History Literature / Xanth

* BadassNormal: A truly epic subversion in [[spoiler:Bink.]] Despite having a godlike talent [[spoiler:with a very intelligent mind of its own]], combining PlotArmor with GambitRoulette and XanatosSpeedChess, [[spoiler:Bink spent years unaware he had a talent, forced to learn to survive without one in Xanth, which was much more of a DeathWorld in the early books.]] Thus, he was forced to develop the skill set of a BadassNormal and learned empathy for the disadvantaged, gaining the PowerOfFriendship. Since LawfulStupid carries certain advantages in Xanth and MagnificentBastard status has them everywhere, he can essentially have his cake and eat it too, allowing him to sway even [[spoiler:the Demon XaNTH.]] The BadassNormal skill set [[spoiler:his talent]] forced him to develop paid off when [[spoiler:the demon reversed his talent, causing it to seek Bink's destruction:]] the BadassNormal ability to protect himself from magic it forced him to develop was powerful enough to defend himself against that very same talent.

* PowerCreepPowerSeep: Originally, magicians were rare enough that the Council had to accept the Evil Magician as King: they didn't have a ''choice'' [[spoiler:not when Bink's talent was determined to remain a secret]]. Time-travel confirms that there tended to be two or three magicians at most at any given time, and they often kept the competition for the crown down by eliminating the competition. However, after Bink's meeting with the demon XaNTH, it ensured that [[spoiler:all of Bink's descendants would have magician-level talents.]] Since then, other magicians have come out of the woodwork [[spoiler:like a centaur whose talent would likely never have been noticed if it wasn't needed to rescue Bink]] and people involved with the family like Irene have gained power-ups. Quite a lot of people that are not acknowledged as magicians in the later books have talents that in previous eras would have qualified them not just as magicians, but as the most dangerous and powerful type of magician, those who could control the magic of other people and artifacts, multiplying their power [[spoiler:like the creator of the Deathstone and Bink.]]

* BalefulPolymorph: Trent's talent is to transform any living creature in line of sight into any other creature. This includes turning soldiers sent to attack his army into fish and leaving them there to die [[spoiler:according to the history books, anyway.]]

* IncrediblyLamePun / StealthPun (YourMileageMayVary): The series ''thrives'' on these, however, they are mostly submitted by young readers, which Mr. Anthony thanks at the end of every book at the end of his author notes (which takes an entire ''chapter'').

What do you get when you take a rather witty American author, create an FictionalCounterpart of the ''entire state of Florida'' (with the small change of everyone having magical powers -- a ''Magic Kingdom,'' geddit?), and fill it with various parodies of fantasy tropes (as well as literally hundreds of reader-submitted puns)?

One important rule for Xanth is that every single native-born Xanth human [[EveryoneIsASuper has a unique]] ''[[EveryoneIsASuper talent]]'' -- a magical quirk that only they can do. This can be anywhere from [[KaleidoscopeHair changing their hair color]], to being able to talk to certain animals, to being able to rewind time or warp reality in their nearby vicinity. Talents are unique to the person who has them -- no two talents are the same, but some are so similar that they are more or less identical.

** {{YMMV}} on the "genius villain" part. He made a [[DealWithTheDevil Deal With A Demon]] for the talent of TimeTravel, which he used to RetCon away events that made other people more interesting so that he looked better in comparison. (For example, when he met a man with a LaserGuidedAmnesia talent, who met somebody who suggested erasing Princess Ida's knowledge of her own "it only works for people who don't know about it" talent, the Dastard {{RetCon}}ned that meeting.) ''[[MisappliedPhlebotinum Obviously]]'', [[MisappliedPhlebotinum a better use of the Dastard's talent]] would be to ''cause'' these people to be interesting in the [[strike: first]] [[strike: second]] [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble first]] place, so that they're indebted to him and [[FamedInStory tell other people about him]] and stuff like that.

