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Bardic Voices #2.5
A Cast of Corbies
Closely related to the Bardic Voices series this book falls between The Robin & the Kestrel and The Eagle & the Nightingales.
The power of choice...
A strange pall has settled over Alanda. Everywhere representatives of the Church seek to ferret out unauthorized magic – and music, because it is magic at its roots, has come under suspicion. And that which is suspect, if it cannot be crushed altogether, must be stripped of its mystery, made tame and answerable to the power of the priests. Throughout the lands the Free Bards, those who will not or cannot join the priest-condoned Guild, are being driven away. But all who are Free are free to choose: To flee or to fight.
The power of choice...
A strange pall has settled over Alanda. Everywhere representatives of the Church seek to ferret out unauthorized magic – and music, because it is magic at its roots, has come under suspicion. And that which is suspect, if it cannot be crushed altogether, must be stripped of its mystery, made tame and answerable to the power of the priests. Throughout the lands the Free Bards, those who will not or cannot join the priest-condoned Guild, are being driven away. But all who are Free are free to choose: To flee or to fight.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1994
1 person is currently reading
1063 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
432 books9,556 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 9, 2017
A reasonable start to a series, but a very poor start to this book. I was ready to throw it at the wall when poor Rune bemoaned her life in a country inn for the first 10% or more. Once she finally got out of there, the story looked up.
If only the rest of the series had more Bards…
November 1, 2009
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.
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.
August 18, 2011
I liked it, but got confused because I read it after reading "The Eagle and the Nightingale" and "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" (both in the Bardic Voices series, books 3 and 4 respectively according to the covers), and only found out when I started reading this book that it describes events that happened before those two books. I would have preferred to read them in the order of actual events, rather than by overall series...
December 4, 2010
The fighting was cute in the beginning, and annoying later on. The various romances were cute, as was the look at Raven's past. Wish there was more in this series, which is an offshoot of another.
August 8, 2017
A Cast of Corbies is an extra novel in Lackey's Bardic Voices series. I fell in love with the possibilities of a universe where magic and music are intertwined and rooted for the heroes and heroines of the first few novels. By the time I reached this one, years later, I found some of the characters stretched thin.
In this novel, Lackey still includes key elements of the first novel: magic, a vibrant Gypsy community, and a fight within the church to control or eliminate those who refuse to conform. Music, indeed much of the magic as well, succumbs to The Theater in this book. To be fair, these characters are not the leaders of the Free Bard world, but even in their own story, they take more of a back seat to the conflict, seeking advice from higher-ups and relying on them for the brunt of the magical work. Instead, the protagonists are more observers and reporters of crucial information but little responsibility overall.
The plot in finding a theater, preparing a play, and finally putting it on drew out longer than I cared for. Even the love story(s) and Shakespearean allusions couldn't quite pull me back in. I do wonder whether I would have enjoyed it more when I first found the series, but don't plan on reading this one again.
In this novel, Lackey still includes key elements of the first novel: magic, a vibrant Gypsy community, and a fight within the church to control or eliminate those who refuse to conform. Music, indeed much of the magic as well, succumbs to The Theater in this book. To be fair, these characters are not the leaders of the Free Bard world, but even in their own story, they take more of a back seat to the conflict, seeking advice from higher-ups and relying on them for the brunt of the magical work. Instead, the protagonists are more observers and reporters of crucial information but little responsibility overall.
The plot in finding a theater, preparing a play, and finally putting it on drew out longer than I cared for. Even the love story(s) and Shakespearean allusions couldn't quite pull me back in. I do wonder whether I would have enjoyed it more when I first found the series, but don't plan on reading this one again.
March 3, 2021
At last!
I've found out the who, why, and where, of the Kingsford Faire Fire at last!
I do so wish that my books had been in order, so that I could have read this before books 3 & 4!
Ah well, at least I'll know, next time 😁
I've soooo enjoyed this Bardic series, but am looking forwards to reading all the rest of Misty's books - well, those that I've been able to source, so far, anyway.
I've just looked on my bookshelves, only to find that the next book will also a Bardic one - a Bardic Tale, called Castle of Deception!
Yay! I've still one more to read 😁
I've found out the who, why, and where, of the Kingsford Faire Fire at last!
I do so wish that my books had been in order, so that I could have read this before books 3 & 4!
Ah well, at least I'll know, next time 😁
I've soooo enjoyed this Bardic series, but am looking forwards to reading all the rest of Misty's books - well, those that I've been able to source, so far, anyway.
I've just looked on my bookshelves, only to find that the next book will also a Bardic one - a Bardic Tale, called Castle of Deception!
