Ogre, Ogre

Ogre, Ogre is the fifth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.

Plot introduction

Smash the half-ogre (offspring of Crunch the ogre and a human Curse Fiend) goes to see the Good Magician Humfrey to get his question answered, although he doesn't know what his question is. The magician's answer: Travel to the Ancestral Ogres to find what you seek. His payment is to guard Tandy, a half-nymph, for one year.

They travel about Xanth, and Smash acquires other young women who travel with him and whom he protects. Along the way, he is infected with the Eye Queue vine, which makes him intelligent (although actually invoking his human half) making him distressed as ogres are not supposed to be smart in any way. As he finds an antidote to his intelligence, he undergoes several adventures; saving Tandy from the dream realm in the gourd and smashing the Gap Dragon. Soon he finds matches and finds solutions to all of the women, who leave one by one.

Plot summary

The book starts off with Tandy the half-nymph being harassed by the nasty demon Fiant while trying to sleep. She has the talent of throwing tantrums that can stun or destroy, but her talent is ineffective against the demon, so she decides to visit her father Crombie at Castle Roogna to see if he can help. Having no means of travel, however, she decides to catch a night mare to take her there. She succeeds, at the price of being battered, except the mare takes her to the Good Magician's castle instead, where she is admitted without challenges due to the difficulties she went through riding the mare.