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sleepgoblin's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
embereye's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely trashy fantasy book, but in that good way... the comforting kind. The main character does have a bit of a generic tough headstrong girl thing going on, but it's not bad in any way. Enjoyable for a cold miserable rainy day read.
winterscape's review against another edition
4.0
After having come off of a more traditional, Tolkien knock-off paperback with a similar looking cover, I wasn't really looking forward to this book. The ultra-formal and dry style wore on me a little bit and I was not thrilled with the idea of trudging through another just like it.
So, when I opened the first pages and saw the more modern style of fantasy writing, I was very happy. Don't get me wrong, I love the traditional fantasy style. I just needed a change of pace. It definitely didn't disappoint, either!
While I was initially concerned about being patronized by the author, (Come on, how many clues can you shove into so little words?) as well as worried that a message was going to be shoved down my throat, I was wrong. There is no agenda or sense of patronization throughout the book.
So much world building went into making this story come alive. There are many unique aspects to this world and I really enjoyed traveling through it with the unusual cast of characters. When I first realised that it was a series, I was a little disappointed. I thought it would be a great stand alone novel and didn't want to deal with whatever huge cliff hanger would inevitably try and hook me. Again, I was wrong and pleasantly surprised. This book does work fantastically well as a stand alone, but also, I find myself wanting to go back to this world and read more, even without a cliffhanger to hold me down.
I'll admit, I did have a few issues with the book. I found it hard to believe that This leads to my biggest problem, which was suspense. The author showed us EVERYTHING and left us with no secrets to work out. This didn't detract too much from the story, but I think it would have greatly benefited from revealing less.
What I also found weird was the super negative reaction that I had towards
But still, if you're looking for an interesting fantasy with a unique take on the elemental magic system, not your average main characters, and an easy to read modern style, you'd do well to pick Sing the Four Quarters.
p.s. Annice on the cover looks a tad like my sister. I find this to be amusing, though no one else agrees with me.
So, when I opened the first pages and saw the more modern style of fantasy writing, I was very happy. Don't get me wrong, I love the traditional fantasy style. I just needed a change of pace. It definitely didn't disappoint, either!
While I was initially concerned about being patronized by the author, (Come on, how many clues can you shove into so little words?
Spoiler
I knew she was pregnant from the very first puke scene!So much world building went into making this story come alive. There are many unique aspects to this world and I really enjoyed traveling through it with the unusual cast of characters. When I first realised that it was a series, I was a little disappointed. I thought it would be a great stand alone novel and didn't want to deal with whatever huge cliff hanger would inevitably try and hook me. Again, I was wrong and pleasantly surprised. This book does work fantastically well as a stand alone, but also, I find myself wanting to go back to this world and read more, even without a cliffhanger to hold me down.
I'll admit, I did have a few issues with the book. I found it hard to believe that
Spoiler
even the King could see that Pjerin was innocent.Spoiler
The King wasn't actually sending the guard after them to capture the escaped convict, so the intensity of the chase was taken out. Stasya wasn't actually dead and found guilty of treason. You knew who the father was, Pjerin knew he was the father,and you knew who the actual traitor was at the keep.What I also found weird was the super negative reaction that I had towards
Spoiler
Pjerin asserting that it was his child. It made me so mad that I actually stopped reading for a few days. Huh. I'm not sure why I had such an extreme reaction to it, but the thought of the man taking the child from its mother once weaned just pissed me off to the extreme.But still, if you're looking for an interesting fantasy with a unique take on the elemental magic system, not your average main characters, and an easy to read modern style, you'd do well to pick Sing the Four Quarters.
p.s. Annice on the cover looks a tad like my sister. I find this to be amusing, though no one else agrees with me.
authorsandrahenry's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love how Huff twists tired fantasy tropes into something her own.
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
4.0
In a land where bards manipulate the natural elements by singing the kigh, the talented bard Annice must deal with the double treason of the baby she is carrying by earning back the trust of her brother, the king, and clearing the traitorous name of her baby's father.
