Currant Events

Xanth #28

by Piers Anthony

When Clio, the Muse of History, sat down to pen the twenty-eighth volume in the Chronicles of Xanth, she was stunned to discover it was already there! And, what was worse, it was totally unreadable, for the words on its pages were fuzzed beyond comprehension.Vexed and bewildered, and more than a little concerned, Clio resolved to leave the quiet comfort of her study on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, and ask her old friend, the Good Magician Humfrey, to search a solution to her problem in his Book of Answers.But, much to her consternation, Humfrey required her to perform a magical Service before she could acquire her Answer: to rescue Xanth's dragons from the verge of extinction before the delicate balance of its wildlife was permanently thrown out of whack.Her momentous mission lead her to a dangerous Dragon World hidden amongst the Moons of Ida, across a perilous landscape filled with wonder and danger, in search of the fabled Currant, a very rare red berry that might hold the secret she sought. Along the way she acquired a fellowship of companions, including the brave and beautiful Becka Dragongirl, a pair of pocket dragons named Drew and Drusie, a charming young child called Ciriana whose destiny was somehow entwined with hers, and Sherlock, a sweet but homely man from Mundania who might just be a master magician himself.Together they gradually began to unravel the momentous mystery of Xanth's missing history. And Clio began to realize that Sherlock's enchantments had begun to work their way into her heart.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Science Fiction Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Adventure

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Though he spent the first four years of his life in England, Piers never returned to live in his country of birth after moving to Spain and immigrated to America at age six. After graduating with a B.A. from Goddard College, he married one of his fellow students and and spent fifteen years in an assortment of professions before he began writing fiction full-time.

Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars


Currant Events is the twenty-eighth book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. This story follows Clio who has been tasked to a quest by Magician Humfrey to save the Dragons and bring balance back into the 'world'. She is joined by Becka Dragon Girl, Drew and Drusie (the pocket dragons), Ciriana, and Sherlock. Another fantastical adventure ensues.
The Xanthe Series is quite a really long series that has spanned many decades. I remember reading the first few books back in the very early 1980’s and was totally captivated by the epic fantasy that unfolded before my eyes. I collected all the books as each new one was released and have revisited them a few times over the years.
I can honestly say that although these books didn’t blow me away as they did the first couple of times I read them- I still really enjoyed all the adventure, magic, swords & sorcery like, epic fantasy that Mr. Anthony is renowned for.
He has imbued his stories with plenty of humour, a playfulness, lots of fun, action, some history, conspiracies, secrets, surprising developments, and much, much more. We meet so many varied and original characters along the way- the books are full of wonderful fictional beasts and paranormal creatures. From centaurs, to demons, dragons, fauns, gargoyles, goblins, golems, harpies, merfolk, elves, nymphs, ogres, zombies, and curse fiends- and a few more I am sure have slipped my mind.
The world of Xanthe is wonderfully rich and vividly descriptive. It is really well written and is so easy to imagine, it came to life before my eyes. Each ‘person’ in Xanthe is born with their own unique magical ability, which is called a ‘talent’. We follow along on many epic adventures and explore the world as the story unfolds.
I have many fond memories of reading this book/series and it’s definitely a series that’s worth exploring- especially for any epic fantasy lover who loves some fun and humour served with their adventure.

Thank you, Mr. Anthony!

[James]

When Clio, the Muse of History, sat down to pen the twenty-eighth volume in the Chronicles of Xanth, she was stunned to discover it was already there! And, what was worse, it was totally unreadable, for the words on its pages were fuzzed beyond comprehension.Vexed and bewildered, and more than a little concerned, Clio resolved to leave the quiet comfort of her study on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, and ask her old friend, the Good Magician Humfrey, to search a solution to her problem in his Book of Answers.But, much to her consternation, Humfrey required her to perform a magical Service before she could acquire her Answer: to rescue Xanth's dragons from the verge of extinction before the delicate balance of its wildlife was permanently thrown out of whack.Her momentous mission lead her to a dangerous Dragon World hidden amongst the Moons of Ida, across a perilous landscape filled with wonder and danger, in search of the fabled Currant, a very rare red berry that might hold the secret she sought. Along the way she acquired a fellowship of companions, including the brave and beautiful Becka Dragongirl, a pair of pocket dragons named Drew and Drusie, a charming young child called Ciriana whose destiny was somehow entwined with hers, and Sherlock, a sweet but homely man from Mundania who might just be a master magician himself.Together they gradually began to unravel the momentous mystery of Xanth's missing history. And Clio began to realize that Sherlock's enchantments had begun to work their way into her heart.

