Customer Reviews
Fantastic! - By: B. L. Carss, 07 Nov 2008 
This was a great read & an even greater conclusion a very nice way to say goodbye to Edil-Amarandh.
A solid but slightly disappointing finale - Contains Spoilers - By: Fantasylover, 03 Oct 2008 
The three earlier booksin this series are amongst the best fantasy novels I've ever read. Unfortunately, 'The Singing' is not,in my opinion, nearly so good. 'The Riddle', for instance, is a thrilling book from start to finish. It's shocking & visceral - the sort of book that has you anxious for the safety of its characters throughout. The problem, for me, with 'The Singing' is that it has nothing close to that excitement. In fact, it has very little tension, very few if any surprises, & most importantly didn't demand an engagement with its characters from this readerin the way 'The Riddle' demanded you sat up straight & paid attention.
Maered is so powerfulin this book I didn't fear for herin the slightest. The amoral'elemental' potential towards evil at the root of her character (introducedin 'The Riddle') was really the aspect of her that would, considering her powers, make her interesting - again, I felt this aspect of her was just hinted at, & again, failed to generate tension or complexityin this novel. All the set pieces are anti-climaxes - neither the Landrost nor the Nameless One are seen, the battles with them are 'psychological'. The overall effect is woolly & unaffecting. Hem's story, perhaps surprisingly, (though 'The Crow' was excellent too!) has more tension & a sense of things being at stake - the scene where Hem fights for Saliman's life is the most powerfulin the book. It's a terrible shame I feel because it was just the most brilliant series. My suspicion is that Alison Croggon wanted to provide a timely portrait of a world beset by war & environmental crisis, but the emphasis on flooded landscapes & wartorn communities alongside a slow paced, very 'psychological' novel produced, for me, a very muted, anticlimactic conclusion to this series.
I wished it went on! - By: The Treesong, 01 Oct 2008 
I have been waiting for this book for over a year since I read the first book, & was keptin suspense when it was meant to be a trilogy to begin with!
The Singing continued the story of Maread, Cadvan, Hem, Saliman & Irc. I do agree with one reviewer & that it was an anticlimax & the final showdown was a disappointment. I was also diasppointed with Croggan for not really developing the relationship between Maread & Cadvan, & so when the ending did come, it felt like I had skipped a few chapters & missed it all! I am looking forward to reading her next books, whatever that may be.
Not as impressive as The Crow - By: B. Scott, 21 Sep 2008 It was a very good read but a bit disapointing.
there were no main battle scenes at all. In the end it was a dull journey story. when maerad finally sung the treesong was boring & you ended up wanting it to end. This book is ok but not the bestin the quartet.
Simply Stunning! - By: Sirius, 14 Sep 2008 A fantastic end to a truly spellbinding quartet. Alison Croggon creats a rich, vivid world & characters with real depth; the books are brought to life. Formerly a poet, Croggon really can write compellingly, & the materialin itself is a joy to read. Origional, exciting, & three other booksin the quartet to enjoy before this one...
In this final book of Pellinor, Maerad of Pellinor & Cadvan of Lirigon embark on an arduous journey to find Maerad's brother, Hem, who is travelling with the Great Bard Saliman of Turbansk. They race against time as Sharma marches across Edil-Amarandh with his army of darkness, spreading destructionin its wake. Fate liesin the awakening of the treesong within the mysterious Elidhu, themselves a part of naturein Edil Amarandh (the world). If the singing does not prevail, the already dimmed light of this world may be crushed altogether.
Based on a collection of real poems, written by the main character Maerad herself & translated by the author, this story has a wonderful epic feel of depth & truth to it, even though powers sift through the tale that would be impossiblein our world today. The books also contain notesin the back about the characters & translations, & this one contains a particularly interesting story about Cadvan as a child, which will shed light on some earlier parts of the story.
Having read these books just once, I will probably read them againin the future - they are the sort that, due to content & writing style, can be read over again. If you have not already read the first three books: The Gift, The Riddle & The Crow, then I would strongly recommend them as all are excellent. I would also advise reading them before you read this fourth one, The Singing.
