Book: Songmaster, by Orson Scott Card (SF)

Songmaster is the story of Ansset, a young boy trained by the Songhouse to sing, not as a form of entertainment, but as deep personal expression. This is not music as art, but music as communication and spirituality and love and control. He becomes a Songbird, the most elite singers who are “rented” only to people the Songhouse determines can appreciate the Songbirds’ music. The Songbirds sing until puberty, when they return to the Songhouse to teach and to resume their secluded lives.

This story has two distinct acts. First, we see the Songbird in training and in his first singing contract. He is happy, life is good. In the second act, he faces some brutal challenges and loses his innocence as he discovers the world is a dangerous place (and that the Songhouse has exacted a terrible price). This novel left me emotionally exhausted, but is definitely worth a read. Grade: B+