The Sugar House: A Tess Monaghan Mystery

Amazon.com

If you haven't encountered Tess Monaghan, the strong-willed former reporter turned PI who stars in Laura Lippman's increasingly popular series, it may be because this is her first appearance in hardcover. But this deftly plotted mystery may change all that and bring Lippman, herself a Baltimore journalist, and Tess, her curious and likable heroine, the attention they deserve. When Tess's dad asks her to do a favor for a friend, Tess gets involved in tracking down the identity of a nameless girl whose killer, the friend's brother, was murdered himself shortly after he went to prison for the crime. Her search leads Tess in and out of parts of the Atlantic coast that tourists, and many natives, never see: to a clinic for the rich, young and anorexic on Maryland's Eastern Shore; to the Philadelphia Main Line; and inside the corrupt and clandestine corners of the Maryland state capitol in Annapolis. The more Tess learns, the more questions she has, and the most important ones have to do with her father's involvement in the mystery of the anonymous victim and how she died.

The subtext of this well-written, richly rendered thriller is Tess's confrontation with her own values and her struggle to accept her father's compromises with his. There's also a sexy love story with Tess's boyfriend, who's nearly too good to be true, and a lively gal pal, the wealthy and loyal Whitney, whose own talents are equally impressive. The author is good at developing multidimensional characters, the minor ones as well as the majors. And once your appetite is whetted by The Sugar House, you'll want to track down Tess's earlier adventures in Lippman's (paper) backlist, beginning with Baltimore Blues. --Jane Adams

Book Description

A client named Ruthie -- who seems to know Tess's father a little too well -- asks the newspaperwoman-turned-p.i. to investigate a year-old "Jane Doe" murder and its grim aftermath. Ruthie's low-life brother, Henry, confessed to killing a teenager runaway over a bottle of glue -- and, a month into his prison term, he met the same fate as his victim. Following a precious few tantalizing clues, Tess sets off on a path that is leading her from Baltimore's exclusive Inner Harbor to the city's seediest neighborhoods. But it's the shocking discovery of the runaway's true identity that turns her hunt deadly. Suddenly a supposedly solved murder case is turning up newer, fresher corpses and newer, scarier versions of the Sugar House -- places that look sweet and safe...but only from the outside.

Customer Reviews:

An Absolute Sweet Treat!.......2005-04-25

When her brother goes to jail for killing a Jane Doe and he himself is killed, Ruth Denbrow hires Tess Monaghan to find out the truth regarding the Jane Doe murder. Sometimes the truth is more than you expect because this investigation will reveal some truths hidden by Tess's own father.

This is the fifth installment in the Tess Monaghan series set in Baltimore and Lippman is superb! In addition to solving murders she tackles issues such as eating disorders, shady treatment centers, liquor licensing and family relationships. Sugar House is a little slow starting but soon delivers a powerful punch and perplexing plotline. This is a must read for every mystery fan.

Great mystery. Most enjoyable.......2002-07-04

I just discovered this author and enjoyed this book very much. You don't have to read the first Tess books to enjoy this one which is always a plus with a series. The plot was unusual and the characters were realistic. I liked Tess and I was interested in her city and the situation. Lippman gave me some points to ponder as well as some medical conditions that I have researched a bit. That's always good to have someone stretch your mind a bit and that's what Lippman did with me. I recommend this book to folks who like mysteries and folks who read for pleasure as well as to learn a little something every now and then.

Great mystery.......2002-05-14

If you love Baltimore, you'll love this book. It's a bit less direct than her earlier books and this is probably an improvement. She's getting better at spinning together more complicated plots with more complicated narratives.

Locust Point, Baltimore.......2002-04-05

This novel has a well developed plot including all the sins people might commit. The setting is present day Locust Point, Baltimore, with side excursions to nearby areas. Political corruption extends down through the social structure, and sets off chains of events - "damage control" can sometimes cause greater damage.

Tess Monaghan opens a can of worms when she investigates the death of a Jane Doe, a young woman of indeterminate age (an apparent runaway) who was accidentally killed in an encounter with a local glue sniffer. People in power had quietly buried the case but, to quote the Bible, "your sins will find you out." Identifying the woman implicates a wide variety of individuals who have committed (or are commiting) an assortment of crimes.

