Customer Reviews

Songs of Earth and Power

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This work combines 2 previous LONG books. I have read the 2 separately, and am combining the reviews here. This book has got to be huge. My detailed rating for Infinity Concerto separately is 4.1, and The Serpent Mage is 4.5. The essential story of Infinity Concerto is very simple. The main character (Michael) is forcibly drafted by the Elves (Sidhe) to learn magic. It's a traumatic experience. But that's not the strength of the book. Bear generally writes fairly hard SF. The magic here has some interesting physics to it! But the best thing is the history. Bear provides a detailed history starting at the beginning of time. Not exactly with quarks either. This extremely complex history of the 5+ sentient races on Earth drives the whole story, and you learn that history a piece at a time through the two books. Why is Michael drafted by the elves? You find out by the middle of the second book. In The Serpent Mage, Michael has completed his magical training, and now he has to use it. There is lots more of a story to this book compared to the first. What with meeting a nice girl, training an apprentice Sidhe, trying to force a peace between Sidhe and humans, and trying to save the world, Michael has much to do. The main problem in the book is that the Realm, created by Tonn as a home for the Sidhe, is literally falling apart. So everyone there needs to find a new home, quick! And considering the history of this universe, there will obviously be cosmic problems with that. The book also includes a lot of film/film score/classical music scholarship. It doesn't interfere TOO much with the story. The book DOES answer some questions -- what IS the Loch Ness monster? But at the end I still have a few. What happened to Michael's horse? Why did saving Tonn's wife fall to Michael, not the Crane Women, or the Ban? In any case, this pair of books is quite satisfying when you reach the end.

Originally two separate books, Greg Bear's `Infinity Concerto' and `The Serpent Mage' are brought together in one volume renamed `Songs of Earth and Power'.

The story revolves around Michael Perrin, a young poet who is searching for meaning in his life but with no direction. When he befriends Arno Waltiri an elderly neighbour who is also artistic (a composer), it is a meeting of minds and Michaels life changes forever. Unfortunately Arno dies soon after meeting Michael but leaves him a key to an old abandoned house. What Michael is about to discover is that this house is a gateway to another realm, the Realm of the Sidhe, a realm that is both compelling and dangerous, a realm that is difficult to escape from.

Greg Bear's land of elves is not the pretty, enchanted place of so many fantasy novels but is an oppressive, menacing land of cruelty and fear, ruled by the unfeeling Sidhe. His brilliantly descriptive narrative draws the reader in until you feel part of this world. It is a difficult book to put down. Songs of Earth and Power isn't an easy or comfortable read but it is one that is well worth the effort. It's definitely one of the better novels in the fantasy genre and it's a great addition to the bookshelf of any lover of fantasy.

This is actually the first of Bear's works, though published as a unit much later. It is essentially a work of fantasy, but written with the underpinnings and attention to detail and consistency only a true hard-SF author would give attention to. If you've ever wondered if faeries were real, or if a myth really were true, what would the world be like, this book is for you. He treats these ideas seriously without taking himself too seriously. It -is- a long book, but you will feel enriched for reading it. A very personal afterword by the author is quite endearing and makes the novel even more enjoyable after the fact. Get the book, take your time, and read it. This is a book to be savored.

A fair number of years ago I went to my favourite bookseller. She called me to the shop counter, and told me that something pretty exciting had come in that morning. Accordingly, I was the first person in town to buy Greg Bear's "The Infinity Concerto". Several years later I became the first person to own "The Serpent Mage". I am an inveterate lender of books. However, I have never loaned anyone either of these two books. I just know I shan't get them back. Great writing, great visualising, great characters, great nasties - and a superb serpent. What more could you possibly want? Well, yes, all right: "Eon". But Bear gave us that as well, didn't he?

To the people who gave it 2 stars and 3 stars shame. They did not fully apreciate the imagery contained in these two novels. I rarely re-read novels but this is one I just had to.

It taps into our need for something more, this is the way all fantasy should be written, not the usual heavy going stuff.

