Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword [Paperback]

Tee Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 2007

"Chicago, 1929. There are a thousand stories in the naked city; and when you're a dwarf at four-foot-one, they all look that much taller." It is The Era of Prohibition, where crime runs rampant in the streets and a city divided into territories serves as the ultimate prize. Somewhere in this Underworld of Chicago, an enchanted weapon holds the key to ending The Gangland Wars. In the wake of The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, only one is man enough to stand up against Al Capone... ...a four-foot-one dwarf named Billibub Baddings. "Billi," as his friends come to know him, is a working stiff dwarf in the all too-human sized world of Chicago. Seems that a brood of orcs and a renegade warlock had opened a Portal of Oblivion in his homeworld and was planning to submerge his nine lands of Acryonis into an Age of Darkness. Billi had managed to throw a monkey wrench into those plans...but not before getting himself caught in the pull of that portal. When he came to, he found himself in the heart of The Windy City during The Roaring Twenties. After dealing with trolls, goblins, and rock dragons, Al Capone and Bugs Moran are about as intimidating as choir boys. Billi sets himself up as a tough-talking, waist-high, straight-dealing detective, and business was looking bleak, until a dark-eyed beauty crossed his threshold with the case that involved the mob, the upper-crust of Chicago society, and Billi's past. Get ready for The Lord of the Rings written by Mickey Spillane! Poking fun at the hard-boiled detective novel, Fantasy mainstays, and even the legend of Chicago's 1920 underworld!

Editorial Reviews

Review

I haven’t enjoyed a cross-genre detective story this much since Who Framed Roger Rabbit? -- Michael Pederson, Nth Degree

Tee thoroughly lampoons both the fantasy and hard-boiled detective genres while still paying close attention to good storytelling. -- Joe Murphy of The Dragon Page Radio Talk Show

The story is a true page-turner. -- The Fractured Publisher

About the Author

Tee Morris has been working as a freelance graphic artist, web designer and video editor with his own business, Imagine That! Studios, since 1993. He has been working with Adobe Premiere since version 4.2.

Product Details

• Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: Dragon Moon Press (August 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896944183
• ISBN-13: 978-1896944180
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,465,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tee Morris began his writing career with his 2002 historical epic fantasy, MOREVI The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana. Tee then appeared in Dragon Moon Press' 2003 release, The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy. 2004 saw the releases of The Case of The Singing Sword: A Billibub Baddings Mystery and The Fantasy Writer's Companion. It was in 2005 when his idea -- podcasting a novel -- established him as a pioneer in the Social Media movement, becoming the first author to podcast a book in its entirety. That experience led to the founding of Podiobooks.com (with Evo Terra and Chris Miller), the premier site for podcast literature.

Tee took his collaboration with Evo Terra to print in Podcasting for Dummies (featuring Chuck Tomasi in the Second Edition) and its follow-up, Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies (also with Ryan Williams). Along with those titles, Tee has penned and collaborated on Legacy of MOREVI: Book One of the Arathellean Wars, BenBella Books's Farscape Forever: Sex, Drugs, and Killer Muppets, the podcast anthology VOICES: New Media Fiction (edited by Mur Lafferty), and in BenBella Books' So Say We All: Collected Thoughts and Opinions of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

Tee continues to explore podcasting with Bird House Rules, the companion podcast for All a Twitter and Sams Teach Yourself Twitter in Ten Minutes. His other podcasts and blogposts can be found across the Internat and at imaginethatstudios.com and teemorris.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rollicking ragtime romp which doesn't come up short..., December 6, 2004

By 

Jonathan Jett-Parmer (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword (Paperback)

Tee Morris' second published venture is a blistering read. The premise of a transported warrior dwarf from a Tolkienesque realm into Chicago of the roaring twenties is well executed and entertaining. The hero, titlesake Billibub Baddings, makes his way into the heart of Chicago's seamy underside encountering a wide range of noble immigrants, brutal mobsters and dazzling women. Tee supports his tale with regular intersections from Billibub's fantastical home. What starts out as a Sam Spade mystery converts into a fantasy / horror / world threatening quest, with just a hint of X-files thrown in to boot!

Morris has done his homework. The feel of the city really comes across strongly and the language is authentic and not overdone. Some of Billibub's comments (written from the first person) may seem like throwaway lines, but they serve to flesh out his persona. Mystery, Fantasy and humor fans (ala Robert Asprin) will all enjoy this book.

Morris' second work is a pleasant departure from his debut work, Morevi. He is demonstrating a nice maturity as a contemporary author of fantasy. Take a chance and pick up this title, you won't be disappointed!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read indeed, July 22, 2005

By 

jamie b (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword (Paperback)

I picked up a copy of this tale at a booksigning at my local fantasy bookstore. I asked Mr. Morris to recommend which of his products I should start with and this one fit my tastes a bit better.

The story itself is a lot of fun. You can feel the atmosphere of the 1930's Chicago that our protagonist is living in. The decriptions are wonderful, right down to the heat of Billibub's favorite bowl of chili.

The "mystery" and the identity of whodunnit is so predictable that I am giving the author the benefit of the doubt and state that he did a great job capturing the spirit of the gumshoe detective novels of days gone by.

My biggest complaint would have to be in the flashback scenes and the inappropriate use of too much "Stranger in a Strange Land" made up words. There were multiple times that I was enjoying the story when we would go back to Billibub's homeland for no other reason than to reminice. This jarred my enjoyment more than once. Also, and Mr. Morris is far from the only author guilty of this, a person who has learned a language down to the colloquisms of the region is probably not going to drop back into either:

a. Words or phrases those around him do not understand (except in extreme duress)

or

b. Made up words to identify "magic" items in our society. If I never hear the term "boom dagger" again, I will be a much happier individual.

Overall, I found it a good story and would recommend it without reservation. I hope that the next adventure is as much fun, with just a bit less of what I thought detracted.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed dwarf, April 3, 2005

By 

Carrie S Priestley (Harrisonburg, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword (Paperback)

I had my reservations about this book at first, but when I heard Tee Morris do a reading of the first chapter at a sci-fi convention, I was hooked. Billibub is quite a unique character, which only adds to what I call the "spiciness" of the story--it moves at a bristling pace and does suprise one at times. I can't wait to see whose business Billibub will get into next. Tee Morris has also got his timelines and culture right--three cheers! All I can say is...read..and enjoy!