Tess can be tenacious, and don't get on her wrong side as she believes in retribution. She can be devious, and may blindside you when you aren't looking.

There are some scattered instances of bad proofreading in the novel (I am looking at a first edition), but those are the fault of the publisher.

The Absolute Best Ever From Lippman.......2002-04-01

I have been following the story and career of Tess since the very beginning and I must say that The Sugar House is the very best novel in the series to date. It is a fascinating journey leading through the Locust Point section of South Baltimore to the eastern shore. Tesser, along with her boyfriend Crowe, and best friend Whitney never have a dull moment. A fantastic read for those of you with a tie to Baltimore and a great read for those of you who don't. I highly recommend The Sugar House. I just could not put this one down.

The Sugar House: A Tess Monaghan Mystery

Average customer rating:

The Sugar House: A Tess Monaghan Mystery
Laura Lippman
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000PTR798

Product Description

4 Mass Market Paperback Titles By Lippman - Baltimore Blues - The Sugar House - By a Spider's Thread - Every Secret Thing

Book Description

After the four worlds Alfred has at last found his people on Chelstra, the realm of sea. But his travels have taught him to be cautious... and Alfred soon realizes his caution is justified, even among his own kind. The one person Alfred can trust is, strangely, Haplo the Patryn. But Haplo's lord has decreed all Sartan to be the enemy, and Haplo dares not go against his lord. Now the companions have arrived in a land where humans, elves, and dwarves have learned to live in peace. Unaware of an even greater threat to all the realms, it is Sartan and Patryn who will disrupt this alliance of the lesser races in their struggle to gain control of all four worlds. Only Alfred and Haplo realize that they have a much older -- and more powerful -- enemy than each other...

Customer Reviews:

really good book.......2007-01-27

The setting of the fourth book in the magnificent Death Gate series is when Haplo, one of the many main characters, arrives in the nexus after traveling through deaths gate from Abarrach is punished by the Lord of the Nexus before he is sent to Chelstrea, but when he arrives at Chelstrea, he receives quite a shock when he realizes that the water at chelstrea nullifies his magic. The story then switches to Grundle, Alake, and Devon who are three mensch living on the world of Chelstrea. A few days before, sea serpents attacked the dwarven seamoon and destroyed their Sunchaser fleet.

The story may get complicated and can be confusing, but if you keep reading you will like this book very much. The intertwined personalities of the characters are the most confusing, but this is the best book in this series that I have read so far. The summary above is of the first few chapters. The ending of the book will leave you hanging on an almost never ending cliff, but that is to be expected since it isn't the last book in the series.

Serpent Mage - My favorite so far!!!!!!.......2006-02-25

Serpent Mage was (in my opinion) the best book (so far) in The Death Gate Cycle. This is probably for a number of reasons. First and foremost is proabably the fact that the "world story" (ie: Gegs in Dragon Wing, the elves selling weapons in Elven Star, The necromancers in Fire Sea.) was entertaining and really held my attention. Second, the authors really dive in (or should I say sink? :p) to the minds of Haplo and Alfred. The insights into how and why they tick is truly amazing.

The book starts with Haplo hurrying to get his ship ready for his next trip to Chelestra, The Realm of Water, without alerting his lord that he's there. Xar comes and punishes Haplo for lying to him and punishes him severly, but not before he weasles the truth out of Haplo. Haplo soon gets to Chelestra and discovers that the water on Chelestra negates any magic. This causes many problems, as you can imagine, with both the Patryn and the Sartan.

Alfred, after jumping ship in the middle of Death's Gate, finds himself in a chamber full of sleeping Sartan, the same Sartan that made the decision to commence the Sundering. Alfred soon learns some ancient Sartan secrets that cause unrest through all the Sartan. Also, since Alfred is so different from the rest of the Sartan, he is accused of being more Patryn than Sartan, and is horrified when most people start thinking this.

These two stories, along with the "world story" with elven, human, and dwarven princesses is quite good, most likely the opal of the Death Gate Cycle, at least so far.

Also, please read the appendicies...They're important!

