Music to My Sorrow (Bedlam's Bard)

Book Description

Eric Banyon, also known as Bedlam's Bard, managed to rescue his young brother Magnus from what seemed to be a killer demon (in Mad Maudlin), but now he must rescue Magnus again, this time from their tyrannical parents. Eric does not look forward to the battle, but is confident he can gain custody. His financial sources are virtually unlimited, his friend Ria Llewellyn heads the most high-powered law firm in New York, and in a pinch he and his friends can use to magic powers, even flummoxing a DNA test, it comes to that. What Eric does not know is that his parents are allied with the evangelist Billy Fairchild, who himself is a tool of the evil Unseleighe elves, who feed off human sorrow and suffering. Fairchild specializes in getting "bad" children to shape up, which is accomplished by letting a soulsucker-malevolent creature from the elf world-drain the victim of all talent, creativity, and will, leaving an obedient zombie husk behind. If Magnus and his friend Ace, who is also on the run from her twisted parents, fall into Fairchild's hands, they will join the Unseleighe's zombie ranks. And Eric's bardic magic may not be enough to save them.

Customer Reviews:

wrapping up the adventure.......2007-09-28

Plot: In this final installment of "Bedlam's Bard," three teens, two of whom are mortal and one an elf, struggle to become emancipated from their dysfunctional families. Magnus, a teen with Bardic talent who intends to become a drummer in a rock band, wants to live with his older brother Eric, the titular bard of the series. Their parents have hired an unscrupulous "Christian Family Intervention" program to retrieve them. Ace, a runaway, wishes to escape from her evil, evangelist father. And Jaycie, an elf who has spent time in the mortal world, has ssues that could result in a messy conflict if not handled delicatetly. Other characters from the series such as Ria, Kayla, Hosea and Janette also become involved when the protagonists discover that Ace's minister father is involved in a more sinister than usual scheme that will result in a body count if successful.

Questions that the reader might have had about previous books, such as Kayla's apparent lack of aging, are addressed in this final volume. Also much fewer loose ends are left dangling. At first, I thought this book, as compared to the others, was more preachy than usual, but at second glance, I decided the amount was about the same. If you don't mind very blatant messages - and why would you be reading this series if you didn't - then you should enjoy the book.

Tying Up Loose Ends.......2006-06-22

Music To My Sorrow (2005) is the sixth novel in the Bedlam's Bard fantasy series, following Mad Maudlin. In the previous volume, Eric Baynon had rescued his younger brother Magnus as well as Ace Fairchild from the streets of New York City. At the same time, Eric had offered sanctuary in Elfhame Misthold to Jachiel ap Gabrevys and his protector Rionne ferch Rianten. Since these Elves were from the Unseleighe court of Elfhame Bete Noir, there were some diplomatic aspects to the affair.

In this novel, Eric is called upon to inform Prince Gabrevys of the safety of his son and the desire of Rionne to remain in Elfhame Misthold for a while. Although Prince Gabrevys is not present in his court, Eric leaves his message with the Bard Jormin ap Galever. At Jormin's advice, Eric then leaves the Unseleighe court as rapidly as possible.

Magnus is having some troubles of his own. While he has some minor problems adjusting to the Coenties & Arundel Private Academy, the major problem is the tenacious efforts of their mutual parents to take back Magnus. Although now aware that Eric is not dead, their parents are ignoring his presence per se and concentrating on the circumvention of efforts for Eric to adopt Magnus as his own son.

Ace Fairchild is also having legal problems. She is now living with Ria Llewellyn, the head of a high priced law firm who has helped her file a Petition of Emancipated Minor Status. Unfortunately, her parents have been informed of her actions and have arranged a change of venue to Atlantic City where they are now living. Billy Fairchild is determined that Heavenly Grace will be returned, willingly or not, to continue to sing in his choir.

Unknown to Eric and his friends, Gabriel Horn of Billy's Heavenly Grace Ministries is really Jachiel's father, Prince Gabrevys. Now the Unseleighe has several reasons to force Magnus and Eric into his evil reconditioning program at Christian Family Intervention. He even has parental permission for this treatment, which frees him from the constraints of Elven laws. After soul-eaters have fed on their minds, these victims will not be able to raise any objections.

Ace would be the perfect instrument for implementing the prince's own plans against the humans. Feeding her to the soul-eaters would ruin her special talents, but binding her with ordinary Unseleighe magic would control her without destroying these talents. Of course, Billy Fairchild would have to die, but Gabrevys would not waste any tears over his death.

