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Roc and a Hard Place (Xanth, #19)

Piers Anthony

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Oct 13, 2008 Werner rated it liked it

Shelves: trad-fantasy

My wife Barb and I have read a number of books in the author's Xanth series; I've only reviewed a few of them here, but the general observations from those reviews would apply to this installment as well (and probably to all or most of the Xanth novels --it would be fair to say that in many ways, if you've read one of them, you've read them all!). We've been away from the series for about six years, but picked this installment to read as a lighter change of pace, and it didn't disappoint in that My wife Barb and I have read a number of books in the author's Xanth series; I've only reviewed a few of them here, but the general observations from those reviews would apply to this installment as well (and probably to all or most of the Xanth novels --it would be fair to say that in many ways, if you've read one of them, you've read them all!). We've been away from the series for about six years, but picked this installment to read as a lighter change of pace, and it didn't disappoint in that respect. Not unusually, in the case of these books, we read it out of series order (we started with Dragon on a Pedestal, the seventh book; we did go back later to the first volume and read several succeeding ones in sequence, but our reading has been subject to the vagaries of yard sale and flea market purchases); I was confusing this one with the 15th installment, Question Quest, which is actually the one that explains Good Magician Humphrey's complicated domestic situation. (This one doesn't, but we liked it anyway. :-) ) I was also mistakenly thinking we'd already read the following book, Yon Ill Wind. Anyway, this volume makes reference to, and partly depends on events in, at least two earlier books; but the author provides enough explanation to bring you up to speed if you haven't read those.

Our protagonist here is one of the more minor characters from the earlier part of the corpus, Demoness Metria. Xanth's "demons" aren't connected with Satan; they're just super-powerful and incorporeal magic beings introduced in the second book, The Source of Magic, but they don't have souls or consciences and have their own agendas, which may include harassing humans. Metria, however, in this book, has married a human, acquired a half soul and a conscience (a development recounted in a previous book I haven't read), and now shares her body with two split personalities, Demoness Mentia (D. Mentia for short) who doesn't approve of the changes, and the child Woe Betide. (Her penchant for verbal confusion and malapropisms is intact here, however.) This book is structured as a quest narrative, which will take her all over Xanth and into Mundania (our world) to deliver summons for the jurors and other personnel for the trial of Roxanne Roc for a mysterious offense; the trial forms the culmination of the plot.

Anthony delivers all of this with his characteristic zany humor, and punning run wild. In general, a Xanth novel isn't something you take too seriously; but here as usual, he mixes some good and serious messages in with the fun. Like the rest of the series, this is a good clean escapist romp that can provide the reader with some pleasant diversion. ...more

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