Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Singing: The Fourth Book of Pellinor
    Unavailable
    The Singing: The Fourth Book of Pellinor
    Unavailable
    The Singing: The Fourth Book of Pellinor
    Audiobook17 hours

    The Singing: The Fourth Book of Pellinor

    Written by Alison Croggon

    Narrated by Eloise Oxer

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJul 12, 2011
    ISBN9781441862969
    Unavailable
    The Singing: The Fourth Book of Pellinor
    Author

    Alison Croggon

    Alison Croggon is an award-winning novelist, poet, theatre writer, critic, and editor. Born in South Africa, she has lived in the UK and is now based in Melbourne, Australia.

    Related to The Singing

    Related audiobooks

    YA Action & Adventure For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      'Mirage' Is A YA Marvel That Weds Sci-fi With Courtly Intrigue

      Sep 25, 2018

      Somaiya Daud's debut novel sets the story of a court rebellion in a Moroccan space fantasy.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Over Realming

      Oct 19, 2021

      Over Realming
      2 min read

    • Article

      History Lesson

      Mar 5, 2020

      History Lesson
      1 min read

    • Article

      Books Of The Month

      May 5, 2023

      By Alex Latimer The Fruits and the Vegetables are long-standing enemies – until secret friends Grape and Mushroom set off on a pilgrimage to the Wise Old Cheese. Can they find a way to bring peace to fruit bowl and veg drawer alike? A riot of verbal

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Siege Of Burning Grass

      Mar 20, 2024

      RELEASED OUT NOW! 432 pages | Hardback/ebook/ Author Premee Mohamed Publisher Solaris A lot of genre fiction boils down to Our Hero(es) versus an identifiable Big Bad. Stories where there isn’t a villain with a face you can punch, where the problem i

      1 min read

    • Article

      Salt Slow

      May 22, 2019

      Salt Slow
      1 min read

    • Article

      Dragon Rider

      Apr 17, 2024

      ▶ RELEASED 25 APRIL 564 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook ▶ Author Taran Matharu ▶ Publisher HarperVoyager Taran Matharu, author of the hugely popular Summoner series, leaves the Young Adult bracket behind with Dragon Rider. Early on, the shadow of Ga

      1 min read

    • Article

      Napalm Death

      Mar 31, 2020

      EYEHATEGOD/MISERY INDEX TRAMSHED, CARDIFF Hot on the heels of Storm Dennis, Napalm Death rip through Cardiff with Eyehategod and Misery Index in tow, with as much destructive intent. From the moment MISERY INDEX take to the stage, the Baltimore death

      1 min read

    • Article

      ‘Spin The Dawn’ Is Delightful, Daring YA Adventure

      Oct 17, 2019

      “Mulan” meets “Project Runway” in Elizabeth Lim’s captivating debut. There’s no shortage of intrigue, drama, or excitement in this fantasy novel.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Key Moments

      Mar 9, 2021

      Key Moments
      1 min read

    • Article

      Trials Of Mana

      Apr 7, 2020

      Trials Of Mana
      2 min read

    • Article

      Unraveller

      Sep 7, 2022

      ▸RELEASED OUT NOW! 496 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook ▸Author Frances Hardinge ▸Publisher Macmillan Children’s Books Curses grow like wild flowers in this beautifully written fantasy novel about a land blighted by vengeance. This is a world where m

      1 min read

    • Article

      What To Stream

      Jul 6, 2021

      What To Stream
      1 min read

    • Article

      Soul-stirring Stories

      Jan 28, 2020

      This delightful debut will break your heart,then put it back together again as the story of prickly,stubborn and lonely Millicent Carmichael unfurls. Missy is 79, her son has moved to Australia, she’s estranged from her daughter and she’s missing her

      1 min read

    • Article

      “At The Shore”

      Feb 26, 2020

      “At The Shore”
      1 min read

    • Article

      Tessa Castro

      Jul 26, 2023

      IN COMPETITION No 295 you were invited to write a poem called Roots. Cherry MacGregor started off in medias res: ‘Has the vine died? My husband had asked,/ As we enjoyed lunch in the garden.’ Another excellent opening came from DM Davis: ‘Roots, oh m

      2 min read

    Reviews for The Singing

    4/5

    235 ratings30 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      While I have enjoyed the arc of this story, this final instalment deserved better editing. I particular, the interactions between the characters just left me grating my teeth - confused, repetitive, and not in line with their previous characteristics. Though I must say, the poetry and, in this case, the addenda, are well done.
    • 5/5
      The Books of Pellinor are a high fantasy series that is a more accessible version of Tolkein's Lord of the Rings with the same richness of imagery and world building but with straightforward names and a less complicated history. That said it could also be that The Books of Pellinor are less intimidating because they're not as famous or as widely read as Tolkein. The Books of Pellinor are set in the land of Edil-Amarandh - a land which has been on the precipe of danger for years - ever since Sharma, the Nameless One stole the Treesong from the Elementals (Elidhu) and broke the song. Cadvan of Lirigon is working against the dark but there's only so much he can do - until while on a mission he runs into Maerad - a slave girl who can see through his invisibility. Soon they're travelling together and finding that all is not right in the land. Then Maerad leads Cadvan to a boy named Hem and nothing is the same. Maerad and Hem have an instant connection and it's not long before Cadvan realises nothing happens without a reason and that only by working together can the light prevail.The final book begins after the end of The Riddle and The Crow and alternates between Maerad and Hem's viewpoint until they meet up again. I think this was part of the reason I didn't like it quite as much as the others. Although it wasn't split chapter by chapter, but a few chapters by a few, it still had the problem of jolting me out of the story each time the viewpoint changed. And after having Hem's point of view for the last book I just kept wanting him back. But it still is a really great book and I enjoyed the last addition to the series. I really enjoyed Hem's debut as a player onstage. LMFAO. He begs and begs for the chance and hates it so much. Poor Hem. He never would've guessed to have stage fright. But it made for some pretty amusing moments. I liked Hekibel and the relationship she develops with Saliman. It was nice that he found someone to love. Irc was still hilarious. Irc continued to live with Hem, and enjoyed as much honor as the other heroes of the Naraudh Lar-Chanë. He clearly never became modest: the phrase Irc-tongue passed into Turbanskian speech as a byword for boastfulness. He died at the ripe old age of twenty-eight, and it was popularly held that when he died, his soul flew to join the Elidhu Nyanar in his land near the Glandugir Hills.Croggon, Alison. The Singing: The Fourth Book of Pellinor (Pellinor Series 4) (p. 459). Candlewick Press. Kindle Edition. And I loved that Cadvan gave him the nickname of the Savior of Lirigon. Lol. I was really sad that Hem sees Zelika and she barely acknowledges him. It would've be nice for him to get the same peace that Maerad does when the dead appear. Cadvan still drove me nuts in this one. Even knowing how Maerad struggled with her thoughts and inner darkness in The Riddle, he still refused to speak up about his thoughts and feelings and it drove me mad. Especially since he should know better. Maerad was better, but still somewhat childish in this book as well. She could've said what was on her mind, but it was more understandable coming from her than it was Cadvan. Even when he said he trusted her, he never really seemed to back it up. Honestly I didn't really get their relationship but they seemed happy enough so *shrugs* I loved the relationship between Hem and Maerad though. Him telling her that he's not afraid, that he just sees her, his sister was sweet. And I was really glad to see a happy ending for everyone. It's always better when they live happily ever after. Overall it was a strong end to a fantastic fantasy series. One I'm sorry to have reached the end of. 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      A good conclusion to the series.
    • 2/5
      THE NAMING begins as Maerad, a slave girl from a tiny northern village where even the local lord lives a hard-scrabble life, is plucked from a life of hopeless drudgery by a traveling Bard. The Bards are magicians, and also the ruling elite. They make the laws, collect the taxes, and in return use their abilities to help the land and its people flourish. The traveler, Carvan, realizes immediately that Maerad is also a Bard - and he realizes soon after that she may be much more than that. He is honor bound to rescue her from enslavement, and find her a new and more welcoming home.

      The rest of THE NAMING recounts the very long journey that Carvan and Maerad make to the capital of the realm. There are stops along the way, and a few adventures, but equal space is devoted to their endless plodding through rough wilderness.

      Maerad is young, and she seems young. While slavery has accustomed her to hardship, it hasn't made her any more mature than the average sixteen year old. She is naive and temperamental. She is also, to be frank, rather boring.

      Cadvan walks a fine line traveling alone for months with a pretty young girl who is entirely in his power, and perhaps that is why he is always calm, upbeat, and distant. He spends months alone with Maerad, but they don't talk very much - Cadvan lectures her on history, on Barding, on his worries for the future. Almost any other kind of behavior would have been creepy, but it was...boring. And left a lot of space for endless descriptions of the passing landscape.

      What irritated me perhaps most of all was Croggon's handling of magic in this fantasy world - called "the Light," and manipulated by way of "the Speech." The Speech cannot be learned - it comes to you one day, resulting in instant fluency. Maerad's use of magic is chaotic and uncontrolled at first, but after a certain point she starts performing complex spells without any instruction or preparation. It's all too easy - and that makes it harder to like Maerad, who has such incredible gifts but never really seems special.

      THE NAMING has all of the characteristics of a gripping adventure novel, but I was never sucked in, never desperate to turn the pages, never afraid that things would go badly for our heroine, never thrilled by acts of heroism. It was disappointing.
    • 4/5
      I'm pretty sure I enjoyed this book. My hesitation is not so much the fault of the plot as an inherent irritation with characters that make their own life complicated for no reason. I can't remember how many times Maerad for what seemed to be no reason suddenly started getting angry, defensive, or began panicking. Now half the time I inferred that the setting in which they were in affected them, but the author never comes out and says so. (And here I will compare it to the Lord of the Rings, as Tolkien is very dedicated in letting the reader know when the location is affecting the protagonists.) Overall however a good novel, and I would read the following books in the series.
    • 4/5
      The end was kind of anti climatic, but all in all it wasn't a bad book.
    • 4/5
      The first of a quadrology - here starts an epic tale - having completed the first title I have every intention of pushing forward and enjoying the journey. As with all true epics, the going is difficult and only becomes more so. Not all decisions have options that are good, for at times one must choose between bad and worse. The underlying structure appears at times to be a little weak but that could be due to the constraints placed on writing a title for a younger audience.
    • 5/5
      The final book to one of my favourite series, the Singing provides a fitting end to the Pellinor series. The characters are attractive and have developed throughout this series, and here we finally see what it was all for. It was a wonderful read, and though there is no real hope for a continuation with the same characters, the world of Pellinor is one I'd like to explore further.
    • 5/5
      I have just finished to read the complete series and as I am a great epic fan I only can say that I loved these books and was finaly very sad when it came to an end. I thought all the books were very discriptive, the character development was great and the narrative of the books was wonderful. Alison Croggon is a great story teller as you could live the story with the characters. I have read the Lord of the Rings as well, but I've found no more parallels in this books than in any other fantasy novels. The books take you to very well described places and you can imagine them all as you go along, I found the books not boring at all and found it much more difficult to actually put them down.
    • 4/5
      I didn't quite like all the POV switches, but that was all. Good book, great series. I'm grateful it wasn't great enough for me to be "reticent" for a few days.
    • 5/5
      As with the author, I finished (reading, in my case, writing, in hers) the Pellinor tetralogy with mixed feelings. Regret, first of all, because there was a sense of closure on the whole series: any hint of sequels was firmly dispelled by a note at the beginning of the appendices that outlined the subsequent history of Maerad, Hem and their friends, leaving little chance of another epic undertaking by the characters we had grown to know and love. But satisfaction, too, was there: that wrongs had been righted, balances restored and friendships deepened.At the beginning of The Singing we pick up again the story of Maerad which was abandoned during The Crow. Maerad finds herself back at the bardic town of Innail where she had first been made aware of a life different from her upbringing as a slave, and temporarily finds a respite from her wanderings of close on a year. But she has much still to accomplish--finding her brother and solving the riddle of the Treesong, for example--and so begins the chain of events that lead up to the final confrontation.I found much to enjoy in this final installment. Themes are re-visited but are never the same: there is a siege, but it is not the kind of siege that Hem experienced in Turbansk; we are re-acquainted with the elemental beings we have met before, the Landrost, the Winterking and Ardina, but the relationships between them and humankind have changed; and all the while the protagonists are growing in maturity, in powers, in insights, no longer the innocents abroad. And, with the pain of growing there come the sacrifices.For this reader this has been a wonderful journey to shadow over the course of the narrative's year, aided and abetted by the splendid cartography in each volume. I don't agree with critics who feel the conclusion pat: after all, one of the purposes of fantasy, as with fairytales and other traditional stories, is to tease and cajole but ultimately to reach a satisfying resolution. But Croggon has also managed to invest her main characters with the kind of sympathy that we look for in friends, and for that the Pellinor books are raised above the ordinary. As Maerad is reputed to have written, "... the fairest sight | on this dark earth | is the face of the one you love."
    • 2/5
