I'm going to class this one as not being "great literature" but instead being a fun read - but still one that leaves you thinking about things as you read it. A lot of the story elements are fairly standard, but Mercedes Lackey has thrown in some interesting twists and turns.

http://allbookedup-elena.blogspot.ca/2013/01/the-free-bards-mercedes-lackey.html ( )

The free bards is a collection of three books: The lark and the wren, The robin and the kestrel, and The eagle and the nightingales.

The lark and the wren
I liked this book. It tells the story of Rune, a girl with musical talent who becomes a bard. She finds out that there is magic in music...
This book has the typical Lackey style, which I enjoy, describing ordinary life in the society she has invented. Halfway through, I felt like too may things were happening and the ending was perhaps a bit too neat, but all in all it was a satisfying read.

The robin and the kestrel
I liked this book less. It takes place in the same world with characters we meet in The lark and the wren. One of those characters stutters and it becomes annoying to read the stutter after a while. The world is not that interesting (book 1 told me enough about it) and the characters are not particularly engaging. Halfway through it did get a bit more interesting, because things were happening, but up until that point, it was mostly about observing what has gone awry in a particularly city.

The eagle and the nightingale
I haven't read this one yet. I might at some point, if only to be able to put this book in my 'read' shelf. But my expectations aren't very high... ( )

Excellent. ( )

There is an odd tinge to many of Lackey's novels and the bard series hardly escapes that. The third book has a questionable pairing of woman and birdman. The three books when read seperatly have a lot more individual merit. Sandwhiched all together, a clear forumla emerges ruining some of the playful fun. ( )