Bedlam Boyz

Bedlam's Bard #3

by Ellen Guon

The prequel to the genre bestselling urban fantasies Knight of Ghosts and Shadows and Summoned to Tourney. A woman with a miraculous power to heal is sought not only by the L.A. gangs who need her power, but by an ancient abomination and evil elves from another world.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Ebooks, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Paranormal

293 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1992

Reviews

[Wealhtheow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a good book, but no worse than most fantasy out there. A homeless teenager discovers that she has a magical talent for healing. Unfortunately, this makes her a valuable prize to the gangs of her city--and the fae that control them. Unimaginative in every possible way.
Available at Baen's free library here. But really, if you're looking for elves and healing in the big city, just read John M Ford's The Last Hot Time.

[Kate Sherwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

I downloaded a bunch of free books from the Baen library, and I don't think a single one of them was any good, at least for my taste.

This one was--I don't know, maybe it's meant to be a middle-grade book, in which case some of the behaviour might make sense? But for an adult, it was just stupid. The MC is kidnapped by a cartoon-y gang, makes hardly any attempts to escape, falls for one of the gang members for no apparent reason, etc. She's definitely TSTL, but of course she's super-magical so everyone wants her.

I also felt like the book was borderline racist. I don't want to be hypersensitive, because, sure, gangs are divided along race lines, but the gang dialogue was just so cartoon-y, the situations so over-the-top... it felt irresponsible, I guess.

I don't know. I wasn't aware that this was the third in a series, so maybe I would have liked it more if I'd read the other two? As it was, I struggled to finish.

[Kris Sellgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this fantasy novel about magic and elves in LA. Teen runaway Kayla and her friends are shoplifting in a convenience store when a nutcase with an Uzi walks in, kills two people, and fatally wounds her best friend. Kayla's desperation to save her friend makes her previously unknown magical healing powers spring forth. Then things get really wild as she finds herself at the center of a battle between two rival gangs and a set of elves, all of whom want to control her healing powers for their own use. The grim urban setting, with street kids, drug dealers, and gangbangers, lifts this magical coming of age story above the commonplace. The characters are well-drawn. There are moments of sweetness in between gun battles, particularly in Kayla's relationships with Ramon, a gang member, and Elizabet, a social worker. I loved this novel.

[Karen Cohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of the other books in this series, and found this one on my father's bookcase. It fills in the story of how Kayla discovered her powers and became Elizabet's students, using events referred to in other books to fill in details that were too lengthy for inclusion in other stories, while still leaving questions to be answered in other books. This book can easily stand alone, but also fits well with the rest of the series. I enjoyed to so much that I started it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as part of my Mercedes Lackey series of books, as it's a prequel to Knight of Ghosts and Shadows & Summoned to Tourney. I have these together in the book, Bedlam's Bard, so figured I might as well get Bedlam's Boyz, too.

I couldn't put the book down - though that was through a mix of horrified fascination, and actually wanting to know what was going to happen to poor Kayla next!

All I can say is, I'm glad she had someone like Elizabet at her back!

It'll be interesting to see how she fits into the rest of Misty's stories though!

[Altivo Overo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Background radiation

This seems like more of a prequel to the series than an element of the Eric Banyon sequence. Same setting, more or less, but different characters in lead roles. Well written, but the mobi text has occasional artifacts in it that look like XML. Still, readable and fast paced story. A bit heavy on gang violence for my tastes.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I really liked this when I originally read it (enough that I held onto the paperback to re-read). Re-reading it 20 years later it didn't grab me as much. So rating 3.0 now but would have been 4.0 originally.

[Peggi Warner-Lalonde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of self discovery - greatly enjoyed. Now to find the first two books in the series!

[Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good series middle. This one is more of a prequel, but fits nicely here.

[Candice Lisle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Became repetitive near the end. As if the author saved plot activity and pasted it over and over.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much in line with the rest of the books in this series, in that it has an interesting premise, decent characters, and a somewhat chaotic plot that doesn't quite seem to resolve.

[Jason Bevilacqua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kayla's orgin

Never new Kayla's origin story. Good read, little confusing.
Would love more stories in this verse.
Hint, hint. Enjoy reading

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urban fantasy.

Suitable for teens and adults. Spoilers. A homeless girl discovers her magical talents. She can heal people and everyone wants that.

[Billeen Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

90’s Classic

I don’t know how I missed this universe but I’m glad I found it now. Slick storyline, interesting characters, absorbing world building. Fun.

[Mona Cashman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listed to this on Audible. It was excellent

[TheCosyDragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

Kayla has run away from home. It's not great, but at least she hasn't gotten into being pimped out yet and she has a home. Kayla has been having increasingly worse headaches though, and when confronted with a bullet wound she discovers that she can heal it. It's a valuble talent in the gang ridden LA district, and Kayla is suddenly hot property.

Kayla isn't really sure what she is doing, except when she is doing it! Kayla quickly has to adapt (yay, character progression) to being able to heal. She has to stop herself healing eventually or she will burn out. I find it fascinating that she is able to sap energy from Ramon. How awesome would it be if healing actually worked like that?

The elves in this series, as well as Kayla, feed very nicely into the other books in the Bedlam's Bard series. This book was actually written after Knight of Ghosts and Shadows. Ria and Kayla are both reoccurring characters, although this is the book that really offers the most insight into Kayla's character.

I wasn't convinced that the Unseelie elven queen would have let her go just like that, or that Kayla could have picked up that she was being poisoned from such a long way away. I would have liked a little more depth there, particularly into the Unseelie world. I wanted to know exactly why it was decaying! And why they didn't make more of an effort to save themselves. I'm not sure if these exact eleves appear in the other novels.

