Rating: 
Summary: Dreadful
Review: All the reviews I've read here about Bedlam's Bard rave on about Mercedes Lackey's writing and completely ignore the fact that Ellen Guon is the co-author. Don't get me wrong, I am a solid fan of Ms Lackey, but Ellen Guon has made an important contribution here. The books that she participated in are a little "edgier" than Misty's usual (equally wonderfull) product, and the melding of these two minds illustrates the definition of serendipity!
Rating: 
Summary: Serendipity
Review: All the reviews I've read here about Bedlam's Bard rave on about Mercedes Lackey's writing and completely ignore the fact that Ellen Guon is the co-author. Don't get me wrong, I am a solid fan of Ms Lackey, but Ellen Guon has made an important contribution here. The books that she participated in are a little "edgier" than Misty's usual (equally wonderfull) product, and the melding of these two minds illustrates the definition of serendipity!
Rating:
Summary: Good books, but they've been out before!
Review: BEDLAM'S BARD is a combination of two of Lackey's previously published books, KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS and SUMMONED TO TOURNEY. Both are good books, but beware of buying them, all unknowing, under this new title. It's been some years since the second one came out; there was supposed to be at least one more in the series, but it hasn't materialized. The first two set high enough standards that I'd buy it if it did.
Rating: 
Summary: :-)
Review: Bedlam's Bard...well..there really is no word to express how incredible this book is! I simply adore Mercedes Lackey, and have read almost everything she's written, and I believe- no, I am certain- that this is my absolute favorite, if I had to pick (and such a hard thing to do too! ) out of everything. This book has such wit, love, and enthusiasm..It will make you think, make you cry, make you laugh till you die (oo I rhymed!) and it's just so incredibly funny and so incredibly THERE..it's a work of art! I've read this book...well, at LEAST seven times, and I can never, ever get tired of it. Every time I read it, I laugh more, I cry more, I understand more..I think more. It's wonderful. It combines a controversial issue (which I don't think ought to be controversial at all!) with love, wit, enthusiasm, Elves (who can beat that! ), magic, music, and Celtic lore with such skill and alacrity..It is a MUST read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book By a Wonderful Writer
Review: Ellen writes a hillarious and touching story in these two books of which I have both. All of Ellen's stories are written this way. I am a great Fan of all her writings and have been reading her stories for years. Eric's depression about being dumped at the California Southern Rennasaince Fair and The Drinking and music that Follows is pretty much what one would see there. I also Love the way she weaves Kory and Beth into the story and the way She sets the Dark Elf Lord against these three Heros!
Rating:
Summary: Fanfiction meets bad editing
Review: First, a little background on my experiences with Mercedes Lackey. The first of anything I ever read by her was the "Last Herald Mage" trilogy, which wasn't astounding in terms of skill. But I held the story close to my heart, because it was the first professionally published story I ever read that dealt with romantic male/male relationships, and I'm an avid slasher. Then, looking for some good mainstream fantasy, I read her "Brightly Burning," which had all the depth and plot twists of a can of potted meat. I vowed never to read anything by Lackey again. But then I got wind of "Bedlam's Bard" and its slashy content; the post-traumatic distress of "Brightly Burning" had since worn away, and I had the money in my pocket, and I thought to myself, how bad could it be to at least give the book a try? Hah. Big mistake. I'm not sure if co-authoring with Ellen Guon had anything to do with the crud-factor of "Bedlam's Bard," but the shortcomings here are pretty much the same as those with Lackey's other novels. This book was like fanfiction gone pro: amateurish and untried, the literary equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon (and trust me, all the He-Mans and She-Ra's in Hanna-Barbera's 2-D world have more edge than this book). The characters are off-brand stock. The setting is bland. The heroes and villains are too obviously so, and the line between good and evil is too sharply drawn. The plot staggers along of its own accord like an epileptic chicken, leaving the host of pitiful characters to react like a bunch of brain-fried androids; they should be pushing the plot along themselves like well-rounded characters are supposed to do. Lackey's handling of names drives me batty: every character has some cutesy nickname. For about a fourth of the book we're seeing the name "Korendil", then out of nowhere, with no explanation, drops "Kory". Who?! It took me several pages to realize I hadn't simply skipped over the introduction to some new character or something. (And just how she managed to pull "Ria" out of the name "Arienrhod" simply blows my mind . . .) For those looking for it, there is action in this book. Too much -- the sign of an author trying too hard to keep the reader hanging on. All it results in here is melodrama. Every single interaction and knee-jerk response is played out for the maximum emotional effect and beyond, to the point where the scene loses all credibility. Eric just *happens* to see an image in his head of Korendil in bed with Beth (who's an obvious foil the story could've done without); Eric rushes to Beth's and just *happens* to see the two of them embracing after an obvious bout of lovemaking. Eric runs off in a jealous crybaby rage and just *happens* to fall into the arms of his enemy and soon-to-be lover Ria, who weaves some kind of enchantment over him to keep our poor unwitting hero in her bed. Ria later spots him talking to his former comrades and she suddenly goes nutty as an escaped lab monkey, destroying her place while trying to kill Eric for apparently betraying her. I guess she forgot about her own enchantment. The authors were probably hoping the READERS forgot about it too. Oh well. As contrived and over-the-top as it is, at least that unfortunate little incident (and several others) gets Eric back to where the plot needs him. When your characters are that shallow, the bottom line is all that really matters. At least there's one fault to "Bedlam's Bard" that can't be blamed totally on the authors: the typos. Page after page of typos. What's up with these editors nowadays? If you're going to have a book this poorly plotted, you could at LEAST give the reader one less thing to complain about. But then again, if you're going to publish a rotten book, you may as well make it rot to the fullest.
