Castle Roogna

by Piers Anthony

Paperback, 1982

Status

Available

Publication

New York : Ballantine Books, 1982.

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. Thriller. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:Once upon a past. . . . Millie had been a ghost for 800 years. But now, restored by the magic of Xanth, she was again a maddeningly desirable woman. She could have had any man she wanted . . . except the one she did want, Jonathan the zombie. To grant Millie her desire, and to prove his right to rule Xanth in the future, young Magician Dor embarked on a quest for the elixir which would restore Jonathan to full life. But the potion could be found only in the past . . . so, through a magic tapestry, to the past he went, taking over the body of a barbarian warrior. The first person he encountered there was Jumper, a giant spider�??a nightmare monster, but a staunch friend and much-needed ally in peril-haunted, ancient Xanth. Then Dor met Millie�??800 years younger, but just as lovely. And he realized that, in his new body, he was no longer twelve years old… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member WingedWolf

Arguably the best of the Xanth novels. The young prince is transported via a spell into a historical tapestry, allowing him to affect the events of Xanth's past. Inadvertantly swept along by the spell, a jumping spider is brought with him, rendered enormous--he befriends it, and they learn the

history of the Zombie Master as Castle Roogna is constructed.

Show Less

12 more

LibraryThing member PitcherBooks

Enjoy this book but don't go past book 3 of the series if you want to keep any respect for the author. The series dies - a very slow, much prolonged and agonizing death - book by boring book, which is sad considering the great promise of the lst book.

LibraryThing member bell7

Dor, Bink and Chameleon's son, is now age twelve and realizes that he's attracted to his nurse Millie the (former) ghost. She's unhappy (and a few centuries too old for Dor, but her talent is sex appeal so there you go), and Dor is a restless almost-teenager. King Trent suggests that what Dor needs

is a quest, so Dor and Grundy the (former) Golem go off to Good Magician Humphrey's castle for their directions.

When I first read this series as a teen, what really stood out for me was the zany humor and constant punning. This time, I "got" the jokes a bit more, both puns like "Murphy's Law" and the sexual humor (approx. PG13, I'd say). A fun romp, as always.

Show Less

LibraryThing member jlparent

I needed something light & fast & easy after my last one so I picked this. #3 of Xanth series - Included: Liberal sprinklings of puns, heavy sprinklings of internal musings (pretty advanced ones for a 12 yr. old), life lessons, action & adventure, time travel, history, and a really big spider named

Jumper. I liked him better than the main character Dor. I am remembering why I stopped reading this series - each book seems so uneven. I like parts but overall? I can do without reading it. Good thing this was a free copy from Bookmooch.

Show Less

LibraryThing member David.Alfred.Sarkies

This is the third of the Xanth series. Now, I was not inclinded to write any more regarding the books in this series because, to be honest with you, there is probably not much more to write beyond the basic plot of the story, however I felt that maybe I should put at least a little comment into the

review part of this book, despite the fact that there really isn't all that much to review.
Probably the reason why I ended up reading a lot of the Xanth books was because they were readily available in the State Library, at least in the Youth Section. I remember the days in which I used to travel into the city to go to the library, first on a Friday night and a Saturday, but then as I became more and more board at school, and began to develop a number of friendships there, I ended up taking days off school simply to go there. As mentioned, there was a specific Youth section which contained a lot of books that were targeted at the teenage abd young adult market. However, as I have become more educated, my tastes in literature have substantially changed.
Now I tend to be more interested in the historical books. Not modern novels written about some historical period - I generally do not like those types of books. The few that I have read, and they tend to be set in Classical Greece or Rome, I have found to be quite dull and boring, but rather books that were written back in those periods. I also tend to like reading non-fiction books on specific topics that interest me (though I am now developing an interest in modernist and post-modernist literature).
Anyway, back to Xanth. This book is set some time after the first two books and involved Bink's son Dor. This is probably a coming of age adventure for Dor, who is sent by the king of Xanth to travel through a tapestry to the past where he inhabits a mundane invader and must help save Xanth from a horde of mundane invaders. While here he meets up with his nanny (who in the present is a ghost) and helps save her zombie lover. To be honest, sounds a bit lame to me, but it seemed that these books were quite popular with the younger audience.

Show Less

LibraryThing member HollyByGolly

I actually enjoyed this book a lot compared to the Xanth novels following it. Probably because Dor is still a young man and Piers didn't overdo the sex humor. Really great story line, kept me hooked until the end.

LibraryThing member Karlstar

The second book in the Xanth series continues to introduce some new magical concepts, new characters, and more puns! Still interesting and original.

LibraryThing member hermit

This is one of the good books in the Xanth series. It is one of the 6 or so books in the series that comes close to capturing the plot and writing of the first book. This book jumps straight into action. And in the process you get a history lesson of Castle Roogna. The book is filled with suspense

and irony.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Scoshie

#3 in the series. You would think after a while the puns would get little old-- Not really-- Good Stuff here!!
Dor, son of Bink, is a 12 year old magician and next in line to inherit the throne of Xanth. To teach him the skills he will need to rule the kingdom, King Trent sends him through the

tapestry on a mission 800 years into Xanth's past to find the ancient and mysterious Zombie Master. Dor travels to the past via the magic tapestry of Castle Roogna and inhabits the body of an invading mundane barbarian. While in the past Dor is accompanied by a (not normally) giant spider named Jumper, who had been drawn into the tapestry with him, and meets his current governess Millie the ghost, a short time before her unfortunate demise. Dor must use his magic and every other resource he possesses to help beat back an invading wave of mundanes and find a way to restore Millie's zombie lover to life back in the present.

Show Less

LibraryThing member neverstopreading

Castle Roogna is the 3rd in the Xanth series. Like the other books, the target audience is young boys around 10-13. There is some sexual content in the books, but nothing that's too age inappropriate. The stories are light and humorous, though adults who are seasoned readers will find the plot

predictable at times.

In Castle Roogna, 12 year old Dor, the son of Bink (the hero of the previous 2 novels), travels into the past by means of a tapestry in order reanimate a zombie to unite him with his love, Millie, a former ghost. During his adventure, Dor must learn the virtues of courage, loyalty to friends, charity and even continence. It is the right kind of book for a boy Dor's age to read, for many pre-teen boys (and many men) are in need of these great virtues which Dor learns. By sharing in his adventure, these virtues can be passed from story to reader.

Show Less

LibraryThing member DinadansFriend

I pun tastefully, this is far too much! A far cry from his glory days as the master of "Macroscope"! Lightning struck once for this man but it wasn't here!

LibraryThing member utbw42

Wonderful story, mixing time paradoxes in with good fantasy characters. Anthony always has very imaginative people and places set in his world of Xanth. Looking forward to the next one in this series.

LibraryThing member jennybeast

A long time ago when I was tweenish, I loved this series. I know it won't survive a re-read, so I'm noting it and letting it go.

Fewer