This book lacks some of the polish that is seen in other books of this series, perhaps because it is not coauthored by Mercedes Lackey. It's an enjoyable read, even if I found myself skipping over some of the gang perspective parts in favour of Kayla's storyline. I'm disappointed that Guon has not written more novels, but apparently she is quite a weighty force in computer game design, which takes up most of her time.

I'd recommend this book for teens and adults alike. Yes, it has lots of blood, drugs and death, but that is equally weighted against healing and understanding. For someone like me who has never been a runaway, nor considered it (it's a bit harder to do successfully in Australia), it is an eyeopening account for me into some of the US society's flaws.

This book is out of print! I was going to snaffle a hardcopy on ebay, but forgot to bid and then someone else got it. I have a pounce set up on ebay to try grab it - so don't even think about getting my copy! It's probably available from ABbooks if you are from the US or UK, but shipping tends to be prohibitavely expensive to Australia. I've given links for Amazon and The Book Depository, but I don't think they will have them in stock (except as second hand).

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bedlam Boyz is a book that had been sitting on my Kindle for years. I downloaded it as a free ebook because the idea of magic and elves alongside street gangs, not to mention the super-90s appearance of it, seemed fun, but couldn't quite bring myself to read it until the other day. I wasn't really disappointed in it, since I didn't expect a lot. I was pleased with how often VCRs came up as a cool thing in the early parts of the book, and kind of fascinated by the fact that the heroine of this half faux hardboiled, half elaborate fantasy novel was so naive that she actively clashed with the book that she was in. The whole thing seemed rushed and illogical, though, with the fantasy aspects of the novel not having enough time to make sense, and the gang war parts being full of weird stereotypes and oddly placed sympathies.

I didn't love this book, but it was kind of fun to read, regardless.

[zjakkelien · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am vacillating between two stars and three. On the one hand, this was a nice and light read, with nice magic and ok characters. On the other hand, the main character has a serious case of Stockholm syndrome when she gets kidnapped by a drugs gang (they know she can heal people and want to use this to their advantage). I found that seriously annoying, to fall in love with someone who is going along with you being held against your will and being forced to heal people even though it is clearly detrimental to your health. Also, I wasn't too fond of the fairies. Oh, and there were really quite a few shootouts, I could have done with a few less. Other than that, it was fine, though. Entertaining, and it had a cool grandma-ghost.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded Bedlam Boyz from The Baen Free Library and it was worth every penny I paid for it. (Actually, it wasn't that bad )

The main character, Kayla, is a teenage runaway who discovers she has magic healing powers when one of her friends is shot in a robbery. Her powers are discovered by a parole officer (who has magic of her own) as well as a gang member who sees her as a key tool in defending his turf. And then there's the elves, who delight in discovering, then (usually) destroying humans who have magic. An interesting example of urban fantasy; if you're into this kind of book - it's probably a library/used book read.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The prequel to the genre bestselling urban fantasies Knight of Ghosts and Shadows and Summoned to Tourney. A woman with a miraculous power to heal is sought not only by the L.A. gangs who need her power, but by an ancient abomination and evil elves from another world.

The prequel to the genre bestselling urban fantasies Knight of Ghosts and Shadows and Summoned to Tourney. A woman with a miraculous power to heal is sought not only by the L.A. gangs who need her power, but by an ancient abomination and evil elves from another world. Original.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just ok. Really a book for adolescent girls.

Prequel to Bedlam's Bard
When one of her friends is gunned down, Kayla uses her latent healing powers to heal her friend—and the gang member who shot him—and soon the city's gangs are eager to use her powers for evil.

Published 4/1/1993
SKU: 0671721771
Ebook Price: $4.00

Baen Free Library Book

[Erin Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and engaging read, heavy on the Charles de Lint/Mercedes Lackey teenage victim tropes but novel for its immediate introduction of a protector for Kayla. I actually based a LARP character on her dilemma once (I've previously read other books where she makes an appearance), so I may be more favorably inclined towards the book on that basis.

[Cstillsquare · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was 12, I LOVED this book. I appropriated it from my sister's large fantasy collection, and re-read it so often I had to cover the paperback with contact paper to keep it from falling apart. I didn't get back into urban fantasy until over 15 years later, but this was a great introduction as a kid.

[Mara]

I had no real expectation from this book, as it was an unknow quantity to me. But even with no idea of what to expect, I couldn't really stand reading it. The heroine is 15 yo, it reads young, really young. Moreover with her past I wanted her to be more jaded or stronger.

I have no idea who is the target of this series, but I believe it may be Middle grade max. A long way from my age ;P

[Robbie Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read the other book in this series, and to be honest, skipped over this one because it wasn't written by the other authors. I finally managed to return and while the story was decent, I stayed on the fence about it until about halfway through. I enjoyed the characters in the other book and thought thy could have been written better in this one. Still a good read, just not the greatest.

[Donnalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I abstractly love this series even though the books themselves are imperfect, if that makes any sense at all! For example, I really loved something about this book although itwas all violence and drug gangs and things that are not my scene, but it had empaths and healers, which are my scene. I think the author makes the difference and I cared about the characters.

[Roberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

One comment: the spanish sounds right. It may be a little thing, but being a spanish speaker, it's incredibly jarring when it doesn't. The author or its editors did well here.

Other than that, decent fantasy book.

[Joe Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was your typical coming-of-age/learn-to-use magic story. It was okay for something to read when I had 2-5 minutes free but it wasn't necessarily something I'd recommend. The ending seemed to wrap things up very conveniently in a matter of 2-3 pages. Bleh.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know the author and I'm actually the smiling woman who dies at the beginning of the book. Dead in a potted palm....

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another online free find. It's from a series co-written with Mercedes Lackey, and while I enjoyed reading this one well enough, I don't feel the need to go out and track down the other books.