I have a confession to make. Before I read Songs of Earth and Power by Greg Bear, I was a fan of the SciFi/Fantasy genre. Now, nothing can satisfy me. In his spectacular book, Bear more than raises the bar for his fellow writers. As for his supposed "blasphemous" writing: Bear is taking creative license. I am a very religious person, and I beleive wholeheartedly in God. Yet I am openminded, and can read a novel that questions God and the story of creation and take it for what it truly is -- a story, nothing more. If you cannot be open minded and take offense at "blasphemous" writing in a fiction novel, then you probably shouldn't read this book.

This is the most imaginative, original, and creative book I have ever read (and I read quite a lot); now, every other SciFi/Fantasy book on the shelf just seems like another brainless, cookie cutter novel complete with dragons, magic, and the like.

So, if you want to experience an intellectual, thought-provoking, and entertaining Fantasy (which seems like an oxymoron to me now), RUN not walk to read this book.

However, if you want to continue reading and enjoying other SciFi/Fantasy novels, I would recommend that you avoid this one. It'll spoil everything else for you.

I read the original book, The Infinity Concerto at the behest of a friend who likened it to "Star Wars" for the fantasy genre. How right he was! Michael Perrin's coming of age and power in the Realm and his subsequent growth and maturation on Earth -- in The Serpent Mage -- strike deep chords with anyone who's felt deeply as a teenager and strives to be the best adult she/he can possibly be. After reading these books and the polished version, Songs of Earth and Power, I always come away with a positive, powerful song in my heart: All things are possible and we all have a destiny to fulfill for the betterment of this world and this life.

This is one of the best books I've ever read (and reread). I highly recommend it for anyone who's interested in other worlds and fantasy with a grounded historical twist. Also, I suggest you get a copy of Mahler's 10th Symphony, Mouth Music's debute CD ("Mouth Music"), and both of Talitha MacKenzie's CDs ("Solas" and "Spiorad") which are sung in Gaelic -- as close a language to Cascar as exists in our Realm! This music helps drive home Greg's ideas even more!

Since reading a couple of his books, I became a big fan of Greg Bear, but never was much of a fan of fantasy novels. Now I dislike fantasy novels even more, thanks to this book. He has shown how to really write fantasy, not the usual same-plot-change-the-names junk with dragons in it.

Short summary: this is the coming of age of a californian teenager captured in a beautiful (my opinion) and dark fantasy world that has little respect for nonsense. It takes too long a while for the kid to grow up. In the meantime, there are too many, too wordy description of too many unessential details that muddle a very inventive imaginary universe. The book would have been much better it it had been 1/3 shorter.

Some books by Greg Bear I've read fairly recently I also liked a lot, so why not trying some of his older writing. Hmmm. Think again. This one I wanted to put down for good after fifty pages, but on the merit of previous reads I persisted, and thank heavens it got better. But not that much . . ..

The fundamental ideas are original and refreshing, but it took me 150 pages to begin to care for Michael, the protagonist. At page 50 or so, when yet another creative calamity was just about to get him, I found myself rooting for the calamity.

I plodded on, for Bear's sake. Michael grows up, fortunately, but the process is annoying to the reader (me) rather than inspiring. The narrative is fine, yet Mr. Bear gets lost in many winded descriptions that stall the action and add only marginal detail to otherwise very good world-building. More often than not I ended up reading the first sentence and the last sentence of, or just scanning through, too many paragraphs without dialog.

Mr. Bear's writing gets better with time. This early novel of his is not quite ripe yet. The absorption value (how much I get lost in the story) is uneven. Your mileage as a reader will vary--a lot. I cannot really recommend this title, sorry. Three stars because the world is original and crafty, I did finish the book, and there are some good moments :)

This is the story of a young man that comes to learn that world he has lived in is not all that seems or all that it could be.

Faeries are real, but have had a blood fued with humans for eons. It is this the outcome of this struggle and our protaganist's role in it that constitute the story.

Greg Bear has written a very imaginative and thoughtful story with plenty of introspection and action. Through his story telling, we come to learn how humanity lost its magic both literally and figuratively. Allowing us, by the end, to see the real history behind our history.

I found the book quite original after seeing so many Lord of the Rings knock offs. All powerful evil thing bent on world domination must be stopped by a band of stalwart, but limited heroes, who by the grace of ***fill in the blank*** find/destroy the talisman of ultimate blah, blah, blah.

Greg Bear doesn't tell that story (again). He tells a different one, and it is quite refreshing.