      Maerad is a slave after both of her parents and younger brother were killed in the sacking of her home town Pellinor. One day in the cow byre she meets Cadvan, a Bard who is fleeing from an evil who had been torturing him for weeks. He recognises in her a Gift, she too is a Bard but the gifts have not yet awoken in her. She posesses a lyre which looks to be special and left over from the Dhyllic people. He decides to take her with him on a dangerous journey which will change her life. A dark power is arising, the Nameless One is suspected to be back even though the Light had thought him defeated. Maerad may just be the Fated One to defeat him once and for all. I'll stop here with the description of the plot as anyone who has read a fantasy novel ever has read this book before. It borrows heavily from Tolkien with a lot of scenes and events taken from Fellowship of the Ring. The author also uses The Snow Queen as the basis for the tale of the evil Ice Witch. She puts her own spin on the telling, but I couldn't help feeling I had read it all before. There were elements I enjoyed. It was fun having a female lead character and I liked that they were Bards and there was a musical element, although they did magic pretty much like a wizard. From reading reviews and the authors comments online it seems that she pays her homage to Tolkien in the first book and the rest of the series is more her own original ideas. Part of my issue was perhaps I had too high expectations as Mariel loves this series and raves about the books constantly. I have agonised over how to rate it and have given it a really low one after much internal debate. I think I will read the next book in the series and see if it does live up to the hype as a few series I have started lately have begun weak and then from book two onwards they have been amazing. Fingers crossed...
    • 5/5
      The Pelinor series was originally published as a trilogy. Then by the end of the third book, titled The Crow, the story has no ending! I was fit to be tied!! I was so mad!! What kind of story gets published without an ending?!! Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time obviously (that's not a compliment). It was a few years after The Crow was released, before the last book, titled The Singing, that the end the story was published. The fourth book in a trilogy! By then I have forgotten what went on in the first three books. And that took a lot of the pleasure in my journey with Maerad and Cadvan... which is a pitty! Because the story-telling quality is one of those rarely compelling ones where the author totally takes you away to another world! I could feel the wind on my face, the tiredness in Maerad's bones, the joy in the bards' song... simply, a 5 out of 5.
    • 4/5
      very entertaining and well crafted piece of fiction. A young girl discovers she is more than just a slave. She has supernatural powers and must employ them to save the world from being engulfed by evil.
    • 3/5
      Kearsten says: I actually didn't finish this one - I got about halfway through, decided I'd read too many books lately about young people who think they're normal (or less than everyone else) until discovering that they are SPECIAL. Of course, he/she must immediately leave on a journey/quest to discover him/herself and somehow prepare to fight THE great evil threatening the world because he/she is the only one who can (according to prophecy).I got much more than halfway through before deciding to focus on other books. I may come back to this someday.
    • 3/5
      I couldn't finish this one. Not because it was boring, or poorly written (it wasn't), but eventually I came to the conclusion that I had read enough of these types of books - young person, thought they were normal, or less than everyone else, discovers that he/she is SPECIAL, must go on a journey/quest to discover themselves, and must fight a great evil 'cause they're the only one who can.... I got much more than halfway through before deciding to focus on other books. I may come back to this someday.
    • 3/5
      Do Not Pick This Book Up If You Are Not Prepared For An Epic.Remenicent of LOTR in the epic-ness this book should not be undertaken by thoes who have little patience and are not at all into history.For thoes of you who are I sugest getting up from where ever you are and aquiering a copy right now.It takes place across a world that is very well documented and crafted with it's own languages, limitations and lore that you learn about through hte course of the story. It can be dry at times but the way it's written makes up for it. Some of the words Ms. Croggon used you don't need to know the meaning of to see what she was trying to tell you, the words look as they are, as strange at that sounds. Not many authors can do that today and I'm happy to say Ms. Croggon can.I look forward to the next books in the seriese.
    • 5/5
      The fourth book of Pellinor is the culmination of a series of coincidences and adventures for Maerad and Hem, sister and brother who were separated years earlier when their home was destroyed by the Dark. Each one thought the other was dead. Both have learned that they are the ones spoken of in prophecies who can restore The Light and destroy the current power of the Dark. Maerad can be quite decisive but learns to consider her decisions before she acts on them after she kills an innocent Bard. Her power frightens and excites her at the same time and learning to control it is quite a challenge for both her and her mentor Cadvan. Hem, the name he insists on even though his birth name is Cai, doesn't have the same power but has intuition that he uses well - a little more cautiously than Maerad. Both are befriended by Elementals - supernatural beings from before the world was created. Indeed, it is the Elementals who direct Maerad and Hem to their destiny.Characters are well developed and grow physically, mentally, and emotionally througout the course of the chronicle. Action is well paced with fast, exciting adventures with well placed "rests." Alison Croggon has created a world and a story that intriques and fascinates. Once begun, the books are hard to put down. I was anxious to get to this one as the culminating book to find what happens to Maerad, Hem, and Cadvan.
    • 2/5
