Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Warner Books (1983)
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML: A musician is transported into a land of magic�??from the #1 New York Times�??bestselling author of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Trek Into Darkness. 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… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member David.Alfred.Sarkies
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'
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.
Show More
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.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Noeshia
I read this one off of the advice of a coworker, and boy did he have me right. I wouldn't say that this is my favorite fantasy world but it sure was fun. I really am a fan of anthropomorphic animal stories, and this one really did have something. Despite some emotional turmoil in my life the past
I must admit that this story reads a bit like the dream of someone very high, probably because when you first meet our main character he is high. This could turn off some readers, but I enjoyed his reactions. Like most coming of age in a fantasy setting type books the main character is sometimes an annoying prick, but for all that I forgive him because he's an academic without much world hardening to him yet. The story isn't very complex, mostly being about a group of people bonding to each other on a wandering adventure to save a magical version of Earth. This book was clearly a warm-up to the series. I like the take on magic. It's cute, the use of scientific jargon as key magical terms, I'd just caution people not to take that literally in our dimension. Overall, I'd say furries and fantasy fans alike would enjoy themselves as long as they are looking for fun and not something deep, so if you're considering, then give this series a go.
Show More
few days and a tablet whose app kept malfunctioning I was able to keep reading and finish in a relatively short amount of time.I must admit that this story reads a bit like the dream of someone very high, probably because when you first meet our main character he is high. This could turn off some readers, but I enjoyed his reactions. Like most coming of age in a fantasy setting type books the main character is sometimes an annoying prick, but for all that I forgive him because he's an academic without much world hardening to him yet. The story isn't very complex, mostly being about a group of people bonding to each other on a wandering adventure to save a magical version of Earth. This book was clearly a warm-up to the series. I like the take on magic. It's cute, the use of scientific jargon as key magical terms, I'd just caution people not to take that literally in our dimension. Overall, I'd say furries and fantasy fans alike would enjoy themselves as long as they are looking for fun and not something deep, so if you're considering, then give this series a go.
Show Less
LibraryThing member thouartodd
While on a high from smoking, Jon-Tom gets whisked away to a very different world in the middle of a grave conflict. He later finds that singing songs from our world on a magical instrument in the other world (a guitar-type instrument called a duar), allows him to cast spells that relate to the
Show More
words and meanings of the songs. This concept as well as the eventful, action-filled, story-line and lively characters captured my attention so I read the rest of the series (which was also so good that when I finished the last book I was sad, as if I were saying goodbye to good friends). Show Less
LibraryThing member ds_61_12
A turtle mage brings an earth student to his world. The student is supposed to be a powerfull magician, but he does not seem to have any powers what so ever and has some trouble adjusting in a world where animals walk proud and bear arms.
Nice enough read that in time I will want to read the rest of
Nice enough read that in time I will want to read the rest of
Show More
the series. I usually don't really like tales where existing animals walk and talk, but this was different enough to catch my fancy. It will however not be a series that I read over and over again. The student thinks in terms of Earth and gets the analogies of the world he is in, a nice concept but I have my doubts if it will stay that way in the following books. Show Less
LibraryThing member prosfilaes
In short: Jonathan Meriweather, quickly abbreviated to Jon-Tom, pothead grad-student gets summoned to another plane to solve their problem with the Big Evil coming from a land that's not called Mordor. We get a hunter guide (Mudge, an otter since this is a furry universe), the big wizard
When I got to the end of the book, I found there was no closure, not even the partial climax that most series give you at the end of each book. Besides the frustration that I was sold half a book, I found that I didn't care; there was no need to get the next book in the series. This group of fantasy travelers to stop the big evil is all pretty flat; besides Jon-Tom, the main character, no one gets enough screen time to really start to develop personality, part of the problem of a large ensemble act. A lot of threads were started, but all the problems that were resolved seem to resolve themselves too quickly and without energy. My least favorite example was when Clothahump casts a mighty, literally once-in-a-lifetime spell to summon what's basically an Elder God, and we get nothing. Apparently it was too early in the series to reveal what was really going on, but why let the character bring out the big magic? It's one of the most anemic and formulaic "epic" fantasy books I've read in a while.