NOTE: There are some people who say that Xar has nothing to do with Czar of Tzar. Saying since they;re both rulers there's really no coincidence. I would like to quote from page 1, line 1 of Serpent Mage: "I visited my wrath upon Haplo this day." (1) Footnote: "...Xar was not his real name. It is not a Patryn name at all, one that is possibly a corruption of the ancient word tzar, derived from Caesar." IT SAYS IT RIGHT HERE THAT XAR IS A CORRUPTION OF TZAR! Just thought I should bring this to some people's attention. (Had to get that out of my system :p)

Not bad again, the series was almost starting to look good.......2005-07-30

First, I will tell you how to get the most enjoyment out of this series. Start with going to the library and renting all of these books. Do not buy them as they are not worth it. Then read books 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 without reading the footnotes or the appendixes. You have the option of reading books 2 and 5 if you are really enjoying the series, but they are only filler and do not even need to be skimmed. Finally, accept the fact that Weis and Hickman may only be one hit wonders and move on.

Second, I write reviews for those who seek good fantasy and not for the zealots who hang on every Weis and Hickman word. You would think from some of the reviews of this series that these books were greater than War and Peace and written by Bronte and Conrad. In reality, this series is not very good. I am not trying to trash Weis and Hickman, I found the Dragon Lance series to be extremely enjoyable and would give at least the first two series of that line four stars. This series deserves no more than 2 stars. The books are incomplete thoughts that may have been much better had the authors taken more time to flesh out the story. Beware of fantasy books that contain footnotes and appendixes. Usually, these are the telltale signs of poor writing. Having said that, I did manage to read most of these seven books and here are some thoughts.

Many reviewers have made a lot of the fact that Xar is actually tsar or czar. I fail to see the significance here. Xar is a ruler and a tsar is a ruler. So what? What I found to be much more interesting and ultimately distracting was the use, by the authors, of the word mensch. Mensch is a Hebrew word. It is not close to a Hebrew word, it is a Hebrew word. If you look it up, mensch means a person of integrity and honor. What are the authors trying to say here? That all people without ambition or power are full of integrity and honor. I read all seven books trying to understand the use of this word to no avail.

Not surprising considering the books are filled with errors and inconsistencies. Some of these errors and inconsistencies are no doubt addressed in the footnotes and appendixes, but it would take an additional seven books to address all the problems. I believe that most of these problems occurred because the authors did not take the time to complete their work. Perhaps they were pressured by their publisher.

Most of the characters are thinly veiled shadows of those characters from the Dragon Lance series. Only, these characters are not as interesting or as engaging. Part of the problem is that Weis and Hickman never determine where they want the story to go. They blur the line between good and evil, then they erase the line, then they re-draw the line in bold. In Dragon Lance, it was intriguing to see how the characters dealt with the discovery of the duality of their own nature. In this book it is just confusing.

4th Book in a Very Good Series.......2004-05-24

In all probability, people who read the first of the Death Gate Cycle books and like it, are going to want to read all of the books in the series (regardless of any flucutation in the individual books' ratings). Ditto for the reverse: if people don't like the first book, then they're probably not going to want to read any of the other books in the series. Thus, instead of individual book ratings, I've rated the whole series and given a short blurb on any specifics for each book.

Overall, this is a very good series. The authors were amazingly creative in coming up with this concept and the books are well-written, extremely interesting, and internally consistent (mostly -- see below for some exceptions). I highly recommend this series of books for everyone. My comments for the indidual books follow:

Vol. 1 -- Dragon Wing: This book covers the exploration of Arianus: the realm of Air. It introduces us to the two main characters (Haplo and Alfred) and many of the recurring characters throughout the series. It's a well-paced, well-written book that's an excellent reresentation of what to expect in most of the rest of the series. Essentially, if you like this book, you'll like the other six books. If you don't like this book, then there's no sense in reading any of the others.

Vol. 2 -- Elven Star: This book covers the exploration of Pryan: the realm of Fire. Alfred is entirely missing from this book, and Haplo isn't really the centerpiece. Instead, the book is mostly written from the perspective of the mensch and of the newly introduced (and recurring) Zifnab. The one possible weakness in the book is that Weis/Hickman wrote it such that the structure of Pryan itself is more of a mystery than Arianus was in the first book.

Vol. 3 -- Fire Sea: This book covers the exploration of Abarrach: the realm of Stone. Once again, both Haplo and Alfred are present. The characters and areas presented in this book are key elements for the entire series. An interesting book, but not a very happy one at all.

