Kate Constable's lyrical, acclaimed fantasy debut--now in paperback!
Calwyn has never been beyond the high ice-wall that guards the sisters of Antaris from the world of Tremaris. She knows only the rounds of her life as a novice ice priestess, tending her bees, singing her ice chantments, and dreaming.
But then Calwyn befriends Darrow, a mysterious Outlander who appears inside the Wall and warns of an approaching danger. To help Darrow, to see the world, and perhaps to save it, Calwyn will leave the safety of the Wall for a journey with a man she barely knows--and an adventure as beautiful and dangerous as the music of chantment itself.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
Aussie author Kate Constable has brought a music inspired fantasy to the States that is on a par with celebrated works like Edith Pattou's East, and The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman. In The Singer of All Songs, young Calwyn is a Daughter of Tarsis, an order of priestesses who have mastered the ice call--a singing power over cold and frost. She lives with her sisters behind an enormous wall of ice that separates their small valley from hostile neighbors in the tensely divided lands of Tremaris. This seemingly impervious barrier is breached by a wounded "Outlander" named Darrow, who comes to the priestesses with a wild tale about an evil Sorcerer named Samis who has sworn to learn the Nine Chantments of the separate lands of Tremaris so that he can rule them as the powerful Singer of All Songs. When the elder priestesses dismiss his rantings and ord! er his sacrifice to the Goddess, Calwyn becomes determined to save his life and join his quest. Together, the two new friends travel into dangerous territories, assembling a rag tag crew of comrades along the way who agree to help prevent Samis from mastering the Nine Chantments. Constable has bewitchingly reinterpreted pagan lore for a new generation, and Singer will easily find an appreciative audience amongst devotees of Tamora Pierce and Garth Nix. Although the pacing of the novel is decidedly measured in places, it only helps the reader appreciate the author's rich characterizations and imaginative settings. Young fantasy fans will find much to sing about in this first installment of a planned trilogy. --Jennifer Hubert
From the Publisher:
Set in an utterly original world where enchantment is worked by singing, The Singer Of All Songs stands out from the choir of new fantasies for the warmth of its vision and the beauty of its voice.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherScholastic Paperbacks
- Publication date2005
- ISBN 10 0439554799
- ISBN 13 9780439554794
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages320
-
Rating