''Isle of View'' is a
fantasy novel
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fan ...
by American writer
Piers Anthony
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born 6 August 1934) is an American author in the science fiction and fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is best known for his long-running novel series set in the fictional realm of Xant ...
, published in 1989.
It is the thirteenth book of the
Xanth
Xanth ( ) is a series of novels by author Piers Anthony, also known as ''The Magic of Xanth''.
Anthony originally intended for Xanth to be a trilogy, but a devoted fan base persuaded the author to continue writing the series, which is now open-en ...
series.
Plot
Che, Chex Centaur’s winged foal, has been kidnapped by a group of goblins. It is up to Jenny, a girl from
the world of Two Moons, to save him. Dolph finally has to decide whom to marry: Electra or Naga Nada.
The book begins in mid-crisis: Che Centaur has been foalnapped. Jenny Elf, wandering in a
myopic
Near-sightedness, also known as myopia and short-sightedness, is an eye disease where light focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurry while close objects appear normal. Other symptoms may include ...
haze through the World of Two Moons with her cat Sammy, accidentally stumbles through a giant hole between dimensions and ends up in Xanth. Jenny eventually discovers Che being held hostage by a group of goblins, and her attempt to rescue him results in them both being captured by another band of goblins.
Nada Naga, Electra, and the original goblin gang work together and succeed in retrieving Che, Jenny, and Sammy from the new goblin kidnappers. Nada and Electra play a game of chance with the goblins to determine to whom Che goes; the goblins win. The four goblins, Che, Jenny, and Sammy go back to Goblin Mountain where Che is to live. There, Che and Jenny learn why the goblins had kidnapped Che in the first place: they wanted him to be the tutor and companion to Gwendolyn, a young goblin princess who was lame and mostly blind. Because the goblins only respect strength and power, Gwendolyn needed to be able to conceal her physical disabilities by riding on Che's back - otherwise she would be overthrown and killed.
As Che and Jenny are getting to know Gwendolyn, Che's parents call together all the winged monsters in Xanth to start a siege on Goblin Mountain. After much chaos, it is decided that Che will return to his parents, provided that they will take care of Gwendolyn as well.
Prince Dolph finally has to decide which one of his fiancees to marry: Electra or Nada.
Trivia
* Jenny Elf is named after a real reader, a twelve-year-old girl named
Jenny Gildwarg, who was the victim of a hit-and-run accident that left her partially paralyzed.
[Anthony, Piers. ''Isle of View'' : 340 (Author's Note)] The story is also chronicled in the non-fiction account,
Letters To Jenny.
* The title is a
same-sounding (homophonous) phrase of "I love you", which is a
mondegreen
A mondegreen () is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning. Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes w ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isle Of View
American fantasy novels
13
1989 American novels
1989 fantasy novels
William Morrow and Company books