Customer Reviews

The Singer of All Songs (Chanters of Tremaris Trilogy, Book 1)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've reached a point where the thought of reading about yet another fantasy heroine who is a) sixteen, b) spunky, c) beginning to discover a vast amount of magical potential, and/or d) of mysterious parentage, makes me groan and reach for another book. It is a sort of compliment to Kate Constable that, in spite of endowing her heroine Calwyn with all four qualities, she has written a book I enjoyed and think I'll probably read the two forthcoming sequels to.

The plot of The Singer of All Songs, reduced to basics, involves the quest of a small group of young people trying to prevent a power-hungry prince from achieving world domination through the mastery of magic. This should sound familiar to all fantasy readers, and it isn't necessarily a discommendation-- after all, everyone from Tolkien to Lloyd Alexander has used something similar. The details, of world, characters, and magic, are what determine merit, and Kate Constable's aren't quite up there yet. The Singer of All Songs is a very readable YA fantasy that falls short of true excellence.

The magic of the world of Tremaris is based on sung 'chantments' in nine disciplines: ice, iron, wind, fire, tongue, beast, seeming, becoming, and a final ineffable one related to the Goddess. Differing vocal range and pitch have something to do with the practice of each, but exactly how the chantments work and why is largely left unexplained. It's an interesting idea, but as a previous reviewer has pointed out, there aren't enough guidelines to govern the magic. Similarly what details are provided about the lands of Tremaris are wonderful, from the way honey is integral to Antaris's culture and used at breakfast and in the sickroom alike, to the unvocal speech of the tree people and the university at Mithates. They are too few of them to make the world feel convincingly real. It's like getting snapshots when you've been promised a full tour. It's also a shame that a map hasn't been included inside an otherwise beautifully designed book.

The Singer of All Songs has so much potential that it is frustrating that it doesn't realize it to the fullest. Kate Constable's clear prose is capable of a brilliance and beauty that it only periodically delivers. Her characters are similarly uneven. Trout, a school boy who has 'mad inventor' written all over his future, is also refreshingly down to earth and likable; on the other side of the spectrum, the healer boy Halasaa, with his quiet insistence that "this life is a dance, not a battle," is an intriguing and mystical figure. Unfortunately, the story centers around sixteen year old Calwyn, an acolyte of the priestesses of Antaris. She is virtually undistinguishable from a host of other sixteen year old fantasy heroines with unknown origins and an abundance of powers. Calwyn isn't dislikable, but nor is she a compelling enough character to really make her tale sparkle. And I *will* groan if there turns out to be a Star Wars type revelation about her father's identity in later books...

For being the first in a proposed trilogy, Kate Constable's debut stands pretty well on its own, perhaps to the detriment of relationships that could be (and ought to be) more thoroughly and convincingly developed throughout the series. Without being enamored of The Singer of All Songs, I'm still definitely interested in seeing where Kate Constable takes her world and characters in subsequent books. Recommended, with some reservations, to YA fantasy readers, especially those interested in the combination of music and magic. Also try Katherine Roberts's Song Quest and Shalanna Collins's Dulcinea: Wizardry A-Flute for more musical YA fantasy.

Sixteen-year-old Calwyn has lived almost her entire life behind the ice walls of Antaris, never seeing the rest of the world of Tremaris. Her mother had left Antaris as a young woman and brought baby Calwyn back shortly before her death, but she knows little of her father, only that he was an outsider. She is one of the ice priestesses of Antaris, working to keep their home safe from intruders. But one day, while inspecting the wall, she finds a stranger from the outside, a man named Darrow. By rescuing Darrow, she sets off a chain of events that will take her far from Antaris and lead to a showdown with an evil sorcerer who wants to take over all of Tremaris.

I really loved this book, and found it to be a unique fantasy compared to others I read. The story kept my interest all the way through, I really liked the characters, and I loved the world Kate Constable has created in this book. I loved the second book in this trilogy as well, and I cannot wait to read the conclusion. I highly recommend this book to teens who love fantasy.

Kate Constable's first book is an overall pleasant read. It tells of Calwyn, who lived in Antaris where women learn the chantment Ice-call. This magic is performed by singing, and is one of nine forms of chantment in the world. She leaves the cloistered Antaris and goes on a voyage with the Sorceror Darrow, travelling to many places in order to defeat Samis, who is trying to take over the world by mastering each of the nine forms of chantment.

There were two major flaws in the book. This first was that the minor characters lacked depth. Even though a good part of the book centered on the death of a minor character, I did not feel attached to him or sad about his death. This is common for first novels, and I expect it to improve in the sequel. The second flaw was that the plot resolved itself fairly predictably. Veteran fantasy readers will find no suprises in the last hundred pages. However, I expect that as Constable gains confidence, this, too, will change in the second and third volumes.

Overall, the prose is enjoyable, and the main characters are likeable. This book is recommended for light reading during down time.

