A Spell For Chameleon, by Piers Anthony

Xanth is a wonderful land full of magic, mythical animals, and really bad puns. (don’t get me wrong, I like the puns. But they are pretty ‘bad’ at times) To live in the land of Xanth, you must be able to demonstrate your magical talent by your 25th birthday, or you are exiled. For most people, this is not a problem as their talent usually surfaces when they are very young. But it is a problem for Bink because as far as he can tell, he has no talent. While others his age are making magical swords appear in the air, clouds of poison gas, and beautiful holograms, Bink is labeled as the ‘spell-less wonder.’ Coming from a long line of Magician caliber ancestors, this is very painful. A few weeks before his 25th birthday, Bink goes on a journey to see the Good Magician Humphrey, who will answer any question in return for a year of service. But the jungles of Xanth are full of danger: dragons and harpys and nicklepedes are some of the more common dangers. For Xanth is a land of magic and nothing is as it seems, for illusion often appears more real than reality.

This is just a quick synopsis of the book, because much more actually happens, but that would be telling. I’ll just say that the plot is sufficiently convoluted to please most avid readers, even if the writing at times is a bit lower than could be hoped for. The world of Xanth is vivid and delightful and very different than most magical worlds. There is danger and excitement and oh so much fun. Shoes grow on trees, along with blankets, bread, pies, and many other things we ‘Mundanians’ have to make ourselves. The different characters are lively and funny in their own special ways. It is great fun watching the role of magic in this very different society.

But A Spell For Chameleon is not all perfect. The writing level is not very high: it would read better to a younger teen who might not have such set ideas about character believability and consistency. There is a tendency for characters to make noble speeches about the world and how it should be, which can get slightly monotonous after a while. Also, the way sex is handled in the story is very adolescent. Nothing is extremely descriptive, but there is a sense of the attractive ‘forbidden’ that is normal in younger people. Not that I think adults handle sex any better, but young teens just have a sense that certain actions are wrong, and that makes the idea of doing them all the more exciting.

All in all A Spell For Chameleon is a fun read, not too heavy, but worth reading for the laugh and novelty factor. I haven’t ever read another book quite like it.

If I could ask Piers Anthony one question about A Spell for Chameleon, it would be: Did you come up with Xanth’s name by hearing your name slurred together as pierZANTHony?