by Piers Anthony (1934)
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Picture this: you’re Bink, a sturdy young man from North Village in Xanth, standing trial before the entire village because—no matter how they poke and prod—you’ve got no magic talent. In a world where every soul from dragon to dryad wields some quirky spell, you’re the freak, the outcast, facing exile into the deadly wilderness. Your heart pounds as the villagers chant, the tension thick as Gap Chasm fog, and you wonder if ordinary is the worst curse of all.
That’s the electric jolt that kicks off A Spell for Chameleon, Piers Anthony’s riotous gateway to Xanth, and it hooks you instantly. Bink flees into the wilds, dodging sour grapes that puke acid, firewater rivers that intoxicate on contact, and a soldier named Crombie whose curse makes his sword point unerringly at whatever he hates most—like the beautiful, shape-shifting woman who becomes his obsession. You feel the rush of Bink’s quest to the Good Magician Humfrey, that diminutive wizard holed up in his castle, answering life’s big questions for the price of a year’s service. Along the way, Bink tangles with Chameleon herself—Elyze the ugly crone one day, ravishing Wynne the next, vapid Fanchy in between—her cycles of beauty and brains mirroring the book’s wild swings from peril to punchline.
What sets this apart from the grimdark swordslingers and brooding elves clogging fantasy shelves? Xanth runs on puns, woven into the very fabric of magic. Magic nickels that multiply when you spend them, a dragon that flies on hot air from politicians, a merwoman who mermaids her way through seduction—these aren’t footnotes; they’re the engine. Anthony’s humor lands like a well-timed groan, lightening the stakes without cheapening the adventure. You laugh out loud at the absurdity, then gasp as Bink uncovers his hidden edge—not flashy spells, but something sharper, proving brains beat magic every time.
I’ve reread this beast four times, and it never loses its spark; the puns grow on you like enchanted ivy. If you loved the sly wit of Discworld but hunger for a fantasy playground where every curse, creature, and quest is a dad-joke delight, this is your potion.
Crack open A Spell for Chameleon tonight—your first punny spell awaits, and Xanth will never let you go.
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