      I admit that I have not read the first three novels, so i am at a significant disadvantage in reviewing this book. I found some of Ms. Croggon's world to be interesting (the elementals), but found Maerad hard to really care deeply about. I'm generally pretty annoyed by "Special Snowflake Syndrome", which Maerad has in spades. I also found much of her mythology and approach really derivative of both Tolkeinian and Welsh tales. I don't feel compelled to read the other three books, particularly, except an idle curiosity over why this war was being fought after all. That said, I bet i would have loved this as a young teenager.
    • 5/5
      I cannot give higher praise to a book I have not yet read through. While it took a bit to get into it, I felt Croggon did an admirable job bringing a new reader (me) up to speed. I was completely enthralled by the first battle scene, and since classwork requires that I crawl out of the book regardless, I've decided to borrow the first 3 books from the library before finishing this one.The story is engaging, the characters believable and the world's magic system seems well thought out. I look forward to reading this book, but not until after I finish the ones that come before it.
    • 4/5
      This book is very interesting. its extremely adventurous and an amazing fantasy. cnt wait for the 2nd book! cadvans hawt!
    • 4/5
      As long as she can remember, sixteen year-old Maerad has been a slave. However, when she discovers the powerful Bard, Cadvan of Lirigon, hidden and injured in the milking barn, she begins an incredible adventure that takes her away from slavery and introduces her to her magical Bard heritage and a past that she had forgotten. Maerad learns that she is the daughter of the First Bard of Pellinor, who was believed dead along with the entire School of Pellinor. However, that doesn’t explain why her gift is so powerful or why she doesn’t yet know the Bard gift of Speech. Cadvan has his suspicions as he guides her on a dangerous and perilous journey, dodging the minions of the Dark that plague them. Could she be the One? The Foretold? Only when Maerad is initiated and named as a full Bard will they know for sure. And if she is? What does that mean for Maerad’s future? What does it mean for the world of Edil-Amaranoh? Can Maerad understand and control the gifts of her heritage in time? And now that Maerad has finally found people she can love, will she always have to leave them?This book, the first of a quartet in the Books of Pellinor, is a truly enjoyable read that both the high school student and the adult will enjoy. Croggon introduces the story by indicating it is a translation of an ancient document, including a map of Edil-Amaranoh and appendices explaining its language, history and culture. While these additions give valuable insight into the background of the story, the author’s fictitious emphasis, including fake citations, that the story is a “real” story doesn’t quite match the flow or tone of the story itself. However, you can easily get caught-up in the adventure itself, imagining the impact of Maerad’s choices and how her past has shaped those choices. I look forward to the next installment.
    • 4/5
      The enjoyable final book in the excellent quartet. There is good characterisation and plot development and I love learning more about the Annaren world. Croggan is a great world builder.Slightly disappointed in the ending.
    • 5/5
      I'm currently still reading this book, so my final review may change, but so far I'm enjoying it immensely. While the previous books in the series were each basically a single narrative following one main protagonist, this one intertwines the stories of Maerad (the heroine of the first two books) and her brother Hem (the hero of the third) as they journey to find each other. Presumably their stories will converge towards the end and this will provide a fitting conclusion to the whole series of books.
    • 5/5
      Thoroughly enjoyed it. Very, very well-developed and detailed world and culture as well as engaging storyline. Covers a great deal of territory (over a great many pages), but keeps the reader interested.
    • 4/5
      At first I was skeptic about this book. It was a "Hmm, I don't really think I'll like this..." book at first sight for me. But I was pleasantly sursprised when I cracked it open finally and was pulled into the adventure. This book has the right amount of action at the right times and beautiful imagery. And the next book (The Riddle) looks just as promising!
    • 5/5
      Like the female version of Lord of the Rings... obviously not comparable to Tolkien, but certainly a lot better than the majority of other attempts! Allegorical, coming-of-age fantasy adventure that is well-worth the near 500 page read!
    • 5/5
      Although the idea of this novel is not that original, I thought it was well written and enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      Pretty standard fantasy fare with bards and true names and a root language. The setting of it in a pseudo earth past is a little too much really and the story would have worked as well without that conceit.Maerad starts off as a slave and is rescued by the Bard Cadvan, one of the great bards of Lirigon. As they journey together they find htat her gifts are mighty indeed and she has potential to change the course of the world.
    • 5/5
      Hooray for the generation of girls growing up with heroines who do more than Katy even dreamed. Maerad, heroine of the Naming and its sequels, is sulky, powerful, shy, working-class, musical, afraid, brave, eager to learn, awkward, beautiful, articulate, fierce, loyal... The central part of this story (aside from the quest to defeat evil and preserve the Balance, which is also important) is about a lonely, abused child finding that she has a voice and can be loved. I read it again and again when I feel sad and lost.