The Song by Calvin Miller

The Song Reviews

• 
  Laura (Book Scrounger)

  I didn't care for this one as much as I did
  The Singer. The first third or so was okay, but after that it just got too bleak and strange for me. I suppose it was attempting to simply recreate a certain point in time, but even the hopeful few verses at the end didn't change the tone of it much for me. I also didn't care for the anti-science tone expressed in a few places.
  
  While the allegory did not feel quite as "direct" in this story (as it merely "parallels" the book of Acts -- I assume Urbis is a stand-in for Rome, while Praxis may be intended to represent Saul/Paul), I still felt like the intended allegory took center stage to the detriment of other factors. Urbis sounds like an interesting place, but I never quite felt like I was "there." It's also not a good sign when the stand-in for Satan ends up being one of the most developed characters in the whole story.
  
  Many events in this story were inspired not by the book of Acts itself, but from Christian tradition (feeding Christians to lions, etc.), so it's kind of a mish-mash. The second half of this story depicts an attempted genocide against "Singerians," which includes children being taken from their parents to be killed, several of whom are strangled by their parents beforehand. Very bleak, and certainly not something everyone will be up to reading. I will give the third one a shot and hope it's better.
• 
  Janette Schafer

  Originally read this book when I was about 18 and reread it this weekend. It has not held up for me. It is overt in religious zealotry and frankly strange and dark in all the worst ways.
• 
  James Hogan

  1st Review, May 19th, 2019:
  Book 2 of the Singer trilogy. If I loved Book 1, I loved this one yet more. Why, I wonder, when book 1 is all about Christ...? Well, as Book 1 was an allegory of one of the gospels, Book 2 could be said to be an allegory of the Book of Acts. And so in this book, the Holy Spirit analog - the Invader - is very much present and touches the lives of thousands of people. Very much the heart of this book is the message of the gospel and how all are in need of being unchained, rescued from our darkness and redeemed by Christ alone - only through Him are we saved. Again, this story is told through narrative poetry and (fairly obvious) allegory and my heart sang while reading this yesterday on the porch at EQ...seeing the work of the Holy Spirit in saving souls and the ensuing passion to share this message (this song!) with all people. Even in the face of harsh and bitter persecution and yea, even to death, would this message be proclaimed. Reading the story of Everyman, one who initially relied on strict reason and rationalism...then who came to be tempted by the devil (Sarkon, the World Hater) and yet eventually he realized the true darkness of the devil's temptations and then came to glorious faith, unchained and filled with the Holy Spirit. Oh what joy! And reading the story of Praxis the Builder, one who persecuted the believers and committed gross sins...and yet even he was forgiven and received the truth and was saved by the love of God. This book was beautiful. I am wary of offering high praise to allegorical works, for I am always slightly hesitant that there may be some flaw in the theology...and indeed this book is not inspired so it isn't perfect. So always read with discernment. But with that disclaimer, this book is beautiful and upon reading it, I couldn't help but offer praise to my God as I remember that He has indeed forgiven me of my sins and filled me with His Holy Spirit. Oh what blissful joy is mine.
  
  2nd Review, April 14th, 2021:
  I love this book. This book is a re-telling (or other-telling) of the events soon after the ascension of Christ. But don't expect a parallel account. Really this book is more an account of those who give themselves to Christ and then serve Him as they spread the good news of the glory of the gospel to the world roundabout. The poetry continues to sing and my heart was much encouraged as I let myself be swept away by Miller's tale.
• 
  Isaac

  Continuing from The Singer, The Song is a poetic allegory loosely following the book of Acts. Luckily Miller opts for a more inspired story being less transcribed than The Singer. The story follows Madman, continued from The Singer, now Anthem as he shares the Star Song and the power of the Invader to unchain men, from World Hater, now Sarkon. There are several links between the book of Acts, particularly the stoning of Stephen, the transformation of Saul to Paul, and Pauls missionary trip to Rome. However, to the benefit of the story Miller takes more creative liberties building an independent and rich fantasy world. The Song in comparison the The Singer is much more in the vein of Lewis and Tolkien, as well as Bunyan. My only issue with this book is the poetry of it. While vastly improved from the previous title, there are still times when the verse seems jarring, possibly this is because it was meant to be read out loud. Often times the book follows what seams to be a free verse style, but the occasional jump into regular rhyme can feel out of place. Despite this I highly recommend The Song and am eager to finish the trilogy, ending with The Finale.
• 
  Ginelle

  Now that the Singer is gone, his followers remain and continue to spread the news of his promises and the possibility for people to become 'unchained' and free through the Singer and his father, Earthmaker. In response to this and the growing number of Singerians, the World Hater has taken on a new likeness, and the new name of Sarkon in effort to guile people back to his ways.
  
  Again, this is a very easy to read poem. There are a few times that I got a little confused with the verbage, but overall the flow and wording are great. While THE SINGER was so obviously the story of Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection, THE SONG is the story of the rise of the Christian Church, and its subsequent persecution. Said persecution is mainly through a single force in the book, but it definitely gets the feeling across and effectively communicates that the Church has many martyrs.
• 
  Rebecca

  While I overall didn’t enjoy this as much as I enjoyed
  The Singer, it is still a beautiful work. This volume is a loose allegory for the book of Acts in the New Testament, and it tracks its source material much more loosely than The Singer tracked the Gospels. As always, I got distracted by trying to figure out what the characters and the events in the book were supposed to portray, which is a very bad habit because it pulls me out of the world the author created for me. “Is that supposed to be John? Maybe that’s Paul? No, THAT must be Paul.” That really didn’t matter for the book, and that part was my fault, not the author’s.
  
