In the afterward Piers Anthony states that the book was banned by bookstores (they would not sell it) because of the content.

To be fair, this book suffers from several disadvantages: longtime fans of the series have been waiting for it for years--some as long as eight, since _Chaos Mode_ came out in hardback in 1993. My expectations were bound to be high after a wait like that, particularly when I learned that it was to conclude the series. I can also imagine that perhaps Piers Anthony lost the feel of these characters, this reality; though continuity errors were few, _DoOon Mode_ didn't really seem in synch with its predecessors.

Now for what requires all those excuses. For starters, I didn't get any sense of depth from any character, even Colene, which may have been partially due to the frequent perspective-shifting--and this time, most of the perspectives were used a sum total of once. I couldn't really get into the heads of these protagonists, only seeing a slice of the action from their view. And while I'm on the subject of the action, it seemed awfully glossed over to me. Many things are skipped, shown entirely off-camera; I got little feel for the wonderful variety of the Virtual Mode, and instead have a hunch that Anthony was trying to cut travel scenes as short as possible. Saving, mind you, for one Xanth cameo that seemed totally unnecessary. The characters' conflicts aren't explored to any significant degree; plot threads turned up and were swiftly cut off, not appearing to serve any purpose in the meanwhile. (If anyone can figure out the *point* of learning that Nona's joy cannot be depleted, or the motivation for her change of mind/heart with regards to her home reality, could you please explain it to me?)

Meanwhile, I also have problems with the amount of sex in this. All of the Mode books are heavily into sex-related issues; it's to be expected, and I'm not complaining about that. What bothers me is that the sex seemed purposeless here, thrown in simply to have it present. Even the new revelations about Colene's past trauma had the feel of something gratuitous. And the sexiness of the young women is frequently described--something which is just the tip of the repetition iceburg. Each new perspective brought yet another account of how the traveling party interacted, from a different and yet painfully similar viewpoint. I lost count of how many times Colene was described as a 'vessel of dolor.' That, to me, was wasted space that could have been better spent on more depth of plot.

Which brings me to the most disturbing thing--while all of the characters do achieve conclusions, and those conclusions are marginally satisfactory, they're... well, shallow. Given how much I came to care about Colene and Darius, I was terribly disappointed with the book's conclusion; sure, they get the ending we all knew was coming, but it's so anticlimactic that I was dismayed all the same. (Not to mention that if there was a romance/sex scene that I wouldn't have minded seeing, it would be the consummation of that relationship--something which is entirely missing!) I have no real sense of closure with these characters. Their finale was quick, bland, and left a bad taste in my mouth.

That said, it shouldn't be surprising that I don't recommend buying this one. Certainly not in hardback as I did. However, Mode fans will probably want to read it just to know how things turn out--and it *is* worth reading, for all that I've said; my opinion of it may not be the greatest, but I'm glad to have had one last chance to slip into the worlds of Colene, Darius, and their companions all the same. Just don't make it the first Mode novel you read, and don't get your expectations too high.

If this book was aimed at adolescents, personally I would like to have seen the two main characters react to each other on a strictly emotional level, rather than a physical one. It's hard enough for ADULTS to distinguish between lust and love.

I understand the need to escape into a dream wordl, but I never did understand abusive relationships because people who REALLY LOVE YOU don't treat you that way! I've met a lot of people who treat total strangers with more courtesy and respect than members of their own family, or people they supposedly love. I found the lead "heroine" annoying as rather than developing into a mature adult, she didn't take responsibility for HER actions in the abusive relationship. He was a BAD MAN, but she kept dragging the guy back after he'd leave her! Would like to have had this phenomenom explained more and the reader taught how to deal with that type of behavior in the real world we all have to live in. Escape doesn't SOLVE the problem. She did START to learn to stand on her own, rather than depend on her friends to rescue her.

Would love to see another book from the author, Julie Brady, in how her characters learn to develop mentally and emotionally into mature adults. I liked the idea for the book and hope to see more from this author.

