The Singer of All Songs
Encyclopedia
The Singer of All Songs is the first novel in the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy by Kate Constable
.
During one of the nine days of Strengthening, in which the priestesses sing to maintain the Wall, it is breached by a strange traveler, called Darrow. Calwyn attempts to approach him; but when he sings in a low tone, Calwyn feels as though a hand is clutching her tunic and keeping her away. He is unable to maintain this and collapses because of an injury he had suffered, whereupon Calwyn brings Darrow back to the priestess' dwellings. The psychokinetic effect is revealed by the High Priestess to be of a chantment, the Power of Iron
, which controls inanimate matter
. Calwyn befriends Darrow, who now has a scar on his eyebrow and a permanent limp. Samis, a greedy sorcerer who wants to become the Singer of All Songs and rule the world of Tremaris, follows Darrow to Antaris. Darrow and Calwyn manage to flee by jumping into the river that flows under the Wall.
They cross many miles to reach Kalysons, where Darrow meets his friends Tonno and Xanni to ask them for help. All four sail on the boat Fledgewing to Mithates, where they seek the help of a chanter who can help them defeat Samis. In Mithates, the men leave to try finding remnants of the fire chantments, leaving Calwyn on the boat as women are not allowed in the war-machine-making college
s. Calwyn sees Samis' chantment-powered galley dock nearby and searches for her friends to warn them. She, on the way, meets Trout, a bespectacled, inventive college student, who has unknowingly acquired an ancient and powerful object; the Clarion
of the Flame. This Clarion, a trumpet-like device, is the last remnant of the Chantments of Fire.
Samis, using the chantments of Seeming (illusion) to give himself the appearance of Darrow, attempts to seduce Calwyn into giving him the Clarion; Calwyn, because of her soft spot for Darrow, is at first swayed, but eventually realizes the truth. Calwyn and Trout flee from Samis and the Mithate guards; Calwyn uses her chantments to aid their escape. They reach the boat, where they see the real Darrow, Tonno, and Xanni running towards them and away from Samis. Samis uses iron chantment to wield a dagger, threatening to kill Darrow; Xanni takes the blow and dies instead. Everyone, including Trout, escapes from Mithates.
The crew gives Xanni's dead body a burial at sea. Later, they all become embittered by his death. Their quest abandoned, the survivors are caught in a storm
and are swept into the Great Sea. There they are captured by pirates. Calwyn is taken aboard the pirates' ship because they believe that she is a windworker; a chanter able to control the wind. While aboard, Calwyn befriends the pirates' other windworker, Mica.
Mica soon teaches Calwyn how to sing a breeze, thus preventing the pirates from killing her out of hand. Calwyn's ability to sing chantments of both ice and wind convinces Mica that Calwyn's father, who remains unidentified, is an islander, on the grounds that only islanders can sing chantments of wind.
The pirates dock at Doryus Town, which is notorious for its slave trade and drug traffic. There, the pirate captain hopes to sell Calwyn to a man who desires a windworker, this man being an incognito Samis. When the pirates have been rendered into a stupor by the effects of a drug called slava, Calwyn, Mica, and the Fledgewings crew escape. At the same time, Samis tests the Clarion's power on the dormant volcano
of the island of Doryus. The volcano erupts, revealing the Clarion's power to summon all forms of fire or heat. The crew of the Fledgewing travel to the arboreal Wildlands with new hope for their quest.
While approaching the Wildlands, the protagonists are confronted by the draconic Arakin, who are guardians of that region. Calwyn uses her powers of chantment to make peace with them, revealing that she has a third power of chantment in her composition; the Power of Beasts. This gives Darrow cause for contemplation and worry, in that it implies that Calwyn is the true Singer of All Songs.
In the forests of the Wildlands, the sailors are befriended by Halasaa, one of the mute, telepathic Tree People, who is the last guardian of the powers of Becoming; therefore, the power to heal, which is the only one of the Nine Chantments not dependent on audial speech. The Tree People send Halasaa away from their community of Spiridrell as punishment for befriending the outsiders, who have perpetrated genocide
against them in the past. He escorts the outsiders, at their request, to the ancient, abandoned city of Spareth, where they meet Samis once more.
