Shadowsinger - Spellsong Cycle 4 - L.E. Modesitt Jr. Book Review

Enter a review
of your own!

Other books by
author L.E. Modesitt Jr.

"Shadowsinger - Spellsong Cycle 4"
Message Board

L.E. Modesitt Jr. Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR: Randall Pursley

SCHOLARS: Artemis

Would you like to be a scholar and make five dollars per review? Click here to submit a review!

Click here for free online dating advice!

Review Summary

Tor, Feb 2002, 27.95, 672 pp.
ISBN 0765303582

    The people who rule the Sturrinese Islands are a despotic lot, who shackle their women in chains and rip out the tongues of female sorceresses. They always seek to expand their empire and their present target is the land of Liedfuhr where Anna, the Soprano Sorceress brought peace to her corner of the land. Now that she is gone, her foster daughter Secca, also a powerful sorceress, is trying to keep the sea-priests from ruling her land.

    Although she is not convinced that her powers are as strong as her adopted mother, she has, through magic, sunk an invasion fleet. Prior to that, she met and fell in love with Alcaren and he with her. He uses his magical powers to augment hers and to defeat their common enemy. Tired of the never ending battles, Secca decides to bring the war to the Sea pirates own lands but even if she is successful in that endeavor she still must rid her land of the ruler Sturrin and his many followers if peace is to return.

    This fifth and last novel in the Spellsong Cycle is by far one of the best sword and sorcery novels of the new millennium. L.E. Modesitt, Jr. is a visionary who has created a brand new world that seems so real and lifelike readers will believe it actually exists. Although this is a stand-alone work, lovers of fantasy will want to read the previous four books in this fantastic series.

Harriet Klausner

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Detailed literary breakdown of Shadowsinger - Spellsong Cycle 4

Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.
New movie search (click here) New book search (click here)

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Romance Yes
Mental/magical powers focus Yes
magical powers: - good magical powers being hunted by non/weaker magical(s) (fantasy)
If an invasion, from Earth/human POV: - fighting overt invasion (attacking aliens)
War or Invasion Yes
Major kinds of combat: - ocean ship battles - mental powers battles - magical battles
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - mage/magician
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - mage/magician
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

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

Style
Person? - mostly 1st
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 Shadowsinger - Spellsong Cycle 4
The Wizard Hunters by Martha Wells
Destiny: Child of the Sky by Elizabeth Haydon
World Fall by Douglas Niles
Wit'ch Gate by James Clemens
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - Song of the Lioness 3 by Tamora Pierce

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures! Click here

Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game

3 Movie search options!
1) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
2) Detailed movie search
(click here) or

3) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion

Games:
Trivia Masters!

Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!

Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!

Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game

Pomeranians

Most recent TV & Movie discussions:

The Borrowers: The Borrowers 5/11/2008 10:53:57 PM

Xena: 37 reasons why Xena and Gabrielle are... you know.... 5/11/2008 7:02:04 PM

Star Trek Voyager: Did B'nana find her labor pains to be erotic? 5/11/2008 6:55:09 PM

A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 5/8/2008 8:17:30 PM

Blade Runner: Blade Runner 5/6/2008 12:23:07 PM

The Space Explorers: The Space Explorers 5/6/2008 10:16:13 AM

2010: Exactly why was 2010 a lame movie? 5/4/2008 10:19:38 PM

Star Trek Classic: "Mark of Gideon"--A pitch for family planning 5/4/2008 10:15:47 PM

Star Trek Classic: Star Trek's dim view of earth-hugging hippies 5/4/2008 10:10:06 PM

Star Trek Classic: Nancy Crater a bisexual monster? 5/4/2008 10:02:29 PM

Newest slaves:
Bo Derek 11:43:21 AM
Charlotte (Sex City) 11:43:10 AM
Pamela Anderson 11:43:01 AM
Jennifer Garner 11:42:56 AM
Queen Amidala/Padme (Natalie Portman) 11:42:51 AM
Reese Witherspoon 11:42:40 AM
Rebecca DeMornay 11:42:00 AM
Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) 11:41:33 AM
Rose Tyler (Dr. Who Squeeze) 11:41:11 AM
Heather Graham 11:41:11 AM
All slaves
(click here)

Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)