another quest, this time an effort to mend a broken
musical instrument with magical powers.
Two later additions were less interesting. Son
of Spellsinger(1993) introduces the next genera-
tion, but the adventures are largely repetitive.
Chorus Skating(1994) is similarly light, although
the segments involving a weird, evil rock group are
amusing. The Spellsinger books are good-humored
adventures in which there is never any serious
doubt that good will prevail in the end. The first
six novels in the series have been collected in om-
nibus volumes as Season of the Spellsong(1985) and
Spellsinger’s Scherzo(1987). Most of Foster’s other
fantasy novels are inconsequential, but The Jour-
ney of the Catechist trilogy is quite original, al-
though sometimes rambling.
Springer, Nancy(1948– )
Nancy Springer is one of the minority of fantasy
writers who demonstrate a clear evolution in
theme and setting during the course of their ca-
reers. She began writing with The Book of Suns
(1977), a pleasant formulaic fantasy about a quest
in a land of elves, but as the years passed she
moved away from exotic otherworlds and times
and concentrated on contemporary fantasy, usually
with a feminine viewpoint and primarily for young
adults, although she continues to enjoy an adult
audience for that same work.
Her first major fantasy was the sequence con-
sisting of The White Hart(1979), The Silver Sun
(1980, a completely rewritten version of The Book
of Suns), The Silver Sun(1981), The Sable Moon
(1982), The Black Beast(1982), and The Golden
Swan(1983), published in an omnibus edition as
The Book of Vale(1984). All five books are well
written but rather conventional adventures involv-
ing quests, the battle for a throne, and evil sorcery.
Springer seemed destined to become one of the
many authors mining this particular literary vein,
and her next few novels did little to change this
impression. Wings of Flame(1985) chronicles the
efforts by a small number of heroic figures to de-
flect the force of an evil invader, and Chains of
Gold(1986) follows the adventures of two fugitives
who flee their homeland pursued by various ene-
mies, human and inhuman.
The Sea King trilogy also was not markedly
different, although it was much more ambitious
and noticeably better written, consisting of Mad-
bond (1987), Mindbond (1986), and Godbond
(1988). A supernatural force menaces the future of
an entire world, so another group of heroes battle
shape-changing infiltrators and a reincarnated
goddess to save the day. It was with Apocalypse
(1989) that Springer began to change her perspec-
tive and branch out into new territory. A small
Pennsylvania town whose economy is on the skids
encounters even greater problems when the leg-
endary Four Horsemen appear, and an uncertain
young woman tentatively turns to magic. Although
the plot is ostensibly one of good versus evil,
Springer was much more interested in developing
her human characters and portraying how they
react under stress. Most of her fiction from this
point forward used a contemporary real-world set-
ting. The Hex Witch of Seldom(1989), which bears
strong similarities in setting and characterization,
is an almost equally impressive novel.
Although the majority of Springer’s later work
was for young adults, she did write two additional
adult titles. In Larque on the Wing(1994) a con-
temporary woman is confronted by a manifestation
of her younger self, who takes her on a voyage of
inner discovery, a reversal of the device used in A
CHRISTMAS CAROL(1843) by Charles Dickens. An
angel comes to earth in Metal Wings(1994) and
discovers that his appearance is so memorable that
the only life he is suited for among humans is as a
rock star. Despite some humorous overtones,
Springer treats the theme quite seriously.
Springer’s young adult fantasy novels are in-
telligently written and potentially rewarding to
readers of all ages. Red Wizard(1990) is the least
interesting, placing a boy from our world in an al-
ternate reality where magic works. Damnbanna
(1992) is a thoughtful, low-key short novel about a
woman’s encounter with a mystical creature. The
Friendship Song(1992) is a very moving story about
the friendship between two teenaged girls, one of
whom is facing an emotional crisis because her fa-
ther is remarrying, with their situation complicated
by their discovery of genuine magic. Springer
turned to humor with Fair Peril(1996), in which a
young girl kisses a frog that changes into a prince334 Springer, Nancy