Product Description

The world of Erde is governed by the power of music and song. When Anna Marshall, a singer and music instructor at Iowa State University, is drawn into Erde, she becomes a sorceress - potentially their strongest. Her power soon makes her the target of ruthless political factions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #524643 in Books
• Published on: 1998-02-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 658 pages

Robert Jordan
'An intriguing fantasy in a fascinating world'

GORDON R. DICKSON
'Fascinating! A big, exciting novel'

About the Author
L.E. Modesitt is the auhtor of the popular Recluce series and a number of science fiction novels.

Customer Reviews

Serious interworld fantasy book. Excellent.
L.E. Modesitt Jr has taken a premise with which other authors have already dealt, and given it a unique spin. Having read several 'interworld' fantasy books, I conclude that this book is the only one which deals with a primary character who would probably still rather be back in her own world at the end of the first book. Modesitt has also resisted the temptation to make the book into a 'light' fantasy novel (Foster, Stasheff etc), and has produced something far more thoughtful and believable. I read this book in one sitting, and then started to haunt all the bookshops in Cardiff to wait for the second book in the series. I read that in one sitting too, and am now haunting the bookshops waiting for the third.

Engrossing
Once again, the author has taken a potentially ludicrous concept and made it not only believeable, but grittily human as well. Anna, the subject of the story, is transported from her own home in North America into an entirely different world, where her voice, at home a source of a frustrating career, makes her one of the most powerful people around. Because of that power, she is persecuted and attacked from day one, whilst also being courted for her power by a range of local rulers. She manages to change the new world, or at least part of it, for the better, but makes great personal sacrifice along the way, not least the loss of contact with her beloved children at home.

Reading L E Modesitt's books, you almost forget that the situations there could not possibly happen - they become utterly believeable as the focus is, as always, on the difficult human choices to be made by those with, and without, power of some kind.

Whilst not yet as developed as the world of Recluse, which has many more novels devoted to it, this new series of novels (currently there are 4 books in the series) shows the same attention to detail and beautiful writing,a wonderful combination that makes them absolutely believeable - and makes you want to read them all in one sitting, which given their size, can cause all sorts of problems!

another well thought out 'magic' system and world....
this author has done it again another great magic system and world....just like the 'Recluce' series is totally original and well thought out. lucky i got the next book in the us and i think it's great...i can't wait for the third book! and the recluce series is just as well recommended as this series!