The third Spellsinger novel by Alan Dean Foster, dedicated to his cousin Adam Carroll, opens with the turtle wizard Clothahump dying, with Jon-Tom tasked with embarking on to Crancularn to bring back the medicine necessary to cure him. Before he does so, however, he revisits the nearby town of Lynchbany, where he inquires about his otter friend Mudge’s whereabouts, being told to go to Timswitty, where he finds the lutrine in a whorehouse known as the Elegant Bitch. Mudge is reluctant to join Jon-Tom on his adventure, and the two are captured by thugs sent by the sorcerer Zancresta.
Jon-Tom escapes captivity by playing “Eye of the Tiger” and summoning a female one, introduced as Roseroar, who joins him and Mudge on their quest. At the Moors, the company meets talking fungi, and ultimately encounter the elderly ferret Jalwar, with the next leg of their quest taking them across the sea via a boat Jon-Tom summons through spellsong. Jon-Tom soon receives encouragement that he finds his way back onto Earth, given the appearances of a human stockbroker and his family, although this is evidently a mirage, as he and his companions find themselves captive again by pirates led by the parrot Corroboc.
On the pirate ship, Jon-Tom’s company the girl Folly joins, although she runs away and finds herself captive by an oppressive orphanage headed by the Friends of the Street, where after a mass rescue, they encounter obese fairies that also hold them captive, and afterward they reembark on their trip to Crancularn. After more excursions, Jon-Tom and his friends reach the city where they find the medicine in a shop owned by the kangaroo Snooth, where the final battles of the book occur. Overall, this was another enjoyable Spellsinger story with plenty of humor and cultural references, although most won’t make sense to younger audiences.
Jon-Tom escapes captivity by playing “Eye of the Tiger” and summoning a female one, introduced as Roseroar, who joins him and Mudge on their quest. At the Moors, the company meets talking fungi, and ultimately encounter the elderly ferret Jalwar, with the next leg of their quest taking them across the sea via a boat Jon-Tom summons through spellsong. Jon-Tom soon receives encouragement that he finds his way back onto Earth, given the appearances of a human stockbroker and his family, although this is evidently a mirage, as he and his companions find themselves captive again by pirates led by the parrot Corroboc.
On the pirate ship, Jon-Tom’s company the girl Folly joins, although she runs away and finds herself captive by an oppressive orphanage headed by the Friends of the Street, where after a mass rescue, they encounter obese fairies that also hold them captive, and afterward they reembark on their trip to Crancularn. After more excursions, Jon-Tom and his friends reach the city where they find the medicine in a shop owned by the kangaroo Snooth, where the final battles of the book occur. Overall, this was another enjoyable Spellsinger story with plenty of humor and cultural references, although most won’t make sense to younger audiences.
No comments:
Post a Comment