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angelahayes's review
4.0
4 Stars
Golem in the Gears is the ninth book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. Grundy Golem is on a quest for respect. He is on a mission to find the long lost dragon, Stanley, and gain some mush sought after respect in the process. But when he comes across a damsel in distress, his adventure takes a bit of a dangerous turn when a sea hag sets her sights on him.
The Xanth 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. Recently I had been reorganising my bookshelves, because eight book cases have become insufficient to house all my books (#bookwhoredilemma)- and it came to the point where I was going to have to get rid of some of my older books/series in order to make way for new favourites. I looked at all the larger/longer series first and this is one of the larger series that I have, it came under scrutiny. I decided to reread all the books I was considering getting rid of first- before making a final decision. I can honestly say that although I these books didn’t blow me away as they once did- 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/beasts. 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 I have missed.
The world of Xanth 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 Xanth 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 in the end I can’t cull any of my collection. So I decided to just purchase a couple of extra bookcases instead. #myprecious
A series worth exploring- especially for any epic fantasy lover who loves some fun and humour served with their adventure.
Thank you, Mr. Anthony!
Golem in the Gears is the ninth book in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. Grundy Golem is on a quest for respect. He is on a mission to find the long lost dragon, Stanley, and gain some mush sought after respect in the process. But when he comes across a damsel in distress, his adventure takes a bit of a dangerous turn when a sea hag sets her sights on him.
The Xanth 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. Recently I had been reorganising my bookshelves, because eight book cases have become insufficient to house all my books (#bookwhoredilemma)- and it came to the point where I was going to have to get rid of some of my older books/series in order to make way for new favourites. I looked at all the larger/longer series first and this is one of the larger series that I have, it came under scrutiny. I decided to reread all the books I was considering getting rid of first- before making a final decision. I can honestly say that although I these books didn’t blow me away as they once did- 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/beasts. 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 I have missed.
The world of Xanth 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 Xanth 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 in the end I can’t cull any of my collection. So I decided to just purchase a couple of extra bookcases instead. #myprecious
A series worth exploring- especially for any epic fantasy lover who loves some fun and humour served with their adventure.
Thank you, Mr. Anthony!
bookcrazylady45's review
3.0
Fun and quick to read, Xanth novels are like potato chips, taste good, fast food, might not be particularly good for you but you can't eat just one and the last one is as good as the first.
katekat's review
4.0
The Xanth books by Piers Anthony were some of the first SciFi/Fantasy books 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.
oftortall's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.75
nerdymamabooks's review
3.0
This is the 9th book in the Xanth series. These were my first pure fantasy series as a child. I never got too far past the first 3 or 4 books. I picked this one up on my birthday. This book follows Grundy Golem a tiny hero with a big mouth. He goes on a quest to find Stanley Steamer, Princess Ivy's dragon. Grundy is accompanied by Snortimer, Ivy's monster under the bed and encounters various trails and adventures. He ends up rescuing Rapunzel from a Sea Hag and must keep the Sea Hag from possessing Rapunzel. Over all Grundy over comes things with his wit and magical ability to talk to animate creatures (dragons, grass, trees, bugs, etc). I enjoyed the book but it is dated. Released in 1984 I may have moved beyond Xanth but its always to look back at what I liked as a child. I have a few other Xanth novels I picked up that I'll probably read. But this will not be a series I need to complete all the books.
2.5/5
2.5/5
raehink's review against another edition
4.0
I read the first dozen or so of the Xanth series while going through medical training. They took my mind off the heavy stuff I was learning. Witty stuff.
katekat's review against another edition
4.0
The Xanth books by Piers Anthony were some of the first SciFi/Fantasy books 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.
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