Sing the Four Quarters [Paperback]

Tanya Huff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1994

Only those born with the Bard's gift could learn to call the kigh--the spirits of earth, air, fire, and water--to do their bidding. For Princess Annice, who could sing the elemental spirits from each of the four quarters, the lure of that magic was too strong to be denied, even if it meant renouncing her royal privileges. Advertising in Locus.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: DAW; First Edition edition (December 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886776287
• ISBN-13: 978-0886776282
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,645,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pregnant Heroine - Unusual and Humorous Fantasy, July 17, 2000

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sing the Four Quarters (Paperback)

The first paragraph of 'Sing the Four Quarters' has our heroine, Annice puking up her breakfast in the privy. Now, if this had been a romance and not a fantasy, I would have guessed right away that she was pregnant, and not cursed by a wizard or suffering some equally fantastical stomach ailment. However, this book is a fantasy and Annice's long term lover is another woman, so I was as surprised as she was, when our heroine finally visits the healer. In spite of the fact that about a quarter of the novel is spent describing Annice's pregnancy, her reaction to being pregnant, and other people's reaction to her being pregnant, it is a good read. Among those who Annice manages to rescue before giving birth are a boy who can 'sing' to air and water sprites (saved from drowning), the one-night-stand who fathered her child (who was about to lose his head to the King's executioner), and her long-term lover (who was wasting away in a dungeon). Quite a list of accomplishments for someone who had problems maneuvering her growing girth up the curves of a spiral staircase! Anyway, the characters in this book are lovingly developed, and the mix of religion and wizardry is quite intriguing. The vividly described all-night vigil in the cathedral on the longest night of the year was the hook that drew me into 'Sing the Four Quarters' and I kept going through the night until I came to story's end. Now, I'll have to order the sequel.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reminiscent of Lackey's Valdemar series, January 29, 2001

By 

Michael L. Dennis "mitchdennis" (West Des Moines, IA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sing the Four Quarters (Paperback)

The king considers his sister, Annice, to be utterly rebellious. She realizes her stubbornness, but clings on to the term "independent" rather than rebellious. Annice has the bardic talent of calling all of the elemental spirits ("kigh"): air, earth, fire, and water and she abandons her royal title to join the Bards. The king places only one restriction...no children to threaten the succession.

All is going well until Annice is found to be pregnant. And the father of her unborn child is charged with treason. Annice must rescue her lover, prove him innocent, and save the life of her child.

One important point: the characters do have a sense of humor, and are not the flat, "I-know-exactly-what-I'm-doing" heros/heroines from other authors.

The book has much of the flavor of Mercedes Lackey's early Valdemar novels (Arrows of the Queen, etc.).

Although there are several more novels set in the "Four Quarters" world, this novel is truly a "stand-alone" book. You may, however, want to visit the world again to understand the mysteries of the kigh.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A total page turner, June 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sing the Four Quarters (Paperback)

I fell in love with this book before I even finshed the first page! I found it while dragging my tired friend through the book store at 9pm, I was making her read all the back of books that looked intresting (I was too busy looking for other books to bother reading it myself) and when she read Sing the Fourth Quarter, to be honest didn't sound very good to me, but my friend thought it sounded great (she probly just wanted me to find a book and leave) anyways- I found Tanya Huff to be an exellent writer who was very good with plot and true to her characters. I couldn't put it down! I'm now investigating other Tanya Huff books hopeing they're just as wonderful!