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Piers Anthony
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Geis of the Gargoyle (The Xanth Novels Book 18) Kindle Edition

by Piers Anthony (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 182 ratings
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 the pollution flowing in from Mundania. But more dirt plus less rain will crack any gargoyle’s stony composure.
 
So Gary does what any good Xanthian would do: He seeks the help of the Good Magician. But payment for his service is high. Gary must find a philter for the water, while taking on human form to tutor a wild human child, with help from the surly Sorceress Iris, and—even though time is of the essence—taking Hiatus, a known troublemaker, along for the ride.
 
It won’t be easy, especially when they’re all transported back to the dawn of time. And if they can’t figure out what’s going on in the past, there may be no future for Xanth—come hell or high water . . .
 
“Ephemeral amusement for pun-struck Xanthonauts.” —Kirkus Reviews
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  1. Book 18 of 47
    Xanth
  2. Print length
    440 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
  5. Publication date
    September 24, 2019
  6. File size
    4.9 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 47 books in this series.
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This newest entry in the Xanth series should delight Anthony's (Harpy Thyme) many fans while drawing the usual groans from pun-hating others. Gargoyle Gary Gar, hereditary guardian and purifier of the waters of the Swan Knee River flowing from Mundania into Xanth, wants to make his job easier. The Good Magician Humfrey offers him an idea, but in exchange Gary must teach the wild child Surprise self-control, a task that requires him to assume human form. Agreeing with reluctance, Gary sets off to search for the suggested "philter" in the company of the multi-talented Surprise, the Sorceress Iris, demoness D. Mentia and the former juvenile delinquent Hiatus, who is seeking his true love, Desiree Dryad. Nearing their goal in the Region of Madness, the crew is cast back a millennium in time to find their quest tied to serious danger for all of Xanth. Through Anthony's often charming froth an element of wisdom will occasionally shoulder its way.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Anthony began writing his "Xanth" saga in the 1970s, but it wasn't until Demons Don't Dream (Tor Bks., 1993) that he made it to the hardcover best sellers lists. In this latest Xanth novel, an environmentally conscious gargoyle searches for a spell to purify a polluted river.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07VFDPBQ4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy; 1st edition (September 24, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 24, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.9 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 440 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 182 ratings

About the author

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Piers Anthony

Piers Anthony

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Piers Anthony is one of the world's most popular fantasy authors, and a New York Times bestseller twenty-one times over. His Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and he daily receives hundreds of letters from his devoted fans.In addition to the Xanth series, Anthony is the author of many other best-selling works. Piers Anthony lives in Inverness, Florida.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
182 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's readability and pacing. They find the story engaging and love the Xanth series. The Land of Xanth is described as magical.

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ReadabilityPacing
7 customers mention "Readability"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging. They appreciate the sublime chapters, though some feel the ending is rushed.

"Great book at a pretty good price, was shipped quick with no problems" Read more

"It's a book, it's great!" Read more

"...I enjoyed certain chapters that were quintessentially sublime but the ending was rushed and trite...." Read more

"Fantastic book! Can't put it down!" Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find the story engaging and enjoy the series. The Land of Xanth is described as magical.

"I love everything in the Xanth series. Love the bad puns." Read more

"Excellent Xanth Story..." Read more

"The Land of Xanth is truly magical..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Andrew Dalton
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Great book at a pretty good price, was shipped quick with no problems
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  • Moon
    5.0 out of 5 stars This was a great adventure
    Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This was fun. And it had a great ending. It kinda made you think here and there. This is what it's like to have kids. Lol
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  • Elvee54
    4.0 out of 5 stars really good, but……
    Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2025
    Like all Piers Anthony books it was a great read. The end however was a smidge off. I mean I get it but I would have liked a little more.
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  • R. Kent Jones
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Xanth Story
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Gary Gargoyle is set on a quest to remove the Geis of the Gargoyle. To do this, he must become human and gather five fellow adventurers to achieve his goal. Without all six of them they will surely fail?
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  • saneyetcrazy
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Land of Xanth is truly magical
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Any book about Xanth by Piers Anhthony are a joy to read.
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  • blue catapillar
    5.0 out of 5 stars I really like how puns are used by the Author
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I really like how puns are used by the Author, "Piers Anthony". I love this series so much, I have purchased all the books of this series, as I have of, "Incarnations of Immortality". The Incarnations of Immortality" is the first book of that series, as of "Bearing an hourglass", "With a tangled skein", "Wielding a red sword", "Being a green mother. If you are into fantasy, and reading of literal puns, you should love this book.
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  • Jennifer Ramme
    5.0 out of 5 stars It's a book!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    It's a book, it's great!
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  • N. Wallach
    4.0 out of 5 stars Filling in some gaps in the Xanth story
    Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2013
    In this eighteenth novel in the series, the author decided to go back and fill in some of the details that were skipped over in the early parts of the Xanth series. This is not conjecture as he tells us exactly that in his author's note at the end of the book. Of course, the way he does it is in a purely Xanthian way - which is to say full of puns; misdirections; secrets of growing up; and the magical land of Xanth and it's zany inhabitants.

    The main plot of the story is the familiar one: a character - in this case it's Gary the Gargoyle - is dissatisfied with something, so he goes to see the magician of information and is sent on a quest after defeating the three challenges to get in. This quest evolves into a party of people and during the successful execution of the quest, the party gets to find love, and enchantment, and each other, and also solve many more problems to resolve the overall problem. Since all of this takes place in Xanth, we get to discover how many more puns can be stuffed into a two hundred page book. The answer is "a lot!".

    Over the course of this book we find out why there is a region of madness in Xanth where the magic works in bizarre ways; we also learn more about the back story of Iris and why she became the kind of person she is; as well as catch up on Grundys daughter: Surprise! There are actually many more subplots in this book - as one would expect from a Xanth book. The main point of course is the puns and the general zaniness of it and it is quite enjoyable and up to snuff in the normal manner of Xanth novels.

    I did notice that the author focused more on sexual relations in this book. The dreaded ellipsis made some appearances as did the incessant discussion on how the stork needed to be summoned in many situations. This was somewhat excessive in my opinion and certainly more than was done in any previous book in this series. There was also some repetitiveness in the magical conditions that the various people could create in the sense of their talent. I thought the initial premise of the magical talents of Surprise was quite ingenious and the fact that she was made part of the party to help discipline her was a lot of fun (what parent has NOT wanted to send their misbehaving kid off with someone else who would tutor them to behave better?) but I thought that the resolution of this sub-plot was not very reasonable. I also noted this about some other sub-plots where their resolution appeared to be thrown together in a quick fashion and without much integration into the rest of the book. If the last two points seem somewhat vague, I apologize, but I do not want to give away too many spoilers about this book.

    As usual most of the fun is in how the young people grow up and how they deal with their punish world and this is an area where Piers Anthony does not disappoint. So, I decided to take all these factors into account in the rating of four stars that I am awarding this book. It is definitely one that a reader of the previous books will want to add to their shelves, but I would certainly not start with this one if I had never read a Xanth book before.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Edward Shepperd
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Magic Mix
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Piers Anthony at his best. An unusual mix of characters, interwoven with great skill with a clever plot line.As ever the best pun of all is very late on in the book.
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  • Dawn
    4.0 out of 5 stars Magical Fun
    Reviewed in Canada on July 19, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I have followed the Xanth series for 30 years, discovering them after my dad died and I needed to be transported from grief.
    These magical stories, characters and silly puns are the perfect antidote for sadness and always bring a smile and chuckle.
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  • catherine atkins
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Another great book!
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