Eventide (Tales of the Dragon's Bard, #1)

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Eventide (Tales of the Dragon's Bard #1)

by Tracy Hickman (Goodreads Author), Laura Hickman (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 132 ratings · 56 reviews

Where the Heroes are all local...
And the Princess lives next door...

Jarod Klum was trapped in his small life in the small village of Eventide and saw no means of escape. He would never be worthy of the woman of his dreams, never achieve great deeds of valor and never be remembered in song or story.

It wasn’t that he was without dreams. He dreamed them every night; of rescu...more

ebook, 342 pages

Published January 4th 2011 by Scribe''s Forge Publishing

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BEA 2012

26th out of 95 books — 32 voters

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Sep 07, 2012 Sandee rated it 4 of 5 stars

So far, I find the characters fun and interesting. The Dragon's Bard and Jarod--what a great combination, I find myself smirking to myself in public as I read their dialogues. Nice!

This is a refreshing read. After reading other new authors in the Adult Fiction genre, Eventide is proving to be so much fun. It's probably because the Hickmans are NOT new authors.

I love the fabulosity that is the Dragon's Bard and the serious, down to earth, if somewhat sullen, Jarod and their conversations. It is s...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Edvard the Just is a humble Dragon's Bard, one day he was captured by a Dragon King, Khrag, and taken to his lair. Just as the dragon was about to eat him, Edvard mentioned that he could tell the dragon stories. Khrag just happens to love to hear stories and was more than willing to allow Edvard to live to hear those stories. But, Edvard runs out of stories to tell eventually, as we all would, and Khrag can't eat him, because he's very skinny from telling the dragon stories for such a long time....more Edvard the Just is a humble Dragon's Bard, one day he was captured by a Dragon King, Khrag, and taken to his lair. Just as the dragon was about to eat him, Edvard mentioned that he could tell the dragon stories. Khrag just happens to love to hear stories and was more than willing to allow Edvard to live to hear those stories. But, Edvard runs out of stories to tell eventually, as we all would, and Khrag can't eat him, because he's very skinny from telling the dragon stories for such a long time. Edvard convinces Khrag that he can go and find him some stories from the countryside and Khrag, desperate for more stories agrees to allow Edvard to go. Edvard starts his journey in Eventide a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business, it's a town plagued with pixies and full of crazy characters. Jarod Klum is a young man with a dream, a dream of winning his love...Caprice Morgan. Caprice is a wish-woman, one of three sisters in charge of the town's broken wishing well, worried about her widowed and heartbroken father. There are also gnomes, a centaur farmer with a secret, and a Gossip Fairy and a Priest with no idea which of the Gods the townspeople want him to help them worship. This crazy cast of characters will keep you laughing!

I had kind of a hard time getting into this book. I'm not really sure why, maybe part of it is just that it's kind of hard to tell whose point of view you are hearing the story from. You would kind of think it would mostly be from Edvard the Just, but he's a pretty zany character by himself, and it's pretty funny what the other characters think about him. But there are a lot of characters in this book and sometimes the point of view is from one and sometimes it's from another one. Anyway, by the time I had gotten halfway into the book, I was really enjoying it. The characters are hilarious and they are very good at getting themselves into really funny sticky situations. I gave this book 4 stars because I did end up liking the plot and I can't wait to see what Edvard does next!(less)

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Feb 13, 2013 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really, really, really enjoyed this book. I was trying to think of what I would compare it to, and the only thing I could think of was a cross between the Septimus Heap series and Little Women. I know...not even close to the same, and probably not even a good comparison, but somehow it reminded me of them.

This book follows a dragon's bard (he collects stories to tell a dragon so the dragon won't go destroy everyone) as he settles down in the town of Eventide and proceeds to turn everyone's liv...more

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May 09, 2013 Stuarts rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jarod Klum thinks he is a nobody and has no chance of getting the girl he's in love with. Until one day, he meets the dragon's bard named Edvard the just, a man responsible for making sure the land doesn't get burned down by the dragon king Khrag. The only way to protect the land is by telling the dragon king all kinds of stories, legends, adventures, and in return, Khrag decides to spares the land. It's the dragon's bard's job to find all the stories in the land, which brings him to Eventide wh...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I liken reading this delightful book to watching a fluffy mini-series. There are interesting characters, various stories that intertwine, and an arc that ties all of it together.