Rating:
Summary: Fanfiction meets bad editing
Review: First, a little background on my experiences with Mercedes Lackey. The first of anything I ever read by her was the "Last Herald Mage" trilogy, which wasn't astounding in terms of skill. But I held the story close to my heart, because it was the first professionally published story I ever read that dealt with romantic male/male relationships, and I'm an avid slasher. Then, looking for some good mainstream fantasy, I read her "Brightly Burning," which had all the depth and plot twists of a can of potted meat. I vowed never to read anything by Lackey again. But then I got wind of "Bedlam's Bard" and its slashy content; the post-traumatic distress of "Brightly Burning" had since worn away, and I had the money in my pocket, and I thought to myself, how bad could it be to at least give the book a try? Hah. Big mistake. I'm not sure if co-authoring with Ellen Guon had anything to do with the crud-factor of "Bedlam's Bard," but the shortcomings here are pretty much the same as those with Lackey's other novels. This book was like fanfiction gone pro: amateurish and untried, the literary equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon (and trust me, all the He-Mans and She-Ra's in Hanna-Barbera's 2-D world have more edge than this book). The characters are off-brand stock. The setting is bland. The heroes and villains are too obviously so, and the line between good and evil is too sharply drawn. The plot staggers along of its own accord like an epileptic chicken, leaving the host of pitiful characters to react like a bunch of brain-fried androids; they should be pushing the plot along themselves like well-rounded characters are supposed to do. Lackey's handling of names drives me batty: every character has some cutesy nickname. For about a fourth of the book we're seeing the name "Korendil", then out of nowhere, with no explanation, drops "Kory". Who?! It took me several pages to realize I hadn't simply skipped over the introduction to some new character or something. (And just how she managed to pull "Ria" out of the name "Arienrhod" simply blows my mind . . .) For those looking for it, there is action in this book. Too much -- the sign of an author trying too hard to keep the reader hanging on. All it results in here is melodrama. Every single interaction and knee-jerk response is played out for the maximum emotional effect and beyond, to the point where the scene loses all credibility. Eric just *happens* to see an image in his head of Korendil in bed with Beth (who's an obvious foil the story could've done without); Eric rushes to Beth's and just *happens* to see the two of them embracing after an obvious bout of lovemaking. Eric runs off in a jealous crybaby rage and just *happens* to fall into the arms of his enemy and soon-to-be lover Ria, who weaves some kind of enchantment over him to keep our poor unwitting hero in her bed. Ria later spots him talking to his former comrades and she suddenly goes nutty as an escaped lab monkey, destroying her place while trying to kill Eric for apparently betraying her. I guess she forgot about her own enchantment. The authors were probably hoping the READERS forgot about it too. Oh well. As contrived and over-the-top as it is, at least that unfortunate little incident (and several others) gets Eric back to where the plot needs him. When your characters are that shallow, the bottom line is all that really matters. At least there's one fault to "Bedlam's Bard" that can't be blamed totally on the authors: the typos. Page after page of typos. What's up with these editors nowadays? If you're going to have a book this poorly plotted, you could at LEAST give the reader one less thing to complain about. But then again, if you're going to publish a rotten book, you may as well make it rot to the fullest.
Rating:
Summary: The worlds of human and Faerie collide once again briliantly
Review: For anyone new to elven or Ren. literature this book will both captivate and titilate the senses of the unwary reader. While the first section "Summoned to Tourney" thrilled me, the second "Knight of Ghosts and Shadows" did not due the book justice....but then again things did change for Eric Banyon between the two sections. The characters in Bedlam's Bard made the difference between Hero/Heroine and Villian/Villianess starkly clear...Kory and Eric seemed like my dreams come true and i fell in love at once. I pitied the elven prince and hated Perenor as well i should have. I would definately read this book again and again.
Rating:
Summary: A treasure of urban fantasy
Review: I bought this book at first because of the author, being a big fan of Misty's. After reading it once I was hooked. Since then I've read my copy of this 2 in 1 novel until some of the pages are literally falling out. In the theme of the SERRAted Edge books (bits of which are mentioned in Bedlam's Bard itself), she mixes magic and the hardcore reality of being a street busker with an elegence and sense of fun that has captivated me and everyone I've introduced the book to. A must read!
Rating:
Summary: A treasure of urban fantasy
Review: I bought this book at first because of the author, being a big fan of Misty's. After reading it once I was hooked. Since then I've read my copy of this 2 in 1 novel until some of the pages are literally falling out. In the theme of the SERRAted Edge books (bits of which are mentioned in Bedlam's Bard itself), she mixes magic and the hardcore reality of being a street busker with an elegence and sense of fun that has captivated me and everyone I've introduced the book to. A must read!
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