy! To prove himself, he volunteered to ride the Monster Under the Bed to the Ivory Tower to find little Ivy's long-lost dragon, ...
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Vale of the Vole
Book - 10
When Esk, a young ogre-nymph-human, began his pilgrimage to the Good Magician Humfrey to rid himself of a seductive demoness, little did he know it would become a mission of mercy. A running river paradise and its harmless inhabitants were perishing ...
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Heaven Cent
Book - 11
Heaven Cent continues the Xanth saga from New York Times bestselling fantasy author Piers Anthony. In the mind of Xanth's precious shapeshifting Prince Dolph, the perfect way to see the world is to search for the missing sorcerer, Humfrey. Setting of...
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Man from Mundania
Book - 12
New York Times bestselling author Piers Anthony's Man from Mundania concludes the fan-favorite Xanth trilogyEmbark on a thrilling journey with Ivy, a young, bored out-of-her-wits princess trapped within the confinements of Castle Roogna. Yearning for...
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Isle of View
Book - 13
A bumbling elf girl and a shapeshifting prince must rescue a kidnapped flying centaur in this humorous fantasy adventure by a New York Times -- bestseller.Shapeshifting Prince Dolph can take on almost any form he chooses but he can't decide on w...
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Question Quest
Book - 14
A magician sends a melancholic maiden on a rescue mission in Hell in this humorous fantasy adventure by a New York Times -- bestselling author.As one of the trouble-making twins of Castle Zombie, Lacuna used to have so much fun when she was a li...
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The Color of Her Panties
Book - 15
A merwoman and a goblin girl each take on dangerous quests in this hilarious fantasy adventure by a New York Times -- bestselling author.In Xanth, almost everything is magic, and whatever isn't is probably lying. The land is also more dangerous ...
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Demons Don't Dream
Book - 16
"Series fans will find themselves right at home" as a computer game draws two players into the illusion-, pun-, and dragon-filled land of Xanth (Kirkus Reviews). Sixteen-year-old Dug has yet to be impressed by a computer game, but tha...
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Harpy Thyme
Book - 17
Leave Mundania. Enter the fabulous, wonder-filled land of Xanth. Gloha is the only creature of her kind in alt the world of Xanth, the beautiful offspring of a chance mating between a harpy and a goblin. As she grew to womanhood, she wondered whe...
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Geis of the Gargoyle
Book - 18
A gargoyle finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place in this Xanth adventure that "should delight Anthony's many fans" (Publishers Weekly). As a gargoyle, Gary Gar has one job in Xanth: to protect the Swan Knee River from t...
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Roc and a Hard Place
Book - 19
"Puns and playfulness reign supreme" as a demoness learns that big birds of a feather don't flock together in the New York Times -- bestselling Xanth series (The Toronto Star). Seeking a solution to a perplexing personal problem, the ...
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Yon Ill Wind
Book - 20
This Xanth villain is full of hot air. "Anthony's unflagging sparkle, verve and wordplay spin everyday trials of Mundane life into storytelling gold" (Publishers Weekly). A fickle flux in the fabric of space has allowed a horrendous h...
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Faun & Games
Book - 21
The magical and mirth-filled land of Xanth holds many, marvels. But now an extraordinary new aspect of this remarkable realm unfolds as young Forrest Faun's quest takes him to a tiny planet hidden in the heart of Xanth. There, with a delightful "day ...
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Zombie Lover
Book - 22
Something's rotten in the land of Xanth -- and it's not just the undead -- in this "cheeky" adventure in the New York Times -- bestselling series (Publishers Weekly). Horrors and hilarity collide as a fate far worse than death awaits ...
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Xone of Contention
Book - 23
Climate and culture shock ensue when Xanthians swap bodies with mere humans in this madcap adventure in the New York Times -- bestselling series. All Breanna of the Black Wave and her newfound love, Justin Tree, want is a little time ...
