Customer Reviews

The Singer

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Anyone who wants to learn to love poetry, or wants to understand the power of poetic verse but has never yet been able to...read this. Anyone who wants to really fall in love with Jesus but has never really been able to "feel" the depth of passion they know as a Christian they should come to feel...read this. Anyone who wants...NEEDS the reason for it all to be wrapped up in simple but elegant words and explained to their heart, this time, instead of just thier head.......by all means read THE SINGER! Then go on to explore the other two books in Miller's Trilogy, The Song (about the church age we are in) and The Finale (The soon coming of the Lord...the return of the Singer Himself).

This is among some of the best reading I have ever done. I have read it twice and I am starting on it for my third trip through. So far, I have cried each time. For a big, husky man who has been through the trials of a kidney machine...that says a lot!

I read this book several years ago and it still ranks as one of the most relevant books to me as a Christian. It's the first book that I give as a gift to my friends. Read anything by Calvin Miller!

I received this book as a gift several years ago and finally sat down to read it this past month. This book is poetic with obvious parallels to the story of Jesus. For those who would like to feel uplifted, ...a book you really want to discuss with someone. READ THIS! I loved it so much I have loaned it out several times, but its one I always collect back. It does not take very long to read at all but is certainly worth the effort

I think of "The Singer" as a collapsing of the four Gospels in the traditional Christian Bible. Told in allegorical fantasy or science fiction this was one of my favorite books when I was a teenager and it introduced me to Calvin Miller's fiction. It isn't easy to read, things jump around a bit, and are at the same time condensed, but I also remember sharing it with non-Christian friends who thought it was pretty cool too. As an adult now I can see more the Gospel of John is the strongest influence on the work but there is also a strong role for women in it.

This is one of those books I read over and over again. I have read it probably 20 times since my first reading. Calvin Miller puts biblical stories into narrative poems that are so well written they force you to turn the page again and again. This book is the first in the Singer Trilogy, followed by The Song and The Finale. It is a poetic retelling of three biblical books: The Singer parallels the 4 Gospels, The Song retells the story of Acts, and The Finale is Miller's version of the book of Revelation.

Miller writes explicitly Christian fantasy in these books. He is also widely known for his non-fiction AND Christian life application books.

The Singer is a powerful retelling of the life of Christ, where instead of Jesus and The Gospel you have the Singer and his song. His song, if you are open to it, can bring healing and restoration. The World-Hater, wants to destroy both the Singer and his star song. Miller's words moved me to tears the first time I encountered them. The story is so well written, it can be read over and over without losing its freshness. The book is also excellently illustrated by Chicago artist Joe DeVelasco. The drawings done in pen and Ink style add to the power of the story by transporting you into the events.

No matter how many times over I reread this book, it is always fresh and new and draws me into the story of Christ in a different way. It is truly a classic and a treasure for any bookshelf. Each time I pick these up and reread them, I find a deepening of my relationship with Christ, and of my prayer life.

Miller also has a Symphonic Trilogy that retells different stories from the book of Genesis. The two I owned were A Requiem for Love and A Symphony in Sand. As far as I can tell, there are also 2 stand-alone books by Miller in this style that are often compared to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Lewis's Narnia. They are The Valiant Papers, an account of a guardian angel's experiences, and The Philippian Fragment, the retelling of the book of Philippians from the New Testament. I have owned most of these and lent them out to not be returned. I now have The Singer Trilogy, Valiant, and Singer Trilogy 3-in-1 hardcover. Over the next few weeks I will review those I still have, but cannot encourage you strongly enough to pick them up if you find them in a used bookstore. They are all great.

Over the next few weeks, I plan on reviewing some of the others that I still have from this author. And if I find the others again, I will review them. (It has just been too long since I lent them out and did not get them back for me to review them from memory.)

Other Miller Books:
The Singer
The Song
The Finale
The Valiant Papers
The Philippian Fragment (Currently OP)

I read this book a few years after it was first published. I was a young teen and in search of.... meaning. Throughout the years, I have thought of this book, thought of re-reading it, but didn't want to lose my memory of how gently, how beautifully it tells the story of Christ. I remembered it with such fondness that I didn't dare risk re-reading it.

Finally, I've decided it's time to take a drink from the well Calvin Miller created in The Singer once again. I'm sure it will be just as refreshing as it was the first time I read it, and... perhaps I'll enjoy it even more this time!

This book is beautiful. Gods love for us pours off the pages. A book you will surely reread over and over.

Such a great book...I don't want to give anything away. It is filled with poetry, imagery, and one of the best retelling of the most beautiful story ever told.
Trust me you want to get this book. It is short. It is beautiful. It is a keeper.

Ok, it's based on the Gospels and it's in free verse poetry. It works, though. There's a lot of feeling in it.

I picked up The Singer in a second-hand store with no idea what it was. Not only did I have to buy it, I'm going to buy the sequels.

This book is an unlikely treasure that I would really recommend for almost anybody.

This has to be a book which will live through history as one of the best of the best. It's not your usual book. Not your usual Christian book. Not your usual poetry book. Not your usual story.

It's all of those, and still a look at the creation of manking through Jeaus' life and death. Not like anything i've ever read. Give it a try. I don't think you will regret it.