Reviewer: This is the 1st book of a 2 book series. The last is The Serpent Mage.
Both books have also been combined as another title, “Songs of Earth & Power.”
My detailed rating would be 4.1 for this book. The essential story of this book isvery simple. The main character (Michael) is forcibly drafted by the Elves (Sidhe) tolearn 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 toit! But the best thing is the history. Bear provides a detailed history starting at thebeginning of time. Not exactly with quarks either. This extremely complex history ofthe 5+ sentient races on Earth drives the whole story, and you learn that history apiece at a time through the two books. Why is Michael drafted by the elves? Youfind out by the middle of the second book. This first book would not be satisfying allby itself. You need the second also. If you like friendly elves, this is not the series foryou. Most of the elves here are cold, cruel, and callous. Why? That’s part of thehistory!
The Infinity Concerto
Songs of Earth and Power Vol. 1
Reviewer: This is the 1st book of a 2 book series. The last is The Serpent Mage.
