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Jun 23, 2008

Kevin rated it:

I wish I could give this book a higher review. The storytelling is tight, the magic is interesting, and it can be occasionally funny. But the characters are mostly two-dimensional, with maybe an extra half dimension added to The Evil Magician Trent and to Chameleon of the book's title. And oh my god is this thing sexist. Chameleon herself could be a truly great character if Anthony had much interest in watch she thinks of her condition, of how her thinking changes as she changes, or in any other More...

1 comment like (10 people liked it)

Aug 25, 2011

Azz rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Jan 04, 2008

Jim rated it:

I got book 2 of this series first, read it a couple of times before I finally got the first. I think the first 4 books are well worth reading - a must read for anyone into fantasy books. I think the series is up in the 20 odd count somewhere now. The first 3 or 4 are excellent. After that, I just couldn't get too into it any more. Might just be me.

When this came out, it was unlike any series before it AND was funny on top of that. Humor in this sort of fiction is hard to pull More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Mar 12, 2011

Renee rated it:

The other day, I saw A Spell for Chameleon on a shelving cart and realized two things. First, that I'd read it before and despite enjoying it, had forgotten it completely. Second, that the author was Piers Anthony, who's been described as an outrageous sexist even amongst sci-fi/fantasy writers. So I picked it up again, for nostalgia's sake but also to see if Anthony was really so bad (he couldn't be, right? I mean, I liked this before...). And after reading it again, all I can say is...

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4 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jul 22, 2008

Scurra rated it:

This is a stand-in for the entire Xanth sequence, since it is currently running at 30-odd books and counting. And I love all of them.

Ultimately, this is a series that you either "get" or you don't. And if you don't, then nothing I (or anyone else!) can say here will make any difference.

I don't like them for the writing quality. Even after all this time, Anthony still has trouble putting a sentence together, or making his dialogue sparkle or creating a convi More...

3 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jul 03, 2008

Jillian rated it:

I turned to the Xanth series because I wanted an enjoyable summer read that would remind me of my childhood instead of my thesis. Though I'd somehow never read him, I assumed Piers Anthony would be an excellent choice, what with all of the praise and awards lavished on him, but I must say I'm somewhat disappointed. He certainly creates an intriguing alternate world and is an undeniably clever writer, especially skilled at word games and puns. (I imagine he would be an ideal video game writer, th More...

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Chris rated it:

Piers Anthony is an author who is more conceptually innovative than literary. His writing is like puff pastry and not very substantive, but his characters are likable and the plots engaging. He has moments of preachiness mixed in, and sometimes a puerile sense of humor, but if you don't mind these things (or indeed, revel in them) you should give him a try. None of Anthony's books takes long to read, and you'll be able to tell by the first 100 pages of a series whether you're into his concept More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 15, 2011

Stanley rated it:

This 1st Xanth book held my interest. I was reluctant to get into the series based on the many charges of sexism raised by reviewers. A female friend discounted these and I jumped in. Glad I did. Lots of themes in this one pertaining to characteristics and traits of the female gender - intrinsic to the plot - but this did not strike me as denigration. I'm sure some zealot could quote me line and verse in attempt to prove me wrong. I just don't see it. I thought the ending was a bit weak - like h More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 03, 2008

Catt rated it:

Wow.

i began reading the Xanth series somewhere around the 15th or 16th book many years ago. It was filled with light-hearted drama, action and puns that made me laugh out loud.

But this first book was such an original idea & filled with an amazing amount of tension, thoughts, morals, as well as the drama & etc. that will come to follow.

Bink not only takes an amazing journey through Xanth, into Mundania & back, but also inside & outside himself.

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0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 11, 2011

Stephen rated it:

2.5 stars. First in the Xanth series of books. Took me a while to get around to reading this as it has been on my "to read" list for a while. A decently written, fun book with a good system of magic and interesting world-building. Definitely on the lighter side, but I enjoyed the puns and the tone of the book. Not as good as some of Anthony's other books (most notably On a Pale Horse), but still a good read. More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2012

Justin rated it:

I definitely enjoyed this book, but I'm a little out of the demographic at this point in my life. The language, plotting, and so on are a little closer to mid-late teenage males, but this doesn't make it bad.

