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Spellsinger #1
Spellsinger
Among sentient animals and humans, hardheaded and hard-shelled wizard Clothahump searches across dimensions for a wizard to defeat looming armies of Plated Folk. Jonathan-Thomas Meriweather, part-time wannabe rock guitarist and janitor, makes magic to his well-worn rock repertoire on his duar instrument. While lyrics may be righteous, the magic is too often something else.
347 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1983
540 people are currently reading
5066 people want to read
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
498 books2,031 followersBestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
January 22, 2015
When I was young and dumb--even dumber than I am now--I spent a summer as a live-in staff member at a prestigious, World's-Top-Hideaways-list-making New Zealand luxury lodge, waiting tables and working housekeeping. For a hundred bucks a week in my pocket. This is one of the numerous downsides to having incredibly shitty parenting; no one to tell you, when you are young and dumb, that it is illegal for employers to pay less than minimum wage, that legally the lodge was allowed to charge me 9% of my gross wage for room and board and not a cent more, and that I was about to be exploited all to hell. Ah, rich people.
Before I arrived I dreamed of long summer evenings, hanging out with the other staff, swimming in the river, finding a cute local summer boyfriend, and having a great growth experience. Reality was slightly different. I was the only staff member living on site, no one hung out together, the lodge was a billion miles from civilisation (duh) and I only had a pushbike, all the male staff were married, and the locals were hostile (again, duh!).
That was the first Christmas Day I spent without seeing another human being. Also without eating anything, because staff meals were in the kitchen, which was (triple duh) closed for the day, because the whole lodge was closed for the day, and this had not occurred to me, literally, until Christmas morning.
Well, thank fuck for Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger series. If I was prepared to turn myself into a sweat-dripping, overheated mess (and I was) I could cycle into the tiny local public library (where I BEGGED to be allowed to join, against all the residency rules: thank you, kind librarian), and I read my way through their entire fiction section (it was one wall). I lived for each week's Spellsinger volume. What could have been more apt for me than a story about a fish-out-of-water human with hidden magic talents, transported to a strange and hostile land. The hope that I too could be a speshul snowflake kept me from crying more than once a week (maybe twice . . . okay, three times).
I have never tried to re-read the series, because I fear Spellsinger isn't actually objectively particularly amazing, but I still have an overstrong affection for the song Sloop John B, and call the tiny moving dots in the side of one's field of vision 'gneechees'.
Thanks, ADF.
Before I arrived I dreamed of long summer evenings, hanging out with the other staff, swimming in the river, finding a cute local summer boyfriend, and having a great growth experience. Reality was slightly different. I was the only staff member living on site, no one hung out together, the lodge was a billion miles from civilisation (duh) and I only had a pushbike, all the male staff were married, and the locals were hostile (again, duh!).
That was the first Christmas Day I spent without seeing another human being. Also without eating anything, because staff meals were in the kitchen, which was (triple duh) closed for the day, because the whole lodge was closed for the day, and this had not occurred to me, literally, until Christmas morning.
Well, thank fuck for Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger series. If I was prepared to turn myself into a sweat-dripping, overheated mess (and I was) I could cycle into the tiny local public library (where I BEGGED to be allowed to join, against all the residency rules: thank you, kind librarian), and I read my way through their entire fiction section (it was one wall). I lived for each week's Spellsinger volume. What could have been more apt for me than a story about a fish-out-of-water human with hidden magic talents, transported to a strange and hostile land. The hope that I too could be a speshul snowflake kept me from crying more than once a week (maybe twice . . . okay, three times).
I have never tried to re-read the series, because I fear Spellsinger isn't actually objectively particularly amazing, but I still have an overstrong affection for the song Sloop John B, and call the tiny moving dots in the side of one's field of vision 'gneechees'.
Thanks, ADF.
April 1, 2025
Narnia meet Ted's Excellent Adventure. Sort of.
I'd make a lousy lawyer, he thought. And if I can't help thinking about power and mastery, well hell, I'm only human.
Maybe if I work real hard, he told himself, I can manage to overcome that.
I think we all know that wise turtles have a unique sense of humor and the concept of a suitable hero.
So, when Clothahump searches the universe between clouds of cof open minded concoctions looking for a powerful magical engineer, Jonathan-Thomas Meriweather -who until then was trying to relax about his thesis smoking pot- ends in a forest in front of a giant otter dressed as Disney's Robin Hood reject ... what a bad trip.
But wait, Jon-Tom is not a wizard, not a engineer, and don't want to be there to help some crazy turtle with a indentured bat assistant to avoid a... 'great evil'.
Mudge, the scoundrel otter, is put in charge of helping him to adjust to this world with talking animals, lizard transportation, everyday magic, proud birds, thieves logias, and medieval violence.
