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Bedlam's Bard #1-2
Bedlam's Bard
Eric Banyon, a Renaissance Faire musician, must help Korendil, a young elven noble, prevent an evil elven lord from conquering California. Reprint.
617 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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1067 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
438 books9,581 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 22, 2009
Comprises: Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, and Summoned to Tourney.
I'm assuming that the co-author did the bulk of the writing (with Lackey adjusting for her personal "fit"). Otherwise, there's no way to account for the sheer wordiness and long stretches of interior "thinking" by the characters, especially our "hero" Eric. He, by the way, is really annoying--sniveling, self-pitying, self-righteous.
Of course, this is a story of coming-of-age (magically and humanly), really, so by the end he's marginally less annoying. Small mercies. Lackey is renowned for her ability to show a character's growth over time and through experience, but this book goes about that demonstration in tedious style. If Eric's interior monologues were cut out or at least trimmed (or perhaps transformed into dialogue with another), the book would be shorter by half, at least.
The best thing about the book is describing how music can make you feel. Yes, there's magic involved here, but music has power to mundanes, too. There's a lot of information about Renaissance Faires, too, that's most interesting. Sadly, these do not make up for the slogging needed to get through the mud of Eric talking to himself.
So I'm glad to be done with it. I didn't exactly "dislike" it; it was just boring; so I'm calling it "okay."
I'm assuming that the co-author did the bulk of the writing (with Lackey adjusting for her personal "fit"). Otherwise, there's no way to account for the sheer wordiness and long stretches of interior "thinking" by the characters, especially our "hero" Eric. He, by the way, is really annoying--sniveling, self-pitying, self-righteous.
Of course, this is a story of coming-of-age (magically and humanly), really, so by the end he's marginally less annoying. Small mercies. Lackey is renowned for her ability to show a character's growth over time and through experience, but this book goes about that demonstration in tedious style. If Eric's interior monologues were cut out or at least trimmed (or perhaps transformed into dialogue with another), the book would be shorter by half, at least.
The best thing about the book is describing how music can make you feel. Yes, there's magic involved here, but music has power to mundanes, too. There's a lot of information about Renaissance Faires, too, that's most interesting. Sadly, these do not make up for the slogging needed to get through the mud of Eric talking to himself.
So I'm glad to be done with it. I didn't exactly "dislike" it; it was just boring; so I'm calling it "okay."
October 2, 2016
while this book was a compilation of two, I read it as one and will review it that way. One thing that can be said in it's favour is that there was blessedly little recapitulating things we already knew in the second half.
The concept was one I really liked, Lackey has successfully used the theme of music as vessel for magic in other bardic stories but this was the first modern day setting I had picked up. Elves, music/magic dastardly plots.... It sounded full of potential and was written in the 90's so in a pretty good part of Lackey's writing career. The last few Lackey books I had read had been increasingly disappointing but I was hopeful.
Sadly the best to be said for it was that it wasn't too bad and now I am going to slam it, because an author with Lackey's experience, high profile, massive following and artistic freedom should damn well do better! I have seen a lost of "Misty fans" blaming the co-author but I doubt it, I have never read any of Ellen Guon's independent work so I can't compare, but the flaws inherent in this book are all repeated themes in Lackey's work.
1) The wimpy lead male. Eric is a musician who has chosen to be a rolling stone and he whines his self pitying way through the first part of the story because his girlfriend dumped him. He then discovers he is a powerful natural bard, about which he frequently whinges. He self flagellates over things that are not his fault but then does batshite crazy things like going to visit the evil sorceress or walking alone into high security facilities. Also, as an early coup de grace for his character, he spends pages 30-200 doing the 'I don't believe in elves, this cant be happening' routine which is even more annoying than his whinging.
