Rating: Summary: A Great Xanth Novel Review: I think that this novel was a good one but not my favorite. I love Xanth novels but I don't like it when they go into Mundania. It just gets boring. It was a good book because of the search for the king.
Rating: Summary: One Great Book Review: I thought it was a really great book. It took me about a month to read it but it was worth it. I recomend This book to anyone who enjoys fiction-fantasy.
Rating: Summary: Fairly Good Review: I thought it was good, being one of the earlier Xanth Novels which are better than the later. Introducing Mundania as a actual place and seeing it through the character's eyes was a good idea.
Rating: Summary: A great book of magical creatures. Review: I thought this was a great book. I have also read Castle Roogna and it was pretty good, but Centaur Aisle was much better.When I have read other books in the Xanth Novels, I will write some more.
Rating: Summary: for crying out loud Review: I would not regard this book as a "bridge"; merely an exaggeration of a man's pathetic willingness to do whatever a beautiful woman wants. Thus it is not sexist. It is not trying to say that women use their charms to trap men, because my actual experience with women is that they want a man's feelings to be based on a conscious decision rather than a fundamental attraction. There is the customary adventure, but, as in The Source Of Magic, it means nothing. Oh, well, at least it had a theme, however exaggerated, and some funny parts, such as the spelling bee. Dor's character sours in this book much the way that Bink's character soured in the Source of Magic. In Castle Roogna, Dor is twelve but acts sixteen, and in this one it's the other way around. What's strange is that Castle Roogna starts out with Dor having a crush on Millie, and he goes on a tough adventure just to un-zombie the one that she loves. He wanted to get along with Irene in that one, but she was too immature. They kiss at the end. In this one Irene's prettier and more charming (which is not the same as nicer) and over the course of the story Dor doesn't exactly act with the same gallantry, which I think is unrealistic. Anthony seems also to blame this on Irene; that she "trapped" Dor into marriage just so she could be Queen. I'm a 15-year-old boy, and I KNOW it doesn't work that way. What about Iris and Trent? Later in the series you find out that Iris's secret desire is for Trent to love her of his own volition--once she realized that her illusions weren't getting to him. THAT is the way marriages work. You might think I'm saying that because the male has the upper hand, but later later in the series King Trent admits his love for Queen Iris as well. King Trent is my role model; I'm not ashamed to admit that. But this book can give people wrong ideas.
Rating: Summary: Skip this One Review: If you are thinking about buying this book, you probably have already read other Xanth books, which are generally quite good. Centaur Aisle is not I think is may be because, most Xanth books have plenty of magic. It is an escape to a different place where anything is possible. This book is an adventure into Mundania. Mundania is mundane. There is no magic there, well, almost none. As a result, this book isn't as interesting. This book is also more serious then the other Xanth books. I like Xanth books because they have a good combination of fun and adventure. This book is a little less light, a little less fun. Of all the Xanth books to date, this is the only one I would avoid. But, please, if you haven't read the first three books go back and buy them; they are great fun!
Rating: Summary: Centaur Aisle is moderately appealing book in Xanth series Review: In this fourth book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, you will follow the adventures of the temporary king Dor, Princess Irene, orge Smash, the golem Grundy, and a centaur named Arnolde the Archivist. The present king, Trent, and Queen Iris have left on a secret mission and left Dor in charge of Xanth until their return. The only problem is that they DON'T return! Can Dor figure out the clues that Trent gave him to determine their location in Mundania? How will they save the royal pair -- Mundania is a place where magic does not exist! Enter a new magician in the realm of Xanth, and the impossible becomes a magical reality.
One of my favorite parts of the book would be the climatic ending battle between our heroes and the antagonists. It is not my favorite of the Xanth books, but it is notable to see how Dor changes throughout the book. The author provides a slightly different side to Queen Iris' personality at the end of the book that I appreciated when I read it again as well.
