Adam Stemple

Singer of Souls & Steward of Song — (2005-2008) Publisher: A debut novel of music, magic, and dark temptation. Leaving his life of petty crime and drug abuse behind, young Douglas flees from Minneapolis to Edinburgh, Scotland, to his stern but fairminded Grandma McLaren, who will take him in if he can support himself. Fortunately, few cities are friendlier than Edinburgh to a guitarist with a talent for spontaneous rhyme, and soon Douglas is making a decent living as the busker who can write a song about you on the spot.

Singer of Souls

Singer of Souls is simply a wonderful little fantasy novel. It's especially impressive when you take into account that this is Adam Stemple's first adult novel (he previously collaborated with his mother, author Jane Yolen, on children's music books).

The story follows Douglas, a Minneapolis street musician who is addicted to heroin. Trying to get clean, he decides to go to Scotland (where his grandmother lives) to try and make a fresh start. In Scotland, Douglas makes a living as a street performer. His street act involves improvising lyrics about passers-by — creating a song about them on the fly. When performing in Edinburgh, one of the fey folk approaches him, and so Douglas discovers that he has special powers.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this novel. It's well-written, quirky, fast-moving, and never boring. At 240 pages, it's short but surprisingly satisfying. Before reading it, I got a strong Steven Brust vibe from the book, based on the short plot summary. Oddly enough, I then discovered that Adam Stemple was actually the guitar player in Cats Laughing, a band also featuring Steven Brust and Emma Bull.

Word of warning: the ending of Singer of Souls is very controversial. Based on other reviews I’ve read, it seems like some people loved the book, and some people loved it up until the last 20 pages or so, and absolutely hated it afterwards. As far as I'm concerned, the ending is justified and makes perfect sense, based on what happened to the protagonist earlier. One reviewer on Amazon summarized it perfectly: “There are two things you should know about this novel. 1. It's a faery tale. 2. It's not a Disney faery tale.” —Stefan Raets

Steward of Song

Steward of Song is the sequel to Singer of Souls, an excellent and original urban fantasy novel by Adam Stemple. I enjoyed the first novel very much, but unfortunately wasn't as impressed with this sequel. Singer of Souls had a great narrative curve, building up the plot and the tension very carefully, from a slow start to a gradual exposition to an explosive climax. I simply couldn't put it down. Steward of Songmaintains more or less the same pace all through the story, making this a less compulsive read.

Steward of Song also uses several points of view rather than the single POV of the first book: the story alternately focuses on Bridie and Scott, two siblings of Douglas (who was the protagonist of the first book). Until the very end of the novel, the two points of view are mostly separate, which dilutes the narrative tension even more. The ending of Steward of Song thankfully is quite satisfying, and also hints at possible further stories about the Stewart family.
 
I really liked Singer of Souls, but Steward of Song gets just 2 stars from me. Still, I recommend Singer of Souls to everyone, and I will definitely check out anything Adam Stemple writes in the future.
—Stefan Raets