A Spell for Chameleon
First edition
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| Author | Piers Anthony |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Michael Whelan |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books & Del Rey |
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Publication date
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September 1977 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 344 (paperback) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 297146272 |
| LC Class | CPB Box no. 2227 vol. 15 |
| Followed by | The Source of Magic |
A Spell for Chameleon is the first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, published in 1977 by Ballantine Books/Del Rey Books.
In this adventure, Bink is exiled to Mundania because he has (inadvertently) broken Xanth law by not having a magical talent. He returns to Xanth with Chameleon, a woman whose intelligence and beauty vary inversely depending on the time of the month, and the evil magician Trent who was exiled 20 years earlier for attempting to usurp the throne of Xanth.
While on his way to see the Good Magician Humfrey about whether he has a magic talent, Bink runs into three different women, Wynne, Dee, and Iris, as well as Chester and Cherie Centaur and Crombie The Soldier. He finds out from Good Magician Humfrey that he has Magician-caliber magic but that it can't be identified.
Because his talent cannot be discovered, Bink is exiled to Mundania, the land of no magic. While there, he is captured by the Evil Magician Trent, who was exiled 20 years ago for attempting to overthrow the current king. Trent is trying to invade Xanth with his Mundane army to usurp the throne but has been consistently prevented from entering by the magic barrier which surrounds Xanth. He believes that Bink can help him get into Xanth by providing information on the location of the source of the magical barrier, and attempts to coerce Bink into giving him this information. Trent has prepared a special elixir that can temporarily nullify magic and has a special catapult that can hurl this elixir into the land of Xanth. All that Trent needs now are the exact coordinates of the shield-stone. Bink refuses to cooperate and is thrown into a pit with a woman from Xanth that has followed him there named Fanchon. Bink and Fanchon escape to sea but are pursued by Trent's forces. Eventually, Bink, Trent, and Fanchon are all swept into Xanth via a whirlpool but Trent's forces are left behind.
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