The writing and story is simple. The world is not designed with particular attention and elegance; it's more organic. People who are looking for a very deep world are not likely to find it in Xanth (at least the first book). The characters are also quite simple. They've got a coupl More...

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Aug 22, 2011

David rated it:

I read this book a very long time ago so my memory of it is very hazy, however, it is unlikely that I will read it again, therefore I will write a brief commentary on it. Piers Anthony was one of the more popular authors of young adult fantasy and science-fiction back in the 80's, and I suspect that he still writes even today. Apparently this book was going to be made into a film (Hollywood are looking at a lot of books to see if they can capitalise on the Lord of the Rings phenomena, however t More...

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Jan 11, 2011

Ithlilian rated it:

This book appears to be geared towards teenage boys with the constant mention of breasts and pretty girls, but it's writing style seems geared more toward younger readers. A Spell for Chameleon has a storytelling feel like a mother reading her children bedtime stories or a teacher reading to a circle of children. Very early on however, we get sexual references. They aren't veiled or hidden, they are right there in your face (no pun intended). Since I'm neither a teenager nor a male I wasn't too More...

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Oct 24, 2010

Aniruddha-isb rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Oct 31, 2009

Leeanna rated it:

Xanth 1: A Spell for Chameleon, by Piers Anthony

Twenty-five year old Bink of the North Village is in danger of being exiled from his homeland, Xanth, because he has no magic talent. Xanth is a land where magic is the norm, and the King requires that every citizen have a magic talent. Naturally Bink wants to discover his talent so he can stay in his homeland and marry his girlfriend, so he heads off to the Good Magician for help.

So begins the first novel in the Xanth seri More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 20, 2009

Hannah rated it:

Awesome read, and so much fun!

I loved the main characters; they were all so quirky in their own ways, intelligent and straightforward without being whiny and know-it-all. Bink made a great lead; for once, a fantasy hero who isn't invincible OR a whiny, angsty loser! He's tall, young and good-looking, but he's also flawed. He has issues with them, but then he faces them head-on and deals with them with minimal fuss. Same goes for Trent and Chameleon, and the three make an extremely li More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 21, 2010

Irishgirl1247 rated it:

I like many other reviewers read these books when I was rather young.My dad started me on them when I was about 11 and was breezing through children books so fast it was damaging his credit card with trips to borders and gas to the library. I loved them. As a child a read horse books, Nancy Drew and a few fairy tales, but this opened up a whole new world to me. What I find most interesting is how the sexism/sex went completely over my head. I actually kinda of worked out nicely, my brain simply More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 31, 2012

Dan rated it:

This was/is one of my favorite fantasy books of all time. I sued to live in Michigan and moved to Florida in 1993. Much to my surprise, I moved a few miles from Piers (near Inverness, Florida)!

I started a brief stint as a feature writer and columnist at the newspaper his daughter later worked at. So, I figured I had an "in" (and I later turned out to be right!), so I wrote him. We started a many-year, very occasional letter-writing relationship. At the time, I was mainly writ More...

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Aug 17, 2011

Jeffrey rated it:

Ugh.

It starts out being written like a simple children's book. There are even a lot of exclamation points in it! ("And the trees could MOVE!", etc) So you get this childish feeling from it and settle down to have a fun, innocent time... and then Anthony starts talking about rape! (EXCLAMATION POINT!)

Also: For the most part, it's one of those "questing fantasy" books that I tend to detest. I don't really like seeing how a character deals with different thi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 14, 2007

Seizure Romero rated it:

I read this when I was 15-16 years old, which I now think is the target market for Anthony (at least with this series). I think it's easy for teenagers to identify with Bink: he's an outcast, he doesn't fit in. But then there comes a point where actual plot is required-- writing entire novels around puns just isn't enough to maintain my interest. I enjoyed The Source of Magic as well, but I was unable to finish Castle Roogna.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 13, 2011

David rated it:

Piers Anthony was a guilty pleasure in my youth. Actually, I maintain Anthony is capable of writing 2-3 good novels per series; then they inevitably become repetitive drivel, and nowhere is this more apparent than the Xanth series. The first few books were light-hearted, fun fantasy, but eventually he started wanking off semi-annual installments for twelve-year-old girls, where half the book is just inserting puns his fans mailed in.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 15, 2011

Nepeta rated it:

I liked this book a lot, but I had one nagging problem with the main character, or more precisely, the voice the author used for his main character.