He is not happy.
The vision of Jon-Tom shifts when he discover his talent as Spellsinger (he can invoke things playing some kind of guitar and singing Earth songs)
The world is not different (furs,claws an feathers aside) from the all-human world. Prejudices and well known vices are around.
“Rare is the man, wizard, warrior, or worker, who can always think with his brains instead of his balls.
Because he don't forget the good stuff in there.
Tiene muchas alusiones al gobierno, prejuicio de clases, abundantes chistes de doble sentido, alusiones sexuales (y no olviden que la mayoría son animales), además de un dragón comunista . Lo que viene a ser bastante original en el mundo lleno de dragones acumuladores de riquezas, déjenme decirlo ;)
(note: this is not a stand alone book, ends without resolution and follows in the next book)
I'd make a lousy lawyer, he thought. And if I can't help thinking about power and mastery, well hell, I'm only human.
Maybe if I work real hard, he told himself, I can manage to overcome that.
I think we all know that wise turtles have a unique sense of humor and the concept of a suitable hero.
So, when Clothahump searches the universe between clouds of cof open minded concoctions looking for a powerful magical engineer, Jonathan-Thomas Meriweather -who until then was trying to relax about his thesis smoking pot- ends in a forest in front of a giant otter dressed as Disney's Robin Hood reject ... what a bad trip.
But wait, Jon-Tom is not a wizard, not a engineer, and don't want to be there to help some crazy turtle with a indentured bat assistant to avoid a... 'great evil'.
Mudge, the scoundrel otter, is put in charge of helping him to adjust to this world with talking animals, lizard transportation, everyday magic, proud birds, thieves logias, and medieval violence.
He is not happy.The vision of Jon-Tom shifts when he discover his talent as Spellsinger (he can invoke things playing some kind of guitar and singing Earth songs)
The world is not different (furs,claws an feathers aside) from the all-human world. Prejudices and well known vices are around.
“Rare is the man, wizard, warrior, or worker, who can always think with his brains instead of his balls.
Because he don't forget the good stuff in there.
Tiene muchas alusiones al gobierno, prejuicio de clases, abundantes chistes de doble sentido, alusiones sexuales (y no olviden que la mayoría son animales), además de un dragón comunista . Lo que viene a ser bastante original en el mundo lleno de dragones acumuladores de riquezas, déjenme decirlo ;)
(note: this is not a stand alone book, ends without resolution and follows in the next book)
August 3, 2021
*** 4 ***
I wish I had found this series when I was a teenager, because I would have been crazy about it at that time. This is a very imaginative world full of animals as intelligent as humans, most of them living together. The separation between the social groups are based on being warmbloods, insects, or arachnids. And the beetle type Creatures want war! Their magician has found an otherworldly help and they are sure they will bring slaughter to their warm-blooded enemies. In order to combat that evil, the old turtle wizard on the side of the warmbloods, finds a what he hopes is also a wizard, from another world - our California, to be exact. A young college student who wants to be a rock musician. Who happens to be high on grass most of the time 🙂.
I enjoyed it, but as I already said, I wish I had been quite a bit younger to truly appreciate it 😊.
I wish I had found this series when I was a teenager, because I would have been crazy about it at that time. This is a very imaginative world full of animals as intelligent as humans, most of them living together. The separation between the social groups are based on being warmbloods, insects, or arachnids. And the beetle type Creatures want war! Their magician has found an otherworldly help and they are sure they will bring slaughter to their warm-blooded enemies. In order to combat that evil, the old turtle wizard on the side of the warmbloods, finds a what he hopes is also a wizard, from another world - our California, to be exact. A young college student who wants to be a rock musician. Who happens to be high on grass most of the time 🙂.
I enjoyed it, but as I already said, I wish I had been quite a bit younger to truly appreciate it 😊.
December 3, 2023
Twenty-something year-old Johnathan Meriweather is teleported to a strange, medieval world with talking animals, dragons, and magic.
It's a fun read, most likely one that I would have enjoyed more in my teen years, but fun nonetheless. The other reviews are right in saying it feels a lot like Bill and Ted at times.
JonTom, as he's called early on, finds out he's a legendary "Spellsinger", whom uses his gifts to work magic, oftentimes, getting him and his crew into more trouble than out of, but author Alan Dean Foster sees this as an opportunity to showcase a handful of classic songs.
There's some foul language, sexual content, and even "the devil's lettuce" present, so I wouldn't recommend this to kids exactly. Though I would to the young adults who love fantasy or even the young adults looking to get into the genre. It's pretty easy to get into, and there aren't a dozen prequels or spinoffs you have to read to understand this. It's a straight-shot series.
