Kingdoms of Light

by Alan Dean Foster

Six unlikely heroes must save a magical realm from dark sorcery in this delightful fantasy from New York Times–bestselling author Alan Dean Foster.
 
Wizard Susname Enyndd was the Gowdlands' kingdom's most powerful protector. Then the sinister Khaxan Mundurucu and a band of goblin-warlocks from the Totumakk Horde conjured up a curse that reduced the wizard to ash and leeched all the color from the land.
 
But with Enyndd's death came a spell that enchanted his six familiar pets—the terrier Oskar, the songbird Taj, the boa Samm, and the cats Cezer, Cocoa, and Mamakitty—transforming them into human beings capable of wielding magic. Now, the six companions must embark on a quest into a rainbow to find the one thing that can lift the evil the White Light. As they travel through myriad colorful kingdoms while avoiding deadly enemies, each must learn how to control their magical powers—and try to get the hang of being human.
 
But at the end of the rainbow, the heroes discover an unsettling truth about their quest—and about the magic that can bring about the end of everything . . .
 
"[An] action-packed fantasy, one that might have come straight from the vaults of Disney." —Publishers Weekly
 
"Humor and wit enliven this quest-tale." —Library Journal

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Animals, Magic, High Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dogs

383 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2001

About the author

Bestselling 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.

Reviews

[Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of this book was good and original, I cannot deny that. In fact, I enjoyed the story and the creativity held in each of the kingdoms of light.

The reasons why I cannot give it a higher rating is because I don't appreciate unnecessary adjectives and adverbs to describe mundane things and actions, and especially ones that nobody in the real world uses. This book is completely filled with border-line ridiculous words to explain things. It's as if he took a thesaurus for every time the word "said", "looked", or "walked" was written.

If the story is good enough, it won't need over-the-top vocabulary to make it seem more refined. Maybe I'm just not cultured enough, but I'm not a thesaurus and I don't enjoy feeling like I should pull out a dictionary every couple of sentences.

My other complaint is that the characters didn't seem to be very dynamic, which made it kinda boring. This wouldn't be much of a complaint if it weren't for the metaphor at the end of changing to become a better version of yourself. It left me wondering, "How did any of these characters change?"

So, all in all, original and creative, but lacking in writing style.

[Velvetea · Rating 5 out of 5]

That's the one!! I was away from home for years and couldn't recall the title...only how much I enjoyed it as a kid. I probably would as an adult, too~ all the emphasis on attributes of color and the quirky worlds of each as told by Foster. Delightful, hilarious, and charming. One of my favorite stand-alone fantasy novels of childhood.

[Klaas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent story, but nothing that really stands out to me. I intend to avoid spoilers, so I won't go into much detail when describing the story. While it was fun to read an adventure that is very original in its setting, the adventures in the kingdoms of light felt a bit lightweight to me.
The stakes of the quest were substantial, however the threat level of the villains in pursuit and the inhabitants of the different kingdoms were less impressive.
The powers displayed by some of the characters are much more impressive than others. For example, the dramatic crossing from the third to the fourth kingdom was a nice display of fantastical powers. But immediately after that, the power applied to gain entrance into the fourth kingdom was just silly. Unfortunately not quite silly enough to be actually funny, at least not for me.
On the whole, a nice journey, with a good climax. The characters definitely grew as a result of their experiences. I'll keep this on the shelf, but it will be quite some time before I'll pick it up for a reread.

[Ryan Dennehy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bizarre but creative book. I do not, however, want to think about a dog having sex with a cat, no matter how human their current condition. Alan Dean Foster: you a freak.

[Colvet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some mixed feelings about this book. You can totally tell that this was one of Foster's later books when you read it to be honest. It reads like a really good idea for a short story which was then just flushed out as quick as possible to get another novel on the shelves.

Foster is an amazing sci-fi writer and some of his horror-esque books (like To the Vanishing Point) reign supreme. I love his wacky and zany style while still sticking to science-fiction basics and tropes (like in Glory Lane, one of my favs). So I was interested to see how well he would do with a more fantasy-inspired piece. Not sure how I feel about his abilities writing in this genre to date. I know he has some other titles in this genre - I will have to give them another chance.