Vol. 4 -- Serpent Mage: This book covers the exploration of Chelestra: the realm of Water. Both Alfred and Haplo are on this world. But, for the most part, they follow separate plot lines. There's a lot of action taking place throughout the book and Weis/Hickman introduce some actual Sartan (besides Alfred). They also bring in an ancient evil to balance the ancient good introduced in the previous book. The most irritating thing about this book is that it ends in a cliff-hanger. The previous books tied up their worlds' activities fairly nicely. Not so in this book. It ends at a very inconvenient spot.

Vol. 5 -- Hand of Chaos: This book returns Haplo to Arianus and the people he met there earlier. Whereas the first four books of the series cover the exploration of the four realms, this book starts the synthesis of the various threads from those books into a movement towards closure. It's a good book, but, unfortunately, it doesn't do anything with Alfred. The previous book left Alfred heading towards a bad end. This book doesn't do anything with that. So, while reading the book, you constantly have this little voice in the back of your mind going "what's happening with Alfred?" Irritating.

Vol. 6 -- Into the Labyrinth: This book ranges across just about all of the worlds of the Death Gate. It brings all of the various threads from the other books to a head. Most importantly, it finally does something with Alfred. The unfortunate thing about this book is that it contains a lot of technical errors (or, more specifically, contradictions). For instance, in Dragon Wing, we're told that a person needs to be familiar with an area to use a transportation spell to get to that area. Yet, very close to the beginning of the book, one of the characters uses such a spell without ever having been to her target location. There are also several instances where the characters COULD have used such a spell, but don't. Likewise, there are problems with replication spells. In Fire Sea, Haplo and Alfred use such a spell to replicate enough food for a large group of people. Yet, in this book, no one seems to consider using a replication spell to produce more of some food. But, later on, those same people are using that same spell to replicate weapons. Plus, at one point, Xar uses a spell to just materialize both food and drink for a party. But, if such a thing is possible, why do the Patryns hunt and, apparently, farm in the Labyrinth? Also, the size of the Labyrinth seems wrong. From the previous books, it's taken hundreds (if not thousands) of years for various Patryns to traverse the hundreds of Gates in the Labryrinth. Yet, in this book, from the very beginning of the Labyrinth they can see the results of things happening at the Final Gate. There's also the problem of how people at the center of the Labyrinth would know anything about the Final Gate.

Vol. 7 -- Seventh Gate: This is the conclusion of the Death Gate series. Unforunately, I didn't much care for it. Basically, it comes across as being pretty sappy. All of a sudden, Haplo and Alfred are best buds and want to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Most of the various threads are tied up adequately (if not very satifyingly). But, the sudden push towards liberal "peace, love, and harmony" is trite. Of the seven books in this series, this one is the least good. Once again, I didn't much care for the tone of this book. But, since it adequatly ties up most everything that needed tying up, I'm not going to downgrade the whole series because of that.

huh???.......2004-03-28

Oh where oh where have the real authors gone oh where oh where can they be? I want stuff a the level of the Darksword trilogy not this redundancy...

Songs of Earth & Power: The Infinity Concerto and the Serpent Mage

Average customer rating:

Strongly written, new creation mythos, intricate new world
Not Free SF Reader
old-style Greg Bear
How fantasy should be.
This book outdoes everything else in its genre...

Songs of Earth & Power: The Infinity Concerto and the Serpent Mage
Greg Bear
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0312856695

Book Description

The Song of Power opened the gateway to the Realm of the Sidhe, allowing young Michael Perrin to slip through. Now Michael faces years of captivity and deadly struggles for the future of the Realm and of Earth--leading finally to a terrible confrontation on the streets of Los Angeles, with the soul of humanity at stake.Weaving the power of music, poetry, and myth into a headlong narrative of nearly overwhelming intensity, Song of Earth and Power is one of the most original fantasy epics of our time, a vast tapestry of relentless suspense, terrible beauty, and brilliant imagination. Originally published years ago in two parts, it now returns in a new edition rewritten by the author and published in a single volume as he originally intended. Wrote Analog on its original appearance: "A delight......A vision of Faery that may owe a bit to a wish to do it right. Read it."

