ISBN: 0-312-87877-X Order from: Amazon.com
A highly self-derivative sequel, this novel of musical magic brings little originality to the cycle of traveling and fighting against determined but dense enemies.
Reviewed by David on May 28, 2001
Genre: Fantasy (Sword and Sorcery, Music)
Synopsis: Anna was an unwilling traveler from Earth to the magical realm of Liedwahr. A trained classical singer, Anna became a formidable power in the world where music is the conduit for powerful magic.
After a quarter century of keeping peace and encouraging prosperity in the formerly torn Defalk, Anna dies. Her three sorcerous students and the bright but occasinally short-sighted Roberto, Lord of Defalk, have to stem the tide of ambitious conquerers no longer held back by Anna's terrifying reputation.
Secca, Anna's student and the new Lady of Loiseau is in the forefront of this struggle. Accompanied by her players and a few companies of loyal lancers, she must overcome rebellion, help fight off the nearly overwhelming assaults by the Sea-Priests and their drum magic, and convince the overly ambitious everywhere that the young sorceresses of Defalk are enough to stop any agression.
And, in addition, she must struggle with the ancient fears of a land scarred by magical warfare, where many prefer to risk enslavement or death to using magic in anger and poisoning the land for generations.
Full Review: Modesitt's style has always been a bit unwieldy, but in many of his novels his storytelling skills won the day. Unfortunately, while the pace of this fourth installment in a fantasy series continues to be as brisk as ever, and the battles tense and chaotic, the stories have all been told before.
The episodes where a young and frail-seeming sorceress convinces warriors of her deadliness with the spell and the blade, as well as creating spells that just manage to defeat the overwhelming force at a great personal cost, have all been seen before. The new sorceress, Secca, doesn't seem to be sufficiently different fom her teacher, and the enemies are just as dense, malevolent and greedy as their late predecessors.
The various annoying elements—like fuzzy mysticism, the portentious but brief glimpses of other lands, strained sex politics and onomatopoetic names—are still present here, and unrelieved by freshness of the story.
This fourth installment in the "Spellsong Cycle" offers very little originality and significant amount of frustration. It's not recommended for anybody other than determined Modesitt fans.
Overall: 4.5; Plot: 5; Characters: 4.5; Style: 4; World-building: 5; Originality: 3.5;
Copyright date 2001, Tor, May 2001, Cloth, 510 pages
ISBN: 0-312-87877-X Order from: Amazon.com