Songmaster facts for kids

Songmaster (1980) is a science fiction book written by Orson Scott Card. It tells the story of a young boy named Ansset. Ansset lives in a future human empire. He has a very special singing voice.

His songs can make people's feelings much stronger. This means his voice could be used to help people or to cause big problems. Ansset is trained to sing perfectly. His music can show ideas and emotions better than words can. This book was first a shorter story called "Mikal's Songbird".

What People Thought About Songmaster

Many people really liked Songmaster. One reviewer even said it might be "Card's best published work, ever." The company that published the book described it as a "haunting story of power and love."

They said it was about a man who would give up everything he cared about to keep peace for everyone. It was also about a boy whose singing could change the world.

Awards and Special Mentions

Like some of Orson Scott Card's other famous books, such as Ender's Game, Songmaster started as a shorter story. This story, "Mikal's Songbird", was a finalist for the Nebula Award in 1978. The Nebula Award is a very important prize for science fiction and fantasy writers.

Later, the full book Songmaster won the Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award in 1981. This shows how well-liked and important the book was in the science fiction world.

Other Languages

Songmaster has been translated into several different languages. This means people all over the world can read Ansset's story.

• In Dutch, the book is called Zangermeester.
• In German, it is known as Meistersanger, which means "Master Singer".
• In Spanish, the title is Maestro Cantor, also meaning "Master Singer".

See also

In Spanish: El maestro cantor para niños