  Still a beautiful work that provides peace, comfort, and hope, and that is really all it needs to do.
• 
  Wes F

  I'm giving this 2-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. I was expecting it to be better and to have more connection to the book of The Acts of the Apostle. It didn't. Creative, for sure, and brought out more of a focus on the "clash of civilizations" (between Rome & its gods and Christianity & its God) and the persecution that entailed in the first 300 years after Jesus' ascension and the birth of the Church.
• 
  Rachael F.

  This book is so powerful. Calvin Miller has a beautiful way with words, and his poetry in this story is a deeply moving allegory of both the freedom found in the gospel and the persecution of Christians. I have yet to read The Finale, but so far The Singer and The Song are among C.S. Lewis's and Tolkien's writings in depth and gorgeous allegory. Calvin Miller is unique from these two authors in that his poetry is easier to read, though still keeping with the same complexity and meaning.
• 
  Linda

  This is the second in a series of allegories about Christianity. This one shadows the book of Acts.
• 
  Jo Cox

  Love this interpretation of the biblical ideas
• 
  Laura

  Continuation of the new testament allegory
• 
  Mike

  It was good, but suffered from 'second book syndrome'
  Read the Singer, first..
• 
  Nick

  Rounded up from 3 1/2 stars.
• 
  Mike Sullivan

  Follow up to the Singer...liked the Song very much...liked this one too...Mr. Miller has a way w/words and makes the tale fresh even if it a biblical tale that I know to heart...
• 
  Steven R. McEvoy

  This is the second book in The Singer Trilogy and it is an amazing book of poetry. This book is the retelling of the book of Acts from the New Testament in a narrative poem. Miller writes in such a way that you cannot help but wonder if the Spirit helped guide the shaping of these books.
  
  Many of the unique characters from the first book are back: The World Hater - Satan, The Healed Madman - Anthem, and others. This story tells an epic tale in a powerful way. Miller is a wordsmith who weaves a tale that you cannot put down and will not soon forget.
  
  He writes explicitly Christian fantasy in the books in this series. He is also well known for his non-fiction and his Christian life application books.
  
  The Song is also excellently illustrated by Chicago artist, Joe DeVelasco. The drawings done in pen and ink style add to the power of the story by transporting you into the events, and bringing the characters alive.
  
  No matter how many times over I reread these books, they are always fresh and new, and draw me into the story of Christ in a different way. They are true classics and a treasure for any bookshelf. Each time I pick these up and reread them, I find a deepening of my relationship with Christ, and of my prayer life - for every time I do so, I am spontaneously drawn into prayer while reading them and for days afterwards.
  
  Miller also has a Symphonic Trilogy that retells different stories from the book of Genesis. The two I owned were A Requiem for Love and A Symphony in Sand. As far as I can tell, there are also two stand-alone books by Miller in this style, that are often compared to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Lewis's Narnia. They are The Valiant Papers, an account of a guardian angel's experiences, and The Philippian Fragment, the retelling of the book of Philippians from the New Testament. I have owned most of these and lent them out to not be returned. I now have The Singer Trilogy, Valiant, and Singer Trilogy 3-in-1 hardcover. Over the next few weeks I will review those I still have, but cannot encourage you strongly enough to pick them up if you find them in a used bookstore. They are all great.
  
• 
  M- S__

  As a reimagining of the Bible, I feel like this series is fascinating as an intellectual exercise but just too weighted down by its reverence for the source material. Kind of difficult to avoid. I wasn't really moved by The Singer like I imagine a Christian might have been. I did find some of its language beautiful, but on the whole I didn't like it. This afternoon I happened upon this sequel (The Song) and because there was nothing else very interesting, decided to give it a read. The mechanics of the story were actually a little more interesting since I imagine it felt a little less sacrilegious to take liberties with characters who aren't a stand-in for Jesus. I found myself giving a sort of nod of approval for a little while until I realized I still didn't really enjoy the book. I just felt like it was better than the book before it. Better than bad with occasional flourish turns out to just be mediocre.
• 
  Abby

  While reading this book, I feel like I'm imagining what would happen after Jesus came back to save the people again and left the others not to suffer but to prove themselves. I sometimes heard it as the 666 era. This book is much more intense than the first one. I've never been so angry to a character before. Sarkon literally makes my blood boil. This book gives me hope about some things. I love it just like the first one.
• 
  Dr.

  Reading this after many years brings back the memories of the calvacade of images that Miller produces. The final chapters opening stem end - "The day of one's death is a good day to be really alive," speaks to the deep eternal truths for a believer. Highly recommend this trilogy if you can find it today.
• 
  Rick

  An allegorical retelling of the story of Acts. Enjoyed more than the first one. Its a quick read, but quite thoughtful. Well crafted.
• 
  Callie Anna

  Not quite as powerful and clear in its message as The Singer, but still wonderful! I read it in a few hours and was much encouraged. Recommended to anyone confused about myths being true.
• 
  Kevin Casto

  A retelling of the New Testament from the eyes 0f a poet.
• 
  Carol Caldwell

  I loved The Singer. The Song was a little bit harder to understand and at times I had trouble following what was happening, although I knew where it was going.
• 
  Joel Blunt

  eh....I've read worse. Wouldn't recommend it.