The premise of the book is that, in exchange for NOT being eaten, the fancifully self-proclaimed Dragon's Bard goes about the world and collects stories. Once a year, he is to return to the dragon's lair and regale the old one with that year's harvest of tales. Thus, each book in the series is supposed to be a town in wh...more I liken reading this delightful book to watching a fluffy mini-series. There are interesting characters, various stories that intertwine, and an arc that ties all of it together.

The premise of the book is that, in exchange for NOT being eaten, the fancifully self-proclaimed Dragon's Bard goes about the world and collects stories. Once a year, he is to return to the dragon's lair and regale the old one with that year's harvest of tales. Thus, each book in the series is supposed to be a town in which the Dragon's Bard has visited.

Eventide is among the first (though not THE first, as hinted in the book) stops in the Dragon's Bard's itinerant wandering. It is here that he and his long-suffering-but-silent scribe meet the young man Jarod Klum. Jarod is the factor's son and apprentice. He feels trapped in a dead-end job in a dead-end town. The only bright moments in his seemingly bland existence are when he sees and attempts to speak to the lovely Caprice, one of the three sisters who care for the town's broken Wishing Well.

Charmed by Jarod's infatuation and bumbling, the Dragon's Bard magnanimously offers Jarod his help to woo and win the fair Caprice. This help is given whether Jarod wants it or not!

The following chapters introduce new characters and their stories. The glimpses into their lives are presented as vignettes. While it initially seems that the new characters and their stories have much to do with the main story, you find that they all tie together to form a charming tapestry.

You can't help but fall in love with the Gossip Fairy, Farmber Benis the centaur, and even the various busy-body women of the village. I laughed over the antics at the annual pie contest, Jarod's introduction into the so-secret-everyone-knew-he-was-to-be-inducted-before-he-did-society, and the overall task of getting Caprice to notice and fall in love with Jarod.

The climax of the story involves two dragons, a cursed sundial, everyone in town, and the revelation of some town secrets.

This is not a 'deep' book. It is light and light-hearted reading, fun, funny at times, and moving in others. I actually read this aloud to my husband and sons, who enjoyed the tale as well.

We're looking forward to the other two installments of Tales of the Dragon's Bard.(less)

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Jun 07, 2012 Kim (magicsandwiches) Lawyer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-ll-borrow-from-library-again

This book was not at all what I expected. I am a huge Tracy Hickman fan from the Dragonlance and Deathgate Cycle days. What's different about this book is that it isn't the same sweeping epic adventure that I'm used to. What's similar is that the characters are so well wrought and their stories are so well-crafted, you can't help falling in love with every one of them and cheering them on and hoping for the absolute best ending for each of them!

When I started reading, I felt it was a charming l...more

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Jan 22, 2011 April rated it 5 of 5 stars

THAT. Was a lovely bit of story telling. I wish I had small children to read it to. What a great way to start the book year.

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May 01, 2012 Kaylynn Johnsen rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is hard reviewing ARCs because you aren't sure if the mistakes you notice will be fixed. You'd hate to really rave about it and then find that the big continuity error you noticed was still there at print date. But, if it is fixed then you can don't look like a fool.

So, if the one continuity error is fixed and the several typos then this has the makings of a fun book that could turn into a series. I think the Dragon's Bard has a great career ahead of him, traveling from town to town collectin...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Sandee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Jun 21, 2012 Maxy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've waited way too long to review this. It should be more like 2.5 stars.

At first, Eventide seemed like the perfect book for me. It gave me a nice escape and had a variety of character types. Now, I'm not saying I hated the book, but it got worse as it went on and several things just didn't sit right with me. Some of my annoyances may have been blown out of proportion due to the fact that I read the last 150 pages with a painful IV in my arm during a 4-hour glucose test.

