Demons Don't Dream

Page last edited 2,522 days ago
From Film, Print, Cards & Games Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Demons Don't Dream  
Demons don't Dream cover.jpg
Author(s) Piers Anthony
Cover artist Darrell K. Sweet
Carol Russo Design
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Fantasy
Publisher Tor Books
Publication date February 1993
Media type Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages 304 pp (hardcover 1st ed.)
ISBN 0812534832
OCLC Number 29733003
Preceded by The Color of Her Panties
Followed by Harpy Thyme

Demons Don't Dream is the sixteenth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. The Companions of Xanth computer game was marketed in a box set along with this novel. The game and novel share a storyline in which Kim and Dug, two Mundane teenagers, play a mysterious computer game that magically transports them to the realm of Xanth to compete for a one-of-a-kind prize: a magical talent. In the actual computer game, Companions of Xanth, the player assumes the role of Dug.

Plot[edit | edit source]

Dug, a Mundane, is transported in to the magic land of Xanth when he plays a computer game introduced to him by his friend for a bet. The game consists of the player having a companion, who is usually a well known Xanth character, and being led through the magical world of Xanth, defeating challenges along the way and eventually winning the ultimate prize of a magic talent. They could play the game as many times as they want, but the enemies will remember them if they lose, making it even more dangerous the next time you play it, this prevents people from intentually losing just to get the hang of the map or the extentions of the rules. The catch with the companions is that there is a chance that your companion is false, meaning that at the point where you might finally win, the companion will cause your ultimate downfall playing with any companion, even a false one, is still infinitly safer than playing without one because the false companion can still give good advice, but they will try to trick you at key moments making the best way to nulify them is to view the situation with Xanthian sense. The game also has a way of becoming 3D to the player, and, if the player believes in magic, eventually real The payer must cross his eyes in such a way as to make the two dots at the top of the screen become three and suspend their disbelief of magic. Dug, being a mundane boy of sixteen, picks Nada Naga as his partner, because of her beauty. Nada Naga begins to lead Dug in the world of Xanth, at first trying to convince him that the magical world is real, but giving up after realizing that Dug stubbornly refuses to believe in magic. Dug believes he needs food and supplies, not grasping the versatility of the plants in Xanth, so he travels to the Isthmus village to get them, where he learns the town is being controlled under a horrible censor-ship that bleeps anything it believes is inappropriate. He begins the process to destroy the ship. After getting a bucket filled with solution he got for helping a fayrie convince people he's not gay by having him change the spelling of his species name to faerie. The species name is usually used as a last name since names normally are not used twice as noted by prince dor in "Castle Roogna","the talent and name of a person are things that almost never repeat themselves"(while talents never repeat exactly there could be a restriction on one that is not on the other that makes this rule true),except perhaps when people from two different species could have the same name. They plan to soak the flame inside the censership that then is reveaved to be two candles. Nada Naga begins to faint from the stench of the censorship,Dug unintentionally reaches in and picks up Nada after having putting aside his disbelief in magic. After defeating the censorship, he is kicked out of the game twice, once only temporarily from trying to look at Nada's panties(he is able to resume his place instead of having to begin the game again from a different place that is still on the magic path that makes the route they take seem the same), the second time for good after being defeated by Com Pewter. He comes back to the game and picks Nada to be his partner again but fails to remember that there is a chance that Nada will be a False Companion, which she is. He again has to go through the first part of his adventure, but this time his starting point has changed to the Black Village, home to the new Black Wave. Sherlock, one of the members of the Black Wave, joins Nada and Dug on their journey. Later in Xanth he meets Kim, another Mundane playing the game. Kim is with Bubbles—a dog she found in a bubble—Sammy Cat, and Jenny Elf (her companion). While Dug was completing the first part of his adventure, Kim was having her own. She first was captured by ogres and had to play a mind game with them in order to escape. She then traveled to the Water Wing, where her and Jenny met Cyrus Merman, who is trying to find a wife. He accompanies them on their journey in hopes of finding a wife on the way. When Kim and Dug meet, Kim develops a crush on Dug, but at first Dug does not return the feeling. The two parties attempt to cross the Gap Chasm, but split up, after Dug and Kim decide to switch companions. Kim, Nada, Cyrus, and Bubbles go toward the ocean where Cyrus ends up meeting the merwoman who ends up being his wife, Merci Merwoman, Mela's daughter. Dug, Jenny, and Sherlock head on down the Gap Chasm, where Dug fights a brief battle with the Gap dragon. Dug stops by a centaur village and he asks one of the centaurs if he knows a plave for the Black Wave to settle and explains to him about the game. the centaur says that there is always a need for new servents which is repied no to by sherlock, and the centaur also realizes that just because Nada NKaga was a true companion the first time does not mean that she was this time. Dug realizes that Nada Naga was acting strangely and that Nada Naga was now with Kim having switched with her. He procedes to find a route to Kim making a pit stop to get things to defeat Com Pewter knowing he would have to face him. This includes things that have names like Bugweed or things that cause viruses for humans and by the rules of the puns, Com Pewter. The teams both go on to the Good Magician's Castle by different routes.

Characters[edit | edit source]

Annotations[edit | edit source]

Companions of Xanth is based directly on Dug's Adventures in this book.