Ghost Writer in the Sky

Xanth #41

by Piers Anthony

Two Ordinary People from Mundania travel to Xanth to defeat a rogue Night Colt in the latest in a beloved series from bestselling author Piers Anthony.

The Night Colt has one to deliver dreams to the deserving. Unfortunately, only Night Mares can take on this task, and the Colt has no hope of leading his own herd if he can’t get any practice. . . . So he’s struck a deal with a Mundane. During the hours when the Night Mares rest—dusk and dawn—the duo plants stories in the air, compelling the people of Xanth to enact them—whether they want to or not. Unwilling to participate in these fantasies, the princesses of Xanth, Dawn and Eve, come up with a plan to fight the menacing pair, but they’ll need the help of two unlikely heroes to succeed.

In Mundania, a mysterious painting entrances Ordinary People Tartan and Tara. But why do they each see something different when they look at it? They quickly learn that it’s not a painting after all, but a portal to a magical world. With nothing to lose, they climb through the portal into Xanth and are met with a plea to help stop the Night Colt and his ghost writer.

Tartan and Tara don’t hesitate to join the quest to save Xanth from the ultimate pun-tastrophe. Together with their new friends, they’ll begin a journey full of magic and romance—and, of course, puns—that will lead them to a long-lost prince, a beautiful dragoness, the goddess Isis, and a demon named Ted.

With rip-roaring humor and nonstop adventure, the newest addition to Piers Anthony’s popular Xanth series is sure to enchant fans of epic fantasy.

Ghost Writer in the Sky is the 41st book in the Xanth series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 2017

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

[Janice Hovis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Piers Anthony when I was younger, and the Xanth novels were always fun, light, and interesting, full of puns and magic. Going back to Xanth after a long hiatus, I see that Xanth hasn't changed, but I have. The reading is still light and fun, the puns are still interesting, the creatures and characters and whole land of Xanth delightful, but it's hard to ignore the adolescent-boy mindset and inherent sexism.

[LibraryDanielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

this took me a bit longer than normal to finish. normally I finish a Xanth novel in a matter of hours, and have to force myself to slow down. this time a couple of factors slowed me down. 1. I was at a conference two days of this week. 2. my practice schedule is more important to me (never thought I'd say that) and 3. I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped.
to me, it didn't stand up to previous Xanth novels at all. it was good, just not as good, and seemed to get all tangled up in itself. I don't enjoy princess Ida and the moons, and once again this featured the moons, and multiple realities, which could have been interesting, like the sidestepping in a previous novel, but just ended up being complicated. I miss the days when Xanth novels were straight up fun/adventure/magic books.

in this installment a boring untalented mundane strikes a nefarious deal with the Night Colt and Xanth is in the cross hairs of the deal. Goar wants to be a writer but has no talent. an unexpected legacy gives him the opportunity, but not the skill. enter the Night Colt. the Night Colt promises Goar the inspiration he needs, in return for helping to spread dreams in Xanth.

since Goar's writing is terrible his awful stories put Xanth at risk and the five Princesses step in to try and help. since a mundane is causing the problem only a mundane can fix it. enter Tara and Tartan. they are drawn in by the spell the five Princesses cast and agree to help. collecting companions along the way, they enter into the traditional Xanth quest. a trip to the good magician, mini quests to solve, perils, and in this novel, pushing the adult conspiracy with ellipses.

overall I wasn't wowed by this. disappointing since I normally LOVE Xanth books. they're one of the few series I continue to purchase. it didn't suck, it just wasn't up to my normal standards.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a review copy from Net Galley.
This Xanth novel started slow for me but turned into one of my favorites, as it is different from many of the others that I have read, although I think I have missed a couple of the latter ones.
Well, for some reason, I found it hard to get into this one at first, but I am so glad that I did. I have enjoyed his work for many years, including the Incarnations series.
It is definitely a more mature work and includes a lesbian romance. There are lots of “ellipsis” moments. I got a chuckle when one character was referred to as mistress of the ellipsis.
One of the highlights was the incarnation of the Adult Conspiracy, and his defense of it. I thought it masterful and concise.
There is a fair amount of summation of some of the old stories, but it is well done, and helps those of us who may have missed a story or two, or bring to mind the details of one so that the plot point makes sense.
Puns abound, of course. It is amazing how many have been used over the years, and how many more arise. Caprice Castle, one of my favorites, appears and disappears. I heard a faint whooshing sound, ala the Tardis, in the back of my imagination as it faded away.
The way Mundanes were incorporated into Xanth was great. I wish I could find a painting portal. The added layers of complexity resulting from this were most interesting.
It’s hard to believe that Piers is over 80, and still producing. I love the author’s notes, and I think a Xanth movie series would be spectacular, if done correctly.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Ghost Writer in the Sky is the fortieth book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. This book is quite the adventure. When two ordinary people find a mysterious painting, the discover a portal to Xanth. Meanwhile, in Xanth, Night Colt has been on a mission of his own- which has caused a bit of chaos. Tara and Tartan will need to avert a disaster, defeat the rogue colt. There is a lot at stake, because a pun-tastrophe of epic proportions will result, if they fail in their quest.

