''Centaur Aisle'' is a
fantasy novel
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...
by American writer
Piers Anthony
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born 6 August 1934) is an American author in the science fiction and Fantasy (genre), fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is best known for his :Xanth books, long-running novel series set in ...
, the fourth
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
of the ''
Xanth
Xanth ( ) is a series of novels by author Piers Anthony, also known as ''The Magic of Xanth''.
Anthony originally intended for Xanth to be a trilogy, but a devoted fan base persuaded the author to continue writing the series, which is now open-en ...
'' series.
has left Xanth on a mission of trade to Mundania and has left Dor as temporary king. When Trent fails to return after some time, Dor must find a way to rescue Trent. He is informed that the means to rescue Trent lies to the south on Centaur Isle, the home of a tribe of
centaurs
A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.
Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...
.
Plot
Xanth's King Trent has left for dreary Mundania, leaving Dor to practice governing the magical kingdom. Dor's magical talent is communication with the inanimate which for information gathering is very helpful, but for dealing with citizens needing discipline it leaves room for improvement. But when Trent goes to establish trade routes with Mundania, Dor and his friends (a
golem
A golem ( ; he, , gōlem) is an animated, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is entirely created from inanimate matter (usually clay or mud). The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...
named Grundy, the centaur Chet, Smash the ogre, and Dor's love interest, King Trent's daughter
Princess Irene) must keep the land in line.
However, the former King Trent does not return when he had planned. After waiting two weeks, Dor gathers his gang and goes on a quest to help rescue Trent.
This mission leads them to Centaur Isle, to find an unknown Centaur Magician. Centaurs are very negative about magical talents, so when they find
Arnolde the Centaur and discover his talent, he is exiled and willing to help them rescue Trent. Arnolde's talent is a magical aisle, creating a field of magic around him that allows anyone to use magic in Mundania.
The gang (minus Chet) travel north by rainbow to Mundania. While in Mundania, they find a scholar named Ichabod. From him, they learn that they are in the wrong time strand and must go back to Xanth and re-cross the border. Eventually Dor and his friends find the correct strand and go to the castle where they think Trent and his wife Iris were last. After a nice dinner and a little betrayal, they are locked in a dungeon. After escaping, they smash down walls to find Trent and his new friend King Omen, the proper king of this area.
The group (plus the new additions) struggles to get Omen onto his rightful throne. After exchanging farewells, they decide to return to Xanth with
King Trent and
Queen Iris.
Characters
*
Dor
*
Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United Stat ...
*
Smash
*
Grundy
*
Chet
*
Arnolde
References
American fantasy novels
04
1982 American novels
Novels about magic
Del Rey books
Books with cover art by Michael Whelan
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