This is the basicpremise of Tanya Huff's Sing the Four Quarters, a solid example one of the fantasy genre's most basic subgenres: Sword and Sorcery. These books are set in a "world of adventure, in which magic works ... These tales feature sorcerers and magicians, large elements of the supernatural, much romance, and often quest with daunting hazards ... usual backgrounds are galactic or akin to medieval European kingdoms. Multivolume series are common"(Herald 259). These are the type of books you instantly think of when you think of fantasy.
The magic and sorcery in the roughly medieval kingdom of Shkoder is largely practiced by bards like Annice whose main talent is the ability to control the forces of nature through their magical songs. One of the bards' other talents that becomes central as P'jerin, Duc of Ohrid and the father of Annice's baby, tries to learn who has framed him as a traitor to Shkoder, is the power of Command. When placed under Command, a person can only speak the truth. Because P'jerin admits his guilt under Command, it is simply accepted that he must have committed treason. However he convinces Annice of his belief that his memories had been altered, and the two of them seek out the real traitor and how they were able make P'jerin disobey Command.
The book also contains many interwoven romantic entanglements. Annice, for example, became pregnant from a one night stand with P'jerin, but shares quarters at the Bardic Hall with her longtime lover Stasya, a fellow bard. While her ultimate loyalty is to Stasya, Huff never denies Annice's attraction to P'jerin, especially through the last half of the book when the two are forced to work together to clear P'jerin's name.
Another key relationship in the book is the estrangement of Annice and her brother Theron, King of Shkoder. Annice gave up her royal position in order to become a bard, which her brother took as a personal affront. In retaliation Theron decreed that Annice would be guilty of treason if she ever married or became pregnant without his permission. Annice's stubbornness keeps her from seeing that her once dear brother would never actually enforce his decree, and spends most of the book wrongly believing that she must keep her situation from him at all costs.
As has been suggested by the description of the story so far, there are a lot of action and adventure scenes throughout the book, especially as P'jerin and a very pregnant Annice make the arduous journey to P'jerin's mountain home in an effort to clear his name, evading the King's Guard and others eager for the bounty on P'jerin's head.
I was impressed by how much I enjoyed this book. While I've never disliked fantasy, it's not my usual reading. I could really enjoy reading more books like this, though. Its main advantage is that it has a little bit of everything. While there is a large focus on the mystical elements of the bards' ability to sing the kigh for hard core sci-fi / fantasy fans, it also spends a lot of time dealing with the interpersonal relationships and the importance of bonds of friends and family similar to a romance novel. And just so there isn't too much emphasis on feelings, there are several fights scenes for adventure fans. Also, the political intrigue behind P'jerin's alleged treason is as intellectually stimulating as any mystery.
Because there are so many different elements to this book, I have trouble picking specific groups of readers to recommend it to. Even though its setting and focus on magic clearly make this book fantasy, I might suggest it to the non-genre fiction reader, because it contains so many strong elements of other genres. It's fantasy that can be enjoyed by a larger audience. And while non-fantasy readers will enjoy Sing the Four Quarters, it's not fantasy-lite, so normal fantasy readers, especially Sword and Sorcery fans should enjoy it as well. Sing the Four Quarters is also the first in a four part series, so this would also be good for anyone looking for a gripping series.
Sources
Herald, Diana Tixier. Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction. 4th ed. Englewood, Col.: Libraries Unlimited, 1995.
Huff, Tanya. Sing the Four Quarters. New York Daw Books, Inc., 1994.
This is the basicpremise of Tanya Huff's Sing the Four Quarters, a solid example one of the fantasy genre's most basic subgenres: Sword and Sorcery. These books are set in a "world of adventure, in which magic works ... These tales feature sorcerers and magicians, large elements of the supernatural, much romance, and often quest with daunting hazards ... usual backgrounds are galactic or akin to medieval European kingdoms. Multivolume series are common"(Herald 259). These are the type of books you instantly think of when you think of fantasy.
