Customer Reviews

The Soprano Sorceress: The First Book of the Spellsong Cycle

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I'm a huge fan of Modesitt, but when I first read the back cover of this book I wasn't at all interested. In fact, it was months before I purchased and read it. I guess there's something to be said for not judging a book by its cover (or in this case the back cover). I find it to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. Anna was a very interesting character - not the stereotypical hero who is told to save the world and bravely goes about doing it. Having a hero who questions herself and her actions is refreshing. The political dimension of her powers and actions I found particularly intriguing (this is developed in greater detail in the later books of the series).

As I first said, I didn't want to read it. But since I have, I've eagerly awaited each new book in the series (and I've bought them in hardback instead of waiting for the paperback version).

The Soprano Sorceress is the first novel in the Spellsong Cycle. In the world of Erde, sorcerers and sorceresses can use songs to build or destroy. Lord Brill uses song to build the foundations and walls of a fortress and then uses another song to destroy one of his musicians, Culain, whom he accuses of humming despite prior warning. Culain's son, Daffyd, wants revenge for this wrongful death and asks his friend Jenny to bring a sorceress from the mists to kill Lord Brill.

In this novel, Anna Marshall is a singer and music instructor at Iowa State University. She is a divorcee and has recently lost her daughter. She is on her way to sing at the Founders' Dinner for major donors when the world swirls around her. After a swaying step, she finds herself in a small, gloomy room in a peasant cottage on the world of Erde. Trying hard to remain calm, Anna questions Daffyd and Jenny to learn how and why she was brought to Erde. Meanwhile, Lord Brill is notified of the arrival by his magical alarm system and is shown the view in Jenny's cottage.

When Brill arrives at Jenny's cottage, he invites Anna to join him for supper at his Hall. On the way back in his carriage, he explains something of the nature and hazards of sorcery and tries to persuade her of his good intentions and the dangers facing Defalk. Her quarters are sumptuous and even has its own jakes. The Hall is guarded by armored men with swords and bows, yet is cooled by Lord Brill's magic. After washing her face and hands, Anna comes down for dinner, but is more interested in learning more about Erde and magic.

Lord Brill is building a fortress to defend against the Dark Monks, who have used massed Darksong to conquer Ebra. Now they threaten both Defalk and Ranuak. Lord Brill wants Anna to stand with him against the dark ones.

When Anna is brought through the mists to Erde, another alarm sounds among the Dark Monks. The Songmaster is informed that a Sorceress has been taken to Lord Brill's Hall, but nothing is known of her origins. He orders a thorough investigation of the new Sorceress.

This novel is a sword and sorceress fantasy with a number of twists and differences. Of course, the use of song to produce magic is not new; Foster's Spellsinger series exploits the same gimmick. However, this tale is a little more serious, with a more developed sociological and political structure as well as a cast of powerfully portrayed characters. Moreover, the energy losses from using spellsong are well-considered.

While the author shows snippets of Anna's inner thoughts, he does not fully explain her actions, so there is a continual suspense generated by her behavior. At first, she waits and gathers information, but then she cuts loose with her own sorcery.

The autobiographical aspects of this novel, and Of Tangible Ghosts, are intriquing. The author is married to a classical concert singer and some of the concerns and behavior probably come from real life. I wonder if his wife is also an instructor of music and voice tutor? The academic irritations and rewards seem to reflect modern academia.

Highly recommended to Modesitt fans and anyone who enjoys sword and sorceress tales with a strong heroine.

Normally, I have no problem taking Anne McCaffrey's recommendations on reading material. However, this time I have to wonder. The story line in this series of books is pretty good. The problem I have with them is the extremely repetitive writing style. You could probably put all 5 books in this series into 3 if you eliminated all the unnecessary repetition. Did you know that all doors in Erde, when knocked upon, go "thrap"? No booming, knocking, rapping - just "thrap". All horses "whuff". No neighing, whinneying, trumpeting, etc. And the protagonists, Anna and her successors, are some seriously angst-ridden folks - you feel guilty - WE GET IT ALREADY! I've read other books by Modesitt and the writing style seemed quite different. These books almost condescend to the reader by implying you can't remember what you read a chapter or even a paragraph before! I've NEVER before thrown a book down in frustration because I told myself that if the character "said that one more time.......". I honestly don't know if I recommend this series or not. I gave it 3 stars for story content only. But the writing style at least makes it a good read for ADD or Alzheimer's patients, I guess. I'm just finishing up the 5th book and I will be glad when it's over but still enjoyed the story. Weird, huh?

I understand that the author is married to a singer, but for goodness sake! She is one dimensional and crabby, and all the men are stupid and bigoted. There is also some of the most horrible revised lyrics I have ever seen in my life. An example: Modesitt gives us painfully childish renditions of Row Row Row Your Boat and Sing by the Carpenters, topped by a grotesque revision of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, which is supposed to be sufficient music to make powerful magic. PLEASE! Yuck. Look, reviewers, just because a man writes a woman character who isn't a complete bimbo or window dressing [rare in fantasy, I realize] doesn't make this whiney one a feminist icon.