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The Dastard
Book - 24
Many malevolent menaces have imperiled the magical land of Xanth in its long and storied history. But none has been as despicably dangerous as the Dastard-a craven miscreant who sold his soul to a detestable demon for the power to erase events. Now t...
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Swell Foop
Book - 25
A MATTER OF GRAVITY Someone-or some thing-has kidnapped the dreaded Demon Earth. If he isn't found, the very fabric of our world will unravel, removing the Earth's gravitational field, and, incidentally, that of the magical land of Xanth as well! ...
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Up In A Heaval
Book - 26
"The 26th installment of Anthony's popular Xanth series contains a wealth of puns and wordplay, as well as a host of ingenuous and likable protagonists." -- Library JournalAn innocent piece of Mundane Snail Mail has provoked the dreaded Demon Jupite...
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Cube Route
Book - 27
For nearly three decades, Piers Anthony's bestselling Xanth series has been delighting tens of thousands of fantasy fans around the world. Now, with Cube Route, the series' twenty-seventh adventure, Anthony has penned a tale that adds another dime...
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Currant Events
Book - 28
When Clio, the Muse of History, sat down to pen the twenty-eighth volume in the Chronicles of Xanth, she was stunned to discover it was already there! And, what was worse, it was totally unreadable, for the words on its pages were fuzzed beyond co...
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Stork Naked
Book - 30
In his 30th rollicking chronicle of the enchanted land of Xanth, Piers Anthony reveals unexplored new dimensions of his magical realm. Stork Naked tells the tale of Surprise Golem, an expectant mother who has just lost her brand-new baby!For in Xanth...
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Air Apparent
Book - 31
When the Good Magician Humfrey's son Hugo suddenly vanishes, his disappearance sets in motion a series of madcap misadventures that send a collection of colorful characters on a perilous pair of parallel quests. Among them are Debra, a pretty young g...
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Two to the Fifth
Book - 32
The future of Xanth is in frightful peril. A powerful magical bird named Ragna Roc has embarked on a campaign to become absolute ruler of that mystical realm. Those who swear loyalty to him are spared. The rest are simply disappeared. So powerful ...
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Jumper Cable
Book - 33
In the thirty-third thrilling escapade in Piers Anthony's rousing Xanth fantasy series, an adventurous arachnid named Jumper must assume human form to save the enchanted realm from a cosmic peril. A cataclysmic battle between two all-powerful Demo...
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Knot Gneiss
Book - 34
Wenda Woodwife has a knotty problem--her mood swings have sent her beloved husband, Prince Charming, off on Adventure. She seeks the cure from the Good Magician Humphrey, only to discover that he has a knotty problem of his own and that only Wenda Wo...
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Well-tempered Clavicle
Book - 35
Picka Bones and his sister Joy'nt are off in search of adventure with three creatures newly arrived from Mundania--and not the sort of creatures you might expect! Join them in a madcap quest, in this 35th tale of the land of Xanth....
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Luck of the Draw
Book - 36
Bryce is summoned to Xanth as part of a wager between the Demons Earth and Xanth. To his surprise, he has left behind his home and family and eighty-year-old body forever, in exchange for youth and magic....and a quest. He must court and marry Prince...
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Esrever Doom
Book - 37
Piers Anthony's 37th adventure in Xanth changes the Mood to one of Doom! Kody woke up in a hospital bed, not knowing how he got there. Before his questions could be answered, he was told that he was about to undergo surgery, and that there could b...
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Board Stiff
Book - 38
"I'm actually a smart girl who would make any man an excellent wife. But no man sees that. No man is interested in my mind or personality, just my whatevers. So here is my wish: I'm board stiff. I want Adventure, Excitement, and Romance." So begins P...
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Five Portraits
Book - 39
Piers Anthony delivers another tale set in the bestselling world of Xanth, filled with magic, surprises, adventure, and a few puns. Here's what the author has to say about his new book: "Five Portraits is a kind of sequel to Board Stiff in that i...