Eris is not convincing as a male character in the same way a lot of the Lackey stable of characters are not convincing. Sure, we all loved Vanyal, but the continuing stories of Lavan, Skiff, Alberich or here, Kory? Lets face it, they may start out are good, believable characters but by the end they are are NOT well written males at all. It is not that they are effeminate, it is not that they think and behave like a girlie idea of how boys think because, with good writing skills those things can work. Here it is quite simply poor, lazy, writing and it infected every element of the male characters in this book in the same way that it affects almost all of Lackey's later Valdemar writing.
2) Fight scenes. It takes more than calling everyone in sight a 'warrior' or 'elven warrior' to make fight scenes convincing. Lackey has written some good fight scenes, especially early in her career, but again, the longer she writes the lazier they get. In this story they are particularly poorly written to the point that during both big confrontations I kept losing interest in the story instead of being riveted, as you should be in a final fight scene.
3) Poor continuing character development. And not only the males. The initial characters are well set up, even whining Eric, but as the story progresses it is as if, once established, they are just dropped with no further character progression until by the end of the story they have become cardboard cutouts. This also is pure Lackey; she has a formidable talent for sketching characters quickly creating real people one is involved in. But she has less ability for maintaining them and this is a continuous problem even with her best Valdemar series. Talia for example is a fine character for the Arrows trilogy, but once married off to Dirk, then fades to become practically one dimensional whenever she makes a rare appearance in later books and she is hardly the only one. In this book Beth may be the biggest casualty (she is more real as a person on page 30 in the first book than on page 400 in the second) but it applies equally to them all.
4) And the last point I will bother with though there are others I could mention; the peculiar sex ethics that made "If I pay thee not in gold" ...quirky.... are in full force here but in a different way; instead of sex changing, bed hopping and actual sex, the three main characters get together at the end of the first part. Then they are portrayed as being in a polygamous relationship in the second part of the story with no explanation or expansion, it is almost as though the idea of writing an unusual relationship was titillating the the author/s but in actuality she/they were to embarrassed to actually do so. Consequently, it is one the least convincing relationships I have ever read. The three share a bed and that is all we hear, no attempt to make this real with behaviour, affection, sex or shared experiences. both the males kiss Beth once or twice but other than that this, the relationship we are told is the mainstay of the three's very existence is as cold as last weeks porridge. Slightly moldy to boot.
So another disappointing one, at least I only paid $2 AU for it on a sale table.
The concept was one I really liked, Lackey has successfully used the theme of music as vessel for magic in other bardic stories but this was the first modern day setting I had picked up. Elves, music/magic dastardly plots.... It sounded full of potential and was written in the 90's so in a pretty good part of Lackey's writing career. The last few Lackey books I had read had been increasingly disappointing but I was hopeful.
Sadly the best to be said for it was that it wasn't too bad and now I am going to slam it, because an author with Lackey's experience, high profile, massive following and artistic freedom should damn well do better! I have seen a lost of "Misty fans" blaming the co-author but I doubt it, I have never read any of Ellen Guon's independent work so I can't compare, but the flaws inherent in this book are all repeated themes in Lackey's work.
1) The wimpy lead male. Eric is a musician who has chosen to be a rolling stone and he whines his self pitying way through the first part of the story because his girlfriend dumped him. He then discovers he is a powerful natural bard, about which he frequently whinges. He self flagellates over things that are not his fault but then does batshite crazy things like going to visit the evil sorceress or walking alone into high security facilities. Also, as an early coup de grace for his character, he spends pages 30-200 doing the 'I don't believe in elves, this cant be happening' routine which is even more annoying than his whinging.
Eris is not convincing as a male character in the same way a lot of the Lackey stable of characters are not convincing. Sure, we all loved Vanyal, but the continuing stories of Lavan, Skiff, Alberich or here, Kory? Lets face it, they may start out are good, believable characters but by the end they are are NOT well written males at all. It is not that they are effeminate, it is not that they think and behave like a girlie idea of how boys think because, with good writing skills those things can work. Here it is quite simply poor, lazy, writing and it infected every element of the male characters in this book in the same way that it affects almost all of Lackey's later Valdemar writing.
