Rating: 
Summary: the power of music [no spoilers]
Review: "Spellsinger" is the first volume in an entertaining series about the adventures of Jon-Tom, summoned to another world to help fight a growing threat to the lives of all sentient animals and possibly his own world.Back cover of book: The Wizard's World It was where beasts walked and talked as men, armed with sword and dagger. And it was where Clothahump, turtle and wizard, stretched his powers to sorcery, seeking a source to the unknown evil that threatened his land, seeking a helper from another dimension, another universe. And so Jonathan Thomas Meriweather - grad student and rock guitarist - found himself plucked from his cannabis-filled campus room in L.A. and whisked into a world of disarming beauty and savage violence. Here Jon-Tom, Mudge the otter, the flame-haired Talea and others would form a motley fellowship with the wizard. Their mission: to travel where no warm-blooded being has been and destroy the strange new force emanating from the dreaded Greendowns. Now the peace-loving student must become a soldier and crusader, fighting with sword and song. For strumming his otherworldly duar, he is the maker of magic, his music conjuring configurations, transforming Jon Meriweather into the Spellsinger End back cover of book. I loved this story but it is incomplete without the second volume titled "The Hour of the Gate". Given the lengths of recent novels, combining the two would be welcome. The characters aren't limited to unaccented English but have a range including Australian, possibly making Mudge the original Lizard (Crocodile) Hunter, and Brooklyn, New York. Understanding a written accent can be more difficult than hearing it and the rare vulgar word (not beyond a modern schoolyard) should be noted. As a fan of the classical, rock, and heavy metal music genres, I find the magic Jon-Tom creates with his duar exciting since I believe a well-constructed song can affect people with its intensity and power in a primal aspect. Thank you.
Rating: 
Summary: The first of a classic series
Review: 'Spellsinger' is the first book of my favorite series' of books ever - namely, the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster. Although Foster is an excellent writer, and I enjoy all of his works, I think his Spellsinger novels are some of the greeatest, freshest, most unusual and enjoyable writing to be found anywhere. I highly recommend trying this book out - for any fan of Fantasy, Science Fiction, or humorous Fiction. This is one of my favorite books [my absolute favorite, 'The Paths Of The Perambulator', is another book in this series]. Characters are endearing and memorable. Plots are unique and fun. This is a great book. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book! Excellent and Unusual!
Review: 'Spellsinger' is the first book of my favorite series' of books ever - namely, the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster. Although Foster is an excellent writer, and I enjoy all of his works, I think his Spellsinger novels are some of the greeatest, freshest, most unusual and enjoyable writing to be found anywhere. I highly recommend trying this book out - for any fan of Fantasy, Science Fiction, or humorous Fiction. This is one of my favorite books [my absolute favorite, 'The Paths Of The Perambulator', is another book in this series]. Characters are endearing and memorable. Plots are unique and fun. This is a great book. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: a great start to an entertaining series
Review: A young law major and aspiring musician is accidentally pulled to another world of talking, clothed, and deadly animals when a tortoise wizard searching for an engineer to save his land ends up with Jon Meriweather, *sanitation engineer*. The adventures to follow include running from skunk bobbies with a very small and very deadly red head, accidentally summoning a cheer leader Jon has a crush on, and facing down a politically learned dragon. This is a fresh, mature perspective on fantasy, and a wonderful fun read that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and full of Adventure
Review: I have to disagree with a previous reviewer in one regard. I do think that the animals in the book are cute and funny. Granted, the animals act in realistic, sometimes noble, but more often crass ways. Part of the fun in this book is the sheer absurdness of the animals and the world at all. I think you have to treat the book slightly humorously. I think humor was a great par of Mr. Foster's intent. The original cover has a bespectacled turtle on a boat with two humans and an otter. The turtle has drawers in his shell which open. I laughed quite hard the first time I looked at the cover. The hero gets to the fantasy world after smoking marijuana. The hero wins his battles and creates magic by playing and singing rock and roll.....BADLY. A very fun book but also treat it as fun and not high fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and full of Adventure
Review: I have to disagree with a previous reviewer in one regard. I do think that the animals in the book are cute and funny. Granted, the animals act in realistic, sometimes noble, but more often crass ways. Part of the fun in this book is the sheer absurdness of the animals and the world at all. I think you have to treat the book slightly humorously. I think humor was a great par of Mr. Foster's intent. The original cover has a bespectacled turtle on a boat with two humans and an otter. The turtle has drawers in his shell which open. I laughed quite hard the first time I looked at the cover. The hero gets to the fantasy world after smoking marijuana. The hero wins his battles and creates magic by playing and singing rock and roll.....BADLY. A very fun book but also treat it as fun and not high fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: The start of a little too much
Review: Let me start by saying that I actually rather like Spellsinger as an individual book. Most of what other people have said about it is true. My major objection is that it led me into a series that lasted far too long before I gave up on it - and I got nowhere near through the series. If you can read one book of a series and leave it at that, then go ahead and read Spellsinger, it's an entertaining funny read with great characters. On the other hand if you're like me, and tend to want to read all of a series, even if it goes downhill, don't get started with this one.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books written in this genre
Review: The Spellsinger is the best of the series. It has all the things that make a great fantasy novel: the battle of good against evil, an unwilling hero who reaches within himself for his inner strength to overcome great adversity, lots of twists and turn before the conflict is finally resolved. What makes the Spellsinger different is Foster's use of common things (music, talking animals) to achieve these goals. I got the sense that the author has put a lot of himself into the main character of Jon Tom. The animals, as humans in animal form, have great personalities. There's none of the Disney cuteness about these creatures and that gives this book the spice it needs to keep it from becoming too contrived or too precious. I read this book when it first came out years ago and I re-read it periodically and recommend it to my friends. While The Spellsinger and all it's sequels will never be accused of being great "literachoor", you will enjoy reading it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books written in this genre
Review: The Spellsinger is the best of the series. It has all the things that make a great fantasy novel: the battle of good against evil, an unwilling hero who reaches within himself for his inner strength to overcome great adversity, lots of twists and turn before the conflict is finally resolved. What makes the Spellsinger different is Foster's use of common things (music, talking animals) to achieve these goals. I got the sense that the author has put a lot of himself into the main character of Jon Tom. The animals, as humans in animal form, have great personalities. There's none of the Disney cuteness about these creatures and that gives this book the spice it needs to keep it from becoming too contrived or too precious. I read this book when it first came out years ago and I re-read it periodically and recommend it to my friends. While The Spellsinger and all it's sequels will never be accused of being great "literachoor", you will enjoy reading it.
Rating:
Summary: I love the Cockney Mudge!!
Review: This is a real page turner. Easy to read local accents, including, what I believe, is a Cockney otter, called Mudge. Being a Cockney myself it was brilliant to be able to read it exactly how it is said! I have just taken one week to read the first three of the Spellsinger series and i want the next 4 that are left to read.
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