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!

[Viva · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of Piers Anthony. I discovered him when he first wrote hard core sci-fi books and some of them were really good. The best of his early bunch for me was Battle Circle, a brutal post-apocalyptic trilogy that is still difficult to beat. I hope someone buys the rights and make a movie or series out of it. Two other great ones were Prostho Plus and Anthonology.

But he didn't get famous until he wrote the first 4 Xanth and first 2 Split Infinity books. I consider those the pinnacle of his career and still my favorites to date. Those book were great because he put a ton of effort into developing the characters and I loved them for it, I must have re-read each of them about 20 times each.

But it was puns that also did him in (for me). The puns in Xanth got him noticed and then famous and that's all she wrote from then on. I don't blame him for taking that road but after a few more Xanth books, I quit following him. They had become overdone books for middle schoolers but they sold great.

The only reason I read this is because I got this book as a free review copy. And same thing, this book is just a collection of puns disguised as a book. Sorry, the 1 star rating is fully deserved.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began reading Piers Anthony some 37 years ago, at a guess. I probably found my first book at a used bookstore or garage sale, and after that, the hunt was on! I kept up with Xanth for many years, but this is my first one in too long. It was wonderful :) My very favorite was the "book cellar", and I shared it with my fellow book cellars on facebook immediately.

I recommend Piers and Xanth often to reluctant readers, telling them he is dyslexic, and that he is very funny, sometimes I leave out the punny.

I have admired this man through his author's notes, which are revealing, honest, and told with a tongue in cheek sense of humor. It's another reason I recommend his books. After Reading Letters to Jenny, I was completely in love. I read this Author's Note with tears in my eyes, realizing I may or may not have new ones to look forward to.

Piers, I buy all your books when they go on sale, and am glad your wife enjoys her ereader. I keep one in my purse for emergencies too. If you happen across this review, even as an agnostic, God Bless you and yours, and thank you from the bottom of my heart

[John Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have all 41 of the Xanth novels. It's a good series, entertaining, and based on an interesting plot idea. Also, I love puns, and Mr. Anthony is expert at soliciting and using them. This book isn't quite up to the level of the previous novels, partially because it's rather convoluted and doesn't use as much of the Xanth environment. However, as a writer myself I understand Mr. Anthony's comments about difficulty in filling in the story. He's at least 81 years old now and doing a really good job.

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This will probably be my last Piers Anthony book. Not sure if I can even finish this one. This is by far the worst Xanth novel I've read. I used to adore the Xanth series for their lightheartedness and variety of characters. But in this novel it feels to me like the author was just trying to crank out another book without putting too much effort into it. The two main characters are so boring, without any kind of depth to their personalities at all. Granted, they are described as very boring and ordinary in the book, but the dialogues between them and other characters are horribly flat. The plot is pretty uninteresting and lacking creativity as well. The impression I get is that the author came up with the pun of Ghost Writer In the Sky and tried to craft a story around it, but without putting much thought into it.