Side note: The first book is only half of the first story. Book Two: The Hour of the Gate finishes the story that Book One started.
It's a fun read, most likely one that I would have enjoyed more in my teen years, but fun nonetheless. The other reviews are right in saying it feels a lot like Bill and Ted at times.
JonTom, as he's called early on, finds out he's a legendary "Spellsinger", whom uses his gifts to work magic, oftentimes, getting him and his crew into more trouble than out of, but author Alan Dean Foster sees this as an opportunity to showcase a handful of classic songs.
There's some foul language, sexual content, and even "the devil's lettuce" present, so I wouldn't recommend this to kids exactly. Though I would to the young adults who love fantasy or even the young adults looking to get into the genre. It's pretty easy to get into, and there aren't a dozen prequels or spinoffs you have to read to understand this. It's a straight-shot series.
Side note: The first book is only half of the first story. Book Two: The Hour of the Gate finishes the story that Book One started.
April 15, 2024
This is the first book in a long-running fantasy series. I'm sorry that I didn't read it forty years ago because I would have probably liked it much better then, but it was still quite clever and a lot of fun. It's about a young man who's a law student and musician transported to a magical world to help oppose an impending invasion of evil. The animals on the world are anthropomorphized, and his companions include an otter (who is difficult to understand at times because his dialog is too phonetically Scotch), a sorcerous turtle with a literal chest of drawers, a communist dragon, and a young human woman. They're later joined by an athletic cheerleader from his own Earth, and they encounter quite a few quirky characters along the way. It ends a bit too soon, just as they're finally getting the band all together, but I have the second volume ready to start.
August 19, 2019
I don't know why I decided to reread this but I'm glad I did. I forgot how much I liked some of Alan Dean Foster's work.
Spellsinger is the first in a series about a law student/amateur musician, nicknamed Jon-Tom, who is transported to a world of magic and talking animals that is seriously not Narnia. Unless Narnia is now inhabited by alcoholic, fornicating, foul-mouthed, violent creatures.
Jon-Tom discovers that his fledgling musical talents have now manifested themselves as magical with the ability to conjure items via song.
Unfortunately the book stops before it really gets into the meat of why Jon-Tom was transported but it's still worth reading. I look forward to finally reading the rest of the series.
Spellsinger is the first in a series about a law student/amateur musician, nicknamed Jon-Tom, who is transported to a world of magic and talking animals that is seriously not Narnia. Unless Narnia is now inhabited by alcoholic, fornicating, foul-mouthed, violent creatures.
Jon-Tom discovers that his fledgling musical talents have now manifested themselves as magical with the ability to conjure items via song.
Unfortunately the book stops before it really gets into the meat of why Jon-Tom was transported but it's still worth reading. I look forward to finally reading the rest of the series.
February 12, 2021
This book kept surprising me. I would think the story would be headed to a certain conclusion, then go off on these delightful journeys I wasn't really expecting. When I read a typical fantasy novel I don't often find myself reflecting, but this book has a subtle introspective quality that left me with a smile. It echoes the quality and serves the same wit and humor of a better Discworld novel, and that should be reason enough to give it a try.
March 17, 2017
“The strange quasi-science [he] called magic. Or was the wizard right and science was really quasi-magic?”
Dreadfully slow pace. Almost quit after fifty pages; almost quit again fifty pages from the end when I realized nothing was going to happen in this volume. This story merely introduces the characters, world and issue for the greater series. Still, Foster tells a good story.
“This land he now found himself in was no more alien-appearing than Amazonian Peru, and considerably less so than Manhattan.”
Populating his world with human-like mammals is automatically works against stereotypes. In addition, Foster works counter expectations with an artsy male, who is repelled by the fantasy work he’s been thrown into, and an athletic female who embraces it.
“The appetite for evil far exceeds that of the benign.”
Many love these never-ending tales; I don’t. I won’t be back.
“It wouldn’t be any fun if it didn’t have any danger.”
Dreadfully slow pace. Almost quit after fifty pages; almost quit again fifty pages from the end when I realized nothing was going to happen in this volume. This story merely introduces the characters, world and issue for the greater series. Still, Foster tells a good story.
“This land he now found himself in was no more alien-appearing than Amazonian Peru, and considerably less so than Manhattan.”
Populating his world with human-like mammals is automatically works against stereotypes. In addition, Foster works counter expectations with an artsy male, who is repelled by the fantasy work he’s been thrown into, and an athletic female who embraces it.
“The appetite for evil far exceeds that of the benign.”
Many love these never-ending tales; I don’t. I won’t be back.
“It wouldn’t be any fun if it didn’t have any danger.”