2) Fight scenes. It takes more than calling everyone in sight a 'warrior' or 'elven warrior' to make fight scenes convincing. Lackey has written some good fight scenes, especially early in her career, but again, the longer she writes the lazier they get. In this story they are particularly poorly written to the point that during both big confrontations I kept losing interest in the story instead of being riveted, as you should be in a final fight scene.
3) Poor continuing character development. And not only the males. The initial characters are well set up, even whining Eric, but as the story progresses it is as if, once established, they are just dropped with no further character progression until by the end of the story they have become cardboard cutouts. This also is pure Lackey; she has a formidable talent for sketching characters quickly creating real people one is involved in. But she has less ability for maintaining them and this is a continuous problem even with her best Valdemar series. Talia for example is a fine character for the Arrows trilogy, but once married off to Dirk, then fades to become practically one dimensional whenever she makes a rare appearance in later books and she is hardly the only one. In this book Beth may be the biggest casualty (she is more real as a person on page 30 in the first book than on page 400 in the second) but it applies equally to them all.
4) And the last point I will bother with though there are others I could mention; the peculiar sex ethics that made "If I pay thee not in gold" ...quirky.... are in full force here but in a different way; instead of sex changing, bed hopping and actual sex, the three main characters get together at the end of the first part. Then they are portrayed as being in a polygamous relationship in the second part of the story with no explanation or expansion, it is almost as though the idea of writing an unusual relationship was titillating the the author/s but in actuality she/they were to embarrassed to actually do so. Consequently, it is one the least convincing relationships I have ever read. The three share a bed and that is all we hear, no attempt to make this real with behaviour, affection, sex or shared experiences. both the males kiss Beth once or twice but other than that this, the relationship we are told is the mainstay of the three's very existence is as cold as last weeks porridge. Slightly moldy to boot.
So another disappointing one, at least I only paid $2 AU for it on a sale table.
February 11, 2022
See the individual books in this omnibus for my reviews for them. In general, I really enjoyed finally reading the first two books of this series and I’m looking forward to revisiting the next two. I remember being able to jump into the series in the middle with no issue previously, so I’m curious to see how knowing the backstory will alter my view of things.
October 19, 2014
This book contains the first two in the Bedlam's Bard series. Being two completely separate books, originally, i will review them as such.
Knights of Ghost and Shadows was fantastic. The story line was grand and though the characters may not have all been likable they were interesting and you could really sympathize with them. It is full of ups and downs and the farther into it you go, the more wound up you get. Then there was the romance, which I'm generally not very interested in, but in this book i loved it. It made the little fujoshi inside me squeel, and it had the Best Love Triangle Ever(i just loved it so much).
Summoned To Tourney was okay. I mean, it had a great story-line and it was a pretty good continuation, but it wasn't as good as the first one. I'm being a little peevish why, and am probably overacting to it, but... it didn't have the romance I loved so much. I mean, it was "Technically" still there, but they seemed to have been forcibly suppressing it; and it's just I wanted to see it there really badly as it was my favorite part of the first book. I probably wouldn't have felt the same if it was a couple of months later, but it wasn't and it just gave me a frowny face. No other way to put it.
If I review it without that part alone though, yeah, it's good. The main character is more likable, as are most of the characters, and the story is a solid continuation with an interesting flair. It's just the darn romance that is the problem.
Knights of Ghost and Shadows was fantastic. The story line was grand and though the characters may not have all been likable they were interesting and you could really sympathize with them. It is full of ups and downs and the farther into it you go, the more wound up you get. Then there was the romance, which I'm generally not very interested in, but in this book i loved it. It made the little fujoshi inside me squeel, and it had the Best Love Triangle Ever(i just loved it so much).
Summoned To Tourney was okay. I mean, it had a great story-line and it was a pretty good continuation, but it wasn't as good as the first one. I'm being a little peevish why, and am probably overacting to it, but... it didn't have the romance I loved so much. I mean, it was "Technically" still there, but they seemed to have been forcibly suppressing it; and it's just I wanted to see it there really badly as it was my favorite part of the first book. I probably wouldn't have felt the same if it was a couple of months later, but it wasn't and it just gave me a frowny face. No other way to put it.