This novel has some great premises, e.g. that there is something about Xanth's magic that prevents married couples from falling out of love and that, in Xanth, women's panties have a mysterious magic.

I would have given it five stars, but there were some very heavy pun clusters that dragged it down. If you don't know Xanth, you should understand that the magic of Xanth is largely based on puns. I'm not the world's biggest pun fan, but still a lot of the punning is a lot of fun. In this book, though, there were sections where you just hit one pun after another and it was pretty rough going. I like it better when there is just a light sprinkling of puns.

Another slight problem is name dropping of familiar characters from earlier books. There have been enough books, now, that it's really hard to keep track of all the characters. Maybe there should be a little chart in each book, tracing the royal family lines, at least, or which characters were introduced in which books.

A good thing about Xanth novels is that each character is presented with a challenge that is suitable for that character's level of accomplishment. The characters have to struggle to win, but the struggle is appropriate to them and makes them grow.

I am not sure I like the Nimby character as much as some of the previous ones. He's just too powerful. It kind of tips the balance toward him too much. P. Anthony does a good job of putting him in situations where he is nevertheless challenged, despite his seemingly overwhelming power. Still, there is something a bit too close to God about Nimby that makes me uncomfortable.

I take these books for what they are - a lighthearted romp in fantasy. They are fun, humourous, enjoyable, and also very interesting.

Xone of Contention is no different. If you are a Xanth fan, you'll enjoy this book also! Piers had some delightful new puns in here, as some other reviewers have pointed out. And I always enjoy it when he ventures into Mundania.

If I had to rank this book among all his other Xanth books, I'd put it in the top 75% of them. Not my most favorite, but very good. He explored some new themes in this book, like marriage and divorce, that were intriguing and make me want to re-read it. Of course, there was only 1 Xanth book that I was bored with, and that was the one that told the history of Good Magician Humfrey. Otherwise, they are all a lot of fun and worth a read!

The publisher calls this book "the ultimate crustacean encounter," and that it is! The quirky characters and setting enhance the book's appeal. "Twin Peaks" meets "Jaws." The depictions of the sea spiders are among the scariest creature-scenes I've ever read, and some of the attack scenes had me squirming for more. Loaded with fascinating biological facts and oddities.

Strange things are born in the ocean's depths... I can't wait until they make a blockbuster movie from this book. It would be more powerful than "Jaws" because the giant sea spiders are more terrifying, more deadly.

I notice that the West Coast Review of Books remarked: "Pickover has collaborated on a novel with the prolific Piers Anthony, and the combination of Pickover's theory and Anthony's fantasy should yield an intellectual tour de force without precedent."

I borrowed a copy of the book from a friend. It was a bit tattered, as if it had fallen off the back of a truck. But that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying the book. In fact, I've read the book twice already! It's hard to put down. Fantastic for all ages. I've read some of Anthony's and Pickover's other books, and this is their most unusual.

It's a difficult book to describe. It's an ecological thriller in the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," Peter Benchley's "Jaws," and even the "Alien" series of movies. It has humor and horror, science and fantasy, tension and frivolity, absurdity and deadly seriousness. Most of all, it seems to be about love and a concern for humanity.

I envy you if you have not yet read the book, because you have something great and mysterious to look forward to. If I were banished to the Mars and could take just a few books with me, this would be among them. The book will probably develop a cult following.

Can any of you imagine a motion picture made from the book? Who would you choose to play the main characters? I picture Sigourney Weaver as "Martha". David Duchovny as "Nathan." Jennie Garth as "Lisa." Sharon Stone as "Natalie."

I really loved some of the characters in the book, especially Martha, the woman with long fingers. I couldn't put the book down and found the unusual sequence of events to be a masterpiece of oddness and scariness -- in the spirit of Vonnegut, Hitchcock, and other geniuses who combine adventure, fear, and wonder. I see some of the reviewers nitpicking at plot "absurdities," but these are precisely what makes the book fascinating. If you read the book a few times, you'll find that the odd logic fits together, and all events are quite plausible, or at least possible, given the complex situations. Buy this book, and feed your head. I hear it's a bestseller.