The Hour of the Gate

Invasion of the Plated Folk! The elders of Polastrindu watched in horror as Clothahump, wizard and turtle, spun visions of the coming invasion. Finally the Plated Folk had a magic potent enough to penetrate Zaryt's Teeth and the warmlands, igniting a devastating war between the species.

The wizard and his earthly helper, Jonathan Thomas Meriweather, grad student and rock guitarist, must undertake the voyage into enemy territory in search of allies against the evil hordes from beyond. So Jon-Tom, Clothahump, Mudge the Otter, flame-haired Talea and their motley crew set sail on a suicide mission down the treacherous river that winds through the subterranean lair of Massawrath, Mother of Nightmares, across Helldrink through a tunnel of cold flame to the center of the earth. It is a perilous journey few have attempted, and none have ever survived.

Now the peace-loving student must become a soldier and crusader, fighting with sword and song. For strumming his otherworldly duar, he is the maker of magic, his music conjuring configurations, transforming Jon Meriweather into the Spellsinger.