In the ancient, apparently high-tech city, they enter a tower, where Samis finds them again. In a final confrontation, Samis tricks and then terrorizes the crew of Fledgewing into singing the different chantments, claiming that he who commands the Nine Powers to be sung will become the Singer of all Songs. When Darrow's life is threatened, a despairing Calwyn sings the last chantment, a song of ice-call. Instead of transforming Samis into a god
, the Great Power he has summoned absorbs and overwhelms him.
The crew are left to ponder how to realize Samis’ vision for a peaceful and united Tremaris without tyranny: not as one lone voice, as he wanted, but as many voices singing together.
s down her back.
Darrow is a traveler who is trying to escape Samis (see next character), who is trying to kill him. Calwyn saves Darrow when he injures himself as he flies, by means of his own magic, over the Wall but fell to the ground from the top. When Calwyn helps him escape Antaris, she goes with him to stop Samis. An ironcrafter of Merithuros who was once friends with Samis but now aims to stop him. Calwyn calls him an old man whose life is almost over; he is mentally tired but enjoys traveling. He has traveled very far and Calwyn often asks him to tell her stories of his travels. Described as lean, light, hay compared, haired, hawk
-eyed, having a crescent shaped scar over his right eye, and nearing his 30's. Has a limp from his fall over the Wall, but is later healed by Halasaa.
Samis an evil and greedy sorcerer who is trying to become The Singer of All Songs. In this position, he would be capable of manipulating wind, metal, wood
, earth and ice, and communicating with animals not of his own race; as well as able to psychokinetically heal wounds, generate illusions, and produce fire. Was a minor prince of the Merithuran Empire
who sought to be emperor, but was unable to earn him the title. Rejected, Samis instead sought to be ruler of all Tremaris. Wears a square iron ring jeweled with a ruby
. Described as tall with a head too big for his frame; an ugly face looking like it was carved from stone
; a beak
ed nose; a long mouth; and a mane of gray hair from a high brow.
Mica a 14–15 year old windworker (a magician capable of controlling movement of wind). Works for pirates, but escapes with Calwyn on the boat Fledgewing. Her village was burned down by slavers, whereupon Mica was captured and sold to a pirate crew. Mica gives the impression of bravado so as to avoid seeming weak. Described as being skinny with tawny skin, pale hair, and golden eyes. Wears a faded jacket that once belonged to Mica's beloved grandmother.
Tonno the brother of Xanni. Darrow's friend. Unable to sing chantments himself. Prizes himself as the ship's cook. Described as tall and burly with bushy eyebrows, curly hair, dark eyes, and a sullen, serious look.
Xanni is the owner of Fledgewing and Tonno's younger brother, about one to two years younger than Darrow. A good natured, adventurous young man. He is mortally wounded in Mithates by Samis and later dies at sea. Described as short with curly hair, dark, bright eyes, and wrinkles formed from laughing on his face.
Trout
a young inventor from Mithates who possesses, without knowledge of its use, the Clarion of the Flame. He joins Calwyn and her friends in Mithates. Trout wears glasses. He was involved in an explosion due to an invention of his that ruined his hearing; Trout is now unable to hear high-pitched sounds, and thus is unaffected by the chantments of illusion, which are highly pitched. Described as being freckled with vague, blue eyes, has numerous burn scars and scratches. Trout is initially skeptical of chantments, but is ultimately convinced of their reality
.
Halasaa one of the telepathic, voice
less Tree People, and the last user of the power of Becoming, which is a healing power activated by certain gestures. Calwyn meets him in the Wildlands, after an encounter with the dragon
like arakin. Halasaa is rejected by his people for his gift, as well as for his acceptance of voiced people, but is still kind and hopeful. Because Calwyn is a magic-user, like himself, he calls her "sister". But the Tree People would still ask him to heal the ones that they couldn't. So they acknowledged his existence but didn't accept him.
Marna is the High Priestess of Antaris. Described as old with silver hair piled on her head and carrying a staff of her office. She is a tired and wise woman.
Tamen is the Guardian of the Wall. Stern and awe inspiring, Tamen seems to purposefully ridicule Calwyn. Marna says this is only because Calwyn may one day be High Priestess, meaning that Tamen and Calwyn would have to work together. Described as tall with a long black and silver braid down her back. She fears that Calwyn perhaps is even more powerful than her.
Calida was Calwyn's mother. Restless like her daughter, she too sought to leave Antaris and explore the Outlands. Mysteriously, she vanished one day, only a little older than Calwyn. Many years later, Calida appeared during winter with baby Calwyn in her arms and died that night.