Yay! I've still one more to read 😁
September 4, 2018
I really liked finding another book in the Bardic Voices series. But this one just didn't have the Lackey voice. Her books usually grab me right from the start and I don't want to put them down. This one just seemed slow, somehow. It was great to get the story of the Kingsford fire mentioned in the other books, as well as meeting Raven and Magpie, the Duke and Regina. It would be interesting to know how much of it was written by Lackey and how much by Josepha Sherman (listed as co-author.)
September 21, 2019
This was a fun read although I wish I’d read it earlier. Other books referred to the fire and results and I had no idea what they were talking about.
The main romance was okay although I much preferred the ducal romance. Again, that romance clarified scenes in other books.
I think I have one more book in this series to read.
The main romance was okay although I much preferred the ducal romance. Again, that romance clarified scenes in other books.
I think I have one more book in this series to read.
July 25, 2017
In this Bardic Choices novel a group of musicians team up with a theater company to put on a play. A series of "accidents" lend that little bit of mystery and intrigue.
A touch of magic, commoner and noble love story, evil group in the church, light, fun reading.
A touch of magic, commoner and noble love story, evil group in the church, light, fun reading.
July 6, 2019
Do much better then i was led to believe.
November 17, 2019
A spin off of the Valdamer series.
February 18, 2020
I really enjoyed this book! I’m sad they are no longer writing in the series. I would definitely recommend it. It’s a nice read. Grab your hot beverage of choice and settle in.
February 14, 2022
Particularly good storyline!
Read
November 19, 2024Didn't mean to add this book, but there's no way to remove it from any list. Marked it as discarded.
March 5, 2012
I really liked this book when I was a teenager, but have read it in many years. Um, it's story is still interesting and I enjoyed the various machinations, but this story is really missing something in the character development area. I don't remember noticing that years ago, but it was very apparent when I was rereading it today I'l give it 4 stars for how much I enjoyed it back in high school.
One problem is that the authors never give us any insight into the characters. We don't really get to see what makes them tick. The authors also do an info dump. When a secondary character Regina befriends the heroine, Magpie, it's ridiculously easy. As another reviewer states, Regina is a too-perfect Mary Sue-ish character. Magpie and the hero, Raven, argue a lot and this is blamed on Magpie being liking him and being jealous of the attention he gives other girls. At one point, I guess the authors feel we need more insight into Magpie so they have Regina explain Magpie's history to Raven. What gets me is that if the characters were more real, Magpie would be REALLY unhappy with Regina for violating her confidences. If she wanted Raven to know her history, then she would have told him.
There's also the problem with the paper-thin romance between Raven and Magpie. While I can believe that Magpie is attracted to Raven, I can't believe that Raven feels anything more for her than the attraction he seems to feel for any woman. They argue at the beginning and she's snippy with him after he doesn't show any attention to her and he likes how she looks when she gets dressed up at one point. Then he later confronts her about her snippiness and they argue and he tells her she doesn't need to be jealous of the beautiful Regina and kisses her. The only other interlude the duo share is when Magpie has a nightmare and he comes into her room to comfort her. It ends with her offering to let him 'stay' and him leaving. There really doesn't seem to be much of an attraction or even affection between the two. They aren't even friends for most of the book.
SPOILER ALERT
At the end of the book, there is a huge fire and the Bards work to help people survive it and when the fire is over, Regina is re-baptized as a new person who is noble and can thus marry her ducal lover. This is really hard to believe, that simply baptizing someone with a new name, can make them a different person who is then noble enough to marry the Duke. Regina spends the rest of the book as his street-born mistress who loves him, but cannot marry him since she isn't noble. The thing is that her being his mistress isn't exactly a secret, how is marrying her under a different name going to render it more acceptable?
The other eye-rolling romance moment at the end of the book is between the hero and heroine, Raven and Magpie. He actually tells her he loves her and proposes. Seriously. Based on their interactions up to this point, the chance of him loving her is practically nil. He just never seems that 'into' her and since the book ends on this proposal scene, its hard to like this book.
One problem is that the authors never give us any insight into the characters. We don't really get to see what makes them tick. The authors also do an info dump. When a secondary character Regina befriends the heroine, Magpie, it's ridiculously easy. As another reviewer states, Regina is a too-perfect Mary Sue-ish character. Magpie and the hero, Raven, argue a lot and this is blamed on Magpie being liking him and being jealous of the attention he gives other girls. At one point, I guess the authors feel we need more insight into Magpie so they have Regina explain Magpie's history to Raven. What gets me is that if the characters were more real, Magpie would be REALLY unhappy with Regina for violating her confidences. If she wanted Raven to know her history, then she would have told him.
There's also the problem with the paper-thin romance between Raven and Magpie. While I can believe that Magpie is attracted to Raven, I can't believe that Raven feels anything more for her than the attraction he seems to feel for any woman. They argue at the beginning and she's snippy with him after he doesn't show any attention to her and he likes how she looks when she gets dressed up at one point. Then he later confronts her about her snippiness and they argue and he tells her she doesn't need to be jealous of the beautiful Regina and kisses her. The only other interlude the duo share is when Magpie has a nightmare and he comes into her room to comfort her. It ends with her offering to let him 'stay' and him leaving. There really doesn't seem to be much of an attraction or even affection between the two. They aren't even friends for most of the book.
