Description:

The future of Xanth is in frightful peril. A powerful magical bird named Ragna Roc has embarked on a campaign to become absolute ruler of that mystical realm. Those who swear loyalty to him are spared. The rest have simply disappeared. So powerful are Ragna�s sorceries that even the Good Magician Humfrey dares not confront him directly. Instead he enlists Cyrus the Cyborg, a handsome half-human playwright with little knowledge of the world, in a stealthy subterfuge. Cyrus must assemble a troupe of traveling players to attract Ragna�s interest. And hidden in disguise among the bevy of beautiful young actresses are the young princesses, Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm, whose magics might just be a match for the evil bird. But Ragna has planted a spy in the midst of the troupe, one who knows their deepest secrets, including the true nature of Cyrus�s forbidden love for one of the young princesses. Only a mysterious child called Kadence, and a cryptic clue � �Two to the Fifth" � may give the companions the edge they need to defeat Ragna�s dictatorial dreams. Brimming with passion and merriment, drama and deception, Piers Anthony�s thirty-second Xanth fantasy is a pun-packed performance sure to provoke applause and ovations from the series� myriad fans.