Parker Wheatley finds the Heavenly Grace Ministries to be a new source of revenue for his Defense Initiative. Wheatley has never really been certain of the origins on his enemies, so calling them demons is not too much of a stretch of the truth. Besides, it allows him to use the equipment that he appropriated out of the hidden cache for its intended purpose. Once he has gotten a foot in the door, Wheatley will screen the staff of the Ministries for demonic infiltrators.

This novel binds together several threads from prior works in this series. Indeed, most of Eric's foes have been brought under the same banner and arrayed against him. Still, there is a large potential for discord within their ranks.

Highly recommended for Lackey and Edghill fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of magic and adventure among contemporary Elves.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Readable, but overly simplistic.......2006-05-24

Last year I picked up Mad Maudlin on a whim. I did not realize that this was an installment in a series. After reading it, I was curious to see how the story of Ace and Magnus turned out. So I picked up this novel.

First off, I found the writing and characters to be bland. The ideas behind the characters were interesting, but the whole book reads like a shadow of a story that could be great. All the characters are either completely good or evil, with no complexity. Each character is basically a cardboard stereotype: the tough-as-nails businesswoman, the greedy televangelist, the good-old southern boy, the teen angst, etc, etc.

Secondly, if you accidentally get into the middle of a great series, the first time the novel alludes to an event in a previous novel, you want to immediately go buy the previous novels and catch up. That doesn't happen here. Prior events are mentioned, but I just didn't really care. They didn't seem to have too much impact on the current story.

Lastly, the climax was just a little too neatly wrapped up. It was just like "TA-DA!!! everything is great now" Suddenly every single problem in the novel was wrapped up nice and neat, and everyone lived happily ever after.

The good side of this novel is that it is devoid of any adult themes. I have an extensive library of fantasy novels which my 11 year old son wants to read. Most of them are too adult for me, but I would not hesitate to let him read this novel or Mad Maudlin. These novels would be a great beginning point for younger readers interested in unique fantasy.

Eric Banyon is back and as good as ever.......2006-05-03

Misty is my second fav author (number 1 being Tamora Pierce) and the Bard series is one of many great works by Mrs. Lackey.

This book number eight in the series I believe returns us back to New York. We meet Eric and everyone else who have stuck by him (Kayla, Ace, Ria, etc.). More humor is abound as well as more detailed info on the teen dark elf that Gus met in book seven. And of course old enemies come back to bite poor Eric on the backside. That is not all. Remember a Bard can be evil or good it's their choice so (grins) the fun begins when good Bard vs. bad one. All that I can say is it's about time!

Laughs. You will enjoy the book if you try not to dissect it too much. It has its writing faults but I try to overlook them. Overall, a good read with a satisfactory ending.

feast for readers.......2006-03-07

The Bedlam Bard books have it all---believable paranormal juxtaposed with "real" life; beloved characters who grow and change; characters to loathe; plot lines that you don't see coming...they are wonnnnnderful. If you're new to them, start from the beginning and work your way to this one.

It's a bummer to read other reviewers and see that this may be the last in the series. That will suck. However, if this IS the last one, it did a great job of wrapping up long time characters' issues...

These characters have stayed with me for years...love them! Even the "car elf" Tannim shows up in this one! And Ria Llwellyen is used perfectly...alot is revealed about her and yet she doesn't figure nearly as prominently in this book as others.

Fantasy fiction just doesn't get any better. Mercedes Lackey rocks.

Average customer rating:

A decent follow-on but not what I had come to expect
disappointing sequel
Excellent and rousing
Good read, but I was confused
Rather dissapointing

Beyond World's End (Bedlam's Bard)
Mercedes Lackey , and Rosemary Edghill
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0671318551

Amazon.com

Beyond World's End continues Eric Banyon's tale in the Bedlam's Bard series. Sieur Eric, Knight and Bard to the court of the Queen of Elfhame Misthold, moves back to the Big Apple to take care of unfinished business. Most notably, he wants to finish his interrupted education at Julliard and settle down to a normal life.

As Eric says goodbye to his friends Kory and Beth, he settles into a new apartment and a rigorous schedule at Julliard. However, a normal life doesn't seem to be in his immediate future as he quickly discovers his apartment has unique features, including a living gargoyle named Greystone and four Guardians who have sworn to protect New York from evil. But the evil the Guardians are facing this time is something they haven't seen before.

Unscrupulous researchers have created a drug that briefly unlocks magical powers in a small percentage of the humans it's given to. Unfortunately, it also has a 100 percent mortality rate. But something evil from Underhill has other plans and seeks to use the temporary human powers to threaten the World Above. As Eric gets drawn into the fray, his past catches up with him and good grades become the least of his problems.

