The Singer of All Songs

Kliatt, Nov, 2004 by Carol Reich

THE SINGER OF ALL SONGS. (Book One of the Chanters of Tremaris Series.) Kate Constable. 2002/2004. Read by Karen Ziemba, with a special musical score. 5 tapes. 8.5 hrs. Listening Library, Random House Audio. 1-4000-8515-2. $36.00. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. J

Australian author Constable has set up a fairly standard fantasy quest plot involving a novice priestess of Antaris who has been trained in the "chantment" of ice-singing, one of the nine powers, which allows the manipulation of water into ice. Calwyn encounters a strange intruder named Darrow, an injured man trying to escape a dangerous practitioner of chantments named Samis. After he is healed, Darrow and Calwyn flee together, setting out to try and prevent Samis from claiming the power of all nine of the ancient chantments and taking total control of their world. Along the way they collect the usual assortment of helpmates as they work through their quest, and there is a touch of romance between Calwyn and Darrow.

This first volume stands alone, and the story will continue as the remaining questers search out more truth about the nine chantments. Ziemba gives all of the characters individual voices in her reading, although she struggles a bit with one or two of the male voices. Since singing is an integral part of the storyline, the narration is accompanied by "a special musical score," which means that music and male and female chantments are featured in the background of many of the scenes. It should be noted that these chantments tend to be atonal, and may be found to be more distracting than enhancing to the narration. This will appeal to younger female fantasy fans, and to those who enjoy other singing magic fantasies such as the Echorium Sequence series by Katherine Roberts. Carol Reich, Youth Svcs. Mgr., Hillsboro RL., Hillsboro, OR