But the biggest disappointment and the real reason I'm done with Piers Anthony is that the tone of this book is much more sexual than any previous books I've read. Where did this come from? I believe I was too young to pick up on much of the sexism and the obvious view from the male lens when I first started reading these, but I believe it was less in your face as well. This guy comes off as a total perv with this book. Every step of they plot revolves around sex. The worst of this being that he continuously puts female characters in situations where they are going to be sexually assaulted, even raped, and he just throws these scenarios out casually as if they aren't a big deal. In one situation, a female character is caught by a troll. She is rescued by a prince (eye roll), then says that the troll was going to rape and eat her and that the prince had saved her from a raping! To add to my disgust, she then insists that the prince must want some kind of payment for rescuing her with the implication being that the payment would be sexual, even though this female character is asexual and so would not actually want to do something of this nature. The prince declines repayment and the female character just can't believe that he doesn't want anything for rescuing her. Because he does not require sexual repayment from an uninterested woman, the other characters are all so impressed by his highest of moral standards!! Rape culture anyone?? The flipside of this coin is that the author paints men into the box of being hyper sexual creatures who can't control themselves around attractive women and are generally brutes with a few better-mannered exceptions who manage to control themselves. There is another scenario where a princess finds herself in a dream pun where she must act out the title of the story, which is "The Princess and the Grog." She walks into a bar full of creepy drunk men, and feels she is supposed to drink a mug of grog, but with her magical ability discovers that it is drugged with essentially date rape drug and the premise of the story is that she will drink the Grog and be assaulted by a bar full of men. Are you serious?? To write about sexual assault and rape so casually is disgusting and perpetuates rape culture, especially in a young adult genre novel where you're not expecting to encounter such themes. I don't know when Piers Anthony became such a creep, but he's lost me as a reader.

[Helen Robare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Mr. Anthony's Xanth books from #1 up to #41! I love the Xanth novels because they're pure fantasy! I also have a special fondness for Mr. Anthony since the three first books I read in this series. Why? Because I found something about the Gorgon and her sister the Siren that seemed to contradict the first info in the first two books. So I wrote to him about it. He wrote me back on a file card using an old manual typewriter. The neat thing was that this file card also had lots of handwritten notes about future books! He didn't have to write back at all but he did and for that, I will always be grateful!

This book was better than some in the series. It gets a little confusing to me with the princesses and the moons and such but I read them anyway. This book had the princesses also but the lead characters were likable and well written. The plot was fairly good too. I liked the retelling of Humphrey's wives and the fact that they don't go back to hell when they're not the designated wife but instead live together in a cottage.

It was also GREAT to see that the terrible cloud Fractus Nimbus isn't always mean and that he can and does appreciate kindness. I do wish he would write a book about Fractus and give us some history on him. He's always fascinated me from the very beginning.

This book also had layers. Take the night stallion for instance, you would have thought he would stop the night colt simply because there can only be one night stallion but that isn't quite true. The same goes for the writer and his reasons and whether he is a bad guy or a decent guy.

I also love all the extra characters that we get a glimpse of but who really don't impact the story too much.

However, the ending with how Isis is going to live out her life was a bit confusing. I may have to go back and read that section again.

It's good to know that while Mr. Anthony is 83 years old and writing this book was a bit harder for him due to his wife's health and his own problems caused by old age, that he plans on writing three more books (at least).

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

(The "Email us" link on Piers' website does not seem to be working.)

These are the editing oversights I found in the Open Road, Paperback, 2017, version of Ghost Writer in the Sky:

Page 4, Catch yourself a trolly car / Catch yourself a TROLLEY car ; 11, punnish takes on the fairly tales / punnish takes on the FAIRY tales ; 13, fussier about minor deals / fussier about minor DETAILS ; 54, regardless whether they need them / regardless OF whether they need them ; 56, Well tough eggs / WELL, tough eggs ; 57, No I'm not / NO, I'm not ; 58, Oh no you don't! / Oh NO, you don't! ; 60, No it wasn't / NO, it wasn't ;

Page 66, Some dragons were able transform to human shape / Some dragons were able TO transform to human shape ; 67, Yes it might / YES, it might ; 76, circles Princess Idea's head / circles Princess IDA'S head ; 96, he was going rape me / he was going TO rape me ; 137, "Why not," / "Why NOT?" (this is a question) ; 157, next to the Year 2117 / next to the YEAR 1117 (from page 122) ; 160, 162, 182, Merara / MERARI (from page 76) ;

Page 163, Hello Aunt Mera! / HELLO, Aunt Mera! ; 172, regardless where we travel / regardless OF where we travel ; 174, blue red, green, and gray / BLUE, red, green, and gray ; 189, Stay on your own sides. / Stay on your own sides." (needs end quote) ; 197, The keys depressing of their own accord / The keys WERE depressing of their own accord ; 212 (twice), Book of Lost Magic / Book of Lost ANSWERS (from page 185) ;

Page 219, Yes we will / YES, we will ; 229, Oh Trudy, I think with you / OH, Trudy, I think with you ; 235, the Dream Stallion / the NIGHT Stallion ; 255, Oh phooey on that! / OH, phooey on that! .

