Yon Ill Wind (Magic of Xanth #20) FROM THE PUBLISHER
On a dare from his fellow Demons, the omnipotent entity known as X(A/N)[superscript th] agrees to prove his powers by traveling incognito through the realm he secretly rules - the enchanted land of Xanth. But the challenge they've given him may be more than even he can manage. First, he must assume a form of their choosing - a comical creature called Nimby, with the body of a dragon and the head of an ass. Second, he may only speak once during the adventure - and may never breathe a word about his true identify. Next he must stay with the first creature he meets or lose his power to move. And last, and certainly worst, he must wring at least one tear from his companion or forfeit his high rank for ages to come. Unfortunately his partner on this peculiar quest turns out to be an ill-tempered lass called Chlorine, with a tart tongue and a talent for tainting water. But that's not the end of his troubles, for a magical spell has opened a door between Xanth and the mundane world beyond, letting in a rampaging hurricane, and a hapless human family along with it - Jim and Karen Baldwin, and their two teenage sons, David and Sean. Together this mismatched company encounters a host of turbulent misadventures as they struggle to keep Xanth from being blown off the map forever.
FROM THE CRITICS
VOYA - Diane G. Yates
This one's a no-brainer. If your customers like the Xanth novels, you've got to buy it. Anthony has written umpteen of these tales set in the magical land of Xanth, and the pun will continue indefinitely if people keep sending him new ideas for storylines and characters. In an afterword he mentions close to a hundred suggestions from fans that he incorporated into the book. The plot follows the Demon X(A/N)th as he tries to win a wager with his fellow demons by assuming the form of one of the creatures of the realm he rules. He becomes a Nimby (Not In My Neighborhood), a creature with the body of a dragon and the head of an ass, who must wring a tear from the first person he meets. Further complications ensue when a human family from Mundania (i.e. Florida) is blown into Xanth while traveling through a hurricane in their RV. Their entry has created an opening through which the hurricane has followed, and the high winds are stirring up the magic dust causing all sorts of terrible consequences, and may ultimately end in the destruction of Xanth itself. It's all pretty lighthearted, however, and even the family pets, Woofer, Midrange, and Tweeter (do you get it?) help avert disaster. Great cover art beautifully depicts many of the characters from the book. Plot, character, everything takes a back seat to word-play, but its such a romp to read that nobody cares. VOYA Codes: 3Q 2P S (Readable without serious defects, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).
The Toronto Star
"Another of Piers Anthony's frothy and delightfully frivolous fantasy novels about the land of Xanth, whee puns and playfullness reign supreme."
Kirkus Reviews
Another Xanth yarn from Anthony (Geis of the Gargoyle, 1995, etc.), again structured like an interactive computer game to capture the attention of today's youth. This time, the Demon X(A/N)th agrees to a contest with his fellow-demons: If he wins, he becomes the top demon; lose, and he returns to the bottom of the pecking order. His task: In a regular body he must enter Xanth and win the affection of the chilly-hearted girl Chlorine, causing her to shed a single tear of love or grief. The complications: His fellow-demons put him in a grotesque and garish body with a silly voice, and impose other unlikely conditions; meanwhile, a Mundane family named Baldwin get blown into Xanth by a hurricane.
Fluff, just the thing for pun-happy funsters.
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