Xanth takes place in a small Florida-shaped realm that is sealed off from the rest of Earth. On Xanth, magic is real, with its own physical laws, often based on reader-submitted (and credited) puns. Billions, and billions of puns. For example -- Pineapples? They're essentially hand grenades because some are known in real life as pineapple fragmentation grenades due to the casing being etched to fragment in a manner that looks like a pineapple -- based on the old military slang. Cherries (Cherry bombs) are smaller, but still dangerous. Tulips (two lips) will kiss you if you get too close. Boot Rear is a fuzzy soda that, when drunk, causes you to feel a swift kick to your bottom. And beware the Catastrophe -- a plaque with half a cat stuck into it (a Cat-ass-trophy).

*** As Bink is both beneficiary and puppet to his XanatosChessmaster of a talent, there's at least a part of him that accepts her issues as normal. That Chameleon stays married to him is a sign this acceptance goes both ways.

One important rule for Xanth is that every single native-born Xanth human [[EveryoneIsASuper has a unique]] ''[[EveryoneIsASuper talent]]'' -- a magical quirk that only they can do. This can be anywhere from changing their hair color, to being able to talk to certain animals, to being able to rewind time or warp reality in their nearby vicinity. Talents are unique to the person who has them -- no two talents are the same, but some are so similar that they are more or less identical.

* BadassNormal: A truly epic subversion in [[spoiler:Bink.]] Despite having a godlike talent [[spoiler:with a very intelligent mind of its own]], combining PlotArmor with XanatosRoulette and XanatosSpeedChess, [[spoiler:Bink spent years unaware he had a talent, forced to learn to survive without one in Xanth, which was much more of a DeathWorld in the early books.]] Thus, he was forced to develop the skill set of a BadassNormal and learned empathy for the disadvantaged, gaining the PowerOfFriendship. Since LawfulStupid carries certain advantages in Xanth and MagnificentBastard status has them everywhere, he can essentially have his cake and eat it too, allowing him to sway even [[spoiler:the Demon XaNTH.]] The BadassNormal skill set [[spoiler:his talent]] forced him to develop paid off when [[spoiler:the demon reversed his talent, causing it to seek Bink's destruction:]] the BadassNormal ability to protect himself from magic it forced him to develop was powerful enough to defend himself against that very same talent.

* XanatosRoulette: Just about everything the Good Magician Humfrey does counts as this. He ''is'' the Magician of Information, after all.

----

** In A Spell for Chameleon he admits that he was at least untrustworthy. His stay in Mundania cures hem of a lot of his faults.

* OncePerEpisode: In every book, at least one character will go to Good Magician Humfrey's castle, where they must win through three challenges in order to be able to ask him a question. (Which they must then pay for with some sort of significant service; the Good Magician's time ain't cheap.) This pattern was maintained even during a period of time when Humfrey had mysteriously vanished from Xanth.

* OffstageVillainy: "Evil" Magician Trent did many bad things as a young man, before the start of the series, but he has already reformed by the time of the first book. (and some of it was MaliciousSlander)

* OurCentaursAreDifferent: a race of scholars and researchers who consider magic to be an obscenity.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: Averted. The AdventureGame based on one of the novels managed to be at least halfway decent.
** Except the novel is based off of the game that is based off the novel. It's maddeningly recursive on YourHeadASplode levels. Basically, in the novel, the protagonists are ''playing the game that is now out, based on the novel'', making it a bit of IWishItWereReal, as well.
*** The Author's Note straightens this out: Anthony wanted to make a Xanth computer game, but lacked the expertise to do it himself. He wrote the novel to show Legend Entertainment what the Xanth game should be like, and they went and made it for him.

* EldritchAbomination: The greater demons, such as X(A/N)th: the second book goes into some detail.

* FaunsAndSatyrs: Fauns love chasing nymphs and simulating [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean summoning the stork]] with them.

* GRatedSex: "[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean Summoning the Stork]]" is actually just hugging and kissing, naked, until the "..." appears.

* GuiltyPleasure: Oh god yes. The puns, the tropes used, the plots... all combined combined with the ParentalBonus makes re-reading the Xanth novels 10-20 years out of the target audience a very guilty pleasure indeed.
** That's if it doesn't produce a "I actually liked reading this? Was I retarded?" reaction.