7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Accompanimento Obbligato - Not Quite, October 12, 2003
In Book Four (The Shadow Sorceress) of this five-book Spellsong Cycle, Secca, the ward and foster-daughter of Anna, the Great Sorceress, takes center stage after the latter dies. There is already a disruption in the harmony in the land, as it were. Combating malevolent home-grown sorcerers and staving off the invasion of the women-hating Sea Priests from afar have almost killed Secca.
The Shadowsinger, as Secca is now called in Book Five, along with her sorcerer-husband Alcaren, and a remnant of lesser sorceresses, take the war to the Sea Priests home islands [1]. When the climatic batte is fought, the Sea Priests are vanquished. Secca becomes the first ruler-sorceress of her homeland Defalk. Defalk remains the only super-power at the end of this saga.
Characteristic of Modesitt's writings is the familiar theme on the struggle for geopolitical power and authority and how they are used or abused [2]. In the Shadowsinger, essential leadership qualities with power and authority are contrasted among the relative good (Secca the Shadowsinger), the bad (Robero the Lord of Defalk), and the ugly (Maitre of the Sea Priests).
Modesitt could have written more on music and its effect on the lives of his characters. Afterall, music conveys loneliness and of pain, of strength and freedom, of life and love, of death and sorrow, and of disappointment and never-satisfied love. All these he has written, though contrained and under-developed, in the five books.
If there were a juncture where Modesitt would come through in writing love and music other than music and war, it is between the courtship and marriage of Secca and Alcaren. It would be a spark to the reader if Alcaren, the destined husband and music partner for Secca, says to her bride, "Ich bin mit einem obligaten Accompaniment auf die Welt gekommen"[3]. She then in turn patiently explains and demonstrates to the obliging husband the technique of playing Fernando Sor's "Obbligato on Etude in B minor."
It is ironic Modesitt selects music as the conduit for sorcery. This is a one-dimensional and warped exercise on the speech of the angels. Then again, this is a fantasy - everything is allowed and then some. On balance, it is a fairly good read.
A few final remarks on this last book of the Spellsong Cycle. They all pertain to editorial oversights.
1. The familiar map of the Continent of Liedwahr is curiously omitted in this final book. If one were
to read this book, he would have no reference as to what's where and where battles are fought.
2. The age of Secca and her assistant-sorceress are different in Book Four (The Shadow
Sorceress) and Book Five (Shadowsinger).
* Secca is 25+ years old (Chapter 13, The Shadow Sorceress)
* Secca is 35+ years old (Chapter 6, Shadowsinger)
* Richina, assistant sorceress to Secca, is but a" few years more than a girl" (Chapter 9, The Shadow Sorceress)
* Richina, assistant sorceress to Secca, is now "more than fifteen years younger than Secca"
(Chapter 2, Shadowsinger)
3. This one is really a salient oversight on Modesitt's part. He thinks he is writing about Candar
from the the Recluse series. Here is the quote made by the Maitre of the Sea Priests as he and
his command are out-maneuvered by Secca and her allies.
"Wards that are not wards, or more than wards. Ships from all across Candar..." (Chapter 75,
Shadowsinger)
__________
[1] The crux of the geopolitics and ideological elements in the Shadowsinger parallels the war actions post-September 11, 2001 when United States takes the war of terrorism to Afghanistan. The Shadowsinger is first published in February 2002.
[2] The Saga of Recluse is a long and skillfully crafted study on power and authority. There is the cut -and-dry "black" or "white" ideology, and the in-between "grey" ideology. All are expressed or represented by the respective ideological magic/sorcery.
[3] Attributed to Beethovan: "I was born with an obbligato accompaniment"
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Satisfying Conclusion, April 22, 2002
This review is from: Shadowsinger (Spellsong Cycle, Book 5) (Hardcover)
I read both book 4, Shadow Sorcceress and book 5 Shadow Singer in tandem which was helpful in keeping the story line fresh to mind. Initially, at the beginning of this series, I found it a stretch to believe in song sorcery, but Modesitt makes the concept viable through his engaging characters and fascinating worlds that he creates. I was glad to see the development of both the female sorcerer Ashtaar in Wei, and the Maitre of Neserea who had been neglected in the 3 earlier books except for brief mention scattered throughout them.In my opinion, this series is much more a woman's read because of strong female characters who exhibit strength and true power.
It was sad when Lady Ana died, but the firey redhead Lady Secca through several near death experiences is able to succeed albeit much devastation results from her self doubt and trial and error battles to overcome the sea priests' invasion and conquest of their lands. The introduction of a male sorcerer who becomes her husband is a welcome addition to her life and to the story line for it balances the concept of power sharing among the genders who inhabit this magical land and offsets the alienation by the male rulers and land holders who, feeling threatened, fight her every step of the way while she is trying to save their bacon.
The reason for the deterioration of rulership by JimBob/Lord Robero remained unclear to the end. His motivations were suspect, but was he merely stupid or simply greedy? In any event, the conclusion and his comeuppance was fitting and the author created a logical and satisfying closure to a fascinating saga.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, shame about the ending, February 23, 2002
This review is from: Shadowsinger (Spellsong Cycle, Book 5) (Hardcover)
The characters seemed to be much more rounded in this book than in others of the series. Anna's cameo appearance certainly tickled me. Kestrin's fuming at his impotence to affect matters gave the book an unhurried feel (those who have read the Recluce saga and earlier novels in this cycle will know that the author likes to move the action along faster than a speeding bullet).
The Plot: Secca gets hitched, saves Dumar whilst avoiding yet anohther treacherous noble and scheming assistant and gets stuck. She launches her own version of a cruise missile to kill the main obvious bad guy. The bad guy is actually the Maitre who promptly kills one of the sorceresses and starts chaining women.
Secca sails off to bring volcanic destrucction to Stura, so the Maitre, in a fit of picque, starts destroying the countryside ala Sherman's march on Atlanta. Secca gets back in time, finishing off the last of Sturrin's ships, to save Defalk killing so many lancers that the survivors refuse to attack her. The apocalyptic final showdown with the Maitre is short and creates a silver lake where a city stood - she's left with a silver ring in her eyes as are Richina and Alcaren. Robero removed from power and life the book leaves us with the impression that she will become Lady of Defalk. This just doesn't ring true. You can't just assume power in Defalk, none of the other lords or ladies would accept it, to say nothing of the assassins of the Lady of Shadows. She has the perfect tool to hand in Lord Eryhal (of Dumar) and Lady Aerfor (of Nesarea and Mansuur) to convince both states that incorporation into Defalk is not going to be one of conquest. Oh and Mansuur is just going to let Nordwei have total domination of the seas for in thirty years they would have become as powerful as Sturrin had been. Then there's that sea-priest advisor loose in Defalk. Since Jolyn, as senior, has the title Sorceress of Defalk, Secca going home leaving Jolyn to arrange matters would have been a better ending.
Were I that sea-priest, I would want to transport Secca and all those with her to the Mist World of Anna, before I tried to take over the world.
This cycle has more to run.
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