The Singing

The Fourth Book of Pellinor

By: Alison Croggon

Narrated by: Eloise Oxer

Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

In an increasingly battle-ravaged land, Maerad, Cadvan, and Hem desperately search for one another as they make their separate journeys. The Black Army is advancing north, and even as Maerad faces a mighty confrontation with the Landrost to save Innail, all of the Seven Kingdoms are threatened with bitter and devastating defeat.

Yet in Maerad and Hem lives the secret to the mysterious Singing, and legend holds that if they release the music of Elidhu together, they have the power to defeat the Nameless One. Can brother and sister find each other in time to fight this all-powerful enemy, and are they strong enough - even reunited - to defeat him before all is lost?

The climactic volume of the epic quartet follows the Bards of Edil-Amarandh on a vital quest to merge their powers against a nameless evil.

Listen to another Pellinor title.

©2011 Alison Croggon (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

felt a little deflated as an ending

I like books with tidy endings, dislike downers. I could live with the death of Hem's love (though I hung in there for some miracle), but I always feel so sad for protagonists whose gifts cost them their humanity. At least they saved the world.

The singing

It was spellbinding to the end. what a series, with history and fantasy. I will read this again.

Probably my favorite book of the series

Although anything I say about the story should be taken with a grain of salt because I think it's meant for tween or young teenage readers, I did enjoy this book more than the others. I think that was partially because after finishing the other books and having spent longer with the characters I felt more connected to them. I don't think the author does a particularly good job at drawing you into the story and creating a world you feel invested in, I think the books are overall enjoyable and interesting. The narrator mostly does a good job but the way she does some of the voices is grating, especially the animals. Again, overall it was fine and I enjoyed listening to it.

A Masterful Conclusion

Would you consider the audio edition of The Singing to be better than the print version?

I think the audio version gives the story a little more depth. However I have never actually read the print version, so I honestly couldn't say whether the audio was better than the print.

What other book might you compare The Singing to and why?

The Singing seems to be comparable to many different books. The other three books in the series I could say right off the bat which book to compare it to. Like The Crow, I'd say that was comparable to Watership Down. But the Singing combined all of the previous stories and put it together into one fantastical conclusion. But perhaps I might be so bold as to compare it to The Lord of the Rings. The tales of adventure and magerie all combine into a such a beautiful tale of friendship, love, and courage.

Have you listened to any of Eloise Oxer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The only performances I've heard of her's are the first two books in this series. I would say this was on the same level as those. When I first starting to listen to the book, I regretfully had the thought, "Hm...I think they could have picked someone else better for the story." However within about 15 - 30 minutes, I realized no one could have given the performance and that depth quite so well. I think Eloise Oxer was perfect for the role.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Oh this book made me laugh, it made me want to go on an adventure. After finishing it, I wanted to go out into the wilderness, discover my inner bardness, and go start fighting evil. Unfortunately I could not do this, but I really wanted to. It was amazing.

Any additional comments?

This is a brilliant read. The literature is of some of the highest quality. The performance was right up along there, too. Altogether, I would listen to it again.

Slow, but worth it!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Singing to be better than the print version?

I read/listened to all four books. This was the last book in the series and I really enjoyed it. It was a bit slow at times but I finished this one faster than the other three. Afterwards I just felt so emotionally raw and vulnerable and cried. I really enjoyed it. I recently started listening to the first book again.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

She reads a bit slow. I had it on a faster reading setting, but at times I will dial it back since it was a bit too fast and hard to get with her accent going fast.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

i would if it wasnt so long.

This is one of my favorites!

This is a must-read book! Eloise Oxer is an excellent reader and does well at the different voices.

Horrible Narrator-Had to return the book

It was so bad that despite my interest in the series I could not listen to it. If I were the publisher I would have re-narrated by the same person who did the other series