''Spellsinger'' (

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

) is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

novel by American writer

Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts. Career ''Star Wars'' Foster was the ghos ...

. The book follows the adventures of

Jonathan Thomas Meriweather ''Spellsinger'' is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Alan Dean Foster. At present the series consists of eight books, with a significant gap between the writing of book six and book seven. These volumes are: # ''Spellsinger'' (1983) ...

who is transported from our world into a land of talking animals and magic. It is the first in the

Spellsinger ''Spellsinger'' is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Alan Dean Foster. At present the series consists of eight books, with a significant gap between the writing of book six and book seven. These volumes are: # '' Spellsinger'' (1983 ...

series.

Plot summary

In a world of sentient animals and humans, the hardheaded tortoise wizard Clothahump searches across the dimensions for another kind of wizard to help defeat the looming threat posed by the armies of the Plated Folk. What he gets is Jonathon Thomas Meriweather, law student, part-time would-be rock

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

and

janitor A janitor (American English, Scottish English), also known as a custodian, porter, cleanser, cleaner or caretaker, is a person who cleans and maintains buildings. In some cases, they will also carry out maintenance and security duties. A simil ...

, who finds that with the use of a unique instrument called a duar, he can perform magic by playing and choosing from his well-worn repertoire of rock songs. Jon-Tom, as he is called in Clothahump's world, quickly discovers that while he might be able to use magic with his music making, the results are often unpredictable and usually humorous. Ever searching for a way to get back to Earth, Jon-Tom takes up the battle to save this world.

External links

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''Spellsinger'' reviewAlan Dean Foster homepage
1983 American novels Novels by Alan Dean Foster Spellsinger series American fantasy novels {{1980s-fantasy-novel-stub