Songs of Earth And Power

I've only read the first book so far but here's my review.

Greg Bear has been hit or miss with me. I loved Blood Music, but hated City at the End of Time, then one of his collections The Wind from a Burning Woman got 3 stars from me.

This one I liked a lot. I liked it because it was different than a lot of the fantasy I've read lately. Very atmospheric. Dark and cerebral. The protagonist is in his late teens, but it doesn't come off as YA, other than it also only has one main character. There are plenty of other interesting characters in the book though and there's sex (not very detailed, and while not "necessary" it made sense). There's a bit of a sci-fi feel with mention of other worlds, then some horror elements with creepy scenes, but show more mostly it's fantasy with magic and strange creatures and adventure.

The Serpent Mage

I was hoping this was going to be as "fantasy" as the first book, but it wasn't. BUT that's okay because it was still really cool. I think I liked it so much because it's different and not your standard "modern day characters get sucked into fantasy world" type scenario, even though that's exactly what happens.

It occasionally got a little surreal, but pretty much everything made sense by the end. I was surprised to find out that the first book was Bear's first novel, written and rejected, then later reworked and picked up as a 2-book deal along with Blood Music (which I really liked also). show less

6/10
Bear’s Afterword explains some of the reasons for the story to have originally been two separate books and then later published as one revised book, so I was happy to get that info.

As for the book itself:
It really is Michael’s story—his trials and triumphs, his infatuations and loves, and really, his messy and somewhat miraculous becoming who he needed to be. All the other characters serve that ultimate story. His development and abilities seemed almost too much, too good, too convenient—just when he needed to be stronger, more skilled, more daring, braver, whatever, he always was.

The Serpent Mage is far more complex than The Infinity Concerto. I think both sections could have used some judicious editing.

Bear certainly takes show more the basic Celtic legends of the Fae/Sidhe in new and different directions, stirring in the basic creation story of the Judeo-Christian tradition, the concept of multiple, parallel worlds, and the idea that there is power and magic in the arts (music, dance, poetry). It’s an interesting mix.

I found much of the story to be bleak and somewhat depressing, like a feeling of heaviness or pressure while I was reading. Even the ending did not seem to do enough to dissipate that feeling.

So I can’t quite decide how I feel about this book. I found it creative, inventive, and fascinating, yet sad and sort of overdone or overblown. show less

Greg Bear is better known as a science fiction writer. This is an omnibus edition of Greg Bear’s 1980’s fantasy duology - his first published book The Infinity Concerto and its sequel The Serpent Mage. In the afterword he admits that he knew on publication of The Infinity Concerto that it was really half of one long novel. But, as this is published as an omnibus, I will review this as though it is two separate books - the expectation raised by the format.

Book 1: The Infinity Concerto
If I had read this as a standalone novel I would have been disappointed. My first impressions are that this is about a sulky, spoilt ego-centric American teenager, Michael who is magically transported to another world. A common theme in fantasy fiction show more which when done well connects us to the author's world. Unfortunately in this case a large part of my energy at the start of the book was spent trying to sort out two alien worlds - the world of the Sidhedark (the fantasy world) and 1980's Hollywood.

So why did I keep reading! The further I read the easier it was to read, as Michael's attitude and way of life changes. I do like the world created even though I did not, initially, find Michael a sympathetic character. I liked how the story develops and hoped that the second book would be better from the start as the world building had been done and the spoilt kid had grown up (a little bit!).

Book 2: The Serpent Mage
I am glad that I read this as part of an omnibus. As I have said the story developed well in The Infinity Concerto but if I had not been able to read this straight away I am not sure if I would have bothered to seek it out. I am not sure whether it was because the foundation had been laid but I found this a much better book.

This book follows Michael’s attempts to fit back into life on Earth after his experiences in Sidhedark, but the two worlds are getting closer together. As the Sidhe move to Earth Michael needs to use his experiences to reconcile the two worlds.

I really enjoyed this!

Conclusion

Taken as a whole this is a worthwhile addition to the genre. My main question is why the author or publisher issued this an omnibus. This is really one novel. Even though The Infinity Concerto does have a semi-satisfactory end The Serpent Mage would probably not work as a standalone novel. It is hard to say for sure as I read straight through but I do believe that you need to know all that Michael has been through in order to make sense of the story. show less

After finding Greg Bear during the 80's I was led to some of his earlier works - the Infinity Concerto and the Serpent Mage. This volume is a compilation of both books into a coherent story line (I believe the original volumes suffered from some editing, adjusted within this newer volume). The story details a young man's encounter with the Sidhe, wrapping a very likeable character in a music and poetry imbued environment of fairy other-worldliness. I enjoyed this story once again when found in it's current combined form. I've since read it several times and recommend it highly. For anyone who likes cross-over novels, where the character comes into an alternate reality and grows the wiser as the story progresses, this novel is for you. show more If you also are into fantasy storytelling, folklore and Olde English mythology, you'll really enjoy this book. It gets better each time I read it. show less

Greg Bear is best known for hard science fiction, but this is a marvelous fantasy novel (actually two fantasy novels in one volume).

An amazing story...a real page turner.