I liked the premise. It...more I've waited way too long to review this. It should be more like 2.5 stars.

At first, Eventide seemed like the perfect book for me. It gave me a nice escape and had a variety of character types. Now, I'm not saying I hated the book, but it got worse as it went on and several things just didn't sit right with me. Some of my annoyances may have been blown out of proportion due to the fact that I read the last 150 pages with a painful IV in my arm during a 4-hour glucose test.

I liked the premise. It seemed a tiny bit far-fetched, but a bard collecting stories to tell a dragon in order to keep said dragon from burning down a village? Sure. I'll go along with it.

However, the premise itself turned out to contribute to one of the book's faults. It really was just a collection of stories. None of them had much to do with each other and ended up seeming almost pointless, especially because (view spoiler). That was another thing. The prologue made this big deal of Edvard having a year to go back to see the dragon and tell him all the stories, but then we never even found out if Edvard did go and (view spoiler) or if Edvard just forgot about the whole point of his journey.

Some parts baffled me a bit, too. Like the ending? A character death came out of nowhere and I couldn't even figure out when it had happened or how, but it seemed like I was supposed to be upset about it. And the whole murder trial never made sense either. I never understood why they chose the verdict they did--there were too many characters masquerading as other characters to keep track of.

I liked Jarod because he was a boring person without being a totally boring character, but the whole "Lie to the girl of your dreams! Pretend to be someone you're not! That'll work out for sure!" cliché was thrown in and it ticked me off that Edvard suggested it and that Jarod fell for it.

There were so many things that were just never explained. Caprice and her sisters were "wish women" or whatever you called them, but we never found out why the well broke or how the family had anything to do with watching over the well. I wanted to like Caprice, and she seemed like a somewhat decent female character, but every time she came into the story I just got confused.

This rant is kind of going nowhere. Suffice it to say that Eventide felt incomplete and confusing and I just didn't end up satisfied. I'm not sure if I'd recommend it or not.(less)

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Jul 13, 2011 Scott Couchman rated it 5 of 5 stars

I picked this up from listening to an interview with Tracy Hickman, and the idea of a Dwarf who wanted to dance just struck a chord. In that interview, the author said this is the type of book that publishers wouldn't touch because the story wasn't big or epic enough. Wow. It's sad to think that this would have never been written. It is incredibly touching and heartfelt. A story of love with story arcs all through the community, frequently with very touching or hilarious results.

It was a definit...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Jared rated it 5 of 5 stars

I decided it would be good to read this book out loud with my wife. we took turns listening to the adventures that were at times fun, at times heart-felt and all around good natured. It is a breath of fresh air to have a book in the fantasy genre that is uplifting, warm, funny, thought provoking that you walk away from feeling like you are a better human being having read.

It was a wonderful expirience that ended all too soon. I was given the book by the authors personally, and it will always be...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars

This will be a review of both the book and the Dragon's Bard experience as a whole.

The story of Eventide is a kinder, gentler tale than most Fantasy fiction these days. More Wizard of Oz than Lord of the Rings. No epic quests and journeys across the land. It was a quest of the heart and a stroll across the village square.
Jarod Klum was an average lad in his village. All he wanted to do is prove himself to the girl of his dreams. Things weren't going well for him. After Edvard the Dragon's Bard...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Bethany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dragons

Not especially well written, Eventide still holds a bit of charm. The plot was more a gathering of smaller stories that are all headed for the same goal, but it was still interesting enough that i will definitely read the second when it comes out. The characters were lovable, everyone from the clueless, ditzy dragon's bard to heroic but shy Jarod. All in all, I don't regret this read :)

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May 18, 2013 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While much different from the Hickman novels I have read in the past, this novel was refreshing. A tale of a bard, yet the tale of everyone but said bard. After 20 pages I thought "how boring", after 22 I thought "how different!" Tracy and Laura Hickman have made me want to read what is coming in the next part, though my only criticism would be perhaps more of the Dragon's Bard in the next installment!