SPOILER ALERT
At the end of the book, there is a huge fire and the Bards work to help people survive it and when the fire is over, Regina is re-baptized as a new person who is noble and can thus marry her ducal lover. This is really hard to believe, that simply baptizing someone with a new name, can make them a different person who is then noble enough to marry the Duke. Regina spends the rest of the book as his street-born mistress who loves him, but cannot marry him since she isn't noble. The thing is that her being his mistress isn't exactly a secret, how is marrying her under a different name going to render it more acceptable?
The other eye-rolling romance moment at the end of the book is between the hero and heroine, Raven and Magpie. He actually tells her he loves her and proposes. Seriously. Based on their interactions up to this point, the chance of him loving her is practically nil. He just never seems that 'into' her and since the book ends on this proposal scene, its hard to like this book.
February 2, 2015
This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.
Raven has been made unofficial leader of the Free Bards. Little does he know that things aren't going to be the same at the faire - and that they might need to work harder than ever to make their livings.
Raven's a neat guy character. He's got that element of being rakeish that appeals to me, yet he's really an understanding bloke at heart. Magpie on the other hand, I don't feel much sympathy for her insecurities and wish she'd just get over it!
To some extent, this novel is not very interesting. There's no real antagonistic figure other than the Church and the Guild, and that's been the case in all the other novels of this series. The beginnings of the love interest between Raven and Magpie is ok, as is Jaysen and Linnet's, but again, it's nothing remarkable.
There's some really neat one liners and coincidences that make the novel for me. Plus, I really like the play, and the way the music would have fit in with it. I only wish I could have seen a performance of it.
I managed to knock this novel over in around 3 hours, which I think is typical for me, even though I have read it before. It wasn't a waste of 3 hours, and it made a nice change from the other Valdemar novels I have been reading recently.
Raven has been made unofficial leader of the Free Bards. Little does he know that things aren't going to be the same at the faire - and that they might need to work harder than ever to make their livings.
Raven's a neat guy character. He's got that element of being rakeish that appeals to me, yet he's really an understanding bloke at heart. Magpie on the other hand, I don't feel much sympathy for her insecurities and wish she'd just get over it!
To some extent, this novel is not very interesting. There's no real antagonistic figure other than the Church and the Guild, and that's been the case in all the other novels of this series. The beginnings of the love interest between Raven and Magpie is ok, as is Jaysen and Linnet's, but again, it's nothing remarkable.
There's some really neat one liners and coincidences that make the novel for me. Plus, I really like the play, and the way the music would have fit in with it. I only wish I could have seen a performance of it.
I managed to knock this novel over in around 3 hours, which I think is typical for me, even though I have read it before. It wasn't a waste of 3 hours, and it made a nice change from the other Valdemar novels I have been reading recently.
December 12, 2013
I have to say that is ugly and offensive cover art by Darrell K. Sweet! Who did the cover art for The Wheel of Time. He was also the illustrator for the well-known Xanth series by Piers Anthony, the Saga of Recluce series by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. and the Runelords series by David Farland as well as the original cover artist for Stephen R. Donaldson's series The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever.
The couple, who I can only assume to be Raven and Magpie are struggling through a fire to reach the other side of a river - something like that scene did happen, but Magpie was well aware and moving with Raven; she did not have a vacant doll like expression while being carried bridal style over the threshold of a river.
No, she didn't - but that sums up my interest of this book throughout reading and finishing it. So why finish reading it? Notes for how not to write a book.
The setting is prior to electricity, yet somehow there is decidedly modern slang unexpectedly thrown in - along with what could be modern inventions; which shows just how much the writers didn't care to make a story happen. Which is a great irony considering how hard the book actors and musicians are trying pull off this theater play, despite what "the Church" might wish otherwise. The Church might be better explained to be the writers.
The couple, who I can only assume to be Raven and Magpie are struggling through a fire to reach the other side of a river - something like that scene did happen, but Magpie was well aware and moving with Raven; she did not have a vacant doll like expression while being carried bridal style over the threshold of a river.
No, she didn't - but that sums up my interest of this book throughout reading and finishing it. So why finish reading it? Notes for how not to write a book.
The setting is prior to electricity, yet somehow there is decidedly modern slang unexpectedly thrown in - along with what could be modern inventions; which shows just how much the writers didn't care to make a story happen. Which is a great irony considering how hard the book actors and musicians are trying pull off this theater play, despite what "the Church" might wish otherwise. The Church might be better explained to be the writers.
