Piers Anthony

(#3) (Xanth Novels (Paperback))

Castle Roogna

Kirsten Simkiss

Honestly, 10-12 year old me enjoyed this book way more than 27 year old me. 27 year old me seriously just can't stomach the writing anymore. Piers Anthony's writing is like the fantasy of a pre-teen boy who decided to mix porn with D&D. It's just not appealing to read as an adult at all. Also, I can usually stomach some mysogyny in books because, unfortunately, most books older than me have a heavy dose of it, but it seems really clear to me that this guy has absolutely no idea about what women think or feel or how they act. It's more convenient for him to write them off as sex-obsessed waifs. Sure, there's a bit at the end where the 12 year old protagonist Dor, who's been fantasizing about every female in the book up until this point, treats two women with actual respect, but two scenes in the last 10 pages really don't make up for the other 316.

The only reason I'm not giving this book one star is that I still like the curiosities of the world he created, despite the stories being steeped in creepy sex-fueled pre-teen thoughts. I like Dor's ability - it's not one I've seen in other literature.

I would not recommend this to anyone, really, unless they are wholly forewarned and are looking at this book purely for the world itself.

Castle Roogna (#3) (Xanth Novels (Paperback))

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