From Publishers Weekly
Devotees of Xanth, Anthony's engaging fictional realm, will applaud his latest pun-filled entry in the series. Anthony incorporated about 150 suggestions from fans in Roc and a Hard Place (1995); he uses?and credits?another 100 here, including two major premises. A Mundane (human) family is blown to Xanth by a tropical storm that threatens the land's existence. To save Xanth and to win a cosmic wager, the Demon X(AN) must become Nimby, a mortal, ass-headed pink-and-green-striped dragon and wring an unlikely tear from the hard-hearted maiden Chlorine. Anthony relates each episode of this frothy adventure through a different character's eyes in order to reinforce a gentle lesson about gifts and responsibilities. Xanth, where everything is very literal and each being has its own one talent, can continue only if everyone from mightiest to humblest works together. This engaging excursion puts them all to charming use. Once again, Anthony's unflagging sparkle, verve and wordplay spin everyday trials of Mundane life into storytelling gold. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Anthony returns to the magical world of Xanth, last glimpsed in Roc and a Hard Place (Tor, 1995) for another funny, pun-filled story. On a bet, the Demon of Xanth agrees to travel incognito and win the sympathy of an inferior mortal woman without revealing his identity. Along the way, a human family is transported to Xanth and helps save the world from being blown away by the ill wind. Written by the master of sly humor with a little help from his fans, this delightful romp through an alternate Florida of strange creatures with literal names and magical powers is highly recommended for fantasy collections.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
It is easy by now to lose count of the grand total of Xanth novels, but Anthony's best-known creation is surely one of the longest-running fantasy series ever. The latest installment features Xanth's presiding demon going in disguise on a quest and hoping to wring a tear from a hard-hearted wench named Chlorine. He ends up with company, for in the manner of The Wizard of Oz, a graphically described hurricane blows a mundane family into Xanth. Both Chlorine and the family are better drawn than many of Anthony's lighthearted creations; the pacing is definitely brisker than usual; and the puns, jokes, and throwaway ideas fly past like machine-gun bullets. Even though there is nothing really new this time, a lot of what there is, is good. Dedicated Xanthropologists can undertake it without fear of boredom. Roland Green


From Kirkus Reviews
Another Xanth yarn from Anthony (Geis of the Gargoyle, 1995, etc.), again structured like an interactive computer game to capture the attention of today's youth. This time, the Demon X(A/N)th agrees to a contest with his fellow-demons: If he wins, he becomes the top demon; lose, and he returns to the bottom of the pecking order. His task: In a regular body he must enter Xanth and win the affection of the chilly-hearted girl Chlorine, causing her to shed a single tear of love or grief. The complications: His fellow-demons put him in a grotesque and garish body with a silly voice, and impose other unlikely conditions; meanwhile, a Mundane family named Baldwin get blown into Xanth by a hurricane. Fluff, just the thing for pun-happy funsters. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
Raves for Piers Anthony's previous Xanth adventures:

"Fans of the author's trademark humor will relish this latest jaunt through the wacky world of Xanth; new readers too will enjoy the fun." - Publishers Weekly on Harpy Thyme

"Another of Piers Anthony's frothy and delightfully frivolous fantasy novels about the land of Xanth, where puns and playfulness reign supreme." - The Toronto Star



Review
Raves for Piers Anthony's previous Xanth adventures:

"Fans of the author's trademark humor will relish this latest jaunt through the wacky world of Xanth; new readers too will enjoy the fun." - Publishers Weekly on Harpy Thyme

"Another of Piers Anthony's frothy and delightfully frivolous fantasy novels about the land of Xanth, where puns and playfulness reign supreme." - The Toronto Star



Book Description
An All-New Xanth Adventure
First Paperback Edition!

A fickle flux in the fabric of space has allowed a horrendous hurricane to blast into Xanth, stirring up mischief and madness wherever she goes. Trapped in a preposterous form by a cosmic wager, the Demon X(A/N)th must join forces with a vexatious vixen named Chlorine to save Xanth from this terrifying and tempestuous threat.

