Foreword to Upcoming Submissions
#1 of The Spellsinger Tales
I will be posting some original stories, or rather components of an original extended story that is based off of characters, locations and settings from the Spellsinger series by author Alan Dean Foster. If you have not read books from this series, I would suggest that perhaps you do, should you be able to find them. The main character is Jonathon Thomas Merriweather, originally from Earth, but magically transported to another world. In this new world there are humans, but evolution has dictated that many other species have developed intelligence too. You must imagine these beings as being more than their Earth-based cousins; perhaps having greater size, more anthropomorphic features, and no compunction about interacting with each other on many levels. Thus a horse might speak, but would still be constrained by four legs and hooves, whereas a raccoon might be four feet tall and walk on its hind legs and able to use its front ones as proper hands, with variances in the various species that would be found in between.
The other aspect of this world is magic. Not everyone does it, anymore than everyone on Earth is a scientist. Young Mr. Merriweather (aka Jon-Tom) finds out in an unexpected way that he can perform magic of his own using music. His instrument, native to that world, is a duar, a guitar like thing with a dual set of strings, that where the cross blur into another reality. At first he constantly messes up, as one might expect when given powerful magic with no owner's manual. As time goes on, he grows more proficient, without it going to his head.
The characters I have borrowed for continuity are Jon-Tom; his mentor, the old turtle Clothahump, an otter named Mudge (who is a womanizer), and Roseroar. The latter appeared after he accidentally spelled her during a time of need. In the original story, Jon-Tom seems to like her, but the author never followed through on the possible romance. I felt that was unfair, hence to origins of this forthcoming segment. The other original character that makes an appearance is his first crush from that world, the defiant, independent, red-headed Talea. She was human, but not interested in him until in the later books. Jon-Tom originally found the thought of "associating" with "animals" a bit unnerving, something Roseroar completely cured him of, as you will see.
Please note that there is sex involved, and a lot of it. It is graphic and detailed, without, it is hoped, being too obscene. But that, in the end, is in the eye of the reader. I always felt that Mudge, throughout the stories, was always getting it on with this or that lady, while Jon-Tom had to play the saint. In the following stories, I have corrected this problem by allowing him to have access to "ladies" outside of the knowledge of most of the other characters, allowing him to maintain his "pure" image.
I like to think of my rendition of him (Jon-Tom), as not being to far off from the original, but I will let others decide for themselves. Personally, if I was thrown from one world to another, with all of the mystery, wonder and diversity at my disposal, I would be certain to absorb and delve into it as much as I could. But that is me.