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L. E. Modesitt Jr.
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The Soprano Sorceress: The First Book of the Spellsong Cycle Kindle Edition

by L. E. Modesitt Jr. (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 328 ratings
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The Soprano Sorceress, the first novel in New York Times bestselling author L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s epic fantasy series the Spellsong Cycle about a singer and music instructor at Iowa State University who gets far more than she expected when she is magically transported to the world of Erde.

On Erde, Anna Marshall is no longer just a professional singer. In this world, song is magic, making Anna a sorceress, potentially the strongest in Erde. Here, a wrong note can mean death to a sorcerer, but Anna's lifetime of training means she can sing more powerfully and precisely than anyone else.

Her power does not go unnoticed and makes her a target. To survive, Anna must learn enough song-magic and understand this new world.

The Spellsong Cycle
The Soprano Sorceress
The Spellsong War
Darksong Rising
The Shadow Sorceress
Shadowsinger

Other series by this author:
The Imager Portfolio
The Saga of Recluce
The Corean Chronicles
The Ghost Books
The Ecolitan Matter

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 5
    Spellsong Cycle
  2. Print length
    676 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Tor Books
  6. Publication date
    April 1, 2010
  7. File size
    1395 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Begins a new, enchantingly musical series....Modesitt paints a convincing picture of a mature woman with integrity who, when given power and opportunity, rises from doormat to beneficent leader....Watching Anna disprove the old adage about absolute power and corruption makes this...a good deal of fun."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

L. E. Modesitt, Jr., is the bestselling author of the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce, Corean Chronicles, and the Imager Portfolio. His science fiction includes Adiamante, the Ecolitan novels, the Forever Hero Trilogy, and Archform: Beauty. Besides a writer, Modesitt has been a U.S. Navy pilot, a director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant and staff director for a U.S. Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer. He lives in Cedar City, Utah.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003J5UIX2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books; First edition (April 1, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1395 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 676 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 328 ratings

About the author

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L. E. Modesitt Jr.

L. E. Modesitt Jr.

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No matter what anyone claims, writers are made, not born, and what and how they write is the result of just how they were made… or how they made themselves. I began by writing poetry, which was published only in small magazines, and then went on to write administrative reports while I was a U.S. Naval aviator, followed by research papers, speeches, economic and technical studies, and policy and briefing papers. Along the way, I’ve been a delivery boy; a lifeguard; an unpaid radio disc jockey; a U.S. Navy pilot; a market research analyst; a real estate agent; director of research for a political campaign; legislative assistant and staff director for U.S. Congressmen; Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues; a college lecturer and writer in residence; and unpaid treasurer of a civic music arts association.

As a result, my writing tends to incorporate all of the above, in addition to the science fiction I read from a very early age. After more than seventy-five published novels, and nearly fifty short stories, it’s fairly clear to me that “what kind of writer” I am for readers tends to depend on which of my books each reader has read.

Along the way, I’ve weathered eight children, a fondness for three-piece suits [which has deteriorated into a love of vests], a brown Labrador, a white cockapoo, an energetic Shih-tzu, two scheming dachshunds, a capricious spaniel, a crazy Saluki-Aussie, and three very individualist cats. In 1989, to escape nearly twenty years of occupational captivity in Washington, D.C., I escaped to New Hampshire. There I was fortunate enough to find and marry a lovely lyric soprano, and we moved to Cedar City, Utah, in 1993, where she directs the voice and opera program at Southern Utah University and where I attempt to create and manage chaos in the process of writing.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
328 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

stevenwlm
5.0 out of 5 stars Entirely too good.
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2022
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Started reading this book in the early afternoon, I figured I would read until I got tired and then go to bed. 3:00 am and I am still reading, I couldn’t put it down, one chapter feeds directly to the next with no breaks, a great read! But, only if you don’t need to get to sleep.
One person found this helpful
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trbking
5.0 out of 5 stars Treat yourself, you deserve it
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
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As always, Modesitt gives us fabulous world-building, rich, complex characterizations, and an engrossing plot. You won’t want to put it down. Be prepared to lose some sleep.
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Mary Soon Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars Immersive portal fantasy.
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2023
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This is the first book in the Spellsong Cycle. It shares much in common with most of Modesitt's fantasy: attention to detail, a low technology world, a protagonist trying to do the right thing against the odds and at a cost, a steep body count, interest in the political and economic side of ruling as well as the military aspects. As with most of Modesitt's fantasy, I found it both immersive and considerably enjoyable.

It differs from the majority of his other fantasies in having a woman as the central figure, in having music play a central role, and in being a portal fantasy. Anna, the heroine, is yanked from her life as a soprano with a university position to a medieval world where spells are cast by music. This allows her to credibly have a jaundiced opinion of the world she enters. Plus I found it satisfying to have a divorced woman in her late forties as the heroine. The magic is critical to the plot and the action scenes are dramatic. But I found myself most interested in Anna's later attempts to alter the status quo -- spoiler warning -- by such measures as introducing bookkeeping, giving at least some girls an education, even improving how the grain is stored!

I note that the book is morally ambiguous. While I was rooting for Anna, her actions could easily be read as villainous. I also note that I found the brief sections dealing with her missing her children quite moving.