Their companions on this haphazard quest are a hapless human family - Jim and Karen Baldwin and their two teenaged sons, David and Sean - gusted into Xanth from the mundane world beyond. Together they encounters a host of turbulent misadventures as they struggle to keep Xanth from being blown off the map forever.

A brisk and breezy adventure in the grand Xanth tradition, Yon Ill Wind is sure to bring gales of laughter and excitement to Piers Anthony's legion of loyal readers.



About the Author
Piers Anthony is one of the world's most popular fantasy authors, and a New York Times bestseller twenty-one times over. His Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and he daily receives hundreds of letters from his devoted fans.

In addition to the Xanth series, Anthony is the author of many other best-selling works. Piers Anthony lives in Inverness, Florida.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

On a dare from his fellow Demons, the omnipotent entity known as X(A/N)[superscript th] agrees to prove his powers by traveling incognito through the realm he secretly rules - the enchanted land of Xanth. But the challenge they've given him may be more than even he can manage. First, he must assume a form of their choosing - a comical creature called Nimby, with the body of a dragon and the head of an ass. Second, he may only speak once during the adventure - and may never breathe a word about his true identify. Next he must stay with the first creature he meets or lose his power to move. And last, and certainly worst, he must wring at least one tear from his companion or forfeit his high rank for ages to come. Unfortunately his partner on this peculiar quest turns out to be an ill-tempered lass called Chlorine, with a tart tongue and a talent for tainting water. But that's not the end of his troubles, for a magical spell has opened a door between Xanth and the mundane world beyond, letting in a rampaging hurricane, and a hapless human family along with it - Jim and Karen Baldwin, and their two teenage sons, David and Sean. Together this mismatched company encounters a host of turbulent misadventures as they struggle to keep Xanth from being blown off the map forever.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA - Diane G. Yates

This one's a no-brainer. If your customers like the Xanth novels, you've got to buy it. Anthony has written umpteen of these tales set in the magical land of Xanth, and the pun will continue indefinitely if people keep sending him new ideas for storylines and characters. In an afterword he mentions close to a hundred suggestions from fans that he incorporated into the book. The plot follows the Demon X(A/N)th as he tries to win a wager with his fellow demons by assuming the form of one of the creatures of the realm he rules. He becomes a Nimby (Not In My Neighborhood), a creature with the body of a dragon and the head of an ass, who must wring a tear from the first person he meets. Further complications ensue when a human family from Mundania (i.e. Florida) is blown into Xanth while traveling through a hurricane in their RV. Their entry has created an opening through which the hurricane has followed, and the high winds are stirring up the magic dust causing all sorts of terrible consequences, and may ultimately end in the destruction of Xanth itself. It's all pretty lighthearted, however, and even the family pets, Woofer, Midrange, and Tweeter (do you get it?) help avert disaster. Great cover art beautifully depicts many of the characters from the book. Plot, character, everything takes a back seat to word-play, but its such a romp to read that nobody cares. VOYA Codes: 3Q 2P S (Readable without serious defects, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

The Toronto Star

"Another of Piers Anthony's frothy and delightfully frivolous fantasy novels about the land of Xanth, whee puns and playfullness reign supreme."

Kirkus Reviews

Another Xanth yarn from Anthony (Geis of the Gargoyle, 1995, etc.), again structured like an interactive computer game to capture the attention of today's youth. This time, the Demon X(A/N)th agrees to a contest with his fellow-demons: If he wins, he becomes the top demon; lose, and he returns to the bottom of the pecking order. His task: In a regular body he must enter Xanth and win the affection of the chilly-hearted girl Chlorine, causing her to shed a single tear of love or grief. The complications: His fellow-demons put him in a grotesque and garish body with a silly voice, and impose other unlikely conditions; meanwhile, a Mundane family named Baldwin get blown into Xanth by a hurricane.

Fluff, just the thing for pun-happy funsters.