October 16, 2020
I read this when I was a kid and liked it. But reading it now as an adult, I am less than impressed. It's got talking animals so you'd think it was a kids book. But there is drug use and swearing. Not to mention that everyone is so violent that the popualtion of the planet shoudl have gone to nothing centuries before. Somehow the whole thing is supposed to be a political commentary of sorts, but it doesn't have any teeth to speak of. It's supposed to be funny, but I found it amusing at best, painful at worst.
July 7, 2017
This is one of those books that I read as a teen that I totally forgot about until I saw the title. Then I was like, "SPELLSINGER! I LOVED that book!," although I can't recollect why I loved it. It's just the feeling I got when I saw the title. If a book title alone can make me smile 20+ years after reading said book then there must have been something about it worth remembering.
June 21, 2025
A rating laden with nostalgia and a doorway back to the bright and innocent places of my twenties. Had forgotten was a good read this was (and how much influence it had on Ecko), but an 'adventure quest' classic with a difference, replacing most of the humans with animals. Always loved the idea that our hero was essentially a mistake, and how much stuff he gets wrong - yet somehow makes work - and who doesn't love lists of old prog rock and the concept of a Marxist dragon?
January 16, 2009
Cheesy. Very strange pacing, and characters who are just a tetch too much (the Latina cheerleader "cursed with extreme beauty"? Are you kidding?)
But on the other hand, there are a few gems thrown in here--I laughed out loud when Falameezar made his appearance. And the bugs, or Plated Ones or whatever, are done very well, if only because I adore when people use the word "chitin."
I may read the rest of this series or I may skim it. I'm not sure yet. It was an interesting read and a great diversion on a long bus trip.
But on the other hand, there are a few gems thrown in here--I laughed out loud when Falameezar made his appearance. And the bugs, or Plated Ones or whatever, are done very well, if only because I adore when people use the word "chitin."
I may read the rest of this series or I may skim it. I'm not sure yet. It was an interesting read and a great diversion on a long bus trip.
July 18, 2008
Read this book when I was in middle school and absolutely loved it. Having re-read it recently, however, I've noticed several inconstancies which really detract from the enjoyment of the book (for instance, in the first book horses are non-sentient, but can talk in later books.) I still enjoyed the books my second time through, but I really wish that Foster had spent more time proofing/editing his books.
May 6, 2021
Kept seeing this pop up on a bunch of classic's list. While the furry world building is interesting, the main character is not. Combined with the slow start and the extreme sexism, I DNF'd about the half way point.
October 14, 2014
Or 'The movie Jim Henson never made but should have.' Anthropomorphic fantasy fun from the masterly pen of Alan Dean Foster. The Marxist dragon alone is worth the price of admission.
Read
September 17, 2024DNF at 2/3 in. I’m finding this novel much too long for the amount of story so far. And I’m aware that this book cuts off abruptly and the next book in the series completes this tale. That’s about 500 more pages from where I’m sitting and I’m just not feeling it.
It seemed like a lot of fun to begin with, though.
(Although he almost lost me very early on for the misspelling of one of my favourite bands. “Zepplin.” Really, man???)
It seemed like a lot of fun to begin with, though.
(Although he almost lost me very early on for the misspelling of one of my favourite bands. “Zepplin.” Really, man???)
March 19, 2023
Stoner gets magicked into a fantasy realm.
It’s terrible.
It’s terrible.
April 27, 2019
I'm going to start off by saying, I REALLY wanted to like this book. I love portal fantasies and from what I saw, this seemed to be right up my alley. I haven't been so sorely disappointed in a book in quite a while.
It's going to take a while for me to say everything I want to about this book, but here it goes.
First of all, I can't stand the main character Jon-tom. He, in a word, is boring. He is one of the most boring main characters i have come across in a while. He is such a milk toast, wonder bread, by the numbers protagonist it actually hurt.
After 400+ pages I could not determine what his personality was. He was literally just...main character. That's all i got from him. He is a college student who can play a guitar....that's...about all i got from him. Everything about this character is dull.
We're introduced to this guy and he just is IN this fantasy world. There's no introduction to him prior, he's just...there. so when he first shows up i just...i don't know anything about this guy, his backstory, nothing. He's just...there.
He's thrown into this world of anthropomorphic animals and his first thought is "where are some humans?" He KNOWS he's in another world and that these wouldn't be the same kind of humans, and all the animals speak English (for some reason. It's not explained why) but he feels he really NEEDS to talk to a human. He then meets a female who's the oh so original 'not the same as other girls' trope, and of course, he immediately wants to bang her.
which brings us to the second problem with this book. Okay, we're in a world of talking animals, but nothing really happens in the story to make this relevant. I don't FEEL like these characters are animals. Just saying "oh, he's an otter" doesn't make me believe he's an otter. There's no like..problems with not having an opposable thumb, or species relations, or anything like that. you're basically just TELLING me that they're a different species. I just found it very lazy as literally every single character could have been a human by replacing 3 words and you never would have known the difference.
