If you like the latter Xanth novels, which have more of the adult conspiracy included, you will enjoy these punny stories as well. Some of the characters in these books overlap beginning with Kandy who is enchanted to become a board by day accompanying Ease and several others on a quest to save the puns of Xanth in the story Board Stiff. Then, in Five Portraits, Astrid basilisk and the Demon Fornax lead the questors as they try to get children from the future adopted. In Isis Orb, Hapless attracts women, as the Good Magician has foretold that he will have two or three good girlfriends and one bad one. They are all trying to find the Isis Orb in order to grant their wishes. The books are full of puns and fun to read.

I haven't read the previous Xanth Novels but had heard they were really good so thought I would dive in and see how it goes.

The first thing that struck me was that the writing seems directed at a very young audience, both in tone and word choices. Referring to a woman's genitals as her "whatever" was taking it a little far in my opinion.

The set up of the first story reminded me of many classic fairy tales. A woman makes a wish at a magic well and everything immediately goes spectacularly wrong. Check.

This of course leads to a question and off we go. Visit the mysterious local wizard, check.

This volume contains three separates stories; Board Stiff, Five Portraits and Isis Orb. Each story is self-contained, but I felt they were written to a younger audience and I felt as if I were reading children's fairytales. I think I would have enjoyed the stories more as a teenager. I would recommend them to someone who enjoys reading more YA, as the sense of humor is good but it just wasn't the sort of thing that could take me to deep pov.

I received a free Kindle copy of The Xanth  Novels: Books 38-40 by Piers Anthony courtesy of Net Galley and Open Road Integrated MediaOpen Road Integrated Media, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as I am a fan of fantasy and science ficition. I have read a number of Piers Anthony's other Xanth novels.

This series of Board Stiff, Five Portraits and Isis Orb continue the authors ventures into Xanth and the pun filled world that it is. Each can be read as a stand alone novel, but it is helpful if you have read the entire series. This group starts out with the puns in Xanth being eliminated due to a virus. It follows the quest of a group in finding an antidote for the virus so that each member of the quest can realize their dream.

I recommend these books to anyone who is a fan of fantasy and the works of Piers Anthony in particular.

I am 21 years old and Piers Anthony's Xanth novels have been a favorite series of mine for the past 10 years. As a bibliophile, the puns always leave me in stitches, and the characters have left a lasting imprint on my life. These recent three novels are no exception, and all I can hope is that the Xanth saga continues! Reading them is like reconnecting with old friends over and over again.