What do you think?
Rate this book
Eydrth is a Master Songsmith...who has no magic. She will do anything to save her father from the evil that has stolen his mind. But the paths to the magic of the Witch World are many--and to save the ones you love, the truest magic must come from the heart...
Andre Norton has been called "one of the most popular writers of our time" ( Publishers Weekly ) and has for over twenty-five years enchanted readers with the most famous and popular of her the enthralling Witch World. With bestseller A.C. Crispin, Norton has woven an eternal love story, filled with magic and wonder. Songsmith is the novel that Witch World fans have been waiting for--a shining jewel in the Witch World cosmos.
Andre Norton has been called "one of the most popular writers of our time" ( Publishers Weekly ) and has for over twenty-five years enchanted readers with the most famous and popular of her the enthralling Witch World. With bestseller A.C. Crispin, Norton has woven an eternal love story, filled with magic and wonder. Songsmith is the novel that Witch World fans have been waiting for--a shining jewel in the Witch World cosmos.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1992
34 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
695 books1,386 followersAndre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 7, 2015
Impressed. Some twenty volumes into the Witch World Series, I was getting pretty annoyed with the "sameness" of it all. Hero (or more likely Heroine) is driven by forces beyond his or her understanding to save the world from Evil.
In this story, we actually feel that the characters mostly accomplish their feats through their own abilities, without being pushed by mysterious forces outside their (and our) experience.
And of course, along the way, they learn a great about themselves; True Love is revealed; and everybody lives happily ever after ... until the next volume...
August 11, 2017
I picked this up from a little free lending library, since I've never read anything by Andre Norton before. I came to this without preconceived notions, as I have never been aware of the Witch World novels before, so I didn't know about the charmingly archaic language nor did I have any investment in the world, its characters, and its magic systems. The experience of dipping into this book in those circumstances is akin to sitting in for a single campaign of your very earnest cousin's six-year-running Dungeons and Dragons game, bemused, occasionally baffled, but fully engaged if only by the remarkable earnestness of it all. We can all use a little extra dose of sincerity.
April 12, 2025
One of my very favorite books. It has it all, action, adventure, romance, suspense, redemption.... I could go on and on. Just a really wonderful read. I will one day own a beautiful black stallion and he shall be named Monso.
July 1, 2023
This was a story written during the Age of Telling in fantasy, in which the genre was young and still finding its footing. Adverb-laden dialogue tags were the norm, and plot moving from one point to another as a recorded sequence of events was entertaining in its own rights. Songsmith is, then, a dated story.
But it was a struggle to finish. Problems which arose were immediately resolved with next to no struggle. It was not until the very end that a real cost was paid, and yet the story couldn't help itself making it a comical affair. There was also a point, perhaps two or three chapters from the end, where the writing took a very definite turn for the worse. Word choice quality dropped, and I could tell the authors wished to reach the end, such was the rate at which the pace picked up.
But I should not be filled with laughter at the description of death throes which brought to mind a cartoon character twitching about and then falling immediately still. And the very next page, I was caught off guard by the nonchalance at which a character committed the very act they'd sworn off. "But it was unavoidable!" But you, dear writers, made a big deal about this character "escaping the Shadow" and suffering a moral crisis about what they'd been intending to do. Maybe ten pages left at this point, and I'd been powering through, and I nearly threw the book out at that point.
Two stars, rounded up for mercy's sake.
But it was a struggle to finish. Problems which arose were immediately resolved with next to no struggle. It was not until the very end that a real cost was paid, and yet the story couldn't help itself making it a comical affair. There was also a point, perhaps two or three chapters from the end, where the writing took a very definite turn for the worse. Word choice quality dropped, and I could tell the authors wished to reach the end, such was the rate at which the pace picked up.
But I should not be filled with laughter at the description of death throes which brought to mind a cartoon character twitching about and then falling immediately still. And the very next page, I was caught off guard by the nonchalance at which a character committed the very act they'd sworn off. "But it was unavoidable!" But you, dear writers, made a big deal about this character "escaping the Shadow" and suffering a moral crisis about what they'd been intending to do. Maybe ten pages left at this point, and I'd been powering through, and I nearly threw the book out at that point.
Two stars, rounded up for mercy's sake.
July 30, 2021
Great story that blends new with old.
This was a great story with new characters but incorporates characters from other books from the Witch World. It follows the daughter of Elys and Jervon from High Hallack and how she discovers herself while helping people along the way.
This was a great story with new characters but incorporates characters from other books from the Witch World. It follows the daughter of Elys and Jervon from High Hallack and how she discovers herself while helping people along the way.
September 13, 2021
Rousing good storytelling
Hardship and adventure. A quest to reunite and heal her family. Growth of character and unexpected love. Eydreth passes thru all these things and successfully emerges as more than she ever imagined.
Hardship and adventure. A quest to reunite and heal her family. Growth of character and unexpected love. Eydreth passes thru all these things and successfully emerges as more than she ever imagined.
February 13, 2019
One of her best.
April 7, 2019
As always a mastery of the written word.