Speaking of these problems, later in the book we're introduced to another female character who gets brought from our world, and i swear to god, no joke, her character flaw is "i'm too beautiful" i honest to god thought that was a joke. but no, the author was serious. like, here's an actual quote from the book. "That's my deformity Jon-tom. My lack of one. I'm cursed with beauty.... i'm not being facetious or boastful. It's something i've just had to try and live with."
Those are quite possibly some of the stupidest sentences i have ever read in a book. congratulations.
Ah yes. Characters. While we're on this topic, tell me if you can see the issue here.
otter: male
dragon: male
turtle: male
bat: male
rabbit: male
human: female
human: female
That's right. FIVE non-human tagalongs, and the only two females are humans. That just seems...weird? I don't know, first of all it's weird that you have humans AT ALL in your strange fantasy setting in which the author writes that the difference between the MC and the other humans are that...they're a little shorter? that's about it. That's just...that's just lazy. Also, why the hell aren't any female tagalongs non-human? That was such a strange thing to me, i was waiting for one of the group to be a non-human female but it never happened. Confused the hell out of me. Also, other than both being the object of MC's affections...that's basically all they're around for. Long story short, i've come to the conclusion that this author can't write females...like at all. So since he can't even write HUMAN females properly, there was no chance he was going to try a non-human one. There's only 2 non-human females that speak in the entire book. one's basically a fox prostitute and the other is an evil bug queen. So....yeah. there's that.
The book in itself just abruptly...kind of stops. Like, i honestly thought i was missing some pages at first. there's no wrap up, no big "here comes a battle!" or something..it just...kind of ends at the end of a paragraph. that confused the hell out of me.
World building wise? Eh. i've seen better. It's generic fantasy with no real twist. you'd think with "anthro animal world" there'd be some cool world building. NOPE!
I could go on and on about how this book disappointed me, but i think you get the jist of it by now. I REALLY wanted to like this book, but after finishing it, I just can't. A LARGE chunk of that being the fact that i can't stand the MC and how boring he is.
Overall, a 2/5. I can't give it a 1 because there was a good idea somewhere in here, but it was almost like the author was afraid to go too far and pulled back in most areas. The potential for this book was amazing, but was squandered, and that, honest to god is the worst part about it. 2/5.
It's going to take a while for me to say everything I want to about this book, but here it goes.
First of all, I can't stand the main character Jon-tom. He, in a word, is boring. He is one of the most boring main characters i have come across in a while. He is such a milk toast, wonder bread, by the numbers protagonist it actually hurt.
After 400+ pages I could not determine what his personality was. He was literally just...main character. That's all i got from him. He is a college student who can play a guitar....that's...about all i got from him. Everything about this character is dull.
We're introduced to this guy and he just is IN this fantasy world. There's no introduction to him prior, he's just...there. so when he first shows up i just...i don't know anything about this guy, his backstory, nothing. He's just...there.
He's thrown into this world of anthropomorphic animals and his first thought is "where are some humans?" He KNOWS he's in another world and that these wouldn't be the same kind of humans, and all the animals speak English (for some reason. It's not explained why) but he feels he really NEEDS to talk to a human. He then meets a female who's the oh so original 'not the same as other girls' trope, and of course, he immediately wants to bang her.
which brings us to the second problem with this book. Okay, we're in a world of talking animals, but nothing really happens in the story to make this relevant. I don't FEEL like these characters are animals. Just saying "oh, he's an otter" doesn't make me believe he's an otter. There's no like..problems with not having an opposable thumb, or species relations, or anything like that. you're basically just TELLING me that they're a different species. I just found it very lazy as literally every single character could have been a human by replacing 3 words and you never would have known the difference.
Speaking of these problems, later in the book we're introduced to another female character who gets brought from our world, and i swear to god, no joke, her character flaw is "i'm too beautiful" i honest to god thought that was a joke. but no, the author was serious. like, here's an actual quote from the book. "That's my deformity Jon-tom. My lack of one. I'm cursed with beauty.... i'm not being facetious or boastful. It's something i've just had to try and live with."
Those are quite possibly some of the stupidest sentences i have ever read in a book. congratulations.
