Songs of Earth and Power by Greg Bear
"Songs of Earth and Power" is a fantasy narrative that intertwines the realms of humans and Faery creatures, centering on Michael Perrin, a young poet. The story begins with Michael's encounter with the composer Arno Waltiri, whose past musical creation, the Infinity Concerto, led to the mysterious disappearance of its audience. As Michael navigates Waltiri's legacy, he finds himself ensnared in the Realm of the Sidhe, where he learns of an ancient conflict between the Faery beings and humankind. Encountering the Sidhe, Michael undergoes rigorous training under the Crane women to harness his latent powers and ultimately confronts the enigmatic Isomage, David Clarkham.
The narrative explores Michael’s evolution as he creates a Song of Power, which not only leads to the defeat of Clarkham but also opens a pathway back to Earth. Following his return, he discovers that the balance between the two worlds is precarious, with remnants of the Sidhe beginning to encroach upon humanity. The sequel, "The Serpent Mage," delves deeper into Michael's quest to navigate the complexities of the magical realms while confronting the consequences of his previous actions. The overarching themes include artistic power, the reconciliation of disparate worlds, and the struggle against ancient forces, making it a rich tapestry of fantasy and adventure.
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Songs of Earth and Power
First published: 1992 (first published as The Infinity Concerto, 1984, and The Serpent Mage, 1986)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—magical world
Time of work: 1985
Locale: Los Angeles, California, and the Realm of the Sidhe
The Plot
The Infinity Concerto, Greg Bear’s first novel, written at the age of nineteen, was not published until fourteen years later. He always knew the story was incomplete, and The Serpent Mage soon followed its publication. The stories trace the efforts of young poet Michael Perrin to reconcile an ancient conflict between Earth’s original Faery inhabitants and present-day humankind.
Seventeen-year-old Michael makes the acquaintance of the aged composer Arno Waltiri, whose 1939 composition, the Infinity Concerto, had catastrophic consequences when members of its premiere audience began to disappear. Waltiri confides in young Michael, giving him a brass key and strange written instructions left years before by the mysterious David Clarkham, the inspiration behind the Infinity Concerto. After Waltiri’s death, Michael follows a mystic pathway through Clarkham’s now abandoned house and finds himself trapped in the terrifying Realm of the Sidhe. He discovers that the Sidhe are humanlike Faery creatures who hate all humans.
Michael immediately learns that artists from Earth have been captured by the Sidhe over the course of centuries and sequestered in the Pact Lands, an area that, after a devastating war, was separated from the Realm proper by a wasteland called the Blasted Plain, where grotesque monsters that prey on human souls dwell. In the Pact Lands, humans and strangely misshapen Sidhe/human offspring, called Breeds, live a dangerous existence.
Michael is forced to endure harsh physical and mental training by the enigmatic, powerful, and seemingly ancient Crane women, Nare, Spart, and Coom, the oldest of the Breeds, but he is not told why. Their severe discipline pushes Michael to his limits, but he masters the hyloka, a way to make use of his body’s energies for warmth and defense, and acquires special skills such as throwing “shadows” of himself. As the strained balance among Sidhe, Breeds, and humans breaks down, Michael parts from the Crane women, his task now to confront the Isomage, Clarkham.
Michael’s journey takes him through the lands of the Sidhe on an epon, a magical horse capable of amazing travel. He encounters the beautiful Ban of Hours, a Sidhe sorceress who explains to Michael the Songs of Power and how the Sidhe fear the ability of human artists to use them. She tells Michael that he is a pawn in an ageless factional struggle between Sidhe forces but that he is uniquely capable of defeating the Isomage. Michael creates a special poem, itself a Song of Power, that destroys Clarkham and in the process opens a gateway for himself back to Earth.
The Serpent Mage begins approximately three months after Michael’s return from the Realm. Although for Michael five months had passed while he was in the Realm, five years have passed on Earth. Michael previously had learned that Waltiri was actually a Cledar mage, a member of the ancient first race of humans, and now finds that he has become executor of the deceased Waltiri’s estate.
Soon it becomes apparent that the defeat of Clarkham, an act supposed to have restored enmity between Earth and the Realm, has not accomplished its purpose. Assisted by Kristine Pendeers, a graduate student in music at UCLA, Michael arranges a performance of Waltiri’s “lost” Infinity Concerto, which he discovers in a secret basement room. The performance leads to the realization that Clarkham is not dead, as Michael believed, and that the Realm and Earth are both in serious danger. The magic that keeps them separated is breaking down, and strange Faery creatures are beginning to roam Earth once more. To force a showdown with Michael, Clarkham kidnaps Kristine to one of his shadow worlds.
Although Michael’s abilities continue to increase, he is not yet a match for Clarkham. He realizes he must seek out the Serpent Mage, one of the original humans transformed by the Sidhe 60 million years ago, now living in a loch in Scotland. He learns from the Serpent Mage of Adonna, who originally created the Sidhe Realm and whose own imminent death is responsible for its dissipation. If he is to overcome Clarkham and save both humanity and the Faery creatures, Michael must appropriate the ancient mage’s knowledge but resist its corrupted heritage. In a climax that finds Michael transporting five thousand trapped artists (including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gustav Mahler) from the disintegrating Sidhe Realm to Dodger Stadium, Michael creates a Song of Power that changes forever the destinies of two peoples.