Ursca is the dumpy infirmarian of the priestess's dwellings. She tends to panic
at every mistake, but when left to take care of a patient she is calm and in control. Ursca taught Calwyn everything she knows of herbs and medicines, but nearly drove Calwyn to madness with her fidgety ways and her tendency to, having acquired an opinion, hold onto it despite all evidence to the contrary.
Gilly is a novice ice priestess who is a friend to Calwyn. At the beginning of the book she begins her first Day of Strengthening. She is described as frivolous and prone to premature flirting with boys.She is only mentioned a couple times in the beginning.
Tuw a gardener of the priestess's dwellings. He was born with a crooked foot and the other leg a hand span shorter than the other. Tuw has therefore fashioned a shoe
with an exceptionally thick sole and many walking sticks, one which ends up in Darrow's possession.
Publishers Weekly complained that "the sheer level of detail is overwhelming at first." The review adding, however, that "those who press on through the overwhelming detail will find their efforts rewarded." The review praised "Constable for imagining a rich satisfying universe."
Kate Constable
Kate Constable is an Australian author. Her first novel was The Singer of All Songs, the first in the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy. It was later followed by The Waterless Sea and The Tenth Power.-Biography:...
.
Plot summary
Calwyn is a young priestess who chants the ice chants of Antaris. She lives inside Antaris, a community located among mountains, which is enclosed by an ice wall. The priestesses must maintain the wall with their chantments; that is, by singing certain songs, the knowledge of which is passed down to them through the temple. Nine powers can be achieved by such songs, though never by the same chanter. Legend has it that a Singer of All Songs will someday be born, who will know and use the songs of all the effects.During one of the nine days of Strengthening, in which the priestesses sing to maintain the Wall, it is breached by a strange traveler, called Darrow. Calwyn attempts to approach him; but when he sings in a low tone, Calwyn feels as though a hand is clutching her tunic and keeping her away. He is unable to maintain this and collapses because of an injury he had suffered, whereupon Calwyn brings Darrow back to the priestess' dwellings. The psychokinetic effect is revealed by the High Priestess to be of a chantment, the Power of Iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, which controls inanimate matter
Matter
Matter is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist. Typically, matter includes atoms and other particles which have mass. A common way of defining matter is as anything that has mass and occupies volume...
. Calwyn befriends Darrow, who now has a scar on his eyebrow and a permanent limp. Samis, a greedy sorcerer who wants to become the Singer of All Songs and rule the world of Tremaris, follows Darrow to Antaris. Darrow and Calwyn manage to flee by jumping into the river that flows under the Wall.
They cross many miles to reach Kalysons, where Darrow meets his friends Tonno and Xanni to ask them for help. All four sail on the boat Fledgewing to Mithates, where they seek the help of a chanter who can help them defeat Samis. In Mithates, the men leave to try finding remnants of the fire chantments, leaving Calwyn on the boat as women are not allowed in the war-machine-making college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s. Calwyn sees Samis' chantment-powered galley dock nearby and searches for her friends to warn them. She, on the way, meets Trout, a bespectacled, inventive college student, who has unknowingly acquired an ancient and powerful object; the Clarion
Clarion
-In music:* Clarion , a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages* Clarion register of clarinets, ranging from B4 to C6-Places:* Clarion, Illinois, USA* Clarion, Iowa, USA...
of the Flame. This Clarion, a trumpet-like device, is the last remnant of the Chantments of Fire.
Samis, using the chantments of Seeming (illusion) to give himself the appearance of Darrow, attempts to seduce Calwyn into giving him the Clarion; Calwyn, because of her soft spot for Darrow, is at first swayed, but eventually realizes the truth. Calwyn and Trout flee from Samis and the Mithate guards; Calwyn uses her chantments to aid their escape. They reach the boat, where they see the real Darrow, Tonno, and Xanni running towards them and away from Samis. Samis uses iron chantment to wield a dagger, threatening to kill Darrow; Xanni takes the blow and dies instead. Everyone, including Trout, escapes from Mithates.
The crew gives Xanni's dead body a burial at sea. Later, they all become embittered by his death. Their quest abandoned, the survivors are caught in a storm
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
and are swept into the Great Sea. There they are captured by pirates. Calwyn is taken aboard the pirates' ship because they believe that she is a windworker; a chanter able to control the wind. While aboard, Calwyn befriends the pirates' other windworker, Mica.
