What is "xanth"

Xanth is a fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for his Xanth series of novels, also known as The Magic of Xanth.

The name Xanth , pronounced as part of the author's name ("Pierony"), is in itself an unintentional pun, matching the playful tone of the books.

Anthony commonly states that he originally intended for Xanth to be a trilogy, and after the wild success of the first three books decided to expand the series to nine books. An extremely devoted fan base persuaded the author to continue writing the series, which is now open-ended. He has since declared, in the Author's Notes of Cube Route, that this 27th book ended the first "magical trilogy" and that he was beginning a new one with the 28th, punning on the fact that 27 is the third power of three, i.e. three cubed.

In an interview with AgonyBooth.com, Anthony stated that he has kept the series going as long as he has because the Xanth novels are "just about the only thing the publishers want" from him.