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: 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.
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