Bink is just turning 25 as the story starts, and he's just a couple weeks over 25 as the story ends, but throughout the whole book, he sounds like a 13-year old boy. He thinks about things like marriage, and understands mature concepts, but he thinks and acts like a young teen the whole time. I just couldn't imagine him being 25, not with More...

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Dec 11, 2008

Mary rated it:

Bink is nearly 25, and he has a problem. He has no magic. This means that he will be exiled from Xanth, unless he can demonstrate a talent in front of the Storm King (who once was great, but now could barely conjure a dust devil and is failing fast) on his birthday. In a last-ditch effort to avoid exile, he travels to the Good Magician Humfrey for help in finding his magic talent. Will he succeed, or will he have to leave behind everything he knows and loves?

After realizing what spot More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 23, 2010

diana rated it:

Wow, the blatant misogyny that not only runs through this entire book but in fact fairly fundamentally determines the plot is not something that figured prominently into my happy childhood memories of beloved Xanth. There are some moments where Anthony's humor and brilliance come through, but overall this book was actually hard to get through for me. The characters' reasoning through the magic and its consequences is tedious rather than charming and engaging the way it is in the later books, and More...

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Apr 11, 2009

Erin rated it:

Oh, Hey! I read these way back in middle school, when spice girls was in theaters and flare-leg jeans were new and strange. I loved them so much (the books, not the pants or spice girls) I read the neverending spewage of books way, way too far -- to the point where they got lame, convoluted and more like a big collection of bad puns than a novel. Night Mare was about the beginning of the end, if I recall correctly. The line of books goes out so far that the main characters in the books I was rea More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 06, 2011

Jason rated it:

I'm surprised I never read any of the Xanth series in high school, so I decided to try out the first one from the local library. It's interesting and likeable. Xanth is a mystical land (oddly resembling Florida) full of magical beings and where all people have one special magical ability. All of them, however, except for Bink. Somehow he doesn't, and to avoid being exiled from Xanth, he goes on a quest to find out if he actually does have powers.

As I said, the first book is likea More...

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Jun 21, 2011

Nic rated it:

I read one of Piers Anthony's books in high school and remembered it fondly. I've always been a science-fiction/fantasy fan, and just recently started thinking about that book. After a long and exhaustive search, I was able to come away with the title of that book (Demons Don't Dream) and was pleasantly surprised to see that he had a large assortment of other books.

A Spell for Chameleon is a fantastic book, as you can see since I finished it in one day. It's easily a quick read and the More...

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Jun 12, 2009

DDog rated it:

I adore the Xanth series, and have read probably 2/3rds of it in total. I found them when I was a kid, checking out this very book from my middle school library, and fell in love.

With that said, this one didn't hold up quite as well as I'd hoped years later. Some other reviewers mention the sexism and the cardboard characters, and they're not wrong. It was published in 1977, but even the newer books still struggle with those issues, which have by now become staples of Xanth, sometime More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 16, 2011

François rated it:

After having introduced me to Piers Anthony through On a Pale Horse, which I loved, my girlfriend suggested I read the first of the Xanth series, A Spell for Chameleon.

I really enjoyed this book but thought the storyline tended to drift at places as the plot is all over the place. However, the adventure of Bink and his search for magic is quite eventful. We are introduced to a world of magic, dragons, zombies...you name it, Xanth has it.

Unlike others I've seen here, I do More...

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Apr 25, 2011

Ken rated it:

Here is another fine example of me blundering into a series as I was looking for alternatives to "Flowers In The Attic" and other teen lit ilk...

This is book one of the Xanth series...tho I actually read "The Source Of Magic" (book two) first...

Bink, our hero, is the protagonist who lacks magical talents in a world filled to overflow with magical people, places and objects....He goes on a series of adventures and encounters a series of female counterparts. More...

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