Customer Reviews:

Strongly written, new creation mythos, intricate new world.......2007-09-03

"The Infinity Concerto" - Book One in the Songs of Earth and Power omnibus - is multi-layered and textured. I believe it will likely take me several readings to find all the meanings that are embedded in this story. The basic storyline revolves around Michael Perrin, a thoughtful young man who wants to be a poet. He befriends a composer named Arno Waltiri, who it is said wrote a concerto called The Infinity Concerto that was so unusual that it not only drove its listeners mad but also that many of those listeners disappeared. Waltiri claims that the concerto was primarily inspired by a man called David Clarkham, who subsequently disappeared; Arno gives Michael a key and a piece of paper with directions to follow, that should lead him to Clarkham. Waltiri dies soon thereafter. Despite warnings from Waltiri's wife Golda that Waltiri repented of his choice to give these to him, Michael decides to go ahead and follow the directions - and ends up somewhere . . . that is not Earth anymore. Forced to learn to survive, Michael has to grow up and grow strong very quickly - but is he just a pawn in some hidden power struggle? Or is he something else altogether?

Some sections of this part of the text seemed rather slow moving, but everything was necessary for the plot. Because the plot is so intricate, at times ponderous prose is necessary to bring about all the necessary information. All-in-all, I found book one quite enjoyable.

The Serpent Mage" - book two - picks up shortly after Infinity Concerto leaves off. Michael Perrin is back home, living with his parents and continuing his training. Arno Waltiri has left his estate and the disposition of his papers and recordings to Michael. Waltiri has also left his house to Michael and eventually Michael moves in and begins to go through the papers.

Michael's desires for normality are shattered, however, when he reads a news story about strange bodies discovered in a nearby hotel - one grossly obese, one strangely mummified and in a party dress. Other news stories speak of "hauntings" around the world - Michael suspects that the Sidhe are coming to Earth. If that isn't enough, he is contacted by a musical faculty member from UCLA named Kristine Pendeers who is looking for the Infinity Concerto - Opus 45. She wants to discover and perform it; and she has a friend who, with the help of letters and papers they hope to discover in Waltiri's estate, hopes to finish Mahler's unfinished Symphony. And they then plan play the two pieces together. Once the decision is made to start looking for these materials, Michael begins to fall under various attacks to stop him from completing these tasks.

Hopefully the bits of plot I outlined above don't spoil the book for anyone - I could hardly outline less without being so vague about the basic plot of the book as to be basically providing you with a meaningless synopsis; however, there is so much more to this book than the above. Greg Bear weaves throughout this story a fascinating new mythos about the creation and evolution, de-evolution and re-evolution of man and the universe that I found to be quite astonishing in its depth and breadth. He weaves in references to several world religions and ties them in to his mythos, showing how the original truth was "twisted" over the years to conform to what would best serve those in power. It's a really interesting device and I enjoyed the way it was woven in throughout the story. You may also look at vegetarianism in a whole new light.

There was only one thing about the story that bothered me and I'm not sure if it was because I misinterpreted what I was reading or if it is because of some sort of misogyny on the part of the author. It is mentioned several times throughout the course of the book that "magic is carried by the woman." However, not one single mage shown is a woman. If women carry the magic, why aren't there any female mages? Or, as I said, perhaps I am misinterpreting it, and by "carry" they mean like a recessive gene - they carry the magic, but cannot use it.

Those who are fans of epic fantasy, magical realism, stories of the Sidhe (especially of the darker natures thereof) or simply well-crafted alternate realities, please do not miss this one.

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

The fantasy here is by way of horror. A human that ends up in this world, after crossing over from our own is basically then stuck in a Clive Barker book, a very nasty and horrific situation. A similar feel to Mark Chadbourn's World's End, or Sean Williams Crooked Letter.

Humans affected by the supernatural powers around them struggle greatly with the concept, apart from the actual basic facts of survival.

old-style Greg Bear.......2006-12-05

Short summary: this is the coming of age of a californian teenager captured in a beautiful (my opinion) and dark fantasy world that has little respect for nonsense. It takes too long a while for the kid to grow up. In the meantime, there are too many, too wordy description of too many unessential details that muddle a very inventive imaginary universe. The book would have been much better it it had been 1/3 shorter.