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Ghost Writer in the Sky
Book - 41
Two Ordinary People from Mundania travel to Xanth to defeat a rogue Night Colt in the latest in a beloved series from bestselling author Piers Anthony. The Night Colt has one ambition: to deliver dreams to the deserving. Unfortunately, only Night...
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Jest Right
Book - 43
All of Xanth is a stage as an unlikely hero saves the show in the New York Times -- bestselling series. There's no shortage of laughs when Jess is around; she's been cursed to have nobody take her seriously. But her dubious talent comes in handy ...
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Skeleton Key
Book - 44
There's no dancing around a demonic threat in the fantasy world of Xanth in the New York Times-bestselling series. Squid, the alien cuttlefish, is getting an upgrade: a boost to her shape-changing talent so she can lead a mission against a foreig...
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A Tryst of Fate
Book - 45
You're better wed than dead -- even in Xanth -- in the hilariously punny new adventure in the fantasy series soon to be adapted for film and television! Squid may only be a tween alien cuttlefish, but her feelings for Chaos, her Demo...
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Six Crystal Princesses
Book - 46
In this heroic Xanth adventure from the New York Times -- bestselling author, there's no time like the present to free six plucky princesses from the past. Young Vinia is enjoying her life with her boyfriend, Prince Ion. They complem...
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Apoca Lips
Book - 47
No one's safe when a pundemic spreads through the land of Xanth in this madcap adventure from the New York Times -- bestselling author. What's a single prince to do when confronted with the baton of protagonism? Why, become the hero ...
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Up in a Heavel
Book - 48
A spot of trouble could wipe out Xanth when the Demon Jupiter throws his red dot at the magical realm in this clever and suspenseful fantasy.Umlaut is an ordinary man with an uncanny ability to imitate others—and a particular knack for attracti...
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Knickelpede Knight
Book - 49
The New York Times -- bestselling author returns to his acclaimed fantasy series as an ordinary insect is tasked with mapping the entirety of Xanth.Nicolas Nickelpede is an average insect in almost every way -- apart from his remarkable skill of clai...
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Series Premise
The Xanth series is set in a world where magic is an everyday occurrence. Each book follows a different protagonist on a self-contained quest—often involving the discovery of a magical talent, a search for a person or object, or the resolution of a threat to the land—while encountering bizarre creatures, enchanted locations, and literal puns.
Xanth Series Reading Order
🟡 Mostly Standalone · Start Anywhere
Mostly standalone stories with recurring characters in a shared setting.
The Xanth series does not need to be read in order. Each book tells a complete story with its own resolution. Continuity is limited to recurring characters and the shared setting. Reading the books out of order does not cause confusion, as there are no overarching plots or cliffhangers connecting the volumes.
Explanation of reading order types
Xanth Series Characters
Each book features new or different lead characters, typically residents of Xanth discovering or using their unique magical talents. Recurring figures include the Good Magician Humphrey, members of the royal family, and various magical creatures who appear across multiple books.
Setting of the Xanth Series
The series takes place entirely in the land of Xanth, a Florida-shaped peninsula filled with magic. Key locations include castles, enchanted forests, the Gap Chasm, and villages where everyday objects and situations behave according to magical rules.
Tone & Themes of the Xanth Series
The tone is lighthearted, whimsical, and heavily pun-based with clever wordplay. Core themes include individuality, the value of seemingly ordinary talents, friendship, and finding one’s place in a magical world.
Is the Xanth Series Worth Reading?
Yes, for readers who enjoy humorous fantasy with inventive world-building, puns, and light adventure. The books are imaginative and accessible for both teens and adults.
Content Warnings and Heat Level
This is a fantasy series with mild innuendo and occasional adult-oriented humor in later books. There is minimal violence and no explicit sexual content.
The Xanth series explores a magical land where puns are real and everyone has a special talent. With its self-contained adventures and consistent whimsical setting, it offers flexible reading. Piers Anthony’s creative wordplay and detailed fantasy world define this long-running series.
Books in this series fall into the following genres
Genres
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Top Series in Heroic Fantasy / Sword & Sorcery