So my main take-a-way of this book is that I just wish there was more. I felt as if I wasn't able to spend enough time in each of the colored kingdoms to fully take them in. The second I got attached to some of the characters and customs of the colored lands, they just make it to the next one in a jiff. Like literally, in two sentences ha. Also, the darker characters I wish were covered more and that he went more in-depth with. Like Quoll and the nightflier-like characters (blanking on their similar names right now)- they show up and then disappear and then show up again only when it is the end of the book with little in between. I feel as if there could have been more dialogue made on the sidelines with how the dark opposing forces were tracking and planning to take down the protagonists for a more dynamic story. I just feel like there were a lot of missed opportunities for a more rich reading experience.

Also, towards the end the "extra" transformations going back and forth was a bit unnecessary - like the firebird Taj and the extra powers of each animal. In my opinion that part was a bit lame and seemed like he was bored himself with his own writing and just wanted it to end. But I must say that I was also pretty happy with the red dragon coming back to gobble up all the darkness, that was cool.

All in all, I think the story idea here was really cool. The emotions/associations with certain colors and the balance of good and evil. Pretty neat, but just not executed well.

[Cheryl]

Almost gave up because the opening scenes of war, gore, & horror seemed to lead nowhere near the part I wanted, the animal heroes. Finally, p. 44, we meet them... already in the midst of their transformation. And now it seems as if they're being awfully accepting, even glad, to have hands and to have given up their other abilities (except Taj does miss flying a a bit). Not only that, but they instantly know how to speak, read, and even think as complexly as humans. Could not the wizard have made them able to shift? Seems that would have been much more useful.

Awful writing. I never except brilliance from Foster, but come on dude, a little more craft, a little less drudgery, would make this more worth reading.

... p. 86, more about the disgusting Horde. And the interim 42 pp only mildly diverting. Dnf March 2021

[KitCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great version of the world beyond or within a rainbow. The familiars of a wizard, a dog, 3 cats, a snake and a canary are given human form to avenge the death of the wizard and bring colors back into the world.

[Virginia Saleh · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book along time ago and would like to read it again but bad eye site now so the only way i can read is with kindle ebook form and unfortunately there is no ebook for this book :(

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts off fairly bleak. Unusual for Foster. Then our intrepid band begins their journey through the Kingdom of Light. There is some good creativity regarding the aspects of the different kingdoms of color. The band of travelers must traverse though the colors of the rainbow in pursuit of their goal.

As almost always Foster constructs a good tale. For me this wasn’t Foster at his best, but it was still a fun read. I liked his twist on the makeup of the intrepid band and there were a couple of unexpected turns.

Good adventures along the way with an ending that worked quite well for me.

[C. Scott Kippen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book I loved. The pets of a dead wizard must save the world. Sadly, the thing that I think most people pick this book up for fails early as to solve the problem of how in the world would pets save the world is solved by making them human but they are still animal in nature (kinda).

This book was ok at best. It started out pretty solid, but just got more and more tedious as it went. The journey to save the color of the world was just not that interesting, and the fact that they weren't cats, dogs, and a snake, really was a death nail.

[Opalears · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming book about a group of unlikely animal friends and their journey to restore color to their world. Overall it was fairly pleasant and well written but not Foster's best work.

[Whizilliam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first and only Alan Dean Foster novel I have not fisninsehd. It did not captivate me at all. Usually his books are character driven, this one was not.

[Cassie Abrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced, quirky adventure with witty characters, fun banter, and a slew of encounters with magical creatures big and small.

[Verity Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old-school wonder

I'm impressed. No one writes stories like this anymore. It's a good old-fashioned Oz-like adventure, complete with lots of weird names and strange lands to travel through. If not for its very grim and gruesome beginning and the characters' occasional obsession with sex (which they never actually do anything about), this would be a wonderful story for children and adults alike. It was still a splendidly fun read.

[Tyranamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a cute idea

It’s a cute idea. Travelling to all the kingdoms of a rainbow. But I was able to put it down plenty.

[Kat]

DNF. I loved the premise but lacked the attention span to get to the actual story. I get why there was so much lead up, but it didn't capture me.

[Weirdo Weird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this story to my dog. She likes it when I read to her, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Foster that I haven't reread in ages. I enjoyed Cat.A.Lyst so much I decided to reread another of his. It was a much slower read, and I was slightly disappointed. It seemed as if everything was being dragged out for too long. The story premise is great, the animal characters going on a quest are charming, but it was somewhat of a slog. When their wizard master is killed, his pets - a dog, 3 cats, a canary and a boa - attempt to fulfill his last request, to bring color back to their country which has been overcome by a lot of nasties who turned everything gray. They get a little magical help along the way, often to their surprise. There is a nice little twist at the very end.

[Little Myr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED this book as a kid, probably around age 11? Would have rated it 5 stars then.

Thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and read it again at 30. If I had ONLY read it as an adult, it would probably get 2 stars now. I couldn't even continue reading this time round.

It's kind of like a more juvenile and fantastical Lord of the Rings.

It's got some really interesting scenes and once you get into the actual "kingdoms" further into the book, I remember, the world becomes very original and fun to imagine. For this reason I still think it would make an amazing movie.

The writing is at times full of great imagery, but more often the descriptions are a little too packed with words, forced, and redundant.

EXAMPLES:
"...a dumpy figure with big ears and the frenzied face of a maniacal toadfish"
"A goblin built like a sack of potatoes with a face banned from the land of frogs"
"Kushmouth frowned, an action that drew eyebrows like dead larvae halfway down over his protuberant eyes."

Many words give you the feeling like they were just plucked out of a thesaurus to switch out a more simple word, in a bit of a superficial way without REALLY seeming like they are a good fit for the sentence.

There's also a tiny tinge of old-fashioned sexism which is unpalatable to me these days.
EXAMPLE(a description of the bad guy):
"The foulness of his countenance was alleged to send strong men into shock, his touch to cause convulsions in the most courageous of women."

THAT BEING SAID:
I STILL think about my childhood memories of the worlds in this book often. Maybe one day I will open it up again and just skip to the parts I like to remember, but for now, I would recommend this story only to a younger audience who will be unaware of the things I mentioned above, and be able to just delight in the story itself!

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's a fun book that never quite gets beyond that. With a gimmick of former animals as the protagonists, the book is basically a long trip through the rainbow. That is good, because the scenes before and after it are pretty standard stuff. As usual, I enjoyed Foster's creativity in populating the kingdoms of colors, particularly the threats in the kingdom of yellow. However, none of the characters ever move beyond their one personality trait that was dominant in their pet form. The twist ending for one of the characters was a welcome treat, and I would probably read this book again, but overall not one of the best by this author.

[Katharina Gerlach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book a lot. Foster's specialty, creating believable aliens/creatures, lifts this above the average quest stories. In places I would have liked the story to move faster, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.

My favorite character was the snake Samm, but the other humanized animals were good too. The rest of the cast paled in comparison. However, the details for the worlds the friends had to travel, were vibrant and very creative. It's a good book, but I believe it's best for slightly younger readers (let's say 12-14 yrs.)

[Melissa Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Great characters, interesting worlds, fun adventure. Creating a realm for each of the colors of the rainbow - absolutely brilliant. That the heroes are the transformed pets of a wizard, awesome.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light hearted fantasy novel about a bunch of enchanted animals turned human ..

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not high adult fantasy, but a very good story that was imaginative.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

original idea with mediocre implementation

[Portobellord · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard fantasy fare in which a group of beings, in this case animals that have been turned into humans, go on a quest to save their kingdom.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really cute and hard to find. I finally found a copy and read it really fast. I recommend this to anyone who likes magic and animals.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Each land that the characters traveled were a different color and the color matched the temperaments of the people.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so fun! Adventure, talking animals/humans & magic.

[Catsalive · Rating 3 out of 5]

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