Ah yes. Characters. While we're on this topic, tell me if you can see the issue here.
otter: male
dragon: male
turtle: male
bat: male
rabbit: male
human: female
human: female
That's right. FIVE non-human tagalongs, and the only two females are humans. That just seems...weird? I don't know, first of all it's weird that you have humans AT ALL in your strange fantasy setting in which the author writes that the difference between the MC and the other humans are that...they're a little shorter? that's about it. That's just...that's just lazy. Also, why the hell aren't any female tagalongs non-human? That was such a strange thing to me, i was waiting for one of the group to be a non-human female but it never happened. Confused the hell out of me. Also, other than both being the object of MC's affections...that's basically all they're around for. Long story short, i've come to the conclusion that this author can't write females...like at all. So since he can't even write HUMAN females properly, there was no chance he was going to try a non-human one. There's only 2 non-human females that speak in the entire book. one's basically a fox prostitute and the other is an evil bug queen. So....yeah. there's that.
The book in itself just abruptly...kind of stops. Like, i honestly thought i was missing some pages at first. there's no wrap up, no big "here comes a battle!" or something..it just...kind of ends at the end of a paragraph. that confused the hell out of me.
World building wise? Eh. i've seen better. It's generic fantasy with no real twist. you'd think with "anthro animal world" there'd be some cool world building. NOPE!
I could go on and on about how this book disappointed me, but i think you get the jist of it by now. I REALLY wanted to like this book, but after finishing it, I just can't. A LARGE chunk of that being the fact that i can't stand the MC and how boring he is.
Overall, a 2/5. I can't give it a 1 because there was a good idea somewhere in here, but it was almost like the author was afraid to go too far and pulled back in most areas. The potential for this book was amazing, but was squandered, and that, honest to god is the worst part about it. 2/5.
August 2, 2017
What an interesting book. It starts off similar to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, but the language is definitely not for kids. It's like Sci Fi took over some Fantasy and threw in a few words here and there that are "sciencey." There's also a long-going discussion sprinkled through the book between characters about Marxism, or some of the ideals, and that was pretty entertaining because the dialogue was used to keep another character's attention. I really enjoyed it, it's a quick read.
October 30, 2011
Not my thing, although the writing was good and the world was set up well. I just didn't really like any of the characters, and the book just ended. The author set up a huge conflict, but this is clearly just the first volume. Too little happened in too long of a time. Glad it's over and not willing to slog through another book to find out what happens...don't care enough.
January 26, 2021
Jonathan Thomas Meriweather is a typical college student, interested in girls, music, and an occasional taste of reefer. But when a journey through an interdimensional portal lands him in a world of talking animals and ominous sorcery, he finds he is on a very different trip indeed. Here, when he plays a strange instrument called a duar, peculiar things happen: powerful magic that may be the only way to stop a dark force that threatens his new world—and his old one. Reluctantly, he finds himself teaming up with a semi-senile turtle wizard; a thieving, backstabbing otter; and a bewildered Marxist dragon to rally an army for the war about to come.
Spellsinger, the first in Alan Dean Foster’s eight-book Spellsinger series, introduces a world of magic and mayhem, where animals are people and plunging ahead no matter what the consequences may be the only way to survive.
Listened to this on Serial Box presented by Graphic Audio (a movie in your mind). The cast is amazing and the narration is terrific! It really brings you into the story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, I want the whole series!!
My only problem with the audio is the end leaves me at a point where I *have* to know what happens next and they don't have the next volume available yet.
Spellsinger, the first in Alan Dean Foster’s eight-book Spellsinger series, introduces a world of magic and mayhem, where animals are people and plunging ahead no matter what the consequences may be the only way to survive.
Listened to this on Serial Box presented by Graphic Audio (a movie in your mind). The cast is amazing and the narration is terrific! It really brings you into the story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, I want the whole series!!
My only problem with the audio is the end leaves me at a point where I *have* to know what happens next and they don't have the next volume available yet.
May 14, 2023
I had fun reading this book, it took me into a different world! It was also my first time reading such an old fantasy book. I'm surprised because it also adresses social problems which are relevant til today and the group the protagonist is part of is kind of diverse. I'm glad I read it. Nevertheless, I'm unsure about reading the sequel.
May 13, 2019
Memories disappoint
I recall this from first reading it and enjoying it decades ago. Sadly for me it hasn't aged as well as I had hoped
I recall this from first reading it and enjoying it decades ago. Sadly for me it hasn't aged as well as I had hoped
June 21, 2020
Please
June 25, 2023
This had a very YA feel, although there was little in the way of romance. It would be good for someone who likes their fantasy simple and fun.
June 22, 2021
Amazing storytelling, proves Allan Dean Foster's versatility and breadth of imagination. This is the start of a series well worth your YA reader's time and consideration.
January 30, 2022
I give it a 5/5 not because it is a perfect book but this world and characters really surprised me and it was a pleasure to experience it. And aaaaaa lot of humour.
