Five Portraits, Paperback

Piers Anthony delivers another tale set in the bestselling world of Xanth, filled with magic, surprises, adventure, and a few puns. Here s what the author has to say about his new book: "Five Portraits"is a kind of sequel to"Board Stiff"in that it picks up where the other leaves off, with the same characters. Apart from that, it s one of my favorites within the series. There s something about Astrid Basilisk that appeals to me: a very pretty girl whose very glance is deadly, yet she s a nice person whose selfless effort to save five difficult children from future Xanth is thoroughly worthy. I also like the theme of the power of unlikely friendship. Not just Xanth, but Mundania, too, would be better if there were more such friendships. "