A Spell for Chameleon

I have no idea how to review this book. Let me start by recognizing how incredibly misogynistic it is. I want to praise certain things about the world, but I want the main takeaway of this review to be that the entirety of this book hates and devalues women. It is awful, sometimes shocking, and, honestly, it was a little depressing to realize that this was a childhood classic for a generation of people, at least based on the other reviews I glanced through before reading. The main character is detestable, instantly, on page two. At least I cannot say I wasn't aware of what I was getting into.

At many points I considered abandoning this book, but I kept on because it is short, because I already have the sequel, and because I was curious show more as to whether the main character would undergo some growth throughout the story. Well, to illustrate exactly how that did not happen, I have pulled a selection of quotes, equally spaced throughout the novel, presented below. I will leave this section of my review with the strongest recommendation that you do not give or recommend this book to anyone in your life, especially if they are children, especially if you remember loving it as a kid but haven't revisited it, and especially if you want that person to hold anything resembling a basic respect for women and girls.

Quotes:

"Other girls managed to enhance their appearance by cosmetics or padding or specialized spells, but beside Sabrina all other females looked somewhat artificial." - Bink's internal thoughts, page 2

"How could she avoid being seductive? She was a creature constructed for no other visible purpose than ra---than love." - I don't feel context is required for this one, page 57

"'It can all be yours,' she said. The alluring fourteen-year-old reappeared. 'No other woman can make this promise.'
Bink was suddenly, forcefully tempted." - Iris, shapeshifting to seduce Bink, who is 25, almost succeeds while in the form of a 14 year old, page 98

"It figured. She had said he wouldn't believe her reasons, and he had believed the first one, so she wouldn't tell him the other. Typically female logic." - Bink's internal thoughts on Fanchon, page 175, included mostly for this particular tone, which is pervasive in the book

"Bink was impressed again with her intelligence. Every time he caught her doing something stupid, it turned out to be the opposite." - Bink's internal thoughts, page 210

"Bink suspected Milly would turn out to be a rather pretty girl, and he wondered just how she had died. A liaison with a castle guest, then a stabbing by the jealous wife who discovered them?" - Bink's internal thoughts, concerning a ghost in a castle, who is steadily becoming more visible, page 259

"He obviously had no emotional attachment to the Sorceress, and shared a masculine appreciation for the insulting pause Bink had made. Iris had, just now, shown them all how ready she was to sell her illusion-enhanced body for power." - Bink's internal thoughts, following his insult calling Iris "sluttish", page 301

"'That's good,' Trent said gravely. 'Now put on your pretty face; we are entertaining company.'" - Trent telling Iris, who he holds complete control over through physical threat, to use illusion, page 343

Also, it turns out after that exercise of pulling quotes, where I'm afraid I did not even scratch the surface of what I found issue with within this book, I do not actually want to praise certain things about the world, as previously stated. I just want to move on to better books. show less

Xanth was the first series of books that caught my attention as a child, and I have Piers Anthony to thank for my love of reading today. I read nearly twenty of the books before moving on to more advanced fantasy series. What is most remarkable about all of that to me, however, is that I don't remember once thinking how horrifically sexist the books are! It's hard to talk about the magic of Xanth and the great and interesting talents of its people because the book is overwhelmed with things like a mock rape trial, observations about the uselessness, deception, and irrelevancy of women, and downright shameful reduction of women's role in society and men's lives as objects. I am not a vocal advocate for women's issues, and I'm very often show more turned off by liberation or empowerment propaganda, but in the face of outright misogynistic vitriol I cannot help but take a stand. It is one thing to discuss the differences of the sexes, their relative strengths and weaknesses, and even allow for some socio-historical context to influence the characters in a fantasy setting; but Piers Anthony goes way beyond that at every turn. The book somehow makes a claim to be about the worth of a person being judged by doing the right and just thing even when faced with unjust situations. Yet it takes a pause in the very beginning of the main character's adventure to have a completely pointless aside where in the guise of a legal proceeding he dismisses the entire concept of date rape as being ridiculous. He outright claims that a beautiful and smart woman must be inherently evil, and that it is only natural for a man to want a woman of both intelligence and beauty, but not at the same time. These things overshadow every aspect of the fantasy story being told. I can't even begin to talk about the story's tales of companionship, illusion, history, or growth. They all take a back seat to one man's disgusting vision. As my own son grows, I had planned on offering up this series to him at an early age in hopes of capturing his interest in reading. You can be sure that won't be happening. No boy should grow up thinking these kinds of thoughts about women. No good and just actions can come of it. show less

I read, and remember liking, this back when it came out. While Anthony is an anachronism today, he was one even when this was published in 1977. His sexism is pervasive - integral to the story? no; seems he just like being perverse. Some is couched: on page 53 of the paperback, he has a farmer laughing about the main character accidentally groping a female centaur and then he says that farmers had "an earthy sense of humor". "Earthy"? "Lecherous" or "vulgar" is correct in the context he created. Constant references to females growing "shrewish", or losing their looks...

