Five Portraits
novel 2014 Xanth
Record
| First published | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | |
| Reader rating | 4.01 (535 ratings, collected 2026-08-25) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781624672729 |
Synopsis
In this entry in Piers Anthony's Xanth series, the character Astrid takes on an unusual task: finding permanent, loving homes in present-day Xanth for five extraordinary children who come from the land's future, each gifted with a distinctive magical talent, from conjuring fireworks to passing through solid matter. Her husband Art, an artist with an immunity to poison, accompanies her and documents each successful placement by painting a portrait of the child alongside the family that takes them in. The powerful demon Fornax, drawn to Astrid's company, lends a hand with the search. As the pair travel Xanth matching children to households suited to their unusual gifts, the story follows the bonds formed along the way, building toward the finished gallery of portraits that gives the book its title.
Where it sits
- Universe: Xanth
- Series: Xanth, the expanded sequence (books 34-49) ; position 6 of 16 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Piers Anthony
Notes
- From the series record (Xanth, the expanded sequence (books 34-49)): Closes the Xanth gap: books 34 through 49 (2010-2026), continuing directly from book 33 (Jumper Cable, 2009). All currently published Xanth novels are now catalogued. Two further titles the author has announced (Limbo, Fusia's Friends) have no confirmed publication date and are excluded for now.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Xanth, the expanded sequence (books 34-49): position 6 of 16: previous Board Stiff (2013) · next Isis Orb (2016)
Sources
- Wikipedia: Xanth
- https://www.orderofbooks.com/series/xanth/
- https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/piers-anthony/
- https://xanth.fandom.com/wiki/Five_Portraits
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