Tuesday, June 20, 2006

46. Spellsinger

by Alan Dean Foster (352 pgs)

Rating: 3.5

Jonathan-Thomas Meriweather, a.k.a. JonTom, is plucked from his stoned out college student existence and dumped in a world where the animals have evolved into much larger and much more talkative versions than we are accustomed to. Understandably, at first he is very disoriented but a conversation with a talking turtle (and also one of the most powerful magicians in the land) clears up a great many of his questions.

Despite its somewhat ridiculous premise, Spellsinger is actually an enjoyable, if not terribly intellectual, book. The high-points are it's characterization, handling of the setting, and use of details to create a sense of verisimilitude. Downsides... it suffers a little from deus ex machina (although I admit that's a debatable point) and it's pure unadulterated fluff. However, it was fun and it was an enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours on a plane.

Recommended for kids 8 and up (depending on reading level) and as a quick read to fantasy fans. Rule of thumb, if you like Piers Anthony or Douglas Adams you probably will have fun with this.

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