Storytelling of a fine degree. Have always enjoyed Andre Norton for as long as I can remember, a great author and storyteller.
Storytelling of a fine degree. Have always enjoyed Andre Norton for as long as I can remember, a great author and storyteller.
October 28, 2019
As though Andre had returned
It has been too many years that my beloved Andre Norton has been gone. This tale was as if it came from her own pen. Thank you Ms. Crispin!
It has been too many years that my beloved Andre Norton has been gone. This tale was as if it came from her own pen. Thank you Ms. Crispin!
January 17, 2017
While the book itself is fine – it really is something of a mishmash when it comes to Witch World. An annoying mishmash for someone coming down from a re-read of the books (well, minus Jargoon Pard, which I can’t find, and choosing to stop here as the author continues writing partnerships with other authors, which changes a great deal).
A bard from Arvon, daughter of Jervon and Elys, arrives in Estcarp. No one asks about where she is from (rather incurious of them) and she asks questions that most people should know and apparently she knows the answers already, somehow. She heads to Est where she asks the witches to heal her father, and apparently their hatred of men has now extended to any dealings with them at all, which seems unwise given the weakened state of the sisterhood and not characteristic of their dealings in the past. Then a student witch knows all about Gunnora, who is of High Hallack, not of Estcarp. And she doesn’t even think to try and meet with Jaelithe who would have more in common with Elys and might be more helpful. And rather than Escore, where it has been indicated there is healing mud, she heads to Lormt to read about it. On her way she meets up with a young man who apparently has no fighting skills, which is uncharacteristic of the time and location, and rides a keplian. Phew! And that is in the first 4 chapters.
From a Witch World perspective, I was tempted to stop but the writing is fine as far as that goes. And since I had kept this book, long ago disposing of any books written later, figured I might as well give this one a final whirl. But the myriad details included became annoying after a while, whether early vegetables were served, or just sitting and talking and telling the same story again (Lormt, Escore, Arvon), and sword lessons – nothing that advanced the plot or the characters in that spare prose that started the series, that boiled the story to its essence. Mundanities. Not saying that some fleshing out of the early books would not have gone amiss at times, but the pendulum swung too far the other way for me. I don't count the solution for Elys as being spare so much as a 2nd thought, for a plot device that provided the reason for Jervon's malady.
Another notable difference from earlier books was that they carried more clothes with them on their journey and change several times, which was more than many of their predecessors were able to do in their travels. Maybe that was the result of the book being written in the 90s – you would have thought SOMETHING would have been lost or left behind at one stage at least but no.
And then some other annoyances spoiled what was left, .
It comes out as a 3 but it feels like a 2.5.
A bard from Arvon, daughter of Jervon and Elys, arrives in Estcarp. No one asks about where she is from (rather incurious of them) and she asks questions that most people should know and apparently she knows the answers already, somehow. She heads to Est where she asks the witches to heal her father, and apparently their hatred of men has now extended to any dealings with them at all, which seems unwise given the weakened state of the sisterhood and not characteristic of their dealings in the past. Then a student witch knows all about Gunnora, who is of High Hallack, not of Estcarp. And she doesn’t even think to try and meet with Jaelithe who would have more in common with Elys and might be more helpful. And rather than Escore, where it has been indicated there is healing mud, she heads to Lormt to read about it. On her way she meets up with a young man who apparently has no fighting skills, which is uncharacteristic of the time and location, and rides a keplian. Phew! And that is in the first 4 chapters.
From a Witch World perspective, I was tempted to stop but the writing is fine as far as that goes. And since I had kept this book, long ago disposing of any books written later, figured I might as well give this one a final whirl. But the myriad details included became annoying after a while, whether early vegetables were served, or just sitting and talking and telling the same story again (Lormt, Escore, Arvon), and sword lessons – nothing that advanced the plot or the characters in that spare prose that started the series, that boiled the story to its essence. Mundanities. Not saying that some fleshing out of the early books would not have gone amiss at times, but the pendulum swung too far the other way for me. I don't count the solution for Elys as being spare so much as a 2nd thought, for a plot device that provided the reason for Jervon's malady.
Another notable difference from earlier books was that they carried more clothes with them on their journey and change several times, which was more than many of their predecessors were able to do in their travels. Maybe that was the result of the book being written in the 90s – you would have thought SOMETHING would have been lost or left behind at one stage at least but no.
And then some other annoyances spoiled what was left, .
It comes out as a 3 but it feels like a 2.5.
Want to read
September 4, 2014Heather Alexander released a cassette/CD album based on Songsmith's Eydryth. I've found a few songs from the album at Grooveshark.com and list them below but the only place to buy it new is Firebird Arts and Music.
One Spell Wizard
The Riving of the Border
Don't Call My Name in Battle
Keylor's Rage
Lord Faral's Race
Note: I could not find "The Chambermaid's Dowry", "Edryth's Harp Invocation", "The Fall of Sulcarkeep", "Soldier's Lament", "Satire's Curse", "Lord Hathor's Ghost Stallion", "The Moss-Wife's Bargain", "Ely's Lullabye", "The Haunted City", "Lover's Dance", "Dale Bride's Lament", and "Reprise-Harp Invocation".
