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The Shadow Sorceress - Spellsong Cycle 4 - L.E. Modesitt Jr. Book Review

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Review Summary


Tor, Jun 2001, 27.95, 544 pp.
ISBN: 031287877X

    Twenty years have passed since Anna was forcibly ripped away from her home in the Mist Worlds and sent to a beleaguered world that needed her singing abilities. In Liedwahr, singers are powerful sorcerers and Anna turned out to be the strongest winning battle after battle until peace settled in the realm. Anna adopted Secca and taught her all she knew about sorcery.

    When Anna died, a nation mourned, but Secca could not remain weeping long. An insurrection in a neighboring province needs to be stopped before anyone else thinks a power vacuum has occurred with Anna's death. In spite of her efforts, Secca has a gigantic workload ahead of her including crushing a rebellion at several locales as the Sturinnn blockade needs breaking and the Nesera revolt needs halting, etc.

    A new arc of the Spellsong Cycle begins starring a powerful but uncertain Sorceress-Protector who must follow her mentor-mother's incredible accomplishments. There is plenty of action with sword and sorcery battles even as the key characters are fully developed so their actions are understandable. THE SHADOW SORCERESS is a triumphant epic fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of The Shadow Sorceress - Spellsong Cycle 4
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Plot
Tone of book - very upbeat
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - a powerful magician
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - finding a killer (criminal) - deposing an evil leader - finding an assassin (political) - unraveling a conspiracy - finding a spy/saboteur
Political power play Yes
Political plotlets - saving govt/kingdom from external overthrow - factions fight within govt for control - preventing/managing clash/war between govts/kingdoms
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - coping with mental/magical powers
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes
Culture clash- - one culture tries to impose its culture on another group

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - mage/magician
Age: - 20's-30's
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - fire/lightning/weather cntrl - mind reading - can see into the future - can cast many different spells - is very quick - healing
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount

Setting
Earth setting: - during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Shadow Sorceress - Spellsong Cycle 4
The Prince of Shadows - Seven Brothers 1 by Curt Benjamin
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The Stone Of Light by Christian Jacq
Wielding a Red Sword - Incarnations of Immortality 4 by Piers Anthony
Gravity's Force by Ebony McKenna




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