Beyond World's End, which takes place in the same universe as Lackey's SERRAted Edge series, combines human evil and magical evil in a compelling way that brings the characters into today's world. Eric is all grown up now and he's a wonderful hero. However, Beyond World's End feels like it's missing the last few chapters. So much time is spent on back-story and the physical setup of the novel that many characters and their stories are introduced only to be dropped with no explanation or resolution. What could have been a great book ends up being ultimately disappointing coming from these two excellent authors. --Kathie Huddleston

Book Description

This is your soul on drugs...

After the events chronicled in Bedlam's Bard, world-saving bard and magician Eric Banyon moves into his new New York apartment hoping to settle down to the quiet life. No such luck: his building is a safe-house for a group of occultist Guardians protecting the city from supernatural evil. And there's a new evil for them to quard against....

When unethical drug researchers discover that they can induce amazing mental powers using psychotropic drugs, they begin planning to raise a drug-enslaved army of mercenaries and grow very, very rich. But this gets the attention of Aerune mac Audelaine, lord of the dark Unseleighe Sidhe, who hopes to use the drugs to break through to the human world and feed on the suffering there. Both plans will bring terror to the world -- and both are threatened by the very existence of Eric Banyon.

With his possibly loyal companions -- a beautiful elven half-breed and a gargoyle -- Eric heads for a three-way battle of wizardry that will determine Gotham's fate -- and his own.

Customer Reviews:

A decent follow-on but not what I had come to expect.......2006-01-08

This is not a bad third book in this series of Urban Fantasy from Mercedes Lackey. However, the plotline is thin and threadbare in many places -- enough there that one won't notice too much on first look, but close inspection really shines through on that point. The character growth of Eric Banyon is stale halfway through the book, but the character development for Ria is stellar throughout. There are nods to her "Elves and Fast Cars" urban fantasy and her Diana Tregarde series throughout -- but the Guardian characters are mere hints and placeholders towards Tregarde, and the "Elves and Fast Cars" gets some cursory nods in places.

All in all, I was firmly disappointed in this effort from Mercedes. The plotline is not at all what I've come to expect from her, and the character development is slightly shaky when compared to the two earlier novels in this series, and her "Last Herald Mage" series in her Valdemar world. There's enough here to call the book an "average" read, but not enough to whet an appetite for those who enjoyed "Knights of Ghosts and Shadows" and "Summoned to Tourney" previously.

disappointing sequel.......2005-06-11

Like the other reviewers, I was annoyed by the inconsistencies that popped up over and over and were impossible to resolve. I did enjoy the first two books in this series, and so was hoping the quality would continue in this one.

The book stopped holding my attention after the concert. I was hoping for more details of Eric's (the protagonist) life at Juillard. There were too many secondary characters whose stories went nowhere and who might have been interesting if properly developed but never were.

I also wanted more on the potential challenges of having and raising a child in the Underling, more on Eric's relationships at Juillard (particularly the bastard teacher) and how he resolved his issues there, and more on Jeanette, who literally just rode off into the sunset without any follow-up.

All in all, a disappointing read. Even the battles between the elves and the humans didn't hold my attention. They just seemed redundant and too similar to the first books'.

Excellent and rousing.......2004-04-20

BEYOND WORLD'S END isn't exactly your normal urban fantasy. For one, instead of a coming of age tale, we have a "how am I supposed to fit in?" tale instead. And the minions of evil are more earthly, and evil; in short, they're drug lords, sane, in control of themselves -- and all the more vile for that.

But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.

Protagonist Eric Banyon, flutist and Bard, has returned to the World Above to resume his collegiate career at Juilliard. His former lovers, Beth and Korendil the Elf (Kory for short), have definitely paired off, and he's somewhat at loose ends.

But not for long.

He returns to school, meets a gargoyle named Greystone, and becomes friends with him. And through Greystone, he meets the four Watchers living in his apartment building; four individuals pledged to right wrongs other people don't see, mainly because they have the power to do so and the willingness to lay it all on the line for what they believe is right.

At any rate, Eric finds that evil is stalking the poorest and lowest of the citizens of New York -- people no one else seems to care about. Even Ria Llewelyn, erstwhile love interest (and recently healed corporate half-Elven shark), doesn't seem to care about what's happening.

But Eric cares, and he can't just let it lie. He has to do something.

But what?