----
One Spell Wizard
The Riving of the Border
Don't Call My Name in Battle
Keylor's Rage
Lord Faral's Race
Note: I could not find "The Chambermaid's Dowry", "Edryth's Harp Invocation", "The Fall of Sulcarkeep", "Soldier's Lament", "Satire's Curse", "Lord Hathor's Ghost Stallion", "The Moss-Wife's Bargain", "Ely's Lullabye", "The Haunted City", "Lover's Dance", "Dale Bride's Lament", and "Reprise-Harp Invocation".
----
Read
December 2, 2015Marginally less violent than the other Witch World books. I never have understood why certain methods of dealing death are considered evil, while others are tolerated or even lauded. While there is no true sequel to this book, some of the characters recur in The Warding of The Witch World.
Note on timing: Alon is introduced in 'Ware Hawk as a surprisingly late developer. Eydryth is the child of Jervon and Elys, who believes she has no Power. Jervon has been struck by powers he cannot assimilate, and Eydryth believes this is her fault, because she tried to babysit a precocious and Talented child, and was not able to restrain him from doing something reckless.
Several characters from other books get involved in a vengeful quest for power of an Estcarpian Witch who was burned out in the Turning.
Note on this edition: following the title page, but before the Prologue, there are two maps: One of the continent containing Estcarp, etc, and the other of the continent containing High Hallack and Arven.
Note on timing: Alon is introduced in 'Ware Hawk as a surprisingly late developer. Eydryth is the child of Jervon and Elys, who believes she has no Power. Jervon has been struck by powers he cannot assimilate, and Eydryth believes this is her fault, because she tried to babysit a precocious and Talented child, and was not able to restrain him from doing something reckless.
Several characters from other books get involved in a vengeful quest for power of an Estcarpian Witch who was burned out in the Turning.
Note on this edition: following the title page, but before the Prologue, there are two maps: One of the continent containing Estcarp, etc, and the other of the continent containing High Hallack and Arven.
November 9, 2010
It took me a little while to get into this one because quest books in general bore me. Tolkien mastered it. Robert Jordan makes it work. But it seems like every other hard-core fantasy author thinks the only way to make a good story is to have a long journey where lots of unexpected things happen to the travelers. Ugh.
Halfway through Songsmith, however, I realized the things happening to these particular travelers were slightly more interesting than in other books, and the events seemed to tie together a little better (instead of being action just for the sake of action.) Despite my previous prejudices, I found myself caring about the characters, and with a clever, feel-good ending I actually deigned to give it four stars. I'd consider reading more of the Witch World novels, but it will be a little while. My fantasy threshold is about maxed for now.
Halfway through Songsmith, however, I realized the things happening to these particular travelers were slightly more interesting than in other books, and the events seemed to tie together a little better (instead of being action just for the sake of action.) Despite my previous prejudices, I found myself caring about the characters, and with a clever, feel-good ending I actually deigned to give it four stars. I'd consider reading more of the Witch World novels, but it will be a little while. My fantasy threshold is about maxed for now.
January 23, 2009
This book got me into fantasy. I read it back when it first came out in the early nineties. It will always be a favorite of mine.
This is Eydryth's story. She is traveling to find a cure for her father. She runs into a lot of trouble... chased by witches and warlocks. She is aided by Alon. Together they take an evil and many other obstacles.
This is Eydryth's story. She is traveling to find a cure for her father. She runs into a lot of trouble... chased by witches and warlocks. She is aided by Alon. Together they take an evil and many other obstacles.
March 31, 2014
Okay, this is one of my favorite alternative worlds, and I appreciate the lesson on recycling ideas.
Found this book on my to-read pile. Thoroughly enjoyed Eydrth's quest to find a cure for her father's magic-blasted mind.
Why did I give it a five-star rating. I read the book in one sitting and didn't mind being bleary-eyed the next day.
Found this book on my to-read pile. Thoroughly enjoyed Eydrth's quest to find a cure for her father's magic-blasted mind.
Why did I give it a five-star rating. I read the book in one sitting and didn't mind being bleary-eyed the next day.
November 7, 2016
One of the things I love about the Witch World universe is that you see a lot of crossover with characters. This book features a (now adult) character that was a child in one of my other favorite Witch World book. Their light reads which is perfect when you just want a little escape from reality.
June 29, 2016
So glad to finally find this book in my local library so that I could at last read this tale involving Kerovan [slightly] since I thought there were no more tales of this special man. Of course it is more about the girl/woman Eydrth who is on a quest for her father's cure.
June 14, 2014
It was alright. I don't think there was anything all that bad about it, but it really didn't keep my attention. I wasn't exactly bored by the book, but I kind of kept setting it down and eventually didn't bother finishing it.
July 3, 2014
This was the first Andre Norton book I had read, and I am quite glad I did. This story swept me up and exceeded my expectations. Now Norton is my favorite author, and I get giddy when I come across a book of hers.
April 8, 2014
A woman searches for a cure for her father, and gets a husband on the way.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews