The Lark and the Wren (Bardic Voices, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mercedes Lackey (Adapter), Darrell K. Sweet (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Bardic Voices | Publication Date: December 1, 1991

If Rune could get the proper training, she could become one of the finest bards her world has ever seen. But her advantages are few, so when she decides to play her fiddle for the Ghost of Skull Hill, he agrees to a bargain--an arrangement that could mean silver for her future quest . . . or her death at the hands of the ghost.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- The tale of a daring adventuress whose heart and spirit seek expertise in music, but whose experiences lead to : knowledge of life itself. Born out of wedlock, 14-year-old Rune is condemned to remain the butt of local gossip. She has dreams of joining the Bardic Guild, whose members enjoy high status, wealth, and security. First, though, she must escape from the village and her lowly status, and risk all to become a famous bard. Mages, musicians, elves, gypsies, usurper kings, and townspeople are drawn with color and an even assortment of good and bad. The clergy, however, receive a one-sided treatment, a point that is rather belabored. Although long and rambling, the book will satisfy those who enjoy Lackey's skill at weaving fantasy, intrigue, magic, power, and love into a good tale. They will eagerly await the sequel.
- Judy Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Baen (December 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671720996
• ISBN-13: 978-0671720995
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #931,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Lackey, Mercedes

More About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is the acclaimed author of over fifty novels and many works of short fiction. In her "spare" time she is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. Mercedes lives in Oklahoma with her husband and frequent collaborator, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Far from exceptional, but good., June 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lark and the Wren (Bardic Voices, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Lark and the Wren was the first Mercedes Lackey novel I've read, and while it didn't leave me enthralled, it wasn't bad. Rune is a very real character, and while the story line is very typical, Lackey puts a personal spin on it, her world is cliched, but interesting. I found the relationship between the free bards and the courtly Bard/Minstrels to be the best part of the plot, being a musician of alto sax, piano, viola, and voice, I can appreciate the desire to shun the bards who play for money...not because they love it. The very proof of how the best music is played through the fingertips or voice of some one who loves it, is that the supposed "best bard ever" Talaysen, quit the honorable, sheltered, guild life to start the Free Bards.

Characters besides Rune, Talaysen, and Robin are very two-dimensional, and always do exactly what you expect them to. This is a problem that many fantasy novels fall prey to, so I was not disappointed, just not impressed.

Every plot needs a little romance, people are obsessive about love in all its facets, this is not a bad thing, it just makes for crudeness and tackiness (oh, glorious eloquence :p). Such was the case of the romance of Rune and Talaysen. I have read age gap romances before, an example of a very good one would be in Tamora Pierce's Daine and Numair, (which is for younger readers, but I'm only 14) because they didn't immediately jump into nuptial bliss, one afraid that the other would wake up and find her a little girl, the other afraid she would wake up and find him an old man. Now, L&W tries to do this, it just fails miserably. Why? Because though they do have doubts before their torrid love affair, they suddenly disappear to make the plot more convenient for a very odd subplot with a unacknowledged prince...and well, I understand it's there to build up to the second book, but really. In fact, there were many off-topic plot lines that never did get quite resolved. Of course, many authors have all these ideas in their head about what they want to write, that it's difficult to get them all down in an organized fashion.

However, this was a fun, simple, one-time read.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What happened?, March 30, 2002

By 

"kathryn_riachin" (Melbourne, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lark and the Wren (Bardic Voices, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book started out good, if not great. It was a light, enjoyable read. The endless cliches in the villains, the plot, and the setting didn't detract too much from the reading. Cardboard characters and cliched settings can be ignored. Rune wasn't a bad character, and it was interesting watching her struggle for survival in a city. If it hadn't been for the second half of the book, I would have given it 4 out of 5 stars.

Then, Rune goes in with the Free Bards.

Why did Lackey include this? She could have easily wrapped it up there. It was a struggle to read through the rest -- Lackey kept throwing in new plot points that had -nothing- to do with the first part of the book, or with each other. None of it was connected at all. She could have cut out the last half of the book and made for an enjoyable read -- but, sadly, she didn't. It seemed as if she had to meet a minimum length for her book and, when her original idea wasn't long enough, she threw in more and more, until she had a long enough book. Was there any connection, any point, to the last half of the book? If so, I'm missing something.

Overall, The Lark and the Wren does -not- get a stamp of approval.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Midway between love and hate, February 11, 2003

By 

Katherine McGee "The Kaffers" (Northern VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lark and the Wren (Bardic Voices, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was given this book by a friend who was certain I would love it with my interest in bards in mind.

While the beginning is, as was stated previously, the cliché of the young girl under personal adversity who triumphs above all in her path... it was personally the better half of the book. The character development was handled rather smoothly, and one actually CARED for the main character, at least to any degree.

At the very instant the trials for the bardic guild ended, the book started spiralling slowly downward. The main character lost any flair and PERSONALITY that she may have had previously. -- There were things I felt that were unneccessarily thrown into the mix. Some may like "random flings of passion", but the addition of them out of NOWHERE caused my stomach to turn. It was inappropriate and detracted from the story. The latter half of the book was absolutely rushed, and with the introduction of a slew of new characters, the old was pushed in the background to become static...never to be looked at as even the same character anymore. If she had not held the same name (and even that was tentative, as she was being known as "Lady Lark" not long after that point) I would not have recognized her as the determined young woman that I had known previously.

Otherwise, the book splits off into another direction completely. In having read most of the second book so far, I can tell you that the beginning of the second was most certainly somewhere about 100 pages near the end of the first. I didn't like the transition. It seemed rushed, and random.

I did, however, enjoy the insight into the life of a travelling bard and to the thought that goes into the workings of bardic magic.

-- This is by no means an excellent book; worth a check-out at the library, and even though I am engrossed in the second book, it is due to the author's style and not the book itself.