A Spell for Chameleon
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Book 5 for Once Upon a Time.
A Spell for Chameleon (three complete novels) by Piers Anthony.
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Del Rey; (March 12, 1987)
ISBN-10: 0345347536
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(original cover for A spell for Chameleon)
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Book Description
Release date: March 12, 1987
Xanth was the enchanted land where magic ruled--where every citizen had a special spell only he could cast. That is, except for Bink of North Village. He was sure he possessed no magic, and knew that if he didn't find some soon, he would be exiled. According to the Good Magician Humpfrey, the charts said that Bink was as powerful as the King or even the Evil Magician Trent. Unfortunately, no one could determine its form. Meanwhile, Bink was in despair. If he didn't find his magic soon, he would be forced to leave....
Many years ago I read this book… and actually read the first 12 books of the now 38 books about Xanth!
Xanth books:
Books
As of January 2013 there are 36 Xanth books published and one in progress. Here they are listed in order of publication.
1 A Spell for Chameleon (1977)
2 The Source of Magic (1979)
3 Castle Roogna (1979)
4 Centaur Aisle (1982)
5 Ogre, Ogre (1982)
6 Night Mare (1983)
7 Dragon on a Pedestal (1983)
8 Crewel Lye (1984)
9 Golem in the Gears (1986)
10 Vale of the Vole (1987)
11 Heaven Cent (1988)
12 Man from Mundania (1989)
13 Isle of View (1990)
14 Question Quest (1991)
15 The Color of Her Panties (1992)
16 Demons Don't Dream (1992)
17 Harpy Thyme (1993)
18 Geis of the Gargoyle (1994)
19 Roc and a Hard Place (1995)
20 Yon Ill Wind (1996)
21 Faun & Games (1997)
22 Zombie Lover (1998)
23 Xone of Contention (1999)
24 The Dastard (2000)
25 Swell Foop (2001)
26 Up In A Heaval (2002)
27 Cube Route (2003)
28 Currant Events (2004)
29 Pet Peeve (2005)
30 Stork Naked (2006)
31 Air Apparent (2007)
32 Two to the Fifth (2008)
33 Jumper Cable (2009)
34 Knot Gneiss (2010)
35 Well-Tempered Clavicle (2011)
36 Luck of the Draw (2012)
37 Esrever Doom (2013)
38 Board Stiff
I honestly don’t remember a lot about the individual books (which is why I am rereading this one, that and the fact this hardback was in my brothers books which I kept) except that Xanth looks much like Florida (and the author is from Florida) and that the books are full of “puns”! (re: one might get a pair of shoes from a shoe tree and you don’t want to be near a Tangle Tree as it would tangle you up!)
Bink searches for the Good Magician Humphrey to see if he can tell him what his Magic is so that he won’t be sent away for having no magic. The magician tells him he has high magic but he can’t say what it is and so Bink is exiled to Mundania. (Mundania must be Florida! lol)
There he meets the evil magician Trent.. and the adventure begins !
As you can see from the list, this book was written back in 1977! I’m sure many of you weren’t even born yet! But the books held up through the years and are still going on! Amazing that Piers Anthony could be basically writing “the same story” for so many years!
Should you decide to give A Spell for Chameleon a try I suggest you look in thrift stores or library sales as they are more than old enough to find a good deal somewhere! lol
This is definitely a good book for Once Upon a Time.
posted by DesLily | 6:28 AM
7 Comments:
I can't believe I've never heard of this series. I know of Piers Anthony of course, although I've no clue if I've read any of his books. I don't think so. But for such a long series you'd think I'd know about them... but apparently not. LOL.
Woah, 38 books! 38 books?? OMG. That is a huge undertaking but sounds like it's good so worth the effort. I love that cover - exactly what is that on the front, it looks like a cross between a bat, a scorpion, a lion and a gargoyle! Most captivating. Yes, I was alive and kicking in 1977!
I imagine that these books will be very difficult to get hold of in the UK but I might give it a try (that being said imagine how annoying it would be if you couldn't find one of the middle ones!)
Thanks
Lynn
Wow! THat's quite a long series!!!! Sad to say but I've never even heard of this series :/ Glad you've enjoyed it!
lynn that's just one of the "magical creatures" that live in Xanth lol it seems Piers Anthony had a very good imagination!
chris: he did other, shorter series, a few trilogies..he certainly is a prolific writer!
Xanth! Such a fun, random place. A Spell for Chameleon is one of the best too. I've read up into the early thirties, I think, and there's a lot that are really wonderful. That said, they do go sadly downhill somewhere around the late twenties. BUT--the early ones are well-worth reading for Anthony's wild magic--and wild puns!
I've read the first three or four I think, possibly 7....back in the 1980's when they first began. I really enjoyed them, they were fun and fantastical. I didn't realize he had kept on writing them this long, though! I'm glad A Spell for Chameleon stands up to a reread and not dated in the years gone by.
I need to read a Xanth book sometime. I haven't done so. I did read one Piers Anthony collaboration awhile back, Secret of Spring, and loved it.
And I was 9 in 1977. ;)
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