What he does, and how he does it, I'll leave you to find out. But I will say that I found it a wonderful adventure with unusual depth and breadth, and it set up SPIRITS WHITE AS LIGHTNING quite nicely in the process.

I like this story better because it's based on self sufficiency; simply put, a big part of the story is Eric learning to accept himself and his magic. That's a message that you just don't see much in fiction; most male heroes are Hell-bent on finding a female (or, in some cases, male) lover just as soon as possible, to block out the dreadful loneliness.

In other words, self-actualization is a non-starter ninety-nine percent of the time.

But not here. Despite his initial feelings of loneliness, Eric learns to see his life as interesting and challenging instead. And that attitude makes this book more realistic, not less, because it's what a mature man would be more likely to do (I mean, let's face it, 28 year old men just don't moon over girls all day and all night if they're even halfway normal). And his growing acceptance of himself and his craft allowed me as a reader to enjoy the atmosphere of a pre-9/11 New York City and be swept away by the highlights (and lowlights) of living there.

It's something I never thought I'd see happen, much less convincingly, but Ms. Lackey and Ms. Edghill really pulled it off well.

The only drawback (and it's minor) in this work is that there is a lot of room, years even, between SUMMONED TO TOURNEY and BEYOND WORLD'S END. Why the marked demarcation?

Granted, the changes made (Eric's growing maturity, Beth and Kory being only friends now) made sense to me, mainly because I've never seen a stable threesome in my entire life.

But I'd love to see what happened in between there; maybe one of these days, Ms. Edghill or Ms. Lackey (or both) will write a story about that time period, to better explain what, exactly, put these three back on the road to friendship (rather than love)?

Ms. Lackey had written several tales with Elves in them before, notably SUMMONED TO TOURNEY and KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS (which also featured Eric Banyon, flutist-for-hire). Ms. Edghill had written three books in her Twelve Treasures series, which featured a group of friends in their mid-twenties and their adventures with Elves.

It was an inspired pairing, as the two authors have now combined on three books (this one, SPIRITS WHITE AS LIGHTNING, and MAD MAUDLIN, with MUSIC TO MY SORROW forthcoming) and brought Eric Banyon's character further along the road to maturity without losing any freshness or appeal.

Five stars, highly recommended.

Barb Caffrey

And if you like this book (and I hope you do), go read the other books in this series, along with anything else Ms. Edghill has ever written.

Good read, but I was confused.......2003-11-03

I read the first 2 books about Eric Banyon & when I read this 1 I was confused because it seems like I missed a book or 2 since in the last book I read they'd just defeated the Nightflyers & were about to have a party & in this 1 the 3 have evidently been living Underhill for several years, Eric's a fully trained Bard & is going back to school at Julliard in New York while Beth is pregnant with Eric's daughter & she & Kory are a couple & living Underhill & evidently Beth's being hunted by the Feds. Also Ria is back among the living after Beth beaned her with her guitar in the 1st book. I still understood everything after a bit of reading but I felt like I'd missed something since there doesn't seem to be a book bridging the gap between the 2nd book & this 1.

Rather dissapointing.......2003-08-09

I was really upset that I didn't like Beyond the Worlds End better than I did because I loved the Bedlam's Bard series up until this point. The vibrancy of the characters from the earlier words was strangely abscent here, and I spent a lot of time wondering if I was reading about the same group.

The threesome of Eric, Kory and Beth is apparently over and after the multiple pronounces of equal love for one another in the previous books, which I found very bothersome. The reasons for the breakup (Kory & Beth growing closer while Eric focuses on his music/magic) really annoyed me. It seemed more like they were simply looking for a way to get Eric into a new situation without entanglements. That Beth was pregant with his child irritated me even more. Did not know that part of bardic duties was voluntary sperm donations for cross-species infertile couples.

Ria Lewellen coming back was a welcome move, but again it didn't have the same weight of the previous books. More like "Okay, Eric's single again, so lets bring back the old girlfriend for some sparks".

Book Description

Eric Banyon, better known as Bedlam's Bard, has just discovered that he has a younger brother named Magnus whom his parents have kept secret from him. Just as Eric did years ago, 17-year-old Magnus has run away from home to escape his disfunctional family. Determined to find him, Eric finds himself caught in a desperate race against time. Young homeless children in New York have created a bizarre mythology about a demon called Bloody Mary who preys on young children-and somehow Bloody Mary has taken on an independent life and now stalks the streets of the city. Eric's friends, the Guardians seem powerless to stop her. Anyone who sees her is marked for death. And Magnus has seen her. . . .

