Customer Reviews

CAST OF CORBIES (BARDIC CHOICES)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the third book in a series about the Free Bards. It takes place after book two, "The Robin & the Kestrel." It is desirable to read the earlier books first in order to understand the setting. Contrary to the advice of an earlier reviewer, you should not skip this book as it sets the stage for the following book. The king has outlawed street busking, causing the Free Bards and other street musicians to become creative in finding places to perform. By chance, Duke Arden of Kingsford is forming his own theatre company which presents an opportunity for Raven, Magpie, and their friends. However, an unknown enemy is trying to use sorcery to destroy the theatrical production. Various heroes and villains emerge as the story progresses. Lady Ardis, Justiciary Mage from book one ("The Lark and the Wren"), is reintroduced (she also appears later in "Four and Twenty Blackbirds"). The story reaches a blazing climax as various people are brought together by tragedy.

This book wasn't actively BAD, which is why I didn't give it one star, but it wasn't that great either. Most of Lackey's other stuff is much better. (Haven't read much Sherman, so I can't judge whether this is low-quality for her or not.) If you want to read about the world and conflicts of Alanda, I'd recommend skipping this book and reading the first 3 books of the Bardic Voices trilogy (skip Four And Twenty Blackbirds, it's a very flat last book.) If you really want good Mercedes Lackey, read the Valdemar series, especially the Last Herald-Mage trilogy. A Cast Of Corbies does have some good parts, and it's nice to know what happens to Raven, who was a minor character in the Bardic Voices books. Unfortunately, though, it seemed like the authors weren't really trying with this one; the villains don't have a real motivation, and the good guys seem to mostly stumble around, except for Raven and occasionally Magpie. It's interesting to watch the dynamics between them, but the end is kind of predictable, and most of the book just seems really flat. Not what I'd expected from this series and this author. I'd skip it unless you want a nice, quick, somewhat shallow YA read.

Wow, this book is horrible.

Lackey is never a particularly challenging read, but at least I can usually finish the book. It's hard to even get through "A Cast of Corbies", because the constant eye-rolling the writing prompts is giving me a headache. The characters are hideous little stereotypes, the Regina character is too Mary Sue to be true, and the plot... ouch. The potentially-interesting political intrigue angle is abandoned for huge stretches of time, and everyone gets dragged out of the Gypsy lifestyle into ACK-TING!

Basically, if you have some burning desire to be brought inside the exciting world of community theater, this book will give you a very thorough tour. If that doesn't float your boat, then you'll probably want to chuck this across the room by the time two characters are dimly discussing "how to paint a fake shrub".

Don't waste your time with this series.

I did not expect to like this book, and though I wasn't as drawn to it as I was the Valdemar books, I was soon trapped in a world of Bardic Choices. A great book full of magick, and the knowledge of what is allowed to happen when any one force tries to be in complete control.

To date all the books I have ordered have been mailed to me in good time and the quality of them were more than stated.