Castle Roogna - Piers Anthony

I was introduced to whimsical fantasy in the 70's when I went searching for new sci-fi at the local bookstore near my home in Huber Heights, OH. I first read The Source of Magic and then A Spell for Chameleon. This book, however, became my favorite and truly, if you stopped here, you'd have read all the Piers Anthony Xanth books you'd ever need to. What's not to love - it has damsels, giant spiders, centaurs, a boy who can talk with inanimate objects, time travel, kings, and castles - it was tailor made for me to enjoy at that moment. I did follow up with the next two trilogies, but by then it had really overstayed it's welcome. A compendium of the first three Xanth novels would sit well on any fantasy fans shelf.

It remains in print and on Amazon for a decent price, showing it's enduring quality.