Reading order · 9 books · 1977 to 1986 · Set in invented worlds
Xanth Books in Order
Xanth is a magical land shaped very like Florida, where everyone has a magical talent and nearly everything is a pun. Light, funny fantasy adventures.
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Series facts
- Books
- 9
- Published
- 1977 to 1986
- First book
- A Spell for Chameleon
- Latest
- Golem in the Gears (1986)
- Setting
- Set in invented worlds
The reading order
Every Xanth book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
9 books · Set in invented worlds
- 1A Spell for Chameleon1977In Xanth, everyone has a magical talent, and anyone without one is exiled.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Source of Magic1979Bink is sent on a quest to find the source of all magic in Xanth.Buy on Amazon
- 3Castle Roogna1979With DorDor, Bink’s son, who can talk to objects, travels back eight hundred years to Xanth’s past.Buy on Amazon
- 4Centaur Aisle1982With DorDor, acting as king, sets out to find the missing King Trent.Buy on Amazon
- 5Ogre, Ogre1982With SmashSmash, a young ogre, sets out on a quest to find a wife.Buy on Amazon
- 6Night Mare1983With ImbriMare Imbri, a night mare who delivers bad dreams, carries a warning of invasion to Xanth.Buy on Amazon
- 7Dragon on a Pedestal1983When three-year-old Princess Ivy wanders off, Queen Irene sets out to find her, while a magical mishap has turned the Gap Dragon and the Good Magician into babies.Buy on Amazon
- 8Crewel Lye1984Princess Ivy uses Castle Roogna’s magic tapestry to show a ghost’s past, and he tells a tale of love, betrayal and a dark magician.Buy on Amazon
- 9Golem in the Gears1986With GrundyGrundy the golem sets out to find a lost baby dragon.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with A Spell for Chameleon.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Dor | Grundy | Smash | Imbri | Bink | Good Magician Humfrey | Irene | Chameleon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 A Spell for Chameleon | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |||||
| 2 The Source of Magic | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |||||
| 3 Castle Roogna | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |||
| 4 Centaur Aisle | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |||
| 5 Ogre, Ogre | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||||
| 6 Night Mare | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||||
| 7 Dragon on a Pedestal | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 8 Crewel Lye | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||||||
| 9 Golem in the Gears | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Xanth books
8 characters from Piers Anthony’s chart, with the number of Xanth books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| DorBink's son, who talks to objects | 3 | Castle Roogna 1979 |
| GrundyGolem | 3 | Castle Roogna 1979 |
| SmashHalf-ogre | 1 | Ogre, Ogre 1982 |
| ImbriMare Imbrium, a night mare | 1 | Night Mare 1983 |
| BinkMan who seems to have no talent | 9 | A Spell for Chameleon 1977 |
| Good Magician HumfreyGrumpy wizard who answers questions | 9 | A Spell for Chameleon 1977 |
| IreneDor's wife, with a talent for plants | 3 | Castle Roogna 1979 |
| ChameleonWoman who changes with the moon | 2 | A Spell for Chameleon 1977 |