Castle Roogna

This is a great book to encourage kids to read for pleasure. In my opinion, it is the best of the Xanth novels, but it should be read after A Spell for Chamelon and The Source of Magic, so readers will have a firm grasp of Xanth and who is who.

In this book Xanth is still a wonderous and dangerous place! Later books in the series turn Xanth into an environment suitable for toddlers. Ugh.


I have read my book to tatters   April 8, 1998
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I loved the plot of Dor going into the past, to help Millie the Maid in the present, in getting the one thing she most desired,true love, once again Mr Anthony has done it he has given us a romantic story with a twist. We see what war can do as well as the unpredictable talents can cause,he shows what jealousy can do and the heartache it can bring. I loved the way the hero handles the problems that are presented. I thought it real cool at how he got the harpies their prince, and the suprise when he got home when Grundy told him what happend to his body by the visiter and the joy he brought back to Millie was the highlight of the whole story I actually cried and its not very easy to get me to do that.


Splendid!   September 27, 2000
Richard I Hart III (Reading, Pennsylvania United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

A wonderful introduction to the main characters of this and the following book. Fantastic in both writing and enjoyability. This is Piers Anthony at his best; meaning all the humor, fast pace, light romance, and action we all crave for. Thanks once again to this splendid author.


Great Book!   February 16, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This Book is third in the series The Magic of Xanth by Piers Anthony. It is about a magic land called Xanth, where everyone has a magic talent that no one else could do, which bears a striking resemblance to the state of Florida. It too is a peninsula. It borders a land called Mundania (for obvious reasons)It has land features like "Lake Ogre-Chobee" and "Ogre-Fen-Ogre Swamp." The first two books in the series deal with the adventures of Bink, the supposedly talent less young man. He really has a wizard-level talent: nothing magic can possibly hurt him. He goes on a quest to find his magic talent in the first book, and in the second book he discovers the source of Xanth's magic. Castle Roogna is the story of Bink's, and his wife, Chameleon's son. His name is Dor. His magician-caliber talent is the ability to talk to any, and all inanimate objects. King Trent, the Transformer (who was at one time the evil Magician Trent) sent Dor on a quest to find the Zombie-Master, a magician from eight-hundred years in the past. His task was to gain a zombie restorative potion to bring his nurse, Millie's, eight-hundred year dead zombie boyfriend, Jonathan. To do so, he must travel to the Good Magician Humphrey, a master of information. He needs to go there to learn how to make the huge time jump. Humphrey tells him that he needs to use a potion that will transport him through the magic tapestry in Castle Roogna. When Dor uses the potion, he appears in...Xanth! but not the Xanth he is used to, because he's now eight-hundred years in the past He is in the body of a huge Mundane warrior, and when he turns around he is face to face with a huge, furry, green, ugly, monstrous, and otherwise repulsive spider. He manages to communicate to the spider that he doesn't want to fight just in time to kill a band of attacking goblins. He makes friends with the jumping spider, who is for some very, veeery odd reason called "Jumper". They are captured by a gigantic bird, and meet Millie, eight-hundred-twelve years younger, but with her talent of sex-appeal still very much intact. Dor, who has a crush on Millie in his own time, is absolutley smitten with the teenage version of his childhood fantasy. They experience many adventures on the way to the Zombie-Master, including, but not limited to attempts by Harpies to mate with Dor to infuse their race with one of their alternating generations of human and vulture blood, an attack by a Mundane army, an encounter with a zombie ogre, ornery centaurs, obstinate goblins with warped senses of honor, sex-crazed nymphs and fauns having orgies in the middle of the woods, a huge brain-corral that steeped bodies in preservative fluid, a woodwife (find out for yourself), and a few (hah!) more. By the time Dor meets up with the Zombie-Master, he has another reason to seek him out. King Roogna's unfinished castle (Castle Roogna) is being built, but the huge war between the Harpie's and the goblins (it's complicated) is converging on the castle's sight. If it is allowed to happen, Castle Roogna will be destroyed, ending King Roogna's short reign. And we all know what will happen if that occurs...what you want me to tell you. Like I said, find out for yourself. Read it.


Great series   February 21, 2003
Donnie Hudson (NC)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I started reading the Xanth series from Piers Anthony in seventh grade and frankly I hated reading but you know... if you want to pass you have to get major things done like BOOK REPORTS!!! yeah... I went to the library and this book caught my eye... i looked at the thing inside that tells what order the books go in but the first two books weren't there... so i got this one and i read till my eyes were about to burst. I STRONGLY recomend ANYTHING from this author especially the Xanth Series. great story lines and fun little puns. Ogre, Ogre was probably my favorite. After reading this book I read the first two... (A Spell For Chameleon and The Source Of Magic) and they seemed a little draggy... but still great books... YOU SHOULD DEFINATELY CHECK THESE BOOKS OUT!!!!!!!!!! they are the only books i'll read...(less i have to read something else for school). lol. Well... that's all i can say to convince you to check these books out... they are awesome.