May 17, 2025
In Spellsinger, Jon-Tom, a law student and amateur musician, is pulled from Earth into a strange fantasy world by a turtle wizard named Clothahump. Unlike the usual sword-and-sorcery hero, Jon-Tom discovers that his musical talents have real magical power–but it's unpredictable and often hilariously off the mark. As war looms, he's reluctantly swept into a quest to help save this animal-populated realm from destruction.
Spellsinger was fun and lighthearted, not a lot happened in the whole book but an easy read. The world is whimsical and weird in a way that’s often clever, with talking animals and bizarre magic. Jon-Tom’s reluctant-hero arc had its charm, but some of the other characters just didn't gel with me.
It’s light fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously–more playful than epic. Not bad, and enough to keep reading the rest of the series over time.
Spellsinger was fun and lighthearted, not a lot happened in the whole book but an easy read. The world is whimsical and weird in a way that’s often clever, with talking animals and bizarre magic. Jon-Tom’s reluctant-hero arc had its charm, but some of the other characters just didn't gel with me.
It’s light fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously–more playful than epic. Not bad, and enough to keep reading the rest of the series over time.
March 15, 2014
The Chronicles of Narnia for Adults
1 January 2013
The first thing that I probably have to say about this book is that it is effectively the Chronicles of Narnia for adults. While the main character is human, when he is transported to the world of Spellsinger, he is transported to a world inhabited by talking animals. Okay, not all of Lewis' characters in Narnia were talking animals, but a lot of them where. However, Narnia was originally written for children (not to say that adults don't enjoy them) while it is very clear, especially from the antics of Mudge the Otter, that this series is not.
The book is about how a pre-Law student at UCLA, Jon-Tom, is transported to the other world because the turtle wizard Clothahump is looking for a powerful magic user from our world, and believes that he needs the services of an engineer. Jon-Tom is an engineer, a sanitation engineer (that is a cleaner) however when he arrives in the world, he suddenly discovers that he is much more than a simple cleaner. When he gets his hands on an instrument (he is also in a garage band) it turns out that we he uses it magical things happen. What I mostly enjoyed about this series is the fact that when he played the instrument, he would play familiar rock songs from our world, with the resulting consequences.
Alan Dean Foster is probably more known for his novelisations of a number of movies. Actually, to me he is not, he is known to me for the Spellsinger series. These are the only books of his that I have read, and are probably the only books of his that I will read. I have no real interest in reading a novelisation of a film. I find most films that try to base themselves on books to be severely lacking, however I find that novels that are based on films are even more lacking. I generally do not like spin off series either (I do not believe I have ever read a Star Wars book).
This series is quite amusing, and in a way I related to Jon-Tom. There is a mix between him being a pre-Law student at college, working as a janitor so that he may pay his way through (though when I read this series I was still a teenager), but also being a struggling musician that suddenly comes good when he hits his big break, which is not so much in this world, but rather in the world ruled by talking animals.
Apparently there are a few continuity problems with this series, however it has been such a long time since I read them that they really don't stick in my mind. Further, I was enthralled with the character of Jon-Tom, and pretty much read the six books that had been written at the time. Foster has now written another two, however I have moved on from pulp fantasy (which is basically what this series is) so I really have no interested in returning to them.
1 January 2013
The first thing that I probably have to say about this book is that it is effectively the Chronicles of Narnia for adults. While the main character is human, when he is transported to the world of Spellsinger, he is transported to a world inhabited by talking animals. Okay, not all of Lewis' characters in Narnia were talking animals, but a lot of them where. However, Narnia was originally written for children (not to say that adults don't enjoy them) while it is very clear, especially from the antics of Mudge the Otter, that this series is not.
The book is about how a pre-Law student at UCLA, Jon-Tom, is transported to the other world because the turtle wizard Clothahump is looking for a powerful magic user from our world, and believes that he needs the services of an engineer. Jon-Tom is an engineer, a sanitation engineer (that is a cleaner) however when he arrives in the world, he suddenly discovers that he is much more than a simple cleaner. When he gets his hands on an instrument (he is also in a garage band) it turns out that we he uses it magical things happen. What I mostly enjoyed about this series is the fact that when he played the instrument, he would play familiar rock songs from our world, with the resulting consequences.
Alan Dean Foster is probably more known for his novelisations of a number of movies. Actually, to me he is not, he is known to me for the Spellsinger series. These are the only books of his that I have read, and are probably the only books of his that I will read. I have no real interest in reading a novelisation of a film. I find most films that try to base themselves on books to be severely lacking, however I find that novels that are based on films are even more lacking. I generally do not like spin off series either (I do not believe I have ever read a Star Wars book).
This series is quite amusing, and in a way I related to Jon-Tom. There is a mix between him being a pre-Law student at college, working as a janitor so that he may pay his way through (though when I read this series I was still a teenager), but also being a struggling musician that suddenly comes good when he hits his big break, which is not so much in this world, but rather in the world ruled by talking animals.
