Knickelpede Knight

Xanth #49

by Piers Anthony

The New York Times –bestselling author returns to his acclaimed fantasy series as an ordinary insect is tasked with mapping the entirety of Xanth.

Nicolas Nickelpede is an average insect in almost every way—apart from his remarkable skill of clairvoyance. When he's approached by a beautiful human woman with a seemingly impossible task, he can't say no—literally. But mapping all of Xanth won't be easy. Especially with demons lying in wait to waylay, misdirect, or otherwise trip them up. 

Along the way, Nic and his telepathic companion are joined by a woman with a powerful kiss and a Shameful Centaur with a penchant for hard truths. Together, the team faces the Demons of Entropy, Alchemy, Volcanoes, and more as they traverse the many lands of Xanth, fight a zombie curse, and deploy dangerous puns to save the day.

Genres: Fantasy

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 26, 2026

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

[John (Hey Y'all Listen Up) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I noted that the past few books in the series don't rely heavily on puns. Unfortunately, this created a backlog, and Anthony dumped them into this book and wrote a story around it. Clearly, the better puns were used in the earlier novels, and the lesser ones used here. Fans who have gotten this far into the series will still enjoy it, but it's my least favorite since Ghost Riders in the Sky (#41).

[Patt Lisenbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knickelpede Knight by Piers Anthony

The great and wordy Piers Anthony has done it again! This is Xanth novel #49 and it is a dilly! A character I never thought could be a protagonist, is! How Piers turned a bug that bites a nickel-sized chunk out of anyone or thing into a major character is a sign of how on fire the man's brain is! This book is a must-read for everyone.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun read.