And some is not couched. Only 3 pages after the "earthy" commentary, he describes a date rape surrogate trial (to protect innocent parties) with the outcome that would show more make a good ol' boy, or a billionaire golf course owner, smirk. And two pages after that, a bit character, talking to the main character about an attractive female participant in the acted out trial: "Better have Wynne show you." "Wynne?" "Your opposite. The one you almost raped." [Note, the main character was conscripted to play a role, and the outcome, as noted, was in the favor of the male players...] "Not that I blame you."

Yes, he went there. And that is a theme/attitude common throughout the first third of this book. Do we dismiss Anthony's deplorable references for culturally relative reasons, or do we hold him accountable? I regret introducing Xanth to my third son, who read nearly all of the series (I stopped after four - and the fourth was pushing it too far.) As a teen, I seemed to have been largely oblivious to Anthony's sexism, but it bothered me as an adult when I read some of his other series.

Now...there's actually a decent story in here, despite Anthony. [Yes, I know...because of Anthony]. I will probably reread the other two of this trilogy to see if Anthony's style - intriguing first novel of a trilogy, weak filler middle novel, sometimes okay conclusion - fits my memory. Now, I know that this particular series went beyond three...he's still writing these things... It's almost as if he's in competition with himself to see how many inane stretches of wordplay he can work into every page. And they often get in the way of a potentially good story. show less

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 series, which now has over 30 books. Most follow the format introduced in this novel: a protagonist with a Question goes to see the Good Magician, navigates three Challenges for an Answer, which sends them on an adventure throughout the magic country. Throughout the course show more of Bink's adventure, he is exiled from Xanth, meets the Evil Magician, finds a very unique female, returns to Xanth, and shakes up the current order of things.

"A Spell for Chameleon" is light, fun, and fresh fantasy. This is one of my personal favorites in the series; I've read most of them. Some of the later novels are quite bogged down with puns, but this book doesn't have that problem. Anthony creates a world you'd want to visit, for the sheer fun you could find there. The reader isn't inundated with page after page of details about the world, instead you discover the dangers and excitement of Xanth along with Bink and the other characters.

I tend to read Xanth books as relaxation, and as a break from "heavier" fantasy. I find them refreshing - a good change of pace. Sure, Anthony has quite a fascination with ogling women and panties; sometimes Xanth seems like a land designed for juvenile boys, but if you can get past that, you'll find a fun, enjoyable read.

4/5. show less

In a lot of ways, this book has aged so badly that it's almost impossible to write a review without mentioning its initial publication. And yet...all things considered...part of me is shocked that it was published even in the 70s as it is now, only to become the beginning of such a long-running series. With that in mind, the book having aged badly is only part of the equation, because while the story itself may not be sexist by design, there's no doubt that the characters and a number of the themes are so sexist as to require either offense or laughter, one or the other.

Because that is the thing...the main character, Bink, is so laughably sexist that it's difficult to be offended in some ways, and hard to know how much of what Anthony show more put to paper is meant to be tongue in cheek--if offered with the immature sensibility of a middle school boy's humor at too many moments. The end of the book also manages to double-down on sexist impulses in a lot of ways, consistently coming back to emphasize that the male characters are not only more admirable and well-developed than the female characters (who come down to stereotypes outside of their magic, and are judged on appearances throughout), but also more worthy of agency.

Of course, from the vantage of 2022, this is a different book than it was in the '70s, and a different book than the ones that made me fall in love with Anthony's writing in the 90s (though I never tried Xanth books, for some reason I couldn't say). And there is the creativity to be enjoyed--for all its sexism and dated and humor, the creativity of the world-building in this book IS something that can still be enjoyed for a reader who can put the other offenses aside. And, the book and story are engaging, if a bit long-winded and eye-rolling at various points.

Will I read the next one? I'm honestly not sure. It's tempting, if only to see how much of the sexism here was elevated by the main character's judgement vs. part of the world, especially since I feel sure I would have rolled my eyes at this book even 25 years ago when I was in high school, but enjoying Anthony's other works. Would I recommend this one? Well...no. show less

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?

I read this book years ago, and had forgotten all the veiled and not-so-veiled sexual references, which annoyed me, but not enough to stop reading. It suffers just a tad from being the first book in a series, setting up the world of Xanth and the "rules" in order to prepare you for show more coming information, but all in all it's well done and fun fantasy read. show less

I can't recall how this book fell into my library. I picked it up on a whim, and couldn't get past page 8. Every other paragraph is some passing description of the female main character's body or her being objectified by those around her. Really? A prankster lighting her "pert derriere" on fire? The FMC is the kind of girl who would give more of herself only after marriage, because, "the girls who have it don't need to put it on casual display", referring to beauty?
I need read no further. I've no interest in slogging through 340 pages with that sprinkled through it.