Apparently there are a few continuity problems with this series, however it has been such a long time since I read them that they really don't stick in my mind. Further, I was enthralled with the character of Jon-Tom, and pretty much read the six books that had been written at the time. Foster has now written another two, however I have moved on from pulp fantasy (which is basically what this series is) so I really have no interested in returning to them.
August 9, 2018
Wow... its been a LONG time since these were published - '83 and '84 (so if you are under 35, these count as "before you were born"!), and I cant believe that it hasn't got a lot more hype around r/Fantasy... These were an awesome read!
This is basically a single story split over two books... so you need to get the pair of them to get the whole story - but damn it is worth it! At first whiff it seems Mr Foster has done the classic fantasy trope of "chosen one" to vanquish the big bad evil, but this whole story is a happy subversion of most fantasy tropes!
Our main PoV character is Jonathan Thomas Meriweather - a pre-law student who is a bit of a stoner and amateur musician... and he finds himself drawn into a strange fantasy world populated by anthropomorphic animals... about to be invaded by the "plated folk" who have a new evil magic brought across from our world...
The setup and antics of the book are quite funny as it is a contrast of a "fantasy world" but the main character (and general tone) is straight up realistic... so the lack of plumbing, technology, social mores etc are played straight... and our poor PoV Jon-Tom has a really hard time of it. Mr Foster plays with the "chosen one" in that the wizard Clothahump was searching out for a magician of our world - an En'giniear - and Jon-Tom as a part time job at the university as a janitor (sanitation engineer...) I love that Jon-Tom is just your average university student... and really has no useful skills for a medieval-style world - in fact he is almost killed numerous time and desperately wants to get home! The only "skill" he finds by accident is that his music acts as a magical focus... he summons magical effects based on the song he sings... given that he only really knows a bunch of rock/jazz from the 60's and 70's - and that the magic tries to interpret the song based on the surroundings - the effects are usually quite different from expectations!
I loved his attempt to summon riding water-salamanders by singing "yellow submarine" by the Beatles... his companions get worried by the lyrics - rightfully so when he summons a river-dragon big enough to eat them all whole!
Given that Clothahump the wizard summoned Jon-Tom to counter an evil invasion... and cannot cast such a taxing spell for a long time - Jon-Tom gets dragged along for the ride of going to warn the inhabitants of the capital city... and then on a mad treck to gain allies (of sentient spiders!!!) and infiltrate the Plated folk country to try to stop the evil magics from our world... a military computer ala war-games
This reminds me of Discworld actually - using a fantasy world to comment on and satirize many real-world issues.
Definitely get this book and read it!
This is basically a single story split over two books... so you need to get the pair of them to get the whole story - but damn it is worth it! At first whiff it seems Mr Foster has done the classic fantasy trope of "chosen one" to vanquish the big bad evil, but this whole story is a happy subversion of most fantasy tropes!
Our main PoV character is Jonathan Thomas Meriweather - a pre-law student who is a bit of a stoner and amateur musician... and he finds himself drawn into a strange fantasy world populated by anthropomorphic animals... about to be invaded by the "plated folk" who have a new evil magic brought across from our world...
The setup and antics of the book are quite funny as it is a contrast of a "fantasy world" but the main character (and general tone) is straight up realistic... so the lack of plumbing, technology, social mores etc are played straight... and our poor PoV Jon-Tom has a really hard time of it. Mr Foster plays with the "chosen one" in that the wizard Clothahump was searching out for a magician of our world - an En'giniear - and Jon-Tom as a part time job at the university as a janitor (sanitation engineer...) I love that Jon-Tom is just your average university student... and really has no useful skills for a medieval-style world - in fact he is almost killed numerous time and desperately wants to get home! The only "skill" he finds by accident is that his music acts as a magical focus... he summons magical effects based on the song he sings... given that he only really knows a bunch of rock/jazz from the 60's and 70's - and that the magic tries to interpret the song based on the surroundings - the effects are usually quite different from expectations!
I loved his attempt to summon riding water-salamanders by singing "yellow submarine" by the Beatles... his companions get worried by the lyrics - rightfully so when he summons a river-dragon big enough to eat them all whole!
Given that Clothahump the wizard summoned Jon-Tom to counter an evil invasion... and cannot cast such a taxing spell for a long time - Jon-Tom gets dragged along for the ride of going to warn the inhabitants of the capital city... and then on a mad treck to gain allies (of sentient spiders!!!) and infiltrate the Plated folk country to try to stop the evil magics from our world... a military computer ala war-games
This reminds me of Discworld actually - using a fantasy world to comment on and satirize many real-world issues.
Definitely get this book and read it!
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