If I review it without that part alone though, yeah, it's good. The main character is more likable, as are most of the characters, and the story is a solid continuation with an interesting flair. It's just the darn romance that is the problem.
May 20, 2019
This is one of the first fantasy books I ever got from Science Fiction Book Club, and as such I may well have liked it way more than I should have. I remember that I enjoyed the first volume much more than the second. I also realize that most of what I loved about it had nothing to do with the plot. I loved Lackey's descriptions of the transformative power of music, and I felt drawn to the unusual relationship between the three main characters.
July 8, 2007
I don't read a lot of modern fantasy - I'm not quite sure that its my thing. That being said, I really enjoyed this one. The authors really seemed to hit the right tone, and both the subject matter and the story drew me right in.
Recommended.
Recommended.
March 12, 2021
Of all the Bard Tales, so far, I found this double bill the best of them all.
The first half, Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, tells the beginning of the story of Eric Banyon, flautist, street musician, and a man who has spent most of his life running away - though he's never sure what from, or why.
This story starts at a Faire, where Eric breaks up with his present girlfriend, and then goes off into a quiet oak grove to play away his blues,. On doing this, he starts a journey that will, firstly, wake up the elf, Korendil, known as Kory to his friends, and then catapults both himself, Kory, and a long time friend, Beth, into a journey that sees him becoming the Bard, that he always was.
In the second story, Summoned to Tourney, Eric and his friends are in hiding, in San Fransisco, and they become involved with a shady government project when Beth, then Kory, and then their friend Eilzabet, get kidnapped by a nasty psychologist, who wishes to use their psychic abilities for his own ends.
On rescuing them, though , Eric starts something that could start an earthquake so big, that San Fransisco could slide into the sea!
The storylines were great, the characters well-rounded and, as is usual for Misty's work, the double book was hard to put down - I loved it!
The first half, Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, tells the beginning of the story of Eric Banyon, flautist, street musician, and a man who has spent most of his life running away - though he's never sure what from, or why.
This story starts at a Faire, where Eric breaks up with his present girlfriend, and then goes off into a quiet oak grove to play away his blues,. On doing this, he starts a journey that will, firstly, wake up the elf, Korendil, known as Kory to his friends, and then catapults both himself, Kory, and a long time friend, Beth, into a journey that sees him becoming the Bard, that he always was.
In the second story, Summoned to Tourney, Eric and his friends are in hiding, in San Fransisco, and they become involved with a shady government project when Beth, then Kory, and then their friend Eilzabet, get kidnapped by a nasty psychologist, who wishes to use their psychic abilities for his own ends.
On rescuing them, though , Eric starts something that could start an earthquake so big, that San Fransisco could slide into the sea!
The storylines were great, the characters well-rounded and, as is usual for Misty's work, the double book was hard to put down - I loved it!
September 14, 2020
Mercedes Lackey is one of my all time favorites. Whenever I'm down and out I read a Lackey book. I couldn't even bring myself to fully finish this one yet and it's been over a month. Unrealistic dialogue between characters and overall poor character development throughout. I just couldn't force myself to enjoy it for whatever reason; it was a chore grinding my way through the first part and halfway through the second. I'm going back to reading tales of Valdemar and leaving this shoddy book with poor cover art behind (IDK why I hated the cover art so much. It has nothing to do with the story, just corny artwork. Sorry.) I suggest literally anything else by Mercedes Lackey. I promise they will be enjoyable.
January 7, 2020
An okay book, unfortunately the novelty of elves and magic in modern California wears off a bit after Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, and it does start to drag a bit in the third quarter of Summoned to Tourney.
January 15, 2025
I'm usually not a fan of modern-day fantasy settings or female authors. However, this book had me biting my tongue. The humour, writing, style, character arcs—everything about it was gold. I even enjoyed the romance parts! Part of the charm was the protagonist's endearment for his friends.