On pages 124, 140 (twice), 143 (twice), 144, 148, 151, 152, 153, 161, 165, 196, 208 (twice), 211, 218, and 251, Tata is referred to as a "dog" instead of a "dogFISH." (I hope I got them all, but I won't guarantee it.)

[Trace Rindal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Xanth by Piers Anthony has long been one of favorite book series. It is a great mix between fantasy, comedy, and young adult literature. This is a book you can read by itself, but I highly recomend reading the first 40 before hand (each about 350-500 pages). Ghost Writer is the most recent installment of Xanth 41 years after the original "Spell for Chameleon", and it isn't as great as some of the older books. Xanth's series follows the tale of Bink the magician and his fight to save the kingdom of Xanth. Many years later, "Ghost Writer in the Sky" follows the tale of his decendents, and his bloodline of heroes, saving Xanth again and again from new and ever impractical threats. Even though I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of the old ones, it still has many witty jokes, as well as refreshing new villains. In this case, a mundane and failing writer writes scripts that people are forced to act out. Only another mundane can interfere where magical creatures cannot reach. Watch out for the puns, they are everywhere. To anyone who is interested in this book, I highly recommend reading the first 40, and while it may seem daunting, you do not need to remember every single detail to enjoy the later books. This is still my favorite series to date.

[Stuart Schneider · Rating 1 out of 5]

Part of maintaining a collection involves necessarily reading books that we don’t necessarily want to read but feel we have to, in order to maintain the collection. This is definitely one of these. The author, in his note at the end, indicates it was hard work just getting through this book. Let me just say this in return to that observation: it was a lot harder just getting through this one to the point of near sadism. I just finished this book and I barely remember any of the characters, the point of the story, and what happened. Not only don’t I care what happened, but I just realized that I likely have at least two more of these books on my shelf to go! It pains me to criticize such a landmark author that I used to worship in this field, but in the interests of truth, fundamental fairness (to the other books/authors that I try to objectively judge when I’m done), and for my own conscience, I have this small medium to say my peace and I will continue to do so. These books will come to an end and there will be a reckoning at that time. Let’s just say I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and finally move on to bigger and better books.

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Night Colt, who is trying to take over as the ruler of Xanth's dream realm, teams up with a struggling Mundane writer to create scenarios that are mostly simple parodies of fairy tales. In order to prevent this, two ordinary people are transported to Xanth in spirit form. And they pretty much immediately fall in love, because that's the way things work there. At least this book acknowledges that gay and asexual people do exist there. Several other characters take Xanthian hosts as well, including the goddess Isis. Alternate timelines play a role in the story, with Prince Dolph's different potential children crossing to different realities, and some more information on the Sorceress Tapis and the enchantment that affected Electra. I feel like every book in the series has to have a bunch of callbacks, but that might be pretty much inevitable when it has over forty books. You pretty much know what to expect at this point, including references to panties and absurd pairings of the characters. I do wonder about Humfrey's wives now living in a house together when not at his castle instead of staying in Hell.

[Margaret Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think anything I could write could possibly prepare anyone for one of Mr. Anthony's books in the Xanth series. For those of us who have been reading these books for a while, we know what to expect. We know that we will meet some neat characters, and this one has some mundanes who visit in their dreams. They are used in a quest involving some standard Xanth characters as well as some that are new. But, let's face it, the primary thing about these stories is the puns. Every book is loaded with them. In the beginning, the author made them up and used them, but they caught on with the readership and they have been submitting puns ever since. As Mr. Anthony points out, sometimes he gets so many of them that he can't possibly use them all in one book, so they carry on to the next. The man is a gentleman and acknowledges puns submitted by readers. I recommend this book to all who are looking for a light-hearted romp through the land of Xanth. Good hunting, new readers!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like most Xanth books, but this one didn't really ring with me. At first I was thinking 'Oh, he's breaking away from visiting Humphrey at the beginning for once,' but alas this was not true, merely the visit was delayed a bit later. This is something that bugs me with most of the Xanth books.

It started off quite well. We are given an intimate look into the main 'villain,' but he mostly disappears, save for a few short reappearances, until the end. I really enjoyed reading from his point of view, so I do wish that he wasn't treated like a side character--especially since the book is named after him.