Customer Reviews:

average is about right.......2007-03-02

In this sequel to "Bedlam's Bard," and "Beyond World's End," Eric Banyon discovers the existence of a younger brother, who has run away from home, and sets out to find him. His brother, like him, has the Bardic gift, which makes locating him tricky. His brother, meanwhile, has taken up with two runaways, a girl called Ace, and an elf, Jaycie, both of whom are fleeing their own private hells. And as usual in these books, there is a Dark Force, this time one who is preying on street children. As a shelter volunteer, Eric's friend Hosea, who is also a gifted Bard, becomes aware of this. With their friends, both elven and human, they seek to find this monster and protect the city's homeless children.

Like the other books in the series, this one has way too many minor characters, especially with sound-alike names. There is a Tatiana, Juliana and Oriana for starters. After awhile, even the most attentive reader might lose track of them and how all the minor plotlines connect. However, it's a decent read for die-hard Lackey fans.

STATUS QUO FOR THIS SERIES.......2003-10-21

MAD MAUDLIN is Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill?s latest installment in the Bard series. As such it adequately represents the series for what it is; a thoroughly average fantasy story. Although well written, the least one would expect from these two veterans, the story itself suffers from a serious case of the blahs.

What makes for an exciting, above average story? How about new and imaginative situations and plot line? Maybe character development and growth. Unfortunately we get neither in this particular volume.

Plot: lets see, Overhill, the human world, it threatened by death, destruction and domination by forces of evil including an evil elf lord, evil human magician and of course shadow forces within our own government. Eric, with considerable help from Ria, and the Guardians defeat them. Sound familiar? Probably does, if you change the names and a few of the faces it?s the same plot from BEYOND WORLDS END and SPRITS WHITE AS LIGHTNING. Or to quote Eric?s brother Magnus ?Things always this much fun around here?? The reply being ?Usually it?s quite for, oh, months at a time.? I?m not saying it?s boring but it does get a bit repetitive after awhile.

How about character development? I don?t see much here. Eric is basically the same as he was in BEYOND WORLD?S END. A couple of new characters are added, or fleshed out from earlier story lines, but the core characters exhibit very little change or growth. Ria, the workaholic half elf, is shown to be very much in love with Eric, although for her denial is not just a river in Egypt, however his feelings still seem to be at best ambivalent. Must be nice to have a beautiful, filthy rich girlfriend that you can use for casual sex and treat as furniture or an ATM, maybe there is something to this Bard business after all.

Anyway there really isn?t much new here. Just an average pleasant story good for passing a few hours. I would RECOMMEND it but probably only the die-hard fans will find it of more than passing interest.

:::sigh:::.......2003-10-09

This is one of those books that let you know you have a good friend in the author. I had this book preordered when it came out, and tore through it the night and early morning I got it. Lackey and Edgehill get better and better each time they work together. Eric has left behind him occasionally obnoxious whining and self pity, His brother has managed to figure out his parents are scum, with out going over the edge into all people are scum. The other characters are rich, and full, even the elves seem more real in this book. I canýt wait for the next one.

I LOVE This Book!.......2003-10-03

I have always been a fan of the Eric the Bard series. What modern fantasy fan wouldn't love the mix of magic, music, elves and old world legends? Add in one of Misty's greatest crusades (helping children in trouble), and you've got a great read in "Mad Maudlin".

Eric is once again facing a hurdle in life. This trial, perhaps, is his hardest: facing his troubled past. Let's face it, everyone has wounds inflicted by past pain, and facing that pain down is an act of courage. Eric has to confront his parents... and learns a shocking piece of information in the bargain.

In the meantime, Hosea Songmaker and his haunted banjo Jeanette are out and about the city of New York, with Hosea doing what he can to bring the gift of music to the city's homeless children. In the shelters, he learns a set of "Secret Stories" about a murderous ghost, Bloody Mary. This urban legend turns out to be a lot more than Hosea ever guessed.

And, of course, there is a trio of troubled runaways. Ace, who ran from her father's greedy ministry. Magnus, who left a stifling home. And Jaycie, who can come up with rolls of money out of nowhere and spends his time scarfing down blocks of baker's chocolate and cans of Coca-Cola. (Sound familiar to anyone?) These three find themselves bound up in a lot more trouble than trying to find a relatively safe place to live.

There are poignant references to 9/11 that had me literally in tears. These references gave me new perspectives on our national tragedy, and helped me gain more learning and perspective about it.

All in all, I loved this book, and I can't wait for the next.