[Stuart Schneider · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Sherlock’s talent. There were a good couple of subtle puns in there for once and I liked that the main character was already a Xanth regular and had to deal with the curses on her on a daily basis. I also liked the role of Morgan’s in here and her interesting subtextual story as to how she got where she was. The rest of the book was the usual. I cannot particularly stand the fact that the whole book revolves around another stupid Demon bet and how somehow the Good Magician is hoodwinked out of his book when he read from it for Clio’s quest. This little conundrum makes no sense and is not explained away in the scene where he gives her the quest. He is reading directly from the Book of Answers so what happened? No logical or magical explanation provided so this is the error that the entire book is based on. However, there is enough good stuff in this book to keep it just above the dreaded low star rating. Onwards

[Elisa Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clio the Muse of History has a problem. She finds she has already written the 28th volume of history, but she cannot read it, the words seem to have disappeared.
She decides to visit her friend magician Humfrey. She finds she is set challenges and sent on a quest to save the dragons from the brink of extinction.
Sherlock from the black wave joins her on her quest as well as Drew and Druise some tiny dragons and Ciriana a young girl whose life seems to be in Clio's hands.
She saves the dragons quickly but her quest for the red currant berry stretches on.
A story of love, family and companionship.

[Kate H · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Xanth books by Piers Anthony were one of the first SciFi/Fantasy series I ever read. I love puns so I have always enjoyed them. Upon re-reading them I can see that they have some weaknesses but overall they stand the test of time. They are a fun and fast read that keeps me amused without any deep thinking required.

[Richard Ayars · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this one has just the right amount of puns. They weren't cramned into every other page like in some of the last few books. Though, I still dislike any chapter that has anything to do with the Princesses stupid moons.

[Laura Vilensky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clio was a good protagonist that I enjoyed following. She has fun adventures, which is part of her curse, and it all resolves nicely. And I enjoyed the resolution, though it was a bit agonizing at times.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the ending but found some of the groaners hard to tolerate through a good chunk of the book.

[Michael Nalbone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun distracting read.

[Jackson Tejada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another pun—er, fun—ride through Xanth. It's amazing that, even 28 books in, the series is still enjoyable.

[Bill Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting tale - this story comes together in the end, with a new magician for the Muse Clio. Worth reading.

[Don LaFountaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, though somewhat predicable addition to the Xanth series that I am sure readers will enjoy.

The 28th installment in the series finds Clio, the Muse of History, coming across this volume in her study. Unfortunately, the pages are too fuzzy for her to read, though she can make out enough to see that it was in her writing. Not knowing what this means or how to resolve it, she goes to see her friend, The Good Magician. As she comes to his castle, she is flabbergasted that Humphrey is making her go through the 3 challenges to see him, as if she were another querent. When she finally sees him, he implies that it is best for her to find out her answer as a querent instead of as a friend. Seeing that she has no choice she gets her answer, which is to find the currant, and the service she has to perform is to help replenish the dragons on Xanth. The dragon population has declined a lot, and in order to keep things in balance, there needs to be a huge influx of dragons. To get the needed volume of dragons, over 32,000, she needed to go to Dragonworld, one of the moons of Princess Ida.

Throughout Clio's journey, she meets new and interesting people and creatures. One of the people she meets is Sherlock from the Black Wave. (Readers of the series may remember him from previous books.) Part of the reason she meets Sherlock is because the amulet that The Good Magician gave her has an arrow that pointed him out. (She used it to find her way through to Dragonworld and while she was on her mission it continued to work.) It seems that Sherlock has been banned from his community because horrible things started to happen around him. Come to find out, having lived in Xanth so long, he ended up with a magic talent...handling reverse wood. Together Sherlock and Clio travel around Xanth helping people and creatures, and picking up one item from each interaction that Clio keeps, working her way towards finding the currant. During this time, the two of them become close and start to have feelings for one another. This is a difficulty because not only is Clio immortal, (at least while she remains on Mount Parnassus), she has a curse on her which will cause her to die young, making it dangerous for her to leave her home, and she is a Princess, so she can only marry a Prince or a Magician. How will she be able to resolve her dilemma?

This was an enjoyable book of the Xanth series, and I think fans of the series will like it as well. The reader learns about Clio's background which made for a interesting story, and I thought it was nice that after only seeing the Muse part time in other books that this time she was a Major Character. I found this to be a worthy addition to the series, filled with puns, magic, and romance.

[Cary Spratt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very auspicious start to the second 'magical trilogy' of Xanth. This book floundered. The puns overwhelmed the plot, and looking back from the end, the whole thing seemed pointless. Granted, there was a so-called explanation for WHY it was pointless, but that doesn't make it any LESS pointless. Some other complaints I have:

1. Ida's moons are getting used too much as plot devices. Their first introduction was interesting because they were so totally bizarre, but the novelty is gone now.
2. The dragons of Dragon World - Do they really need THAT many different types of dragons in Xanth? I'm thinking if they import so many types not previously in Xanth they may end up with a boa-constrictors-in-the-everglades problem.
3. Clio had the same body-image problem as Cube in the previous book. Been there, done that.
4. The golem was annoying. I was very glad to see the last of him.
5. I think this book had more panty-induced freak-outs than "The Color of Her Panties", plus more than one reference to kinky bedroom games. I'm not saying this was a Laurell K. Hamilton novel, but I like Xanth for its innocence. Were ALL of those moments necessary?
6. I also am not that thrilled with Xanth being used as some kind of afterlife for people who have died. It's depressing, especially with the Author's Note about Noi.
7. The Spancel. That was gross and disturbing.