I'm an avid reader, but lately tired of magic. It was all the same, and bored me to death. As I read The Singer of All Songs, the flame was instantly relit. It's a wonderful book, and caused me to excercise some of my computer knowledge and start a fan club. The only board ready at the moment is

http://chanters.proboards33.com/

But I'm working on extending it. The book is amazing and a definite read for anyone looking for a wonderful fantasy book. My only complaint is that there are only three books!

If it were possible to rate something a three and a half, so I would have rated this. Since I cannot, I went with the higher number.

"Singer of All Songs" is a wonderful introduction to the fantasy genre (though I would not go so far as to say it's on a par with the Golden Compass). I especially love Constable's emphasis on music in the world of magic, as they're something I've often felt go hand in hand. Hardcore fantasy readers may find that some of the elements are overused (which is difficult to avoid in fantasy), though it's still an entertaining read.

My main complaint is that, as the book progresses, there seems to be a lack of development as far as the laws of the magic go. I began to feel as if pretty much anything were possible, which is a nice idea until one realizes that there can be no real challenges for the characters to overcome if they can do everything. The magic in the story is not consistent with what the author wants us to believe. For instance, in the beginning we are lead to believe that learning the different chants and magical modes is something extremely difficult and rare. Yet, Calwyn runs into so many master enchanters completely at random, and then herself learns so many modes in a matter of days and with little effort, that one begins to doubt that there is any difficulty to learning the chantments at all. In a nutshell, Constable is a little to impressed and self-indulgent with her characters to fully satisfy those readers who look particularly close at the story and are not satisfied with being only partially convinced (me).

That being said, I feel I should point out that the above is a magnified close-up of my critical opinion, and the book is by no means lacking merit. It kept my interest the entire way through, the descriptions were good, and it was overall an enjoyable book. And I would certainly be interested in reading the next book in the trilogy... when will it be published?!

I've read more than my share of fantasy books, and at first, this one didn't seem much different from anything else I've seen on a shelf. But, as the characters develop more, and the plot thickens, you get sucked into this incredible world that Kate Constable has created for you. If you've read fantasy before, you'll know it's not very different from any other fantasy book, but once in while (especially with this book), it's good to get back to the bare essentials of fantasy. The heroine has a compelling and realistic personality and the storyline never stops catching your interest.

Constable has made a fully realized fantasy world. Tremaris spans a globe, and is home to many types of people, all wonderfully diverse and vividly described. She does the same for her settings: lush descriptions and clever figurative language spare no color on this world. It's a beautiful place.

Calwyn is a wonderful heroine: idealistic, strong-willed, yet she knows of her own weaknesses at times. I had a brilliant time imagining her voice as she sang (Personally, I am a Japanese-pop music fan, and the opening theme of Record of Lodoss War became a sort of anthem in my head for Calwyn's voice). I really do recommend busting out your foreign language tracks (OH what a candidate for a book with a soundtrack!)

The supporting cast is well fleshed out with physically and emotionally differing characters, as well. From Darrow to Mica, everyone is their own.

Anyone who is a fan of fantasy should read this book. It will leave you impatient for the next in the trilogy.

I won't go into the plot, because it's already described in the Amazon review, but I will tell you what I thought of this book during and after I read it.

Well, I don't usually read fantasy, but this was really, really good, and I don't regret reading it. When I saw the book, I made an exception because I skimmed through it beforehand, and it looked easy to read. And it was! It wasn't boring, dull or hard to read... like how I find some fantasy books (though those are mainly adult ones).

I loved the characters, and their descriptions were excellent. Everything was well described, and I could actually see in my mind what was happening as I read it.

I don't usually say 'wow' after I read a book, but after 'The Singer of All Songs', I did! I couldn't put the book down. I recommend this series to anyone who likes Tamora Pierce, Marion Zimmer Bradley, or just fantasy books in general. I'm dying for book 2 to come out. Kate, come out with it soon!!!

The Singer of all Songs is a pleasant story about a young ice priestess, Calwyn, who has been sheltered for almost all of her life within the cloisters of her religion. All countries within her world have a singing power which their natives may learn, and enable them to control a certain element or power, such as ice, fire, beasts. Calwyn is learning to sing for ice, meanwhile getting herself into trouble, and tending to the bees.

When a young man, Darrow, is found on her side of the wall, she takes care of him. Poorly injured, he fears someone who he claims will come after him. Sure enough, this person does, and Calwyn and Darrow flee. They travel to different countries in an attempt to keep from their pursuer, Samis. In going to the different countries they begin to learn their different songs and make new friends.

This story was good and pleasant, but I don't think it was worth paying $17 for the hardback edition. It is much better to buy as a paperback, for it will probably become a fairly good series. However, I thought it was too short and a bit simple. But it was full of fantasy and had a likeable heroine, as well as a likeable hero, and the premise is fairly original.

teen girl/novice priestess
feels trapped
gets in trouble often with harsh priestess
runs away with mysterious older man/wizard
crush on him
dresses like a boy
fighting evil wizard who used to be good wizard's pal
rag-tag band of adventurers with different powers
captured by pirates
escape
travel through the "waste"
tired of eating stew
to the city of the ancients
their battle seems hopeless but then . . .