Some books by Greg Bear I've read fairly recently I also liked a lot, so why not trying some of his older writing. Hmmm. Think again. This one I wanted to put down for good after fifty pages, but on the merit of previous reads I persisted, and thank heavens it got better. But not that much . . ..

The fundamental ideas are original and refreshing, but it took me 150 pages to begin to care for Michael, the protagonist. At page 50 or so, when yet another creative calamity was just about to get him, I found myself rooting for the calamity.

I plodded on, for Bear's sake. Michael grows up, fortunately, but the process is annoying to the reader (me) rather than inspiring. The narrative is fine, yet Mr. Bear gets lost in many winded descriptions that stall the action and add only marginal detail to otherwise very good world-building. More often than not I ended up reading the first sentence and the last sentence of, or just scanning through, too many paragraphs without dialog.

Mr. Bear's writing gets better with time. This early novel of his is not quite ripe yet. The absorption value (how much I get lost in the story) is uneven. Your mileage as a reader will vary--a lot. I cannot really recommend this title, sorry. Three stars because the world is original and crafty, I did finish the book, and there are some good moments :)

How fantasy should be........2005-05-21

Originally two separate books, Greg Bear's `Infinity Concerto' and `The Serpent Mage' are brought together in one volume renamed `Songs of Earth and Power'.
The story revolves around Michael Perrin, a young poet who is searching for meaning in his life but with no direction. When he befriends Arno Waltiri an elderly neighbour who is also artistic (a composer), it is a meeting of minds and Michaels life changes forever. Unfortunately Arno dies soon after meeting Michael but leaves him a key to an old abandoned house. What Michael is about to discover is that this house is a gateway to another realm, the Realm of the Sidhe, a realm that is both compelling and dangerous, a realm that is difficult to escape from.
Greg Bear's land of elves is not the pretty, enchanted place of so many fantasy novels but is an oppressive, menacing land of cruelty and fear, ruled by the unfeeling Sidhe. His brilliantly descriptive narrative draws the reader in until you feel part of this world. It is a difficult book to put down. Songs of Earth and Power isn't an easy or comfortable read but it is one that is well worth the effort. It's definitely one of the better novels in the fantasy genre and it's a great addition to the bookshelf of any lover of fantasy.

This book outdoes everything else in its genre..........2003-03-28

I have a confession to make. Before I read Songs of Earth and Power by Greg Bear, I was a fan of the SciFi/Fantasy genre. Now, nothing can satisfy me. In his spectacular book, Bear more than raises the bar for his fellow writers. As for his supposed "blasphemous" writing: Bear is taking creative license. I am a very religious person, and I beleive wholeheartedly in God. Yet I am openminded, and can read a novel that questions God and the story of creation and take it for what it truly is -- a story, nothing more. If you cannot be open minded and take offense at "blasphemous" writing in a fiction novel, then you probably shouldn't read this book.

This is the most imaginative, original, and creative book I have ever read (and I read quite a lot); now, every other SciFi/Fantasy book on the shelf just seems like another brainless, cookie cutter novel complete with dragons, magic, and the like.

So, if you want to experience an intellectual, thought-provoking, and entertaining Fantasy (which seems like an oxymoron to me now), RUN not walk to read this book.

Customer Reviews:

Creation of a unique new mythos.......2007-09-03

"The Serpent Mage" picks up shortly after Infinity Concerto leaves off. Michael Perrin is back home, living with his parents and continuing his training. Arno Waltiri has left his estate and the disposition of his papers and recordings to Michael. Waltiri has also left his house to Michael and eventually Michael moves in and begins to go through the papers.

Michael's desires for normality are shattered, however, when he reads a news story about strange bodies discovered in a nearby hotel - one grossly obese, one strangely mummified and in a party dress. Other news stories speak of "hauntings" around the world - Michael suspects that the Sidhe are coming to Earth. If that isn't enough, he is contacted by a musical faculty member from UCLA named Kristine Pendeers who is looking for the Infinity Concerto - Opus 45. She wants to discover and perform it; and she has a friend who, with the help of letters and papers they hope to discover in Waltiri's estate, hopes to finish Mahler's unfinished Symphony. And then play the two pieces together. Once the decision is made to start looking for these materials, Michael begins to fall under various attacks to stop him from completing these tasks.

