Oh, man. Where do I even begin? Piers Anthony, the creative genius, the prolific writer, the ballsy wacko. This dude is 86 years old right now, and still cranking out books and a monthly newsletter. I'm a lifelong superfan of (almost) everything he creates.
So I must've been about 11 when I read my first Xanth book, Demons Don't Dream (1994), and I've been hooked ever since. Of course, the first book in the Xanth series is A Spell for Chameleon (1977), which happens to be my favorite book of all time. It has everything I could ever want in a fantasy novel: humor, a quest, and interesting characters. I mean, you have the perfect anti-hero/foil in poor, (supposedly) doomed Bink, The way his surroundings play off him is hilarious and masterful writing. I've read this book countless times, and I recommend it to people a few times a week. It's my go-to comfort read.
But while Piers Anthony might be best known for the Xanth series, he has written many, many more books about a vast variety of subjects. For example, the second-most common book that I recommend is Rings of Ice (1974). It's definitely considered sci-fi, and it's about as far from the happy, light fantasy of Xanth as you can get. It's a dystopian kind of action-adventure, and grittier than his other works. Basically, Earth is flooding and humans are trying to find high ground and survive, no matter what they have to do along the way.
I feel that I must include a mention of 2 of his strangest works. Pornucopia (1989) and The Magic Fart. Here's the goodreads description of Pornucopia: "Pornucopia is a picaresque black comedy that transgresses all bounds of everyday good taste. It begins in a near-future world where sex-vending machines and genital transplants are taken for granted. " Yep. This book is insane. I could see where it was supposed to go, but it missed the mark. The description doesn't do it justice. . . . I mean, the main character swaps out his tiny ween for a muti-tool (various sizes and shapes and uses). He then goes on a journey and his multi-functional member helps along the way. I can never regain the time I spent reading this. The Magic Fart is the sequel, and I did not read it.
(Wait a second. Now that I've mentally revisited Pornucopia, I kinda want to try it again. I think I was in my late teens when I first read it.😉)
So anyway, I've been hoping for a Xanth movie for YEARS. It's been in talks many, many, many times, but never goes into production. I would love to see a movie of A Spell for Chameleon. But I'm extremely worried about it because of the pattern that's emerged: Isaac Asimov died before his book, I, Robot, was made into a movie . . . And Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, same thing. Those are two very similar authors . . .
I just remembered a relevant song
Detachable Penis by King Missile:
No comments:
Post a Comment