Runaways and the Sidhe.......2003-10-02

Mad Maudlin is the fifth novel in the Bedlam Bard series, following Spirits White as Lightening. In the previous novel, Eric and the Guardians manage to conjure the spirit of the dying Jeanette into Hosea's banjo. They also trap the vengeful Aerune in a maze, with the help of a dragon and Jimmy's spirit, cutting the Paranormal Defense Initiative off from their source of magic. Moreover, Fox finds the means for Kory and Beth to have a child.

In this novel, a child of the Unseleighe runs away to the World Above, pursued by his worried guardian. Heavenly Grace, the daughter of gospel preacher Billy Fairchild and the secret of his success, runs away and he is determined to get her back. The teenage son of a proper Cambridge couple runs away to become a rock musician.

In New York, Hosea and Jeanette discover that the youngest street children are telling the Secret Stories about Bloody Mary with more fervor lately, then the Guardians link these stories with a series of mysterious deaths within the city. Eric is doing so well in therapy that he decides that it is time to confront his parents in Boston and finds out more than he expected: a younger brother. Some older street children have gathered together around three runaways -- Ace, Magnus and Jaycie -- in the Place; they follow the rules or Ace will not buy them food and other supplies (with money from Jaycie). A conman gathers a cadre of gullible people and build up their magical power to assist him in his ambitions.

In Washington, Ria is gathering allies to destroy Parker Wheatly's reputation and organization. Parker unwittingly helps her by kidnapping a minor wizard to restore his source of magic.

This novel revolves around the search for the runaways in New York. It involves a mythago, a Prince of the Unseleighe, a conspiracy against the Guardians, and an previously unknown kinsman. It mostly takes place in New York from the Battery to Mid-town, much of it in the world of the street children.

This novel continues the adventures of Eric, the Bedlam Bard, and brings hims new friends and enemies. It is overflowing in magic, errantry and suspense. A sequel is forthcoming.

Customer Reviews:

this one time? At a ren faire?.......2007-02-07

If I'd written this review as a teen, I probably would have given the book four stars. As it is, I've gotten older and more cynical. The book has three main characters: Korendil, a "young" elf of 200 years or so, Beth, a musician and witch; and Eric, a flautist who discovers that he has magic powers and is the only one who can save L.A. (and the world) from the forces of evil. Through music. There are good elves, but also bad elves with their own agenda. As other reviewers have pointed out, there could definitely be more character development, but all in all, it's an entertaining read.

Fantastic Urban Fantasy Novel.......2004-12-03

One of my most favored memories and my introduction into the genre of Urban Fantasy. Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon weave a wonderful web of Elves in the modern day world. The character development is extremely well done, but the plot is left a littl thread-bare in places. Not to worry though, as it seems that this novel is more about exploring the characters than it is about exploring a setting in a story. The characters of Eric, Beth, and Kory are well worked, and their feelings on all sorts of subjects is explored in great detail. This is one of my favorite all-time books. Give it a whirl!

Real Life History.......2004-02-02

Anyone who performed or vended at either "Big Faire", which is what Californians call the two nine week long every summer Rennaisance Faires, one Northern, one Southern, will recognize this book as a fantasy utilizing what happened when Southern Faire's site for years was bulldozed and the Faire had to move. Not surprising as Lackey herself has connections to the Faire folk.

Other than that, the book itself is interesting, not the least because it broke Lackey's invariable pattern of doing trilogies. Knight of Ghosts and Shadows is actually the second book in a "trilogy", if you want to call it that, book one being bowery Boyz I beleiv, about a healer witch in a modern day city slum who does not return until the second half of book three, summoned to tourney....and of course Lackety then continued on with a second "trilogy" on bard eric's life alone after she managed to get rid of the other two main characters in Knight of Ghosts and Shadows. Rather funny, it was...first, a tripod was the strongest thing in nature, and then POOF, the beginning of the first book in the second "trilogy" disposes thoroughly of the idea.

It could be read as an object lesson in ignoring conditions you yourself set up in writing, I suppose, as well as a historical reference.

The book itself is decent, as is its antecendent and sequel, I'd just advice not to read these three and the second three after Lackey breaks up her threesome. Pick one or the other, instead.

Not as good as the SERRAted Edge series.......2001-01-27

I'm a fan of Mercedes Lackey from a long time back so when I saw this book at the bookstore, I immediately snatched it up. It's the story of a melancholy street-busker, Eric Banyon, and how his talents with the flute earn him the love of the warrior elf Korendil and the witch/rockstar Beth, and also the eternal gratitude of the elves in California for creating a new home for them after their's is bulldozed. That's it. It's a pretty good story but it's definitely got some flaws.

First of all, Korendil is an extremely flat character. He just stands there in his armor and smiles. Throughout the book, Mercedes lackey flips from person to person to tell the story from several points of view but Kory hardly speaks at all.

As for the flipping view points, I did like that we got to hear the opinions of the main bad girl, Ria, but all that flipping around got confusing. I found myself flipping around more than once trying to find out what was happening.

One final caveat: there is a very small, miniscule amount of homosexuality in this book. In fact, compared to Ms. Lackey's Magic's Price, Promise, Pawn series this is nothing. But, if this kind of thing offends you, don't read the book.

The thing I loved most was the magical music, literally. Anyone with a passion for music should read this book. Hearing the sounds she matched the music to made me want to go downstairs and play the piano.

If you love the idea of magic and music together, buy this book. Those parts made my heart soar!

If you liked this book, the SERRAted Edge series is ten times better. It is very similar to this book but the characters are more interesting, in my opinion. It is also by Mercedes Lackey and she recently re-released the four books of the series into two volumes.

Mercedes Lackey rocks!

Knight of Ghosts and Shadows.......2000-06-11

This book was very enjoyable, another well-done work of Mercedes Lackey's. The characters were all very interesting and well developed. Sometimes Banyon's tendency to run away from problems got annoying, but this "flaw" in his character only made him seem more real to me. Beth and Korendil were great additions to the story as well, though I coudn't exactly call the latter realistic. The classic story of hope lost, found, lost and found a couple more times, then, triumph over the ultimate evil. This book has definitely gone on my favorite's list.

Average customer rating:

Way below standard for this favourite author.
Great Fantasy
A wonderful read in a different world
Deadly boring wangst.
Disappointed

Bedlam's Bard
Mercedes Lackey , and Ellen Guon
Manufacturer: Baen Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 141653282X

Customer Reviews:

Way below standard for this favourite author........2007-09-26

Let me start by making one thing clear. I'm a big Mercedes Lackey fan. I buy her books when they come out in the US. I'm in the UK, so this involves transatlantic postage. I bought this expecting to love it, for it to be a fun read, something to immerse myself in when I get home from work, an escape. Not great literature. Just a good basic fantasy/action novel. I was planning to review this anyway, but when I commented on it to someone and they said I should read its reviews, I thought I'd write mine before I did so. So, this review is based on having read half the book, and a history as a fan.

This is not what I expected from a Lackey book. More than that, it's _terrible_.

Eric, the protagonist, is a whiny, self-obsessed loser. I'm not the slightest bit surprised that he walked out of the Juilliard - my only surprise is that they didn't throw him out, talent or no talent. The other characters are cardboard cutouts. Mary Sue Witch and Gary Stu Elf.

And the style! I've just seen a fanfiction author taken to task for spending 15% of the time in italicised direct thought. This book has about 40% italics. One, this is very hard to read, and two, 40% of the time describing "poor me" wangsting? After twenty pages I didn't care how sad poor ickle Eric's life was and is, and it goes on, and on, and on... I've never felt like this for any other Lackey character, ever.

There were a couple of redeeming features. I laughed out loud at the comment about standard fantasy with telepathic horses, and I loved the idea of mental/magical combat involving musical modulations.

But in general, I think that had this book not had "Mercedes Lackey" on the top it wouldn't have made it past a publishing assistant's glance at the first page and a rejection slip. I've read fanfiction which was very, very much better than this. A lot of it. If Ms Guon wrote most of this book, Ms Lackey should ditch her as a co-writer. If Ms Lackey wrote it, then she needs to pay a lot more attention to the quality of her work. I for one will not be buying anything simply because it has her name on as author in the future.

Great Fantasy.......2007-06-28

This is a collection of two of Mercedes Lackey's books, 'Summoned to Tourney' and 'Knight of Ghosts and Shadows'. It features Eric Banyon, a human bard; Beth Kentraine, witch extroadinaire, and a Sidhe knight, Korrendil (Kory). The gang must battle evil forces, mundane and magical. A well-written beginning to the 'Bedlam's Bard' series.If you love real-world fantasy, with heroes and evil-doers, you'll love it! Also, check out the first appearance of Kayla and Elizabet in 'Bedlam Boyz'.

A wonderful read in a different world.......2007-06-18

Yes, this is a reprint of a classic. A Mercedey Lackey classic that I loved to read when I first read both stories, and still love to reread. That's why I bought this $4 edition when it became available.

This is a wonderful read in a different Mercedes Lackey world. It is not set in the world of Valdemar that Mercedes Lackey built. Valdemar is an incredible fantasy world that I and so many others love. But, if you can get you mind out of that world of Valdemar, Mercedes Lackey has built several other Fantasy Worlds that you can leap into and hopefully enjoy as much as I and many others do.

Bedlams Bard is the introduction and creation of what I'd call the 'Eric Banyon Facet' of Mercedes Lackey's modern day world of bards and fairy, magic & streetlife, music & busking & the coasts. Here you start to know some of the characters, see them learn and grow a little. See them make really stupid decisions and backslide a lot. It's a story by story tellers where if you can let your imagination go with it besides being enthralled you also might find yourself at points in the book wanting to reach in, shake a character and ask "What were You thinking? Why did you DO that????"

It's definitely more adult in some ways than a lot of the Valdemar books. I didn't let my daughter read it when she was 10, but I did read it to her, with a Lot if very quick mental and verbal editing and deletions. She loved the story, but thought Eric and the Fairy folk very stupid some of the time!

If you only like books with the newest conventions and styles, this may not be for you. But if you can appreciate a fantasy book from the mid 90's that starts building a world with romance, dark & light magic, celtic magic and real Fairy folk, then get this book.

Deadly boring wangst........2007-03-20

In order to enhance your reading experience, let me introduce a bit of vocabulary before we start. WANGST: noun. "Ridiculously overblown self-pity." (The Urban Dictionary)

I'm used to Lackey's generally lightweight style; I even tend to enjoy it more than I don't. This book, however, is just a stinker.

I've yet to make it past page 150 in "Bedlam's Bard," and that's including extensive skimming. The book is dominated by an unstoppable tag team of wangsty, cardboard characters and an absurd overload of internal dialogue. One at a time either of those might be bearable, but in combination the reader (or this reader, anyway) just begins to wish that there was some way to put these obnoxious people out of their misery.

The book opens as some girl named Maureen dumps Our Henpecked Hero, Eric Banyon, for no particular reason. We must take the authors' word for it that their relationship had some redeeming value, because we never actually see her again. Maureen's sole purpose is to make Eric drunk and wangsty; and indeed, "Maureen" is all we get to hear about for the next hundred pages.

Aha! But the relationship is really only a plot device which (if my skimming is correct) 1) introduces an annoying, overly drawn-out subplot in which Eric is convinced that the elves are a product of his imagination/bad mushrooms/Maureen's spite and 2) eventually causes Eric to hook up with his Wun Twu Wuv. Eric's Wun Twu Wuv, whose name I cannot be bothered to remember, also gets extensive internal dialogue and wangst. For a change of scenery, her wangst is about Eric's immaturity and wangst.

Eric's immaturity and general footloose nature are supposedly a major plot point and have something to do with his Twagic, Juilliard-attending Past (TM); but for all the other characters harp on about it, I couldn't see how, exactly, he was being immature. (Well, apart from the wangst, but everybody in the book does that. I was desensitized.)

A few less-than-fascinating baddies are eventually introduced, but this is where I stopped. The rest will have to remain a mystery. I'm a sucker for bad fantasy, but "Bedlam's Bard" isn't even funny-- just deadly boring. It should have stayed out of print. Take the hideous cover art as a sign, and give this one a wide berth.

Disappointed.......2007-03-20

I have found Mercedes Lackey to be an excellent writer. I have totally enjoyed her other books, although I haven't read them all. I especially appreciate that there is no explicit sex in her books. But the love interests in this book, along with the language and the mindset of jumping into bed with anyone who interests you, really disappointed me. I thought I could trust her judgement in this area. Now I know not to assume that her books are appropriate for my daughter to read, or for that matter, me.

Bedlam's Bard: Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, Summoned to Tourney

Average customer rating:

Bedlam's Bard: Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, Summoned to Tourney

Manufacturer: Guild America Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000BO1Q26

Average customer rating:

Bedlam's Bard (Knight of Ghosts and Shadows Summoned to tourney)
Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon
Manufacturer: Guild America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TBFPD2

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Bedlam's Bard (Knight of Ghosts and Shadows & Summoned to Tourney)
Mercedes; Guon, Ellen Lackey
Manufacturer: Baen Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VZF87O

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Bedlam's Bard (Knight of Ghosts and Shadows; Summoned to Tourney)

Manufacturer: GuildAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I4WFRO

Average customer rating:

Bedlam's Bard: Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, Summoned to Tourney
Mercedes; Guon, Ellen Lackey
Manufacturer: Guild America Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NSIMMC

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