Rating: 
Summary: Slightly less than Modesitt's best
Review: Still one of the most enjoyable writers around. This poorly done take-off on Spellsinger by Foster and on Modesitt's own Recluce series is still good fun due to the quality of the writing and the no-nonsense common-sensical attitute of the protagonist. As with Recluce there is a magical balance in the world and the protagonist is the one who has been given the strength to put it back in order. Knowledge of our world also helps the heroine in her self-appointed quest. In Recluce, at least the ability to do magic varied with the person...let us hope that the facile explanation given in the book about no one willing to teach, learn or experiment is not the who;e truth. Modesitt should have been better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: A riveting science fiction novel about an un-ordinary woman!
Review: This book grabbed my attention as soon as I saw the title. As I read it, I realized that I could not put this book down. Here is a woman who thinks that she cannot fit in her world and wished she was anywhere but home. She got her wish, she was called into another place! What a wish! She learned and grew. I enjoyed how the author L.E. Modesitt, sets up the plot, the characters and the action sequences were very different. Read and enjoy the fierce independence of a woman who wishes herself away from her problems to new ones in a new world. KLC
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing when compared with recluse series
Review: When compared with his Recluse series, this book is something of a disappointment, in part because the rich detail of the Magician's discovery of his powers/and the detail of the background of the (a) magic system, and (b) the craft involved are
missing. Anna, the lead character, simply masters
the magic beyond anyone elses ability in between the paragraphs, as is done in much fantasy writing. the background of the magic between
harmony and dissonance, while hinted at, is not
developed. the stylistic device of moving among
the various protagonists that modesitt employs in
the recluse series is much less effective in this
volume, perhaps because the people/power is less
well-defined. mondesitt either hasn't thought
deeply enough about the world structure of this
magic as yet, or is simply uncomfortable with a
woman as the main character.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: This book was fine, but probably one of the worst that Modesitt has penned. Why?
First: making up any song you feel like and supporting it with some instruments becomes a magic spell. That's a little dumb. Then it seems like no one respects women, even though Anna is a sorceress. Isn't it true that anyone with power is respected? Finally, the prose is not the best and the names a little strange (Jimbob, for instance. As usual, Modesitt does better writting his bad guys and subsidiary characters than his heros.) The conversations are a little lame.
I can say that this book was good-but not great. You can take or leave this Modesitt book. I won't be buying another Erde series book unless they get better, but I am eagarly awaiting the next installment in the Recluce universe.
Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: This book is so cool! I couldn't put it down! You must read it
Rating: 
Summary: These books are an absolute insult to women...
Review: As a man in his early 40's, I have read a great deal of this type of "literature" whether a dense and challenging novel or a quick trashy beach read. I'm a huge fan of good fantasy and sci-fi, and this series seriously reeks. It is almost worth reading to see how badly this writer portrays women ( and I am not at all sure that the author is male).
Rating:
Summary: The magic of music
Review: As a fan of Modessitt's "Recluse" series, the "Spellsong" series has been tempting me for quite a while, and I wasn't disappointed. Modessitt's writing has matured since he started the "Recluse" series, and this first book of the "Spellsong" series is more coherent than "The Magic of Recluse" was. It was also nice that Modessitt has finally moved beyond the young-hero-coming-of-age mold that forms the "Recluse" series. Here, our heroine starts out as a more mature woman, thrust against her wishes into a war in a strange world. We follow as she learns to adapt to her new surroundings and finds that she has skills that she can use to help shape her own destiny, as well as the course of history on this world. The use of music for magic is intriguing and fairly well-developed, and provides a unique twist to the story. I'm looking forward to reading more about this world.
Rating: 
Summary: Potentially a good story but...
Review: My initial thoughts about this story after reading the first couple of chapters was that it was potentially an interesting story. However, I was soon proved wrong as the story dragged on and on. The author keeps on repeating himself using the same words and phrases. Characters are two-dimensional without any real character development taking place as the story progressed. The main character, although, as noted by others, is a femminist as well as a powerful figure in a male dominated world, projects too much of a whiny and egocentric characteristics not to mention a complete lack of morals. She never hears the other side of the story before she massacres thousands in her first battle. She had only prepared offensive spells for that occasion showing that she was more willing to kill there adversaries rather than to protect the people in the fort.
I also feel that the story drags too much on the political aspects which slow down the pace of the story.
All in all I think that the skeleton structure of the story is quite good but should have been better filled in. The writing style is not among the best I have encountered. This being the first book written by L.E Modesitt Jr that I have read, I hope that it was only a fluke that he has written some thing as bad as this novel.
Rating:
Summary: I'm Puzzled . . .
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: 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.
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