The Robin and the Kestrel: Bardic Voices II (Hardcover)

~ Lackey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the sequel to The Lark and the Wren, Robin, the beautiful gypsy bard, and Kestrel, the fugitive heir to an unwanted throne, join forces with the Ghost of Skull Hill to foil a plot to ban all music from the land. 35,000 first printing. $15,000 ad/promo.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 373 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671721836
• ISBN-13: 978-0671721831
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,115,542 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars eh, I wanted to be the first . . ., March 18, 1999

By A Customer

No, I don't think that this is a _bad_ book. I was quite interested throughout, and was satisfied with the ending. It just wasn't a great book. The villians (in this case, priests and other clergymen) are all treated as prop charactors, as if Lackey meant to go back and edit in some personalities once she finished sketching out the plot. All of the "bad" guys were steriotypical villians with no clear motive and no originality. But the book was entertaining, I'll give it that much.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Improvement, but still slightly superficial., November 3, 2001

By	"miscopia" (London, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Robin & the Kestrel (Bardic Voices, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Lark and the Wren left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. It was a *good* book, but truely lacked in several elements. It's sequel, the Robin and the Kestrel seems to have picked up some of the pieces to produce an interesting novel.

The main characters are developed nicely, and for the first time, I didn't find myself groaning at the idiocy of either of the leads. The 'enemies' though, made me wince a little because of their resemblance to cardboard cutouts. While we do hear a little about the antagonists past, it's hardly enough to satisfy a curious reader.

A small annoyance for me, was also the 'fade to black' scenes. It's wonderful that the leads have such an intimate relationship, but it doesn't need to be mentioned every night if the author won't follow up with a scene.

Finally, this book does seem to bash a modern religion a little, but most shouldn't take offense, because it also provides some sympathetic characters from identical beliefs.

All in all, Mercedes Lackey is a wonderful writer, and while I feel a bit generous about giving this book four stars, her unique style helps ease the decision a little.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A continuing saga of the Free Bards, July 17, 2001

By	Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Robin & the Kestrel (Bardic Voices, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a tale of free bards, gypsies, non-humans, evil priests, and magic. It is book two of the series, and both continues characters from the previous book and introduces new characters that reappear in later books. The series should be read in order. The book begins with Free Bard Kestrel (a.k.a. Jonny Brede) and his wife, the gypsy Robin (a.k.a. Gwyna), traveling from Birnam in a gypsy wagon. The first half of the book takes them through a series of adventures that lead them to Gradford. The second half deals with events in Gradford, including the attempt of an evil priest to take over the city as a dictator (one can recognize the usual historical process of scapegoats, strong-arm police, a charismatic leader, etc.). It describes the strategies used by the general population to survive during such a reign, and has an eventual confrontation between good and evil. Overall, it is an entertaining book that holds your interest.