The Spellsong Cycle by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

The Spellsong Cycle is a series of five books written by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. I read them a while back and then when I realized they fit the criteria for the “chunkster” challenge, I read them again.  Also, because of the requirements for the “chunkster” challenge, I’m going to tell you how many pages are in each book.

• The Soprano Sorceress — 658 pages
• The Spellsong War — 657 pages
• Darksong Rising — 501 pages
• The Shadow Sorceress — 520 pages
• Shadowsinger — 597 pages

I’m reviewing these five books at once because I really don’t want to give any spoilers…

To start with, I really loved these books.  They are truly awesome and if they are any indication of Modesitt’s other work then you can bet I’ll be adding more of him to my reading list.  (I have him on my to-get-to-read list because i don’t have any of his other books on hand, yet.)

Anna, the main character, is a singer and music teacher from our world/time.  She is magically transported to another world where music and singing are powerful.  Songs can be used as weapons of death or to heal, to build or to destroy.

Anna had suffered through some problems in the “real” world, including the death of her daughter.  In a weak moment she wished to be anywhere but where she was and, as fate would have it, a travel-sorceress was calling for a strong, blonde sorceress.  Seeing how songs and music are the equivalent to spells and curses in this world, a singer/music teacher would definitely fit those requirements.

It takes a bit of time, but slowly Anna acclimates to her new surroundings and finds herself in the political center of the world.  She chooses who to back and helps bring down those she feels are unworthy of their positions.

She is a Weapon of Mass Destruction in a fairly medieval world.  Luckily for that world, she is kind-hearted and unwilling to do evil.

If you haven’t heard of Modesitt, don’t feel bad.  Until I saw this set of books at the bookstore a while back, I hadn’t heard of him either.  The books, however, caught my eye and after making sure that the store carried the entire set (I hate to buy incomplete sets when all the books have been published), I bought them and read them almost immediately.  I think I’ve read them three or four times now and they’re worth it every single time!

Quick note: This is one of the posts that I rushed through and then scheduled to post later.  As with the other scheduled posts, these books deserved a much more thorough review and tons more praise.