The magic and sorcery in the roughly medieval kingdom of Shkoder is largely practiced by bards like Annice whose main talent is the ability to control the forces of nature through their magical songs. One of the bards' other talents that becomes central as P'jerin, Duc of Ohrid and the father of Annice's baby, tries to learn who has framed him as a traitor to Shkoder, is the power of Command. When placed under Command, a person can only speak the truth. Because P'jerin admits his guilt under Command, it is simply accepted that he must have committed treason. However he convinces Annice of his belief that his memories had been altered, and the two of them seek out the real traitor and how they were able make P'jerin disobey Command.
The book also contains many interwoven romantic entanglements. Annice, for example, became pregnant from a one night stand with P'jerin, but shares quarters at the Bardic Hall with her longtime lover Stasya, a fellow bard. While her ultimate loyalty is to Stasya, Huff never denies Annice's attraction to P'jerin, especially through the last half of the book when the two are forced to work together to clear P'jerin's name.
Another key relationship in the book is the estrangement of Annice and her brother Theron, King of Shkoder. Annice gave up her royal position in order to become a bard, which her brother took as a personal affront. In retaliation Theron decreed that Annice would be guilty of treason if she ever married or became pregnant without his permission. Annice's stubbornness keeps her from seeing that her once dear brother would never actually enforce his decree, and spends most of the book wrongly believing that she must keep her situation from him at all costs.
As has been suggested by the description of the story so far, there are a lot of action and adventure scenes throughout the book, especially as P'jerin and a very pregnant Annice make the arduous journey to P'jerin's mountain home in an effort to clear his name, evading the King's Guard and others eager for the bounty on P'jerin's head.
I was impressed by how much I enjoyed this book. While I've never disliked fantasy, it's not my usual reading. I could really enjoy reading more books like this, though. Its main advantage is that it has a little bit of everything. While there is a large focus on the mystical elements of the bards' ability to sing the kigh for hard core sci-fi / fantasy fans, it also spends a lot of time dealing with the interpersonal relationships and the importance of bonds of friends and family similar to a romance novel. And just so there isn't too much emphasis on feelings, there are several fights scenes for adventure fans. Also, the political intrigue behind P'jerin's alleged treason is as intellectually stimulating as any mystery.
Because there are so many different elements to this book, I have trouble picking specific groups of readers to recommend it to. Even though its setting and focus on magic clearly make this book fantasy, I might suggest it to the non-genre fiction reader, because it contains so many strong elements of other genres. It's fantasy that can be enjoyed by a larger audience. And while non-fantasy readers will enjoy Sing the Four Quarters, it's not fantasy-lite, so normal fantasy readers, especially Sword and Sorcery fans should enjoy it as well. Sing the Four Quarters is also the first in a four part series, so this would also be good for anyone looking for a gripping series.
Sources
Herald, Diana Tixier. Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction. 4th ed. Englewood, Col.: Libraries Unlimited, 1995.
Huff, Tanya. Sing the Four Quarters. New York Daw Books, Inc., 1994.
kerstincullen's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very enjoyable, with Tanya Huffs characteristic wit and whimsy. I didn't find the lead characters insufferable (as some other readers did), so I suppose that helps. I really liked the music and magic system, and the exploration of family (both chosen and traditional). This was a pretty unique story with regards to pregnancy as the protagonist continues to have rip-roaring adventures while being more and more inconvenienced. The pregnancy was also very accurately portrayed- which I greatly appreciated.
staci426's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
blueevangeline's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
shaekin's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't know any about this book other than I loved the author. There have certainly been books of hers I was less than impressed with, but this wasn't one of them. I loved it! I'm very glad I have the second book in the series just sitting here waiting for me.
emmascc's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the world building in this and the characters. I'm always a sucker for a well written sibling relationship.