Mica soon teaches Calwyn how to sing a breeze, thus preventing the pirates from killing her out of hand. Calwyn's ability to sing chantments of both ice and wind convinces Mica that Calwyn's father, who remains unidentified, is an islander, on the grounds that only islanders can sing chantments of wind.
The pirates dock at Doryus Town, which is notorious for its slave trade and drug traffic. There, the pirate captain hopes to sell Calwyn to a man who desires a windworker, this man being an incognito Samis. When the pirates have been rendered into a stupor by the effects of a drug called slava, Calwyn, Mica, and the Fledgewings crew escape. At the same time, Samis tests the Clarion's power on the dormant volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
of the island of Doryus. The volcano erupts, revealing the Clarion's power to summon all forms of fire or heat. The crew of the Fledgewing travel to the arboreal Wildlands with new hope for their quest.
While approaching the Wildlands, the protagonists are confronted by the draconic Arakin, who are guardians of that region. Calwyn uses her powers of chantment to make peace with them, revealing that she has a third power of chantment in her composition; the Power of Beasts. This gives Darrow cause for contemplation and worry, in that it implies that Calwyn is the true Singer of All Songs.
In the forests of the Wildlands, the sailors are befriended by Halasaa, one of the mute, telepathic Tree People, who is the last guardian of the powers of Becoming; therefore, the power to heal, which is the only one of the Nine Chantments not dependent on audial speech. The Tree People send Halasaa away from their community of Spiridrell as punishment for befriending the outsiders, who have perpetrated genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
against them in the past. He escorts the outsiders, at their request, to the ancient, abandoned city of Spareth, where they meet Samis once more.
In the ancient, apparently high-tech city, they enter a tower, where Samis finds them again. In a final confrontation, Samis tricks and then terrorizes the crew of Fledgewing into singing the different chantments, claiming that he who commands the Nine Powers to be sung will become the Singer of all Songs. When Darrow's life is threatened, a despairing Calwyn sings the last chantment, a song of ice-call. Instead of transforming Samis into a god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the Great Power he has summoned absorbs and overwhelms him.
The crew are left to ponder how to realize Samis’ vision for a peaceful and united Tremaris without tyranny: not as one lone voice, as he wanted, but as many voices singing together.
Characters
Calwyn is a 16 year-old priestess of Antaris who can sing ice chantments. Tends to the bee hives and is skilled with medicines and herbs; apparently very skilled in singing chantments, for she is capable of calling ice, working wind, and placating animals with her songs. She yearns to travel beyond the ice wall of Antaris and does so when Darrow comes and takes her on a journey. Calwyn is adventurous, restless, and faithful to a fault; at times she may not see others' points of view and insists that she is right. Calwyn strives to prove her worth, and is upset when unable to do so. Calwyn takes after her mother, who too longed for whatever lay beyond the Wall. Is described as being tall and skinny with big black eyes and long black hair in one or two plaitPlait
A plait may refer to:* Plait, also called a braid, intertwined strands of, for example, textile or hair* Plait, now called a pleat, a fold of fabric, used in clothing and upholstery* Plait , a fold in the columella of a gastropod mollusc...
s down her back.
Darrow is a traveler who is trying to escape Samis (see next character), who is trying to kill him. Calwyn saves Darrow when he injures himself as he flies, by means of his own magic, over the Wall but fell to the ground from the top. When Calwyn helps him escape Antaris, she goes with him to stop Samis. An ironcrafter of Merithuros who was once friends with Samis but now aims to stop him. Calwyn calls him an old man whose life is almost over; he is mentally tired but enjoys traveling. He has traveled very far and Calwyn often asks him to tell her stories of his travels. Described as lean, light, hay compared, haired, hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
-eyed, having a crescent shaped scar over his right eye, and nearing his 30's. Has a limp from his fall over the Wall, but is later healed by Halasaa.
Samis an evil and greedy sorcerer who is trying to become The Singer of All Songs. In this position, he would be capable of manipulating wind, metal, wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, earth and ice, and communicating with animals not of his own race; as well as able to psychokinetically heal wounds, generate illusions, and produce fire. Was a minor prince of the Merithuran Empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
who sought to be emperor, but was unable to earn him the title. Rejected, Samis instead sought to be ruler of all Tremaris. Wears a square iron ring jeweled with a ruby
Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
. Described as tall with a head too big for his frame; an ugly face looking like it was carved from stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
; a beak
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
ed nose; a long mouth; and a mane of gray hair from a high brow.