Hopefully the bit of plot I outlined above doesn't spoil the book for anyone - I could hardly outline less without being so vague about the basic plot of the book as to be basically providing you with a meaningless synopsis of the plot; however, there is so much more to this book than the above. Greg Bear weaves through this story a fascinating new mythos about the creation and evolution, de-evolution and re-evolution of man and the universe that I found to be quite astonishing in its depth and breadth. He weaves in references to several world religions and ties them in to his mythos, showing how the original truth was "twisted" over the years to conform to what would best serve those in power. It's a really interesting device and I enjoyed the way it was woven in throughout the story.

There was only one thing about the story that bothered me and I'm not sure if it was because I misinterpreted what I was reading or if it is because of some sort of misogyny on the part of the author. It is mentioned several times through the course of the book that "magic is carried by the woman." However, not one single mage shown is a woman. If women carry the magic, why aren't there any female mages? Or, as I said, perhaps I am misinterpreting it, and by "carry" they mean like a recessive gene - they carry the magic, but cannot use it.

Whatever the case, "The Serpent Mage" nicely finished up the story begun in Infinity Concerto, creating the full story of Songs of Earth & Power: The Infinity Concerto and the Serpent Mage. I strongly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted fantasy/magical realism story. Very well done!

A fun action-packed ending to an interesting series.......2000-03-31

This is the 2nd book of a 2 book series. The first is The Infinity Concerto. My detailed rating would be 4.5 for this book. The main character (Michael) has completed his magical training, and now he has to use it. There is lots more of a story to this book compared to the first. What with meeting a nice girl, training an apprentice Sidhe, trying to force a peace between Sidhe and humans, and trying to save the world, Micheal has much to do. The main problem in the book is that the Realm, created by Tonn as a home for the Sidhe, is literally falling apart. So everyone there needs to find a new home, quick! And considering the history of this universe, there will obviously be cosmic problems with that. The book also includes a lot of film/film score/classical music scholarship. It doesn't interfere TOO much with the story. The book DOES answer some questions -- what IS the Loch Ness monster? But at the end I still have a few. What happened to Michael's horse? Why did saving Tonn's wife fall to Michael, not the Crane Women, or the Ban? In any case, this pair of books is quite satisfying when you reach the end. If you can't find the first book, this one stands on its own fairly well.

An interesting action-packed finale to a good series.......2000-03-31

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The Power of the Serpent

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0553023705

Product Description

The Sage of Brave Swords and Demon Lusts in a Hell-War for Human Souls. Druid cult priests , warrior priests in comsic combat. Classic vintage science fiction

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The Serpent Mage
Greg Bear
Manufacturer: Berkley Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S9JS6U

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Serpent Mage :Death Gate Cycle Volume 4
Margaret Weis
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UP8EA8

The Serpent Mage Volume 4 - a Death Gate Novel

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The Serpent Mage Volume 4 - a Death Gate Novel

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000HK7RNQ

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Serpent Mage; volume 4
Margaret; Hickman, Tracy Weis
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OHLXBY

The Death Gate Cycle Series: Dragon Wing, Elven Star, Fire Sea; Serpent Mage; Into the Labyrinth; the Hand of Chaos; the Seventh Gate (Set of 7 Fantasy Novels)

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The Death Gate Cycle Series: Dragon Wing, Elven Star, Fire Sea; Serpent Mage; Into the Labyrinth; the Hand of Chaos; the Seventh Gate (Set of 7 Fantasy Novels)
Margaret Weis , and Tracy Hickman
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KK9D58

The Death Gate Cycle: Book 1: Dragon Wing; Book 2: Elven Star; Book 3: Fire Sea; Book 4: Serpent Mage; Book 5: The Hand of Chaos; Book 6: Into the Labyrinth; Book 7: The Seventh Gate

Average customer rating:

The Death Gate Cycle: Book 1: Dragon Wing; Book 2: Elven Star; Book 3: Fire Sea; Book 4: Serpent Mage; Book 5: The Hand of Chaos; Book 6: Into the Labyrinth; Book 7: The Seventh Gate
Margaret Weis , and Tracy Hickman
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NRX5OI

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