Xanth #30: Stork Naked, by Piers AnthonySurprise Golem gets the shock of her life when her baby is delivered, but the stork flies off with the baby because of a technicality. She immediately decides to see the Good Magician, to find out how to get her baby back. He tries to dissuade her from her quest, but Surprise is a good girl with morals, and already loves her baby, so she sets off on a mission to attempt to rescue the infant. But what Surprise doesn't know is that she is part of a Demon bet. Two of the characters that join her quest, Stymy Stork and Pyra, are the agents of the Demons. Each has a reason for wanting Surprise to succeed or fail, because then they will get their heart's desire. Surprise and Che Centaur, who is on a mission of his own trying to find the Simurgh, adventure through the alternate realities of Xanth. Not content with the endless possibilities offered by the moons of Ida (explored in previous books), Anthony introduces an alternate reality concept, and Surprise and Che visit 6 realities out of an infinite number of realities. I didn't really enjoy this Xanth novel; I think a large portion of it, especially around the middle, could have been cut out and that would have improved the book quite a bit. "Stork Naked" feels quite fractured, probably because the viewpoint switches often, from Surprise, to Che, to Stymy, and so on; at one point, each character has their own chapter. Things jumped around too much and at some points I had to look back because I was confused on how the characters got from A to B. At times the puns were too overwhelming, and it seemed as if Anthony was just trying to clear his backlog of readers' suggestions. A few parts were interesting, but they weren't enough to overcome the rest of the book's faults. 2/5.
Honestly one of the worst Xanth novels I came across.My biggest problem with this book is that one of the main conflicts in this book already had a solution before it even became a conflict.I am referring to the love between Surprise Golem and Che Centaur.Early in the book the two come across a body of water that is actually filled with love elixir. They decide to wade through, determining that if they DO fall in love, Surprise will just abolish it with her talent.At first it appears as if the elixir didn't work, and that there is no problem. However, it soon becomes apparent that it did work and there is a significant attraction between the two. They cannot act on it, because they are both married. This conflict becomes a central part of the entire book.Except they have already determined that Surprise would fix this problem if it occurred. They never remember that, and for no apparent reason.I don't expect much from these books, just fun fluff. But come on, don't set something up and forget that you wrote about it.
What do You think about Stork Naked (2006)?
At this point in Piers Anthony's epic Xanth series, you're either already a fan (and a completist), or you're not. Light, fuss-free reading packed full of puns and occasionally inventive twists, the series is stil far from what it used to be - Stork Naked is proof of that. There are some fun moments as Surprise Golem goes on a doomed quest to find her child, with every character along for the ride getting their turn in the sun (Woe Betide, the child aspect of Demoness Metria, is fun and demonstrates beyond the shadow of a doubt that Anthony's best character in the past few books is a foul-mouthed, flighty demon with a vocabulary problem). But there are huge loopholes that remain unresolved (didn't Surprise mention the possibility of using her talent to abate the after-effects of a love spell once invoked?) and twists that happen purely because it fits the story. Not that I expect anything more from the Xanth series these days; at this point I'm reading out of loyalty and because it doesn't hurt my brain to do so. But surely Anthony could take a LITTLE more care than to litter such huge, lazy, and just plain OBVIOUS shortcuts in his wake?
—Shawne
There's really no rating a single Xanth book, because while they each are different, they are also the same but right now, I'm loving the sameness because I know what to expect and can be happy and relaxed and just lose myself in this world for a while."Stork Naked" is no different. It was fun and naughty and crazy, with some bigger themes wrapped up in the zaniness. It was the perfect I'm-sick-and-can't-leave-the-couch book. I read this one in one day and will be starting the next one this morning.So, say what you want, but I enjoy the hell out of the books every time I read one, even when I pretty much always know what's going to happen. I love it anyway!
—Mia Darien
Where previous Xanth books were clever, often with interesting solutions to silly problems and just enough clever wordplay to set Xanth apart from other fantasy settings, Stork Naked is simply tedious. The plot feels contrived, and many chapters, even whole subplots, are simply engines to deliver as many puns as possible. The wordplay that was once such a definitive part of the series has been twisted, until you get the impression Anthony had a list of puns he hadn't used yet, and threw together something he could put them in.I would recommend it as a chapter-a-night book to read with kids before they go to sleep, except that the majority of the plot is wholly inappropriate for children.Really, the only redeeming quality is the sheer creativity Anthony continues to display.
—Zack