Mica a 14–15 year old windworker (a magician capable of controlling movement of wind). Works for pirates, but escapes with Calwyn on the boat Fledgewing. Her village was burned down by slavers, whereupon Mica was captured and sold to a pirate crew. Mica gives the impression of bravado so as to avoid seeming weak. Described as being skinny with tawny skin, pale hair, and golden eyes. Wears a faded jacket that once belonged to Mica's beloved grandmother.
Tonno the brother of Xanni. Darrow's friend. Unable to sing chantments himself. Prizes himself as the ship's cook. Described as tall and burly with bushy eyebrows, curly hair, dark eyes, and a sullen, serious look.
Xanni is the owner of Fledgewing and Tonno's younger brother, about one to two years younger than Darrow. A good natured, adventurous young man. He is mortally wounded in Mithates by Samis and later dies at sea. Described as short with curly hair, dark, bright eyes, and wrinkles formed from laughing on his face.
Trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
a young inventor from Mithates who possesses, without knowledge of its use, the Clarion of the Flame. He joins Calwyn and her friends in Mithates. Trout wears glasses. He was involved in an explosion due to an invention of his that ruined his hearing; Trout is now unable to hear high-pitched sounds, and thus is unaffected by the chantments of illusion, which are highly pitched. Described as being freckled with vague, blue eyes, has numerous burn scars and scratches. Trout is initially skeptical of chantments, but is ultimately convinced of their reality
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
.
Halasaa one of the telepathic, voice
Voice
Voice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
less Tree People, and the last user of the power of Becoming, which is a healing power activated by certain gestures. Calwyn meets him in the Wildlands, after an encounter with the dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
like arakin. Halasaa is rejected by his people for his gift, as well as for his acceptance of voiced people, but is still kind and hopeful. Because Calwyn is a magic-user, like himself, he calls her "sister". But the Tree People would still ask him to heal the ones that they couldn't. So they acknowledged his existence but didn't accept him.
Marna is the High Priestess of Antaris. Described as old with silver hair piled on her head and carrying a staff of her office. She is a tired and wise woman.
Tamen is the Guardian of the Wall. Stern and awe inspiring, Tamen seems to purposefully ridicule Calwyn. Marna says this is only because Calwyn may one day be High Priestess, meaning that Tamen and Calwyn would have to work together. Described as tall with a long black and silver braid down her back. She fears that Calwyn perhaps is even more powerful than her.
Calida was Calwyn's mother. Restless like her daughter, she too sought to leave Antaris and explore the Outlands. Mysteriously, she vanished one day, only a little older than Calwyn. Many years later, Calida appeared during winter with baby Calwyn in her arms and died that night.
Ursca is the dumpy infirmarian of the priestess's dwellings. She tends to panic
Panic
Panic is a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reaction...
at every mistake, but when left to take care of a patient she is calm and in control. Ursca taught Calwyn everything she knows of herbs and medicines, but nearly drove Calwyn to madness with her fidgety ways and her tendency to, having acquired an opinion, hold onto it despite all evidence to the contrary.
Gilly is a novice ice priestess who is a friend to Calwyn. At the beginning of the book she begins her first Day of Strengthening. She is described as frivolous and prone to premature flirting with boys.She is only mentioned a couple times in the beginning.
Tuw a gardener of the priestess's dwellings. He was born with a crooked foot and the other leg a hand span shorter than the other. Tuw has therefore fashioned a shoe
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
with an exceptionally thick sole and many walking sticks, one which ends up in Darrow's possession.
Reception
The Kirkus reviews said "the actual workings of enchantment, definitions of the powers, various characters' emotions are well sketched," however, it added, the novel "lack[s] depth." It is "not meaty, but creative," the reviewer hedged. "Calwyn," Kirkus added, is "a fairly passive protagonist."Publishers Weekly complained that "the sheer level of detail is overwhelming at first." The review adding, however, that "those who press on through the overwhelming detail will find their efforts rewarded." The review praised "Constable for imagining a rich satisfying universe."
External Links
- http://www.kateconstable.com/synopsis1.html