Songs of Earth and Power

This is actually the first of Bear's works, though published as a unit much later. It is essentially a work of fantasy, but written with the underpinnings and attention to detail and consistency only a true hard-SF author would give attention to. If you've ever wondered if faeries were real, or if a myth really were true, what would the world be like, this book is for you. He treats these ideas seriously without taking himself too seriously. It -is- a long book, but you will feel enriched for reading it. A very personal afterword by the author is quite endearing and makes the novel even more enjoyable after the fact. Get the book, take your time, and read it. This is a book to be savored.

A fair number of years ago I went to my favourite bookseller. She called me to the shop counter, and told me that something pretty exciting had come in that morning. Accordingly, I was the first person in town to buy Greg Bear's "The Infinity Concerto". Several years later I became the first person to own "The Serpent Mage". I am an inveterate lender of books. However, I have never loaned anyone either of these two books. I just know I shan't get them back. Great writing, great visualising, great characters, great nasties - and a superb serpent. What more could you possibly want? Well, yes, all right: "Eon". But Bear gave us that as well, didn't he?

This work combines 2 previous LONG books. I have read the 2 separately, and am combining the reviews here. This book has got to be huge. My detailed rating for Infinity Concerto separately is 4.1, and The Serpent Mage is 4.5. The essential story of Infinity Concerto is very simple. The main character (Michael) is forcibly drafted by the Elves (Sidhe) to learn magic. It's a traumatic experience. But that's not the strength of the book. Bear generally writes fairly hard SF. The magic here has some interesting physics to it! But the best thing is the history. Bear provides a detailed history starting at the beginning of time. Not exactly with quarks either. This extremely complex history of the 5+ sentient races on Earth drives the whole story, and you learn that history a piece at a time through the two books. Why is Michael drafted by the elves? You find out by the middle of the second book. In The Serpent Mage, Michael has completed his magical training, and now he has to use it. There is lots more of a story to this book compared to the first. What with meeting a nice girl, training an apprentice Sidhe, trying to force a peace between Sidhe and humans, and trying to save the world, Michael has much to do. The main problem in the book is that the Realm, created by Tonn as a home for the Sidhe, is literally falling apart. So everyone there needs to find a new home, quick! And considering the history of this universe, there will obviously be cosmic problems with that. The book also includes a lot of film/film score/classical music scholarship. It doesn't interfere TOO much with the story. The book DOES answer some questions -- what IS the Loch Ness monster? But at the end I still have a few. What happened to Michael's horse? Why did saving Tonn's wife fall to Michael, not the Crane Women, or the Ban? In any case, this pair of books is quite satisfying when you reach the end.

To the people who gave it 2 stars and 3 stars shame. They did not fully apreciate the imagery contained in these two novels. I rarely re-read novels but this is one I just had to.It taps into our need for something more, this is the way all fantasy should be written, not the usual heavy going stuff.

I read the original book, The Infinity Concerto at the behest of a friend who likened it to "Star Wars" for the fantasy genre. How right he was! Michael Perrin's coming of age and power in the Realm and his subsequent growth and maturation on Earth -- in The Serpent Mage -- strike deep chords with anyone who's felt deeply as a teenager and strives to be the best adult she/he can possibly be. After reading these books and the polished version, Songs of Earth and Power, I always come away with a positive, powerful song in my heart: All things are possible and we all have a destiny to fulfill for the betterment of this world and this life. This is one of the best books I've ever read (and reread). I highly recommend it for anyone who's interested in other worlds and fantasy with a grounded historical twist. Also, I suggest you get a copy of Mahler's 10th Symphony, Mouth Music's debute CD ("Mouth Music"), and both of Talitha MacKenzie's CDs ("Solas" and "Spiorad") which are sung in Gaelic -- as close a language to Cascar as exists in our Realm! This music helps drive home Greg's ideas even more!