Truth be told, Mercedes Lackey had a bit of a cult following between my friends and me, and it was all due to this book.
Truth be told, Mercedes Lackey had a bit of a cult following between my friends and me, and it was all due to this book.
November 13, 2017
The premise of this book was interesting ... elves living among humans but mostly hidden. I liked the main story but found the thoughts of the characters interspersed with the dialogue to be distracting and a little confusing.
This book is a compendium of the two book series in one volume. I read the first story but did not read the second.
This book is a compendium of the two book series in one volume. I read the first story but did not read the second.
May 19, 2020
These two books were entertaining and reminiscent of things from my youth, sort of renn faire/SCA feel, celtic music and magic, but with actual elves and bad badguys. I reread these recently and found a lot to enjoy about them--but not the cover art, which seemed to me to have to have been done by one of their friends (it isn't the worst, but isn't the best).
May 8, 2022
Full review here:
https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...
I mean, it remains good reading, even as we again get dragged into the streets with the characters, a theme that tends to happen in any of Mercedes Lackey's Urban Fantasy series.
https://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/...
I mean, it remains good reading, even as we again get dragged into the streets with the characters, a theme that tends to happen in any of Mercedes Lackey's Urban Fantasy series.
January 3, 2018
Delightful urban fantasy with modern bards and ancient elves. Highly recommended as an enjoyable read with good characters.
July 15, 2018
Good fun.
January 4, 2019
I always enjoy a bit of urban fantasy and this story delivers it. I've always enjoyed Lackey's work and this is no exception, the world building and characters are simply magical.
September 5, 2019
I couldn't put these down! Different from the Valdemar bards. I particularly loved the portrayal of the Augora Renaissance Faire since I had been there at roughly the time Misty sets the scene.
October 28, 2024
Really enjoyed this well written and sometimes humorous urban fantasy; this is a contemporary fantasy with elf/human interactions. Fans of her Valdemar series will likely enjoy this series, too!
December 9, 2011
So far I'm having a hard time getting interested in this book. The main character is not very likable. For the first two or three chapters he spends all his time mentally whining about his current girlfriend dumping him, then he mentally whines about some past girlfriends.
He's wallowing in his misery, but since it doesn't appear that he was all that attached to his girlfriend, his wallowing doesn't really make sense. I'll still try to slog through this one, but I have to admit, it is getting hard to remain interested long enough for the story to start.
This character is a self-absorbed whiner who needs to grow up and assume some responsibility for his life. If he was more likable, this behavior might be easier to put up with. Instead, he's just an uninteresting wuss.
Sorry. I just can't like the main character of this book enough to continue reading it. This is the first book with Mercedes Lackey's name on it that I just can't like. I'm glad this is a library book and that I didn't spend any money on it.
He's wallowing in his misery, but since it doesn't appear that he was all that attached to his girlfriend, his wallowing doesn't really make sense. I'll still try to slog through this one, but I have to admit, it is getting hard to remain interested long enough for the story to start.
This character is a self-absorbed whiner who needs to grow up and assume some responsibility for his life. If he was more likable, this behavior might be easier to put up with. Instead, he's just an uninteresting wuss.
Sorry. I just can't like the main character of this book enough to continue reading it. This is the first book with Mercedes Lackey's name on it that I just can't like. I'm glad this is a library book and that I didn't spend any money on it.
May 22, 2016
I found this when I really just couldn't seem to get into a book and like most everything I've read by Lackey, I was transported and absorbed. So much fun!
It did lose me a little in the second book/part, especially given the climax of the ending of the first. And, also, .
But overall, a wonderful example of the writing that I adore.
And do every one of Lackey's books come in the same font? Because I think they do. I was almost getting nostalgic once the italics hit...
It did lose me a little in the second book/part, especially given the climax of the ending of the first. And, also, .
But overall, a wonderful example of the writing that I adore.
And do every one of Lackey's books come in the same font? Because I think they do. I was almost getting nostalgic once the italics hit...