Rating: Summary: A glimmer of emotion - Xanth's best !! Review: People often say that the first three books of the Xanth series are the best, but I think the series topped at book number four. Centaur Aisle is Xanth in its finest hour: full of puns (but not TOO many), a lively group of magical youths as the heroes, a clever and thoughtful plot - and all topped off with an adventure of awesome scale. Dor is sixteen and is like any other teenager: he hates studying, is annoyed by the "palace brat" Irene, and worries about becoming a competent and honorable adult. The only difference between him and that kid down your street is that he can talk to your chair as if it were a regular person, and he's posed to become the next King of Xanth, a land of magic. However, when the rightful king disappears in the dreary land of Mundania (*gasp* they have NO magic!), Dor is forced to take responsibility before he's ready and set out on a rescue mission with his group of friends. This is Xanth after Mr. Anthony has stretched his legs, and before he started overdoing it. The plot actually IS a plot, and it's smart. Readers get to read about new aspects of Xanth's magic, but none of it is too ridiculous or lame as to be laughable, as is the case far too often with the newer Xanth novels. My favorite parts of the book, however, was the depth of emotion that Anthony carefully tried to lay down on the pages. Xanth is a fantasy series, and accordingly, the emotions presented in most of its stories are either light and shallow, or too far removed from reality to actually make you feel like you could relate to the character. But this novel managed to move away from that symptom - at least even temporarily in parts - and depicted scenes with genuine human reactions. The one scene where Dor and Irene are trapped in opposite cells as prisoners - and, not knowing their fate - proposed in a special way that could only happen in a Xanth novel, made me cry when I first read it. This book is not to be missed, for both old and new fans. If you've already read it before, experience the magic again. And if you've never read this or any Xanth novel before, I strongly recommend that you begin at the beginning - the first three are strong works as well - just so the later ones make sense. This novel was worth every penny I paid for it, and I'm so thankful that books like these can be written. Now, if only Mr. Anthony could bring back the old magic that made so many of us fall in love with his novels in the first place....
Rating: Summary: Classic Xanth Review: Piers Anthony's Xanth series now stretches to twenty-something books, so it's sometimes comforting to take a retrospective look back at the beginnings of Xanth history. "Centaur Aisle" is number 4 in the series. Prince Dor, the heir to the throne, has been left in charge of the realm while the King and Queen are away on a trade mission in boring Mundania (the real world, to those of us outside Xanth). At 16, he feels somewhat dubiously equipped to carry out the responsibilities of a King, and the rather voluptuous distractions provided by the King's daughter, Princess Irene, aren't really helping. But when the King and Queen mysteriously disappear, Dor must summon all his kingly courage and venture into Mundania to rescue them. All he has to help him are a party of trusty companions (including the princess), an obscure clue from the Good Magician, and his awful spelling ability... The Xanth series is best characterised as comic light fantasy. Don't expect high sorcery and magical battles of epic proportions; there are dragons, though! Neither is it comic fantasy in the style of Terry Pratchett: there are very occasional moments of black humour, and some adults-only references, but in the main, Xanth is simple satire-free fun. Possibly unique in the fantasy genre is the sheer proliferation of puns which infest Xanth in countless numbers. You love them, hate them or ignore them- you can't escape them. They seem to have multiplied horribly in recent Xanth episodes, leading to entire sequences which are nothing more than one bad pun after another, with no contribution to the story at all. "Centaur Aisle", thankfully, maintains a reasonable balance. Another feature of early Xanth novels which is regrettably missing from more recent adventures is the persistence of characters from one novel to the next. Back in the first few trilogies (before we stopped counting), the characters would feature in a few novels before gracefully ceding the limelight to the next generation. Now it seems that every novel has a new set of main characters, while our old friends make cameo appearances at best. This gives more scope for imagination, but as a result, the earlier instalments evoke more character identity. Xanth is certainly a lot bigger than it used to be. I have continued to read new Xanth releases sporadically, but "Centaur Aisle" will always remain fondly in my memory as the Golden Age of Xanth. 8 stars out of 10
Rating: Summary: A high flying adventure! Review: Prince Dor has been left in charge while King Trent and Queen Iris go on a trade mission to the mysterious land of mundania. However, something goes wrong. Trent and Iris do not return when they are suppose to and Dor is left with an upset daughter (Prinsess Irene) and the Xanth elders who all know Dor is not ready to be king. Going against the Elders wishes Dor and Irene set off in search of Trent with an unusual magition, a half ogre, a living doll, and a pouch of magical spells, including one cursed jar of salve that makes for an interesting twist. This adventure takes place in Xanth, Mundania present, Mundania past, and the boarder lines between Xanth and Mundania, high in the air to far beneath the ground. Xanth lovers will relish the new and interesting puns, while newer readers will find the adventure fun and amazing at times. A must read for any interested in Xanth.
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