Xanth - Books 1-10 (Cleaned audio) - Piers Anthony

Category: Fantasy
Language: English
Keywords: Cassette Cleaned Xanth

Written by Piers Anthony
Read by Lee Ewing, Ray Foushee, Bruce Huntey
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps

This includes the first ten books in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, with all tape noise removed* (see caveat below).

I’ve only ever found these books as very old and damaged cassette tape conversions. These tapes had an extreme amount of hiss, artifacts, and general audio degradation. I found them nearly unlistenable.

Unfortunately, removing all the tape noise has an odd side effect: the tape damage becomes more noticeable, especially in the narrator’s voice. At times, it sounds like he has a lisp when pronouncing his S’s. It’s a bummer, but its a result of the condition of the tape conversion.

Even with this issue, I still think this is the best way (currently) to listen to these books for anyone interested. Compare it to what’s out there and decide for yourself.

These books were wildly popular when I was younger, so I hope they’re re-recorded someday with a new narrator. Hope someone else may enjoy this!

Here’s the Wikipedia blurb:

Xanth, also known as The Magic of Xanth, is a series of fantasy novels by author Piers Anthony. The novels are set in the fantasy world of Xanth, where magic exists and every human has a magical “talent.” The books have been noted for their extensive use of wordplay and puns.

A Spell for Chameleon (1977)
The Source of Magic (1979)
Castle Roogna (1979)
Centaur Aisle (1981)
Ogre, Ogre (1982)
Night Mare (1983)
Dragon on a Pedestal (1983)
Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn (1984)
Golem in the Gears (1986)
Vale of the Vole (1987)