Saturday, June 23, 2018

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony


A Spell for Chameleon is the first of the Xanth books. There are currently 41 books with 42 and 43 scheduled for publication. In the land of Xanth, all people are born with a magical talents that they have to perform at some point to stay in the land of Xanth, otherwise they are banished to Mundania (our world). Some of these talents are ordinary like making a spot appear on the wall, others are magician caliber. Bink has magician level magic, unfortunately he has no idea what it is therefore he cannot manifest it. He is thrown out of Xanth where he meets the “Evil” Magician Trent who was thrown out of Xanth years ago. He is trying to get back into Xanth and decides to use Bink to do so. And by the end, it is Bink and his mysterious talent that will indeed save the day. A great introduction to a wonderful world.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

The Wolf's Children by Amanda Kuhs


Duncan FaolchĂș, Earl of Grayscale is unsure what to do when a young boy with extrodinary talents is thrust upon him. But then Duncan is not ordinary himself, being the Alpha Wolf of the Seelie Court with connections to two royal houses. When he is called upon by the King and Queen of Spring to find their runaway youngest daughter, Duncan is plunged into a mystery that has spanned the centuries and has influence upon his own life. Then there is the possible romance with the King and Queen oldest daughter…
This book is available on both Nook and Kindle.

Sunday, June 10, 2018

The Argonautica by Apollonius


Strictly speaking the Argonautica is a myth and not a fantasy. The ancient Greeks believed that the events detailed in this ancient epic actually happened in that time before time when gods and monsters stalked the earth. It is here that the complete story of the Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece is detailed. It tells of his relationship with the priestess Medea and how she helped him win the Golden Fleece away from the King of Colchis. The story is fragmented in parts, but interesting in its entirety, as long as you take it in the spirit of which it was written. Worth a study when reading ancient mythology.

Sunday, June 3, 2018

Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003)



Sabrina was based on the Archie comic about the same title character. It tells the story of Sabrina Spellman, a teenager who finds out that she has magical powers. She lives with her aunts, Hilda and Zelda because it is implied in the series that her warlock dad is off doing warlock things and she can’t currently live with her mortal mom without killing her until she gets her powers under control. There is also Salem, a warlock being punished for trying to take over the world, who is currently a cat. (Hilda joined in his revolution. Her punishment is that she has to take care of Salem.) The series involves Sabrina’s attempts to get control of her powers and have a normal teenage life along with her boyfriend, Harvey, her arch nemesis Libby and her various friends.

One of my favorite episodes is Troll Bride where a troll that helped Sabrina find her math book claims her as his bride. Harvey then has to rescue Sabrina in a fairy tale sort of way to bring her back to the mortal world.