After that, there isn't really much to say about it. Problems presented themselves and were resolved, as usual.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no doubt in my mind that Piers Anthony is clever and imaginative. I very much enjoyed the beginning books of the Xanth series. But, I have to admit that when he started writing so much about the "Adult Conspiracy" and the effect that women's panties have on men, I began to like him less. I'm trying to read the series again, This is one of the later books and OMG, I'm beginning to think that he's a clever, imaginative, dirty old man! And, his puns used to be much funnier. Now that he's let his readers recommend "punny" stuff - it feels forced. I know he's a better writer than this. His Incarnations of Immortality series is well worth reading. And, I loved The Apprentice Adept series. I recommend his earlier work for anyone who likes Very Cool fantasy.

[Rich · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was great in the earlier days

Not so enjoyable anymore, I really enjoyed the earlier of the series but maybe as I'm older not getting it. Very repetitive of uncomfortable sexist puns that may not be so bad if it wasn't shoved down our throat every other page. I found myself cringe on the puns and overwhelmed by the nonstop added characters on the adventure. It also seemed that it was more of a love book than I remember, I liked the romance he had in the beginning books but this felt like a harlequin novel! Maybe it's OK for those that continued all through the series but I haven't read any xanth novels in a long time and wanted to revisit the place but it was changed from what I remember. I barely got a quarter of the way and had enough! Not for me!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost Writer in the Sky (Xanth, #41)
by Piers Anthony
Never to disappoint new readers can get lost in Xanth again as they follow two mundanes as they try to solve one of the mysteries of magical land. The new readers will find indication of other stories, and old readers get the reminder of their favorite stories. Like all Xanth stories the Puns are profound. It is an uproarious laughter when the puns are the cause of the problems, or the solution to them. This is a lovely jaunt in a land of mischievous nature. This book stands entirely on its own, just allowing the reader to begin again their love affair with Xanth.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Lesbian Couple in Xanth!

Also first Ace/aro character. Though I don't feel like he dealt with this one quite as well, because like she's with a partner who has to have sex. So the fertility goddess who lives in her head sometimes agrees to take over those duties. And Like I would have liked it if she had just had a friendly relationship or had one where she could have been loved without the need for sex, but hey not too bad for sex obsessed cis/het white oldmans I guess.

Overall I quite liked this book. I really didn't like a lot of the beginning, but I got into it later. once we were on the quest proper.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm

I remember reading every Xanth novel I could get my hands on in high school, 15 years ago. I saw this book one on sale on Kindle and wanted to read it as I had loved them before. This book didn't recapture the magic and entertainment I remember. Some parts were confusing and others just dragged on. I will go read the others I haven't read before, even though this wasn't my favorite. Maybe my expectations were just too high.

[Eric Witte · Rating 1 out of 5]

A slog thru a swamp

I've read every Xanth book so far, and this was easily the worst. The plot and characters where difficult to care about, let alone understand. Honestly, I hope the next book is better; it took me forever to finish because it was just that bland. I would only recommend this to someone who's trying to complete the Xanth series.

[Benjamin Sheffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book from Piers

I love the Xanth series books and this was no exception. It kept me entertained all the way through to the point I didn't want to put it down. Can't wait for the next one.

[Ashley D · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is much that can go wrong with a Piers Anthony book. I have loved everyone of these books that I have read, and this was no exception. This books was chalk full of humor and puns which seems to be a trade mark for these books.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book

I can’t get enough of Xanth. I truly wish I could find a portal. What fun I would have meeting the characters. Hummmm I wonder what question I would ask Humphrey.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Xanth novel #41! Amazing! I haven't read one of these in quite a while, so the puns weren't obnoxious. I absolutely love the original trilogy and am delighted with the way Piers Anthony is able to refer to previous books in the series and develop Xanth as well as the imaginative characters.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun episode from Xanth. New characters and some old ones get together to save Xanth from the Ghost Rider. More puns, more romance and more silliness. I always enjoy Mr. Anthony's Xanth books. Recommended.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Xanth novel a lot more than I thought it would. The prospect is interesting, the friendships are great, and it covers a wide range of adult subjects and sexuality topics that Piers Anthony used to not be so open about. Also, the characters were very interesting and absorbing!

[Xondrais · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my most favorite book. There were a few characters I enjoyed reading about like Emerald, Tara, Ted, and Dolin. A scene I really enjoyed was in relation to the roses and the garden of the Rose of Roogna.

[Mick · Rating 2 out of 5]

M'eh! If you like the style of writing it's OK. I'm sure it has an audience.

[Michael Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much new in the pun-verse of Xanth.