All that being said, I've found the vast majority of Xanth novels enjoyable. I'm hoping this is just a single episode that failed to hit the mark for me, and not a taste of things to come.

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third novel in a row to use the formula of following a character's travels through Xanth and meeting a host of familiar and new people. The meandering nature of Clio's quest can get tedious if this isn't your favorite motif--that was my case. Other readers may enjoy it just fine. Metria is always a delight, and now the half demon children Monica and Ted are proving just as amusing. We even get a flash of the old Xanth when Getaway Golem enters the book. He's Grundy all over again.

Sadly, the ending fell flat. We finally find out what started this whole adventure, and it's not a bad idea, but it was presented so late and briefly in the book as to seem more like an afterthought than a driving force. We get two endings, one false and then the real one. I couldn't help wishing for a blend of the two that would have combined the best of both alternatives.

In all, this was an ok installment. It's not the worst in the series, but it also isn't the best.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clio, the Muse of History, finds one of her chronicles is illegible, even though it seems to have been written in her own hand. Of course the only way to solve a mystery in Xanth is to ask the Good Magician Humfrey. To her dismay she is subjected to the three challenges and year of service for her answer. As if she is some random queerant and not a friend.

Her mission leads her all over the landscape of Xanth, into the world of the gourd, through the Moons of Ida and even into Mundania. Of course she picks up companions along the way, a pair of pocket dragons, a young child called Ciriana, Sherlock from the Black Wave.

Filled with puns, romance, action, suspense and danger, this first book in the second trilogy of Xanth follows all the classic Xanth formulas while also being original and entertaining in itself. Xanth is never a let down when one is in the mood for a bit of light reading.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clio, the Muse of history, discovers that one of her volumes is illegible. It has nothing to do with handwriting. It's magical interference. After consulting with grumpy Humphrey the Magician, she finds herself on a quest to locate the red berry currant. She meets people, magical and mythological beings—dragons in particular—before getting anywhere near the currant.

I haven't read any of his stuff for decades. They are still full of puns and such and some sexual teasing. Men frequently "freak out" (i.e. become frozen and unresponsive) and the sight of women's underwear.

No deep thought here, but it is a quick and mildly entertaining read.

Please read the full review here.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this Xanth installment we get a closer look at a character only briefly mentioned in the past; Clio the Muse. She joins together with another minor character from a previous book, Sherlock, and together must search for the Currant to fulfill the current quest. Love the puns and the characters as always, and the influx of dragons was interesting, although I would have liked more explanation about the disease effecting the non souled dragons.

Another five stars, I'm fast reaching the end of this series, at least the books I have access too anyway :(

[Askavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 'popcorn book', as my aunt likes to say (meaning, if you pop a bag of popcorn, by the time you are done eating it you are done reading the book). Maybe one and a half popcorn books book. Cute, but not terribly deep. It's been so long since I've read a Xanth book that I didn't really remember any of the characters that well or the events that were referred to.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well as far as I am concerned the author is back an full of puns. This was a damn good book which had me laughing and groaning and I had to finish it even if it meant putting things aside so I could. This one I managed to read in just over 24 hrs with everything going on which says a lot for how much better it is compared to the last few I've read of this series.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony continues the exploration of beauty and worth he began in Cube Route, this time with characters (well?) past the first flush of youth.

[Jeremiah Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really torn between 2 and 3 stars on this one. The story wasn't very interesting but the characters were and there was not much that pissed me off this go around.
So many of these books are hit or miss, I really wish there was more consistency with them.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Things and people are not necessarily what they appear to be, or may have hidden aspects."

Another Xanth adventure with the same basic premise: a Good Magician quest that's more than it appears to be. Clio climbs down for her mountain and has to help save Xanth's dragons.

[Vader · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

[lynne fireheart · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 28th in the series, or Book 1 of the next cubed trilogy. Choc-full of puns as usual. Not outstanding, but it has its moments. I will continue to read this series, but via library books :-)

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stayed away from Xanth because I was tired of the puns and the puzzles. This was okay - but the overall storyline left ME puzzled.

[Lbd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another re-read. Fun and punny. If you like the Xanth series I hope you haven't gotten them out of order like I did. silly me.

[Bob Counihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More romantic of the Xanth books in my opinion because it is from the perspective of an older person. Of course Love Conquers ALl in the end.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currant Events (Xanth #28)
by Piers Anthony\
the a good story of xanth that tells how current technology has influenced the magical realm.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny light read

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young adult 10-15