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Aug 12, 2012 Ethan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Didn't even finish the book!

This book started out kind of slow but i decided to keep trying. The whole idea of a Bard going out to collect stories is, what i believe to be flawed. The problem with it in this book is i could not identify a plot at all!
The characters were good and believable, and it has potential in future books but this series just isn't for me.

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Jan 30, 2013 Danae rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A little slow going at first, but more interesting as it went along. Maybe the problem is I just don't love this genre as much as I used to? Not a bad story by any means, but I'm not sure if I'm going to continue on with the series or not. It wasn't bad, but there are a lot of other things I've been meaning to read...

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Aug 06, 2012 Steve Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Tracy Hickman. This is the first novel in the Tales of the Dragon Bard. Tracy and Laura have out done themselves. This has all of the charm and wittiness of all of Hickman's novels. The story follows a bard who is collecting stories for a dragon. His scribe catalogs all of his antics and the antics of all of the villagers he encounters. I recommend this novel to everyone and can't wait for the sequel to come out.

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Aug 15, 2012 Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides marked it as decided-not-to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-fiction, anthologies-and-collections

Caught my eye in the library but the style wasn't really working for me. Think The Name of the Wind but lighter and fluffier. (Based on the first 5 pages, anyway.)

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Sep 02, 2012 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I really enjoyed reading this book. I laughed a lot at the hilarious escapades of the Dragon's Bard. Not to mention the colorful village characters. This book gave a new spin on the fairy tale genre and the creation of unintended mischief. Okay, sorry about that, I mean that I really liked the book.

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Jun 27, 2012 Cheri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen

I would give it 3.5 stars. Fantasy is not my type of genre. The Dragon Bard stops in the town of Eventide to collect stories for the dragon. Along the way you meet the towns people of Eventide.

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Mar 03, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you want a light story that focuses primarily on the ridiculous and amusing then this is the book for you. I enjoyed it without being blown away by anything.

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Aug 05, 2012 Michelle Parker rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked how it put a bit of each quality from every heroic tale told. How things come about and are dependant on the preveous is amazing and makes for a great story!

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Jan 13, 2013 Karen Harrington rated it 4 of 5 stars

Delightful and charming "fairy tale." I liked how the authors intertwined the villager's stories and still moved the bigger plot ahead.

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Jul 25, 2012 Christina Pankus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: myths-and-legends, fantasy

I very much enjoyed this book! It is set up with short stories that center around this lovely hamlet, and several characters, with magic gone awry every direction, and unrequited striving for love...it's great fun, funny, and sweet...made me cheer, laugh and smile...good read!!

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May 20, 2012 Amelia, the pragmatic idealist marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: all-kinds-of-fantasy, ya-kids-teen, wishlist, shadow-mountain

You go, Shadow Mountain!
This is the SECOND fantasy you've put out this year that I must get my hands on!

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Apr 09, 2013 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This book was a really good just sit down and read book. It has a lot of romance in it and some adventure.

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Aug 08, 2012 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you like fantasy, you'll like this one. Heck, I'm not a fantasy reader and I liked this one!,

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Jul 03, 2012 Sierra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: deseret-book

I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a fun summer read and I thought it was really well written. I think it's a great book for boys.

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Sep 14, 2012 Paperprincess424 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Loved this book it was hilarious! I will definitely read the next one.

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About Tracy Hickman

NYT Best-selling fantasy authors Tracy Hickman, with his wife Laura, began their journey across the 'Sea of Possibilities' as the creators of 'Dragonlance' and their voyage continues into new areas with the 'Drakis' trilogy, 'Wayne of Gotham', a Batman novel for DC Comics and his 'Dragon's Bard' collector's series . Tracy has over fifty books currently in print in most languages around the world....more

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Books by Tracy Hickman

Mystic Warrior (The Bronze Canticles, #1)

Dragonlance Campaign Setting Companion: Legends Of The Twins (Dragonlance)

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Eventide (Tales of the Dragon's Bard #1)

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