A Spell for Chameleon (The Parallel Edition... Simplified)

ByPiers Anthony

Release Date: 2012-02-14
Genre: Fantasy

Score: 4

From 48 Ratings

Description

Piers Anthony’s bestselling Xanth series is one of the cornerstones of fantasy, a lively and whimsical interpretation of a genre often criticized for taking itself too seriously. Anthony’s first Xanth novel, A Spell for Chameleon, was initially edited to target a more traditional audience. Now, in an eBook exclusive, A Spell for Chameleon has been reworked line by line—its language matching the simpler, playful way with words that made Piers Anthony an enduring fan favorite.

Xanth is an enchanted land where magic rules, a land of centaurs and dragons and basilisks where every citizen has a unique spell to call their own. For Bink of North Village, however, Xanth is no fairy tale. He alone has no magic. And unless he gets some—and fast!—he will be exiled. Forever.

But the Good Magician Humfrey is convinced that Bink does indeed have magic. In fact, both Beauregard the genie and the magic wall chart insist that Bink has magic as powerful as any possessed by the King, the Good Magician Humfrey, or even the Evil Magician Trent. Be that as it may, no one can fathom the nature of Bink’s very special magic. This is even worse than having no magic at all . . . and he still faces exile!

Reviews

Confused
1
By slade bohannan
Just plane confusing
A great lesson for young men.
5
By GogoBee11
The magic of the main characters is synonymous with their human natures and requires them to adapt how they live and interact. Living in a land where everyone has magic except him, our young hero sets out to find some or find out why not. Soon after starting his journey he meets the beautiful but extremely dumb heroine whose magic is a monthly cycle of inverse beauty and intelligence - at one extreme she is beautiful but dumb, two weeks later she is mentally brilliant (and contemptuous of hero) as well as ugly. What a great metaphor for a menstrual cycle! And it really puts it in terms that a young man (i.e. those of an age to be affected by the inconsistencies inherent in the teenage girl's mind. ) can understand. It's not always his fault and he needs to to roll with the punches like our hero.

Science has evidence that women actually are prettier during the ovulation stage of their cycle and from personal experience i know how supercilious and contemptuous I can be with PMS / PMDD. If only my husband had this hero's magic maybe he would relax a bit.
Must Read
5
By Drunken Gorilla
This is one of the best fantasy authors of all time.