Rating: 
Summary: old manuscripts don't always retain their flavors...
Review: I read quite a bit, at least 2 books a week. When a book is good, I'll read it in one sitting. I tried to enjoy this book, I truly did. Reading this book is akin to trying to get from one end of Chicago O'Hare to the other to catch a connecting flight. You get on the flat escalator/people mover and get going - things are good. Then you run into those people who stand in your way and not to one side. You get past them, and start moving again - now you're getting somewhere. Then the next people mover is broken, so you have to get off and walk next to it, looking at all the other shops (or books at the news stands). Sooner or later you know you will get to your gate, but the pace is broken up and you feel exasperated. This book is actually 2 books, that were meant to be one book, but finally published as 2. They were submitted and turned down on multiple occasions. Read this book when you have exhausted everthing else on your shelf. I did enjoy his tie-ins to biblical creation, but it was not deep enough. We really only get one character in this book, as all the rest are in and out, or server a specfic need to get Michael (the hero) through the chapter. We didn't get anything on how the Earth dealt with the new influence of magic etc... Overall, I enjoyed Book 2 (the second half of the book), but you have to get through Book 1 to get there. The book just didn't meet my craving for character & "world" development. This book feels that it is more about Greg Bear and his own personal growth than it is about a fantastic Realm and it's relationship with Earth (or us as a reader)
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book -- and I've got "soundtrack" suggestions, too!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book -- and I've got "soundtrack" suggestions, too!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Rich, imaginative, thoughtful adventure
Review: I've enjoyed Bear's Scifi, so came to this from that realm. Bear has a stunning imagination. The material doesn't come across as dated at all, even though this was one of Bear's earlier works. I'd highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Best damn book I've read yet
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Sacrilegious, yet very good.
Review: Songs of Earth and Power is definitely one of the most original works of fantasy literature ever written. Not your typical sword swinging, dragon fighting, sailing into the sunset type deal. The world view presented in this book seems to lean toward a pantheistic or panentheistic world view. Not recommended for a philosophy book, but definitely one of the best works of fantasy I've ever read. I'm sure Mr. Bear did not intend for it to be a philosophy book anyway. If your a Christian and offended easily, stay away from this book. If your searching for answers to the meaning of life; stay away from this book. If your just looking for a really great story, then this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Sacrilegious, yet very good.
Review: Songs of Earth and Power is definitely one of the most original works of fantasy literature ever written. Not your typical sword swinging, dragon fighting, sailing into the sunset type deal. The world view presented in this book seems to lean toward a pantheistic or panentheistic world view. Not recommended for a philosophy book, but definitely one of the best works of fantasy I've ever read. I'm sure Mr. Bear did not intend for it to be a philosophy book anyway. If your a Christian and offended easily, stay away from this book. If your searching for answers to the meaning of life; stay away from this book. If your just looking for a really great story, then this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a powerful vision of the Future.
Review: The future of mankind hangs in the balance, and Michael Perrin is the unlikely hero. The vision of the future that Geag Bear paints here becomse clear when the book is finished. Intense and Mature all at once, this book gives you the feeling of loss and hope in the same chapter. Brilliantly written and wonderfully protrayed, this will make anyone think about the future and past of the earth
Rating: 
Summary: A great book on the border of fantasy and sci-fi
Review: The only book I have read of Bears, this 2 part book is quite different from the normal fantasy range. By setting some of it in this world Bear has added a surreal, almost twighlight zone kind of feel to it, towards the end. good, but not too memorable characters, are mixed with a diverse and interesting world, making this an extremely enjoyable two-part novel. I personally like the first half a lot better then the second half and, even though I didn't think the second half was exactly bad, I could have easily stopped halfway.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful read
Review: 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.
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