Mad Maudlin [Hardcover]

Mercedes Lackey (Author), Rosemary Edghill (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lackey, Mercedes | Publication Date: August 1, 2003

Praise for the Bedlam's Bard Series: "[Spirits White as Lightning is] fast, furious, and completely absorbing . . . make no mistake, this is a good series."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Lackey and Edghill's latest rollicking Bedlam's Bard fantasy (after 2001's Spirits White as Lightning), Eric Banyon finds some new surprises have popped up in his muddled existence as a human artist, magical Bard and former Juilliard student. They include a brother he never knew existed, a fairytale monster come to life and some really evil dudes that he doesn't even know he's crossed. Jachiel ap Gabrevys (aka Jaycie), an elfin princeling, has gone missing from Underhill, and his Protector is desperately trying to find him. Normally, his Protector would have no trouble locating the runaway, but Jaycie has hidden himself in the iron-bound city of New York and has become addicted to caffeine-which has a drug-like effect on elves. Coincidentally, Jaycie has befriended two mortal youths, Ace, who has musical talent, and Magnus Banyon, the newly discovered brother of Eric. All three runaways, plus Eric and pals (who include Greystone the gargoyle), become entangled in a mess the size of New York City itself. Except for a few annoying references to the Buffyverse, the story romps quickly from beginning to end.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The sixth tale of Eric the Bard, last seen in Spirits White as Lightning (2001), can be enjoyed independently, though some knowledge of the series enhances its pleasures. New York, post-9/11, is the setting as bard Eric Banyon discovers that he has a 17-year-old brother, who, like Eric, has run away from their pressure-cooker parents and is now homeless in Manhattan. Eric's apprentice, Hosea, is trying to find out whether the stories of a ghost that he has heard from homeless children mean that some sort of nonhuman is roaming the city. Meanwhile, a young elven prince has fled his own realm and is also homeless in Manhattan. The homeless characters and a nasty villain or two prove enough to keep Eric, Hosea, and female series regular Ria as busy as ever. Much of the action takes place among homeless youth, and those sequences are vivid and disturbing, though not enough to prevent an upbeat ending or to tie up the loose ends that guarantee another book. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743471431
• ISBN-13: 978-0743471435
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,509,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars WHERE IS THE CONCLUSION, September 14, 2003

By 

mike witt (danville, il United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mad Maudlin (Hardcover)

This had better be a continuing story. The author trys to weave too many story lines into one narrative and leaves them all hanging. The story itself is enjoyable but not up to previous efforts. In the end the various stories never did come togeather into a cohesive package. I hope the next book Music to my Sorrow brings it all togeather. However, not to be too negative it was an good read and kept my interest. So read and enjoy and wait for the next book.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Misty's Best., September 17, 2003

By 

rebelliousrose (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mad Maudlin (Hardcover)

While opening and proceeding smoothly, this book doesn't so much end as thud to a halt, with an epilogue that ties things up about as well as trying to contain twelve kittens with a strand of fettucine.

Some of the recurring characters have lost any of the heart that made them interesting, while others have glaring errors on their past histories, and the character of Beth Kentraine has become so unspeakably annoying that one wishes she had quietly vanished Underhill, never to be heard from again.

One of the problems I find with this series is that I strongly suspect Edghill is doing the bulk of the writing; I've read her work, and disliked it, and I find this series to be really lacking in the little stylistic touches that make Lackey's style stand out.

Also, the themes of the stories are faintly unpleasant; sort of akin to the SERRAted Edge books, which explored child abuse. These are not books that a reader is likely to return to, unlike the Valdemar and Elemental Mage series.

Still, not a bad work- just not one of Misty and her collaborators' best.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars STATUS QUO FOR THIS SERIES, October 21, 2003

By 

Phillip B. Spotts "cintibookworm" (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mad Maudlin (Hardcover)

MAD MAUDLIN is Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill?s latest installment in the Bard series. As such it adequately represents the series for what it is; a thoroughly average fantasy story. Although well written, the least one would expect from these two veterans, the story itself suffers from a serious case of the blahs.

What makes for an exciting, above average story? How about new and imaginative situations and plot line? Maybe character development and growth. Unfortunately we get neither in this particular volume.

Plot: lets see, Overhill, the human world, it threatened by death, destruction and domination by forces of evil including an evil elf lord, evil human magician and of course shadow forces within our own government. Eric, with considerable help from Ria, and the Guardians defeat them. Sound familiar? Probably does, if you change the names and a few of the faces it?s the same plot from BEYOND WORLDS END and SPRITS WHITE AS LIGHTNING. Or to quote Eric?s brother Magnus ?Things always this much fun around here?? The reply being ?Usually it?s quite for, oh, months at a time.? I?m not saying it?s boring but it does get a bit repetitive after awhile.

How about character development? I don?t see much here. Eric is basically the same as he was in BEYOND WORLD?S END. A couple of new characters are added, or fleshed out from earlier story lines, but the core characters exhibit very little change or growth. Ria, the workaholic half elf, is shown to be very much in love with Eric, although for her denial is not just a river in Egypt, however his feelings still seem to be at best ambivalent. Must be nice to have a beautiful, filthy rich girlfriend that you can use for casual sex and treat as furniture or an ATM, maybe there is something to this Bard business after all.

Anyway there really isn?t much new here. Just an average pleasant story good for passing a few hours. I would RECOMMEND it but probably only the die-hard fans will find it of more than passing interest.