Show More
(Clothahump, a turtle), and the local love interest (a human, of course), they summon another person from Earth (another love interest), and start out on their trip to save the world, at which point they find an urban guide who is competition for Jon-Tom's love interests (a rabbit) and con a dragon into serving as transportation and big threat. Now that we've assembled our adventuring party, buy the next book to see anything actually happen...When I got to the end of the book, I found there was no closure, not even the partial climax that most series give you at the end of each book. Besides the frustration that I was sold half a book, I found that I didn't care; there was no need to get the next book in the series. This group of fantasy travelers to stop the big evil is all pretty flat; besides Jon-Tom, the main character, no one gets enough screen time to really start to develop personality, part of the problem of a large ensemble act. A lot of threads were started, but all the problems that were resolved seem to resolve themselves too quickly and without energy. My least favorite example was when Clothahump casts a mighty, literally once-in-a-lifetime spell to summon what's basically an Elder God, and we get nothing. Apparently it was too early in the series to reveal what was really going on, but why let the character bring out the big magic? It's one of the most anemic and formulaic "epic" fantasy books I've read in a while.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Karlstar
On one hand, this book has an incredibly familiar fantasy theme - the normal person from our world who ends up in a world where magic works. On the other hand, the plot here is that Jon Tom (Jon Bon???) is summoned by a turtle wizard who needs a hero. Think School of Rock meets Ninja Turtles meets
Show More
Discworld. Its a good combination, at least in this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
This was a fairly entertaining read - a light, humourous take on the usual fantasy epic story in the vein of Dickson's 'The Dragon and the George' or Brooks' 'Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold'. One significant difference is that while those could be read as standalones, this is very much the first in a
somewhat to my surprise I found myself absorbed by the protanagist's discovery of the world and its ways. Not much is revealed about the greater plot and so the story arch of this one episode is unsatisfying, but the hero - a pot-smoking pre-law student who is whisked away to this magical land and discovers that he has special powers there - runs across and befriends various interesting characters. Their various misadventures are entertaining enough to keep one engrossed and will ensure that i will continue to read the next in the series at some point down the line. The humour adds flavour to what may otherwise have been a bland blend. Overall its nothing exceptional but entertaining enough to keep me interested.
Show More
multi-part series (six to complete the storyarch I think, with two tacked on later on). The world that Foster creates is in some ways remniscent of standard fairytale lands familiar to fantasy readers, with talking animals a la Narnia and an evil wasteland somewhere in the east inhabited by an evil race of insectoid creatures and ruled by a dark queen that plots conquest. Where it departs from the usual is in giving such a word greater 'realism' than is the norm - racism, violence, poor sanitation, poverty and exploitation are all a part of this world.somewhat to my surprise I found myself absorbed by the protanagist's discovery of the world and its ways. Not much is revealed about the greater plot and so the story arch of this one episode is unsatisfying, but the hero - a pot-smoking pre-law student who is whisked away to this magical land and discovers that he has special powers there - runs across and befriends various interesting characters. Their various misadventures are entertaining enough to keep one engrossed and will ensure that i will continue to read the next in the series at some point down the line. The humour adds flavour to what may otherwise have been a bland blend. Overall its nothing exceptional but entertaining enough to keep me interested.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Shirezu
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
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
Show More
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.
Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Poor. It reads as if the author has never actually read any fantasy and just a thrown a bunch of tropes together to try and ram home a political point. this fails. I think it also tries to be funny, but isn't. The book then stops. Not so much with a cliff hanger as there is no tension, suspense (or
On a world of giant intelligent animals that hasn't progressed beyond pseudo-medieval age, a turtle magician realises that this world is in dire threat from an invasion by the insects and whatever fell power it is that they have associated themselves to. So he reaches out across the multiverse for help and hooks one weed smoking law student named John as a powerful magician to aid him. Jon as becomes known, is obviously not much help, until he discovers within him the power of spell-singing, whereby rock ballads magically summon useful things into creation. Together they gather various allies (an otter-thief, a human-rogue, a rabbit, and bat). John tries to get himself sent home, but only manages to pull his fantasy girl across to him, who turns out to be a kick-ass swords-woman. And so they set off to save the world from the insects, encountering a socialist dragon along the way, and having various boring digressions about how fair or not the world is.
All the animals have irritating accents, that are maybe supposed to be humorous and different, but just blend into annoying and hard to read. There's no sense to the world no replacement of the ecological niches that have been abandoned by there now intelligent animals, no sense to the magic. A lot of innuendo and crude sexual expressions, but no character development or relationships to counter or justify them. It's just the authors fantasies thrown together. Badly.
Show More
engagement with the characters) but the "hero" is just about to enter a door, when the end occurs. It's only a door leading to a discussion chamber so I really don't know why the end was made there. The prologue of the next book was bundled into this one, but by then I really didn't care to read any more so I didn't bother finding out what happened.On a world of giant intelligent animals that hasn't progressed beyond pseudo-medieval age, a turtle magician realises that this world is in dire threat from an invasion by the insects and whatever fell power it is that they have associated themselves to. So he reaches out across the multiverse for help and hooks one weed smoking law student named John as a powerful magician to aid him. Jon as becomes known, is obviously not much help, until he discovers within him the power of spell-singing, whereby rock ballads magically summon useful things into creation. Together they gather various allies (an otter-thief, a human-rogue, a rabbit, and bat). John tries to get himself sent home, but only manages to pull his fantasy girl across to him, who turns out to be a kick-ass swords-woman. And so they set off to save the world from the insects, encountering a socialist dragon along the way, and having various boring digressions about how fair or not the world is.
All the animals have irritating accents, that are maybe supposed to be humorous and different, but just blend into annoying and hard to read. There's no sense to the world no replacement of the ecological niches that have been abandoned by there now intelligent animals, no sense to the magic. A lot of innuendo and crude sexual expressions, but no character development or relationships to counter or justify them. It's just the authors fantasies thrown together. Badly.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SirCrash
Anthropomorphic "Yankee in King Arthur's Court" with musical based magic and a looming threat to the world in the background.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1983-06
Physical description
6.7 inches
ISBN
0446341959 / 9780446341950
Other editions
Spellsinger #01 by Alan Dean Foster (Paperback)