The Heritage of Shannara
epic fantasy
Series · urban fantasy
Bedlam's Bard
The Bedlam's Bard series by Mercedes Lackey has 6 known books (6 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Knight of Ghosts and Shadows (1990).
- Books
- 6 known books (6 novels)
- Published
- 6
- First published
- 1990
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: Knight of Ghosts and Shadows (1990) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Knight of Ghosts and Shadows
Mercedes Lackey opened Bedlam's Bard in 1990 with Knight of Ghosts and Shadows , co-written with Ellen Guon, who is credited as co-author on this and the following book.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Knight of Ghosts and Shadows - Book 2:
Summoned to Tourney
Summoned to Tourney , the second book, followed in 1992 at 298 pages -- also co-authored with Ellen Guon, whose collaboration with Lackey ended after this installment.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Summoned to Tourney - Book 3:
Beyond World's End
With Beyond World's End (2001, 416 pages), the series jumped nine years past its second book and brought in a new co-author, Rosemary Edghill, who is credited alongside Lackey from this point on.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Beyond World's End - Book 4:
Spirits White as Lightning
Spirits White as Lightning (2001, 437 pages) is the second of four books Rosemary Edghill co-wrote with Mercedes Lackey, following an older Eric Banyon as he works as an outreach counselor for at-risk kids while his literal, audible Bardic magic keeps drawing him into fights against supernatural threats preying on the vulnerable.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Spirits White as Lightning - Book 5:
Mad Maudlin
By 2003's Mad Maudlin, the fifth book and third Lackey-Edghill collaboration, the series had grown to 538 pages -- its longest entry -- continuing to use Eric's Bardic gift as a way of dramatizing music's real capacity to heal trauma.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Mad Maudlin - Book 6:
Music to My Sorrow
The sixth and final book in this record, Music to My Sorrow (2005, 464 pages), closes out Rosemary Edghill's run as Lackey's co-author and Eric Banyon's arc from Juilliard rock-band moonlighter to seasoned outreach counselor fighting for society's most vulnerable.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Music to My Sorrow
About the Bedlam's Bard series
Set in the same contemporary "elves on the road" universe as the SERRAted Edge novels, Bedlam's Bard follows Eric Banyon, a classically trained musician whose magical Bardic gift (music that can heal, charm, or fight) pulls him into the hidden world of elves living quietly among modern humans. Knight of Ghosts and Shadows and Summoned to Tourney, co-written with Ellen Guon, introduce Eric and the