Rating: 
Summary: I'm Puzzled . . .
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book
Review: I wish that when people wrote a review they would at least write a competent one. For one, whoever wrote that Anna had no morality must not have read the book. She ends up in tears every time she kills people and if she has to cast a spell on someone. She is also well aware of her own faults and points them out often. Also, in a society like the one she was throne into there is no line that says who can judge and who can't. By making certain people kind she didn't judge them, she just took away their write to judge the way the lives of those around them went by abusing them. It would have been immoral and unethical to not help. Also, having detail about meals and nonsense conversations is excellent. It gives a better feel of reality. No one can believe that someone is going to be involoved in action the whole book. If you want that then read a childrens book.
Rating: 
Summary: Over and over and over...
Review: 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?
Rating:
Summary: VERY ENJOYABLE!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Singing In the Rain and Fire
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read with a little preaching.
Review: As always Modesitt does a good job of world building and character creation. The series has an interesting premise, though one that has been used a bit often. A character is transported to some other world and must deal with the culture and situations found there. Modesitt is one of the few authors who is able to make the transition between scifi and fantasy. However, in each of these genres he has a distinct political bent to his writing. In scifi he generally writes about religious, economic, and ecologic topics. In his fantasy he generally emphasizes feminism. However, I tend to think that he comes across as a Superfeminist and lays his message on a little to thickly, all men are warmongers and would physically abuse women if they could get away with it. He could be a little more subtle with his message. However, the Spellsong Cycle is a good series and quite enjoyable. All of his writing is. Just go into it knowing that you will be getting a dose of his political and moral views. I don't mind this because writing is one of the best nonviolent ways to spread ideas and it's always good to expose yourself to another's opinion, though the best reason to read his books is that they're just plain good.
Rating:
Summary: Nice book
Review: Nice book about an ordinary middle age woman who is catapulted into a different world where she can work magic. As a bonus she also becomes beautiful and young. This all sounds very nice. But the real point of the book is about caring for people and taking responsibility. This is the story of a middle aged woman who comes into power (she becomes one of the most powerful beings in the world she is in) and finds that she can shoulder the responsibility that power gives. I recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Don¿t Judge a Book by its Synopsis
Review: After reading the synopsis on the back cover of this novel, one would be reluctant to treat the reading of this story as a serious undertaking. Although magic-laden and otherworldly fantasy books are always an enjoyable break from the actuality of life, perusing a tale involving a dimension-hopping musician, turned killer sorceress just seemed laughable. However, following the first fifty rather dry pages, the brilliance of Modesitt's creativity really begins to shine. All of the very real aspects of existence are mimicked in this imaginary world, and Anna (the "Soprano Sorceress") must learn to cope with them here in a way that she was never able to in her dull existence in Ames, Iowa. After the death of her daughter, Anna finds it hard to readjust, and it is at this point she is thrust into the turbulent world of Erde. She gains self-confidence once placed in her new and influential role, and, as such, comes to be respected by friends and enemies alike. During the course of the book, Anna finds out how powerful her musical talents truly are, and must weigh her conscience against the Darwinistic will to survive. Anna also learns to handle personal emotions in this strange new world, such as loneliness, which she compensates for in her associations with those in Erde (some not as friendly as they may seem), and by trying to contact her remaining daughter on Earth. If the reader learns to ignore the mediocre attempts at lyric writing, and the over-descriptiveness in some portions of the book, he or she will discover that this story is more than had been bargained for when purchasing the book, because it is not a comic attempt at fantasy writing, but a reflection of a person's innermost struggles in fiction form.
Rating:
Summary: Magic So Real You Can Feel It!
Review: I have read the Soprano Sorceress several times and my appreciation of L.E. Modesitt's talent grows with each reading. He is one of the few writers who communicates the essence of magic realistically without the usual hackneyed device of a charmed amulet or whatever. He went a bit heavy on the entropic balance problem, the need to replenish energy after casting spells, but his alignment of intention to results made the spellcasting so real I could easily visualize every one of the results. The heroine's concerns were legitimate, if repeated a few times more than necessary. I thought Anna was portrayed realistically, although she was somewhat less sensual than I would have expected. I think her concerns about being a powerful woman in a male-dominated world were entirely valid. The interestingly illiterate rantings about this heroine would seem to support the author's contention that a powerful woman is seen as a threat by certain men.
Rating:
Summary: dissappointment!
Review: i was intrigued by the blurb on the back cover enough to look past the ridiculous cover art and completely embaressing name only to find a book with whimpy one dimensional characters. besdies describing the heat and every meal the main character eats the books isn't much more. the reader is badgered to death with stupid and immaterial facts that do nothing for the plot and i find myself avoiding this book. characters come and go and i feel no connection with any of them. pick another book when rummaging through the bookstore shelf rather than just picking one up like i did. this is a dissappointing read that will have you wondering why you ever starting reading in the first place/
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