May 21, 2023
Another story of the Bardic Voices from renowned author Mercedes Lackey brings us back to the woes of the Free Bards as they are vehemently opposed by the Bardic Guild, an institution run by men for me, as long as those men fit a certain profile.
In this story, the Free Bards as a whole are under attack, and with them all other type of artists not affialiated with a guild.
The story was a love story, but with good action and strong back story.
There were only a couple of areas I had issues with aside from the inefficient editing which left sentences swinging without connecting words or missing an action adverb.
In this story, the Free Bards as a whole are under attack, and with them all other type of artists not affialiated with a guild.
The story was a love story, but with good action and strong back story.
There were only a couple of areas I had issues with aside from the inefficient editing which left sentences swinging without connecting words or missing an action adverb.
January 18, 2013
I'm comparing this to Lackey's more recent work, "Home from the Sea." Now, I gave that more recent novel 5 stars, even though from a writing standpoint, it was not as good as this. But the problem with "A Cast of Corbies" is that even though it has some decent sense of suspense and mystery (unlike Lackey's more recent works), in that there are actual *problems* and *villains* apparent throughout the novel, there also isn't that much to like. Very few characters in "A Cast of Corbies" had supernatural abilities whatsoever, and even for those who did, their limits were not clearly defined.
Overall I love Lackey, but oftentimes her works seem unfinished. Whereas her more recent novels can be formulaic and lack a sense of suspense, older novels such "A Cast of Corbies" lack a clearly defined magic system and are overly concerned with somewhat juvenile arguments about individual choice.
Overall I love Lackey, but oftentimes her works seem unfinished. Whereas her more recent novels can be formulaic and lack a sense of suspense, older novels such "A Cast of Corbies" lack a clearly defined magic system and are overly concerned with somewhat juvenile arguments about individual choice.
October 10, 2013
I'd read this one before, years ago (sixth grade? Seventh?), but had completely forgotten everything but the ending, so I went back for a reread.
I love the Free Bards, but this one fell a bit short of the mark. The plot wasn't bad, and I appreciate that for once, the day was not saved by deus ex machina in the form of Elves, magic horses, or Mary Sues, but the dialogue didn't feel realistic, and the characters were not consistent in their reactions or motivations. Overall, not one of Lackey's best, but not one of her worst, either. I think if her editors had paid attention to the flaws in this one, we might have avoided a travesty like the Collegium Chronicles.
I love the Free Bards, but this one fell a bit short of the mark. The plot wasn't bad, and I appreciate that for once, the day was not saved by deus ex machina in the form of Elves, magic horses, or Mary Sues, but the dialogue didn't feel realistic, and the characters were not consistent in their reactions or motivations. Overall, not one of Lackey's best, but not one of her worst, either. I think if her editors had paid attention to the flaws in this one, we might have avoided a travesty like the Collegium Chronicles.
January 21, 2013
I completely adored this addition to the Bardic books, it made me smile, laugh and I could hardly put it down. Having read the other four Bardic books it was a delight to me to know where on the timeline of the events of the others that this one was located. It's not part of the Bardic Voices Series but it certainly is an excellent addition to the feel of the others, I love the Bardic books it's one of my favorites of her series. Every bit as good as the Valdemar books and A Cast of Corbies, has made it to my favorite books.
dnf
June 6, 2015DNF After getting halfway through, I couldn't justify wasting any more time on this book. Which is a shame because I generally like Mercedes Lackey. The writing is decent enough, it's just that... the plot is incredibly boring and predictable. The characters are single-faceted and have no development and the supposed romance between Raven and Magpie is, as another review said, paper thin. It's love at first sight, except they're nothing alike and all they do is fight. I don't see the attraction whatsoever.
Let's not even talk about the atrocious cover art.
Let's not even talk about the atrocious cover art.
June 15, 2020
The Free Bards are finding they are being restricted in where they can perform. Initially they don't see it as a big problem but on arriving at the Kingsford Midsummer Faire they find that it is a worse situation than they believed. And someone is also trying to discredit or kill the Duke of Kingsford. Can they survive what follows the Faire?
October 16, 2007
Quite enjoyable. Some free bards attach themselves to Duke Arden's theatre as musicians. Preparing for an upcoming play is central to the story, but is woven in with plotting and intrigue from the Church and nobles. Borrowed heavily from Shakespeare.
January 8, 2011
Magic through music. I think Ms. Lackey is influenced quite a bit by music as it somehow plays through many of her books. This was one of the first books I've read by Ms. Lackey. It definitely hooked me into her books.
December 3, 2017
Good read. I did find the side romance of the duke and his lady to be a lot more compelling than the two main characters, who were a bit annoying (female protagonist was especially acting like such a petty bitch at some points).
November 18, 2007
read 10.26.05
November 18, 2007
reread before getting rid of this book.
May 15, 2008
I love this book. Romance, sarcasm, tragedy, triumph, it's excellent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews