''The Color of Her Panties'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novel by British-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 fifteenth

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.

Plot introduction

Mela Merwoman, one of the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

s of ''The Color of Her Panties'', was introduced in ''

Heaven Cent ''Heaven Cent'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Piers Anthony, the eleventh book of the Xanth series. It is the second book of a trilogy beginning with ''Vale of the Vole'' and ending with ''Man from Mundania.'' Plot introduction The prot ...

'' attempting to trick Prince Dolph into marrying her. Still desperate for a husband, Mela goes to ask the Good Magician Humfrey to find her a suitable mate. On the way, she joins forces with a civilized ogre named Okra and a positive young woman named Ida, who bears a striking resemblance to Princess Ivy. Meanwhile, adolescent Gwenny Goblin, Che Centaur and Jenny Elf are trying to help Gwenny beat out her half-brother Gobble for chiefship of the goblin horde.

Plot summary

Mela, like all merpeople, is able to turn into a full human so that she can walk on land. To follow "landbound custom", she finds clothing and shoes (conveniently growing on trees, as is common on Xanth). Of particular concern is which panties to choose - after all, there is significant interest in the color of her panties. After trying on dozens of pairs, Mela finally decides on plaid (the color she would choose was the subject of an Impossible Question that the Demon X(A/N)th asked the Good Magician Humfrey in ''

Question Quest ''Question Quest'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Piers Anthony, the fourteenth book of the Xanth series. Plot summary The book begins with Lacuna, one of the mischievous Castle Zombie twins, seeking a way to fix her "dull" life. To do ...

''). Gwenny has to prove her courage to become leader of Goblin Mountain. Her task is to steal an egg from the Roc's nest. The two storylines are brought together when Mela has to help save Gwenny from a Roc and a hard place.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Color of Her Panties, The American fantasy novels 15 1992 American novels 1992 fantasy novels Novels about magic William Morrow and Company books