What is Spellsinger about?

I realise that there are a few of you who have never read the SPELLSINGER series before and so I ‘d like to give you a concise rundown on the series and a longer synopsis on the first book so that you get a complete picture of what to expect.

SPELLSINGER is my favourite fantasy book series.  The reason that I like the series is because it has resonated for me for the last 23 years.  In other words it doesn’t get old, it stays fresh and I get something new everytime I read it and I read it religiously every year.

There are eight books in the series.  The first two books SPELLSINGER and the HOUR OF THE GATE are a two part adventure, originally written to be one book.

The movie that we are making is based on the first book .

Short Sentence 

If Rolling Stone Magazine made a fantasy movie this would be it!

Long Sentence 

Can an amateur musician connect with the magic in his music before it’s too late?

Short Synopsis

Jonathon Thomas Meriweather is a University student and amateur musician from LA.   He is magically summoned to another world in error and discovers that he is a Spellsinger, a musician who is able to use the power of music to conjure magic with unpredictable results.  He must harness this new ability if he is going to save the world from destruction and chaos.

Here is the long synopsis:

The feared Plated Folk, armed with an technology from the US military decimate a warmlander town and kill all of the inhabitants in a feast of gore.

The presence of their newfound technology has not gone unnoticed.  Clothahump, an elderly wizard has been troubled by it for some time and tries to summon an engineer from Earth to help them.

One minute Jonathon Thomas Meriweather is smoking a joint in his dorm room and the next he is lying in the Bellwoods and accidentally trips Mudge a five foot fully clothed otter who is hunting a lizard with a bow and arrow.

Mudge is unimpressed at losing his dinner and Jon Tom’s weird behaviour and stabs Jon Tom who thinks he is dreaming on a high from the pot.

When he realises he is not dreaming and is shocked by the gaping wound, he implores Mudge for help before collapsing.

When he awakes he discovers that Mudge has patched him up.  Jon Tom accepts that he is in another place.  Mudge knows Jon Tom has been “majiked” there and he knows it is Clothahump’s doing.

Mudge takes Jon Tom to Clothahump.  They are met by POG, a giant bat. POG is Clothahumps famulus.  Clothahump fixes Jon Tom’s wounds.  He tells Jon Tom about the world being in danger and how he tried to call up an engineer.

Jon Tom is a sanitation engineer.  This greatly disappoints Clothahump.  Jon Tom wants to go home and Clothahump tells him that it could take several months.  He gives Jon Tom some silver coins and makes the reluctant Mudge his guardian.

Mudge takes Jon Tom to Lynchbany Towne where he is fitted with new clothes and a weapon, a staff with a spring-loaded blade.  Mudge takes Jon Tom to the Pearl Possum club for a meal and entertainment, being an erotic dancing Ermine.  Mudge asks Jon Tom what he could do to make a living and Jon Tom suggests busking.  His singing however incites a full-scale riot.

Talea, a beautiful but firey human thief, aids Mudge and Jon Tom.  She enlists them to help her out of a jam, namely a mugging that went violent.

After helping Talea, the three flee Lynchbany to the safety of the nearest Thieves Guild.

His new friends desert him and Jon Tom finds himself playing in a game of chance.

Trouble looms when he wins a sexual favour from a she-wolf and he declines. This creates an uneasy situation, much to his friend’s annoyance and the three leave the safety of the Thieves Guild.  When they leave they discover that their wagon has been stolen.  They decide to walk back to Clothahump’s.

On their journey back to Clothahump’s tree, Jon Tom finds a Duar, which is like a guitar.  Jon Tom plays around with the Duar and sings.  Talea asks Jon Tom if he is a Spellsinger.  After tuning the instrument Jon Tom sings the classic Jimmy Hendrix song Purple Haze.  Then Talea shakes him.  Mudge is now convinced that his new friend is a Spellsinger.  Jon Tom sees the last vestiges of a powerful luminescence slowly fading from the edges of the instrument, slower still from the lambent metal strings.

Inspired by his last rendition, Jon Tom sings for transportation.  He chooses Little Deuce Coupe and 409 by The Beach Boys. The duar begins to vibrate and glow mightily.  This time the luminescence spreads from the strings to encompass the whole instrument. Instead of a vehicle from his own world he conjures up a L’borean riding snake.  His friends are suitably impressed.

Despite his new powers, Jon Tom is reluctant to stay and asks Clothahump to help him depart for home.  Clothahump and Jon Tom do a ritual to replace him, with Jon Tom singing California Dreaming but instead of leaving Jon Tom stays.

He recognises the woman that he has conjured up to replace him.  Flores Quintera, a beautiful athletic Hispanic student from his University.  Unlike Jon Tom, Flor is excited to be there.  This is what she has always dreamed about.

Clothahump tells all of them about the impending danger from the Plated Folk.  Jon Tom and Flor volunteer to come with Clothahump to warn the biggest city in the land, Polastrindu and make their way up the River Tailaroam to enlist their support.   Mudge and Talea are sceptical but join them when they are informed that they will be rewarded.

On the way to the river Clothahump stops at a mystical place and summons a powerful spirit, M’nemaxa who appears in the form of a fiery winged horse.  M’nemaxa cannot tell him anything.  He leaves them with the terrifying vision of a towering ten-foot preying mantis talking to someone out of view.  It turns and sees them.  A huge vibrating shriek filled the glade.  It is the Empress Skrritch, the queen of the plated folk.  Their nemesis.

The party travel to the River Tailaroam and find a place to flag down a vessel bound for Polastrindu.  They are joined by Caz, a tall foppish rabbit who immediately has eyes for Flor.

Impatient with their lack of progress, Clothahump wants to conjure transport for them but does not have the spell with him.  Jon Tom volunteers and attracts the attention of Falameezar-Aziz-Sulmonee, a powerful fire breathing socialist dragon.  Jon Tom saves the group and Falameezar offers to take them to Polastrindu.

When they arrive at Polastrindu they are met with a corrupt captain of the gate and get nowhere until Jon Tom calls Falameezar.  Safely in the city, the party is kept in a barracks and decide to break out and explore.  Clothahump is left with Falameezar while the others go out.

A sect of Humans, who have signed a pact with the plated folk, kidnaps Jon Tom.  They want him to join them.  A plated folk disguised as a human is with them.  Jon Tom’s friends rescue him before the humans can murder him.

When they arrive back at the barracks, Falameezar has learnt that Jon Tom has deceived him and is wreaking havoc on the city.  In a powerful climax Jon Tom confronts Falameezar.

Well I hope that this post gives you a reasonable idea about the SPELLSINGER movie that we want to make.

If you would like to read the book, here is a link to the official download in the USA!

http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/alan-dean-foster/spellsinger/_/R-400000000000000335862

And here is a link to Open Road Media

http://www.openroadmedia.com/authors/alan-dean-foster.aspx