Besides the fact that Piers Anthony is still -oh-so-sexist- (though not as bad as in the Xanth series), and the fact that he can't write female characters to save his life, I still do enjoy this book. Others have said that this one is the best of the series, and I think I agree, though I also really enjoyed #6 (though most say the last two books suck). I definitely enjoyed the re-read and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next one, but I'm going to try to take a break from Anthony for a month or so because one really does need a break from his writing, even when you do enjoy his books (overall) like I do.