September 3, 2014
"Across the Borders" is a solo album (on CD & Cassette) by Lief Sorbye inspired by the Bedlam Bards series by Mercedes Lackey & Ellen Guon. Lief is part of the band Tempest, and a former member of Golden Bough.
The only place to buy it is from the Firebird Arts and Music website.
Songs include:
Montara Bay • Busker’s Lament • Pass the Hat • Fatima’s Garden • I Won’t Drift Away • Ya Amar • Maybe Someday • For Three of Us • Underhill • Krivo Sadovsko Horo • The Nexus • Montara Bay (reprise)
(No songs on YouTube found, album put out 1995.)
The only place to buy it is from the Firebird Arts and Music website.
Songs include:
Montara Bay • Busker’s Lament • Pass the Hat • Fatima’s Garden • I Won’t Drift Away • Ya Amar • Maybe Someday • For Three of Us • Underhill • Krivo Sadovsko Horo • The Nexus • Montara Bay (reprise)
(No songs on YouTube found, album put out 1995.)
December 22, 2013
I would have loved to give this ook a three. One of the things I really enjoyed about it was that for me, it was as if the ook had a sound track, because Ikow most of the Irish tunes that keep getting mentioned and played by the main character throughout the book.
There just wasn't much else that i enjoyed. this is the kind of fantasy book in which the author needs to keep invoking greater and more varied magical and psychic powers to get her characters to survive. It wold have been more interesting if they had real limitations.
There just wasn't much else that i enjoyed. this is the kind of fantasy book in which the author needs to keep invoking greater and more varied magical and psychic powers to get her characters to survive. It wold have been more interesting if they had real limitations.
August 9, 2013
I read other reviews and others go into more detail and probably say it better. The first book was bad. It was boring and the book is in the character's head too much. The main character is whiny and confused a lot. The second book started out better but I put it down halfway through because of similar problems. Some chapters I zoomed through, which made the clunky chapters that much harder to get through.
March 4, 2009
Extra 1/2 star.
Knights of Ghosts and Shadows - 2.5 stars
Summoned to Tourney - 2.5 stars
Wasn't very good but it might've been the first urban fantasy book I've read and the novelty of it made it enjoyable.
Oh and I discovered Turlough Carolan here, who is brilliant...and the song Banish Misfortune, which is fun.
Knights of Ghosts and Shadows - 2.5 stars
Summoned to Tourney - 2.5 stars
Wasn't very good but it might've been the first urban fantasy book I've read and the novelty of it made it enjoyable.
Oh and I discovered Turlough Carolan here, who is brilliant...and the song Banish Misfortune, which is fun.
October 29, 2010
Another nostalgia re-read. There's a lot of cheese here, I have to say. It's too bad that although Lackey eventually continued this series, as far as I know Susan never reappeared. (I haven't really read this series after #3 so that may be wrong.) Even though in a way she was a message as much as she was a character, she was pretty cool.
November 24, 2011
Showed potential, but felt like the author didn't know what to do at some points and just slapped something together quick (SPOILER ALERT "Umm, which guy should she go with? ...Oh, I can't decide. Threesome!" "I don't know what to do now...time-lapse!")
Some parts really interested me, but other flaws marred the overall read.
Some parts really interested me, but other flaws marred the overall read.
October 14, 2014
Not bad work. I'm not as much of a fan of Lackey's contemporary world books, but I did enjoy this one. It was a little hard to read about the earthquake in the second part, remembering what the real one in 1989 was like.
December 23, 2012
I'm glad I started reading this series out of order. If I had begun with this volume, I may not have continued...But the second half was much better than the first (Not such a whiny Bard). And I know the characters improve in later adventures.
September 17, 2012
I LOVE this series, but somehow I've never managed to read the 1st book in it. This is the first book in the bedlam's bard series and it's every bit as wonderful as the one's that follow it. Awesome Plot, Interesting Characters, Elves, Magic and Music! What more could you ask for? Read it.
August 31, 2013
I like the urban fantasy and I love the elves! It was a bit hard though at poitns for me.
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