Although Anna is the main character, there are many short scenes centered on rival rulers. While informative, I found those less enjoyable.

Four out of five harmonic stars.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
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Wally Winch
5.0 out of 5 stars The Spellsong Cycle
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2012
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A newly imagined world of horses, swords, castles,the evil and the righteous,with a twist of music and magic. It is well written and captivates the reader with the desire to find out what is going to happen next, Which is the reason for the this question. Why??? is the following book "The Spellsong War" Kindle Edition, not available in Australia? Could you please supply me with an answer. Walter Winch.
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Vanah G. Rafanelli
5.0 out of 5 stars Consistently great reading!
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2014
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I bought this book first as a paperback and re-read it so often it fell apart and I bought it again. Now I have it on my Kindle to re-read as often as I like. It's characters are well-developed and the setting is well thought out and consistent throughout the book. I have the entire series and love it.
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Roka2
3.0 out of 5 stars There is a lot to like about it
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2017
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I read the first three in this series.

There is a lot to like about it. The character, the basic concept, the interactions of the characters. The recurring theme of sexism. These all kept me with the books.

But there was also a lot to that annoyed me as well.

1- I HATE logical inconsistency. Put up with it in small doses, but a major one drives me nuts. When they are returning to the home castle in the third book (sorry, I can't remember names, it's been a little while) and they pass the town with the peasant rebels who have the drums. They KNEW from before that something bad was going on. So - what??? They just forget about it because they are a little sleepy? This is not like they are sweeping through in a car in a couple of hours - they were riding for 3 or 4 days. And it never occurred to them "Oh yeah - those guys were doing some dark magic there. We better be careful when we get there." ?? TOTALLY unbelievable.

2- Same thing when finally home in the castle. Author made a big point to note the doors were open. Then they are attacked by one of the enemies. HELLOoo. The reason you have castles is so you can see far away. No way in hell enemies can bring a big force from afar and surprise you like that.

3- The there is the traveling. Over and over again - so hot - so dry - not enough water. Has no one heard of carts carrying barrels? Like they can't even keep Anna in sufficient water? And it goes on and on and on in this vein interminably. Was Modest paid by the word? Page stuffing is what it is.

Well - al that is IMHO

Still, I did enjoy them overall.

50CentFlash.com short-short stories.
2 people found this helpful
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Ekaterina Puffini
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2014
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My old copy of this book wore out so I bought this replacement. Great read. Interesting use of "magic" to study human interactions. The "magic" is an integral part of the story but the fascinating part is the "history" and the study of interpersonal conflict. Wonderful for reading on a cold raw day - much better than cleaning the oven.
2 people found this helpful
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Trippy1
4.0 out of 5 stars Another good one.
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2014
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I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Anna Marshall is transported ( not quite willingly) from Ames, Iowa to the world of Erde, where her skills with music and voice give her "Great Power". And we all know what comes with "Great Power".
As the story progresses she struggles to master her power and justify the use of it- at least to herself. Themes you can find throught the author's Recluce Saga. Not that I'm complaining, I've read all those books too.
If you've read and liked Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger series you'll probably like this one too. Although this is sans humor.
I think it's 800 pages or so but it went by quickly for me. I'm sure I'll be reading the rest of the series soon.
Happy adventuring.
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Top reviews from other countries

ReviewerofStuff
5.0 out of 5 stars Great but for one little problem...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2013
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I first read this book years ago & was delighted to see the series available for Kindle here in the uk apart from one slight problem.
Books one,three,four & five are available here but NOT BOOK TWO?

If you enjoy reading a five part series on your kindle where you have to either buy a second hand paperback to get past the problem or switch your account to Amazon.com & pay for book two in dollars, this is the series for you.

If you have access to the second book this is a very enjoyable fantasy series, where music is based in magic & our heroine (orignally from our world) is a trained singer which gives her tremendous power in the new world she finds herself in.

I don't think it's the authors best work, but it's head & shoulders above average.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The whole series was very good. I would like a continuation of the series ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 25, 2015
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The whole series was very good.
I would like a continuation of the series - not so much wars but the new Erde after the last book.
How do they continue with making peace with all nations? etc.
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Jane Ennis
4.0 out of 5 stars The Soprano Sorceress
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2015
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I do so admire Modesitt's ability to create believable worlds. The idea here is that wars can be fought with sorcery.....with song, to be precise. An unusual idea, but a context is created which makes it totally credible. I also like Modesitt's attention to all the details of the world he has created.....What building materials are used, how food is produced, and so on. The character of Anna is well crafted, not a saint, a woman who copes as best she can with the situation in which she finds herself, and does her best to maintain justice and the rule of law....not an easy task.
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Haywain
5.0 out of 5 stars The Soprano Sorceress: The First Book of the Spellsong Cycle
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2013
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The Soprano Sorceress: The First Book of the Spellsong Cycle
-hModesitt at his best-have all but 2nd on my Kindle . 2nd in series not on Kindle , rest are great
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Julie-Ann
5.0 out of 5 stars Songs of power
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2015
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I loved this whole series. As always LE Modesitt jr's characters are well rounded and the story really moves along. An interesting world
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