Singer of Norgondy

by Susan Shell Winston

If you had the power to enter men's minds and convince them that you're a god, would you use it? That's the choice that Verl, a young singer of Norgondy, must face. Trained by the tellerwoman Merind to telepathically touch the god-spot in people's minds, Verl holds the ultimate -- and deadly -- power to control the masses -- by creating a new god they can't help but believe in. Together they help their friend Crel and his dancing bear become the Bearman, the shapeshifting Reaper God who leads the people of Norgondy into war against their usurper queen. Singer of Norgondy is a fantasy novel of revolt and revenge, deception and intrigue. ..".The strongest elements of Winston's novel are the detailed descriptions of Norgondy, its rituals and its religious conflicts. Merind's people hold a celebration each year called Festival Week, and Winston's descriptions of the event are lively. Verl and Crel are appealing heroes who use courage and ingenuity to fulfill their destinies. In the large supporting cast, each character has a unique back story, and Winston adeptly balances multiple subplots while keeping a tight focus on the main plotline..." --- Kirkus Review For maps and more stories of the world of Colonium see http: //www.holdenstone.com

432 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2013

Reviews

[Abby Goldsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is some of the strongest world-building I've read. A glance at the blurb might lead you to believe it's a typical medieval Europe setting, but much as with "Lord of the Rings" or "Game of Thrones," this is its own unique world layered with rich history and consistent details. When a writer lavishes a world with decades of thought, it shows. This is such a world and story. It's deep, and it leaves the reader thinking.

[Gen Giggles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received my copy from a Goodreads Giveaway.


I enjoyed the book. I was an interesting tale. The main problem with the book is it didn't know what kind of story it wanted to be. It was like it wanted to be, a war story, a political intrigue, and a high fantasy all at the same time. By trying to tell so many different types of stories it wasn't any of them.

The character Crel, states at one point that a barge is like his tinkers wagon. It hauls stuff, just lots more and much slower. That was this book. It was slow and ponderous carrying more then needed to tell the story.

The blurb for this book starts with an event that doesn't occur until the last fourth of the book is left. This set a wrong impression for what the book would be and how it failed to achieve the promise of the blurb.

[Michael Berquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel had a very interesting premise and one of the most memorable beginnings to a novel I have read recently. However, I was unsure as to the target audience of the novel as it dithered between fantasy cliches, and modern adult new ideas that better fit into the author's story. Not my cup of tea, but still a great novel that I'm sure many others would enjoy! Thank you for the advance copy.