A relatively interesting premise, despite the fact that a person being pulled into another world by sorcery and turning out to be a great sorceror has been done previously by numerous of Fantasy's greatest authors, e.g. Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and Mirror of her Dreams by Stephen Donaldson. But while the Saga of recluce has shown Modesitt to be a capable storyteller, his portrayal of a person who accepts being displaced in moments is extremely hard to believe, while the ease with which she grasps song-magic is ridiculous. To make things worse, her powerfuol spells are merely adapted nursery rhymes. For a good version of the same basic ideas, but simultaneously a more fully portrayed and believable female protagonist, a more original system of magic, a more machievellan political structure and less childish language, read 'Mirror of her Dreams' by Stephen Donalson. Highly disappointing.

Wonderfully immersive, with strong characters, I only have a few problems, one is the name JIMBOB, I keep seeing the waltons for some reason???, not to mention the way that Anna seemed to take mass murder in her stride, using Nazi ideology as an excuse to commit such an atrocity, I dont think I could condone such action, Hiroshima and Nagasaki comes to mind, I doubt if many of us would actually do what she did to the Ebrans.

I cannot find words to describe how incredibly bad this was -(but you just know that I'm going to try anyway). The storyline wasboring. The main character was incapable of seeing her own faults - she used her magic to massacre thousands with searing flames and justified it without any qualms. She used a spell to compell a man from committing crimes - she took away his freedom, but who was she to judge him? Basically, even though Anna is the heroine, her morality is non-existant. When she fights for Defaulk, does she ever wonder that she might not be hearing the full story?

The status of a character could be decided by their attitude towards Anna. If they like her, they're a good guy. Only villains were written as hating her, even though the ruthlessness that she quickly acquired should have made her more than cardboard enemies.

Could she have compared the man she fancied to Robert Meechem once more than she did? And could the various men in the book have tried to rape her any more often? That last one was gratuitous, tasteless and over-feministic.

The author insisted upon inserting her own awful rhymes at every possible place. They added to the suffering of the reader.

The book was far too long for its scope and purpose. I finished it because I told myself, every time the writing made me cringe, that it couldn't get worse. But it consistantly did.

I adore singing. When I saw the blurb on the back of the book, I unwisely judged it by its cover and bought it straight away. Don't make the mistake that I did. Do not read this book - it will only disappoint.

by all the favorable reviews of this book (and the others in this series). Most of the book consists of trivial and repetitive daily events. If you took out all the episodes of Anna sweating (annoying and unattractive), or rubbing her nose to keep from sneezing, or patting her horse (which always replies with a 'whuff'), or wishing for a bath - well, it would be a much shorter book. She is constantly eating, her meals consisting exclusively of bread, cheese, and occasionally apple slices or meat in sauce (I predict some serious constipation), but although she is supposedly starving, she is never really hungry.

Nothing happens for chapter after chapter while suspense is supposedly building, but then the battles are resolved more-or-less immediately by her overwhelming power, which is never adequately explained.

What bothered me the most, though, was the lyrics of her spellsongs. We are given to understand that the spells are very sensitive to the words used, and the way those words work with the music, but then the actual poetry Anna uses is drivel - badly rhymed garbage, quite possibly the worst I have ever read! Your average angst-ridden, under-educated teenager could write better verse, and I can hardly believe that a popular, widely published author couldn't come up with something better.

If you have any literary standards whatever, skip these books.

L E Modesitt has come up with a winning tale in the story of Anna Marshall, who is taken from her world into a world of magic where songs create the spells. She finds that the literal meaning of her songs can be used to perform magic and must find a way to temper her power. Everyone she wants to stop with a little magic fire ends up burned to a cinder. Her cool water spell brings forth a block of ice in her cup. Modesitt does a great job of showing Anna working to discover how best to use and control her powers. This looks to be the start of a very entertaining series.

I love reading fantasy, and Im able to tolerate many different kinds (even carbon copy types), so long as its enjoyable, fortunately Soprano Sorceress is one such book.

Anna is a music teacher at a University, who once had aspirations of a singing career, however family responsibilities and her husbands career took centre stage, now divorced with her eldest daughter killed in a tragic accident Anna is finding it difficult to recover from her loss.

While preparing for a performance at the University, Anna is reminded of her daughters death, feeling sad and depressed with her life she wishes she could be somewhere else, which sets in motion events that will forever change her life. Anna finds herself magically transported to the world of Erde, there she discovers her singing ability gives her powerful magic, and with that powerful enemies.

Rather than boring as some have stated I found this tale rather exciting and disturbing in parts, there are instances when Anna uses her power to kill and destroy on a massive scale, (think Hiroshima and Ngasaki), it disturbed me that A music teacher would resort to that much violence however justified her reasoning, it was unsettling and perhaps out of character.

Overall I enjoyed this tale and Im looking forward to reading the whole series, get a copy you might just like it!