Rating: 
Summary: good urban fantasy
Review: After his last save the world success (see Bedlam's Bard), musician Eric Banyon looks forward to quiet time studying the flute as an adult-student at Julliard. While Eric plays the student flautist, avaricious research scientists have discovered some drugs that turn individuals into beings with magical capabilities. Being of a non- ethical bent, the coven of scientists plan to use their drug to develop an army of slaves that will make them so rich Gates will seem like a pauper.However, in the Elven realm of Underhill, Prince Aerune mac Audelaine learns of the new enhancing drugs on the mortal side of the portal. He sees this as an opportunity to use Manhattan's abundance of street people to conquer first the island and then the human world. Only, Eric and his guardian cohorts (Beth and Kory on a return engagement) stand in the way of the Dark prince succeeding in his endeavor. BEYOND WORLD'S END is an entertaining fantasy sequel that works because of the concrete presence of contemporary Manhattan providing a powerful anchor to the tale. Because of numerous references to the previous adventure (see Bedlam's Bard), those who have not read it should to gain the full flavor and understanding of Eric and his band of saviors. The secondary cast makes the novel work as they either provide insight into the elven realm or are part of modern day Manhattan, which in turn gives the tale its subtle strength by making this fantasy seem real. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent and rousing
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and rousing
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and rousing
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Little details do count
Review: First of all, I love the urban fantasies of Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill. They caught me right from the beginning with their other (individual) titles capturing a gritty and magical world where elves and CEOs exist side-by-side. But, I have to say I was disappointed by this book. "Beyond World's End" feels like a collaboration that the two authors wrote without really consulting each other. For example, near the beginning, Eric says something about being Underhill for long enough that the US government would never recognize or find him; that according to his birth certificate, he should be someone in his late 40s rather than the 25-year-old student he is. Then, in the same chapter, he enrolls back into Juliard--yet he hasn't changed his name, and both professors and students clearly know him and his history at the school. Nobody remarks on his apparent or actual age. A little difficult to reconcile both these viewpoints! This age thing continues throughout the novel, so it's not one missed comment. Another example--when Eric's moving into his apartment, he mentions that he's stopped drinking anything with caffeine because it is so destructive to his elven friends...yet, just a chapter or two later, he's offering guests cappuchino from his own machine. Little faults, but it shows that the authors weren't consistant, and that irritates me when I'm spending $2.. on a book. Other reviews here have mentioned the detailed beginning and the rushed ending, and I agree. It's almost like the authors got tired of the book about three-quarters through and just decided to finish it. Or, alternately, they might have rushed the ending and left those dangling questions and characters in order to leave some threads to pick up in a sequel. I hope that there is a sequel, because I want to see what happens with Kory and Beth, the Guardians, and Aerune's plans. I think I may wait until the paperback comes out though, just in case... If you don't pay close attention to details, you will probably enjoy this book. If you DO pay close attention to details--re-read "Bedlam's Bard".
Rating: 
Summary: Starts slowly, ends abruptly
Review: For me, this book had many problems. To start with the authors spent way too much time setting up the story, filling in events that happened between the last book and this one, and on setting up Eric's apartment. I understand the need for this, but I feel it was handled poorly. For example, does the reader really need to read four pages of description of Eric's apartment and its (non-storyline related) contents? There are also two-and-a-half pages about Eric building his CD collection! Almost the entire first chapter is retrospective description. I had started to wonder if the authors had ever heard of the writing advice "show don't tell". Also, there are footnotes! If I remember correctly at least one of the other books in this series also contained footnotes, and I thought it was a bad idea then, and that book was much better than this one. On my part, I feel footnotes do not belong in novels with the possible exception of highly technical novels such as some hard science-fiction novels. The footnotes in this book are used to explain things that could have been explained in the text, or really did not need an explanation at all. Another problem I had was with the contradictions throughout the book. For example on page 13 it states "... Eric was not going to have to worry about where his money was coming from for a very long time, if ever." Then on the very next page it states: "And when the Krugerrands ran out, and the account that covered his rent and utilities expired, he'd have to have a job to pay for all this." This gives the impression that it is an immediate problem. Which is it? A problem or not a problem? There are other instances of this type throughout the book. Some more sever because they tie-in to the storyline. I also did not like the way the authors handled the relationship between Kory, Beth, and Eric, but, that is more and example of personal preference, not bad writing. I had not been pleased with the way it (and the character of Beth) was handled in the second book either. On the other hand, the story itself held my interest, and I particularly liked the way the character of Ria was handled. I do wish more time had actually been spent on what seemed to be the major storylines of the book; namely Eric's return to Juilliard and the ultimate confrontation between Eric, Ria and the Guardians, and the two separate villains of the story. The buildup was too long and the payoff too little. It also seemed that the Juilliard story was pretty much dropped, and it had the potential to be more interesting than the "main" plot. More time should have been spent on it than on the history of the drug that was used in the other storyline. Although the setup as to why Jeanette, the creator of the drug, became the way she was was interesting, there was too much time spent on developing and testing the drug. Also, the character started out as a very evil person and yet later I felt the authors were trying to get us to feel that she wasn't as bad as she seemed. This might have worked had she not been portrayed as having no conscience, or if there had been a convincing catalyst for the change, but other than a pang of guilt, which seemed totally out of character, there was nothing. If you are a fan of Mercedes Lackey, Rosemary Edghill, or the Bedlam's Bard series the book is an ok read, if you can hang on through the first chapter, but it is not the best book either author has written, nor is it the best of the series. However, it is also not the worst. If you are not familiar with the series or either of its authors you would be better served by reading one of their other novels, or by reading the first book of the series. In fact, I would suggest to anyone who has not read the first book of the series to read it first, or this book will make little sense.
Rating:
Summary: The start of a new series?
Review: Having read and enjoyed all of Lackey's Bedlam Bards series, I was understandably excited to see a new Eric Banyon adventure. This book begins a couple decades after Summoned To Tourney, with Eric taking up residence--alone--in The Big Apple. Yes, there are quite a few changes afoot in the bard's lifestyle. Having spent years hiding Underhill from mortal authorities while learning to control his Bardic magic, he is ready to go back to school to see if he can make it without Beth and Kory. A nice tie-in to the Diana Tregarde series has him moving in to an apartment building run by Guardians. Although Eric is determined to keep a low profile and focus on his non-magical musical abilities, he finds himself caught up (again) in an evil elf's plans for world domination. The reappearance of Ria Llewellyn, combined with the stress of midterms, has Eric off-balance. The only real quibble I have with this book is its length. It seemed a bit short; the action wound up pretty quickly at the end after a long buildup. Also, while the Juilliard subplot was hyped as very important, it just sort of stopped two-thirds of the way through the book, leaving several loose ends unresolved. There are hints in the text, however, that this could be the beginning of a new series which would address those and some other issues. I am withholding final judgment until I know for sure. If this does turn out to be continued, then I agree with the authors that this "could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Rating:
Summary: Urban Blight Fantasy
Review: I almost gave up on this book when very early in the narrative the lead character referred to himself without irony as looking like "a sassy young dude in his twenties." *Gag* I also couldn't figure out why there was a couple of dismissive reference to Gen-Xer's. What's wrong with Gen-Xers? (The co-authors are both Boomers.) Then I remembered that this series was geared toward adolescents (that, folks, is why there is no explicit sex but lots of gory violence-- violence being much better for children than sex.) The first of the books in this series was published circa 1990. It combined the Urban Fantasy concept (which dealt a lot with street people, music, elves and magic) with a touch of "let's save the kids." What has happened at least in this book is that the message has taken over. Some people have wondered about Eric returning to Julliard after vowing never to go back. Think public service message: If you are in school, stay there; if you've quit, go back. Yep, that's the reason. It also give the authors a chance to show some emotional abuse by parents and teachers. There's also an antidrinking and drug message that stands out about a mile. The general preachiness got to me about the time Eric meets the Guardians. I went and got a drink (of water)and took a handful of pills-- asprin. The protagonists in this book remain rather flat and uninteresting-- and there is a tendency to use way too many brand names. I also don't need the detailed descriptions of what the characters are wearing. It must be padding because the plot is definitely on the thin side. Also, what was trendy when the book was written- 1999-2000? publication date was 2001-- hasn't stayed trendy. Anyway, it's a standard evil drug lord tries to take over the city plot. Everyone but the evil drug lord is evil because of what happened to them in the past-- even the evil sidhe. The drug lord apparently doesn't have a past. Some characters from previous books pop up and leave. There's a gargoyle with a fake Irish accent that's very grating. "Laddybuck" and "Boyo's" abound. Also a cop who starts using the phrase "take a bullet" and soon every one is ready to "take a bullet." The authors can write better than this, I wish they would.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I had come to expect a higher standard from Misty. This book wasn't up to it. First off, the entire plot of the book changed from Eric's return to Julliard to some random problem with the Underworld. Then characters kept dropping in and out, points of view kept shifting around, and too many questions were left unanswered. There were some good points to this book, but they didn't even out with the bad points. Over all, this book was basically a waste of time. If you want to read it, either check it out from the library or wait till it comes out in paperback.
Rating:
Summary: Fast & Furious
Review: I read it in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. Everything hangs together well. Nothing is contrived, every scene follows logical sequence. Very good story.
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