Have you ever had a friend (or nemesis, I won't judge) who thinks that any problem can be solved with enough violence? I did, once. It was kind of weird. He was a nice enough guy, and I liked bantering and hanging out with him, but his willingness to resort to punching in lieu of actually having a serious debate was unsettling, and ultimately led to our friendship collapsing. Overall, I don't recommend dealing with anyone like that. Friend or enemy, someone who can't think beyond hitting a problem with increasingly larger objects isn't someone who you want to have in your life. As they say, "violence is the tactic of the foolish and the delight of the cruel".I bring this up for two reasons. One, I've become increasingly amused with the idea of opening book reviews with non sequiturs, and two, this is sort of how the main character of this series acts.As a normal Earth woman dropped into a fantasy world where songs are magic, Anna is in the perfect position to use her insanely powerful sorcery for a good burst of civilization building. She does so... poorly. Granted, she uses her spellsong to build a few bridges, and... and that's the only constructive thing I can remember her doing. Almost everything else involves some permutation of putting fire and or sharp things into her enemies. Also, mind control.Now, if she were the villain of this story, I wouldn't mind at all. Except she's supposed to be the hero. But honestly, she acts more like Darth Vader than Mother Theresa. Her enemies are problems to be removed, her kingdom will fix itself eventually on its own, so long as she kills any threat to it. At least, that's the attitude she seems to take. And then she resents it in herself, complaining that she's doing bad things. Which, you know, she IS.I guess my main problem with the story is just how uncreative she is with her limitless power. If she doesn't want to be attacked, why not just wall off the land, China-style? She's proven that she can do mega-construction with her voice; maybe that would help fix the problem of invaders, while still allowing for trade and NOT MURDER. Maybe instead of just mentally dominating anyone who disagrees with her and forcing them to be loyal forever, which is suuuuuuper unethical, she could instead buy their loyalty by improving their lands and showing them that a well-ordered civilization is better than the waring tribes thing they have going on. Hell, just by introducing double-entry accounting, she vastly improves her own kingdom's efficiency. I'm sure she's got another piece of esoteric knowledge stashed away that could help.At the end of the day, a lot of the book is a repeated pattern; which makes sense for a book about music, I guess. She establishes power, then there's a threat, then she fireballs it, then goes back to stabilizing her hold. Rinse. Repeat. And that's it. There's some interesting character bits, but not enough. There's some interesting ideas with the magic, but they get revealed too slowly, and again, they're not enough.Overall, recommend that you skip this series. The first book is not bad. The second book is more of the same with no significant developments. I'm not planning on pressing this literary expedition.
It has actually been a bit since I read this, the 2nd book in the Spellsong Cycle Series, and I'm having a hard time remembering exactly what part of the story is in this book. I suppose being in the hospital, severely ill and hallucinating will play tricks with your mind. lol. Unfortunately there is no book description on the front nor the back of the book. I will do the best I can, so excuse me any mistakes.Anna is now Regent of Defalk, holding the lands for the heir, young Jimbob. Lord Jecks, Jimbob's grandsire, is one of Anna's most valued and trustworthy allies and Anna depends greatly on his opinions and loyalty. Not only does Anna seem to face trouble from neighbouring countries (not really sure here if they would accurately be described as countries), often having to go to war but she is dealing with the Lords of her own lands rebelling against a woman regent. She must prove her power time and time again to men who will not believe that a mere woman could possibly rule with a strong hand; nor do they believe that a woman could be such a strong and commanding sorceress. Anna wonders how long it will take for the Lords of her land to respect her and accept her rule......or if she will be destroyed by a revolt.
What do You think about The Spellsong War (1999)?
Anna, Regent of Defalk, is intent on making the country a peaceful, just one for Lord Jimbob, the heir, to rule. To her dismay, it seems the only way toward peace is through war. Her southern neighbor is stirring up rebellion among some of Defalk's more chauvanistic lords. Is there a way to make them respect a good ruler? Only by proving that she is strong and ruthless -- not good. But she will kill herself if necessary, to produce the sorcery her country needs to end the threat.Modesitt's style is so smooth and pacey that it is hard to stop reading. The story would not stand up so well, IMO, without the smooth writing.
—Joy
I love Modesitt. Some don't like the detail in his works, but I feel the minutia is what makes it real and believable. This is another much like all his writing, but continues the Anna's journey and introduces the Sturinnese into the picture, portraying them as powerful, organized and thoroughly rotten to the core. By the end, you recognize that bringing an end to the misogyny of Erde, or at least all of Liedwahr, might just cost Anna her life. How far are you willing to go, to bring true peace and prosperity to an entire land and all its people?As usual, Anna second-guesses herself constantly. She makes mistakes. Loses her temper and struggles with what she can and can't do in a culture completely foreign to her in so many ways, and yet so strikingly familiar. She seems alone in doing what is right, but starts to see friends and allies appear, who ultimately recognize Anna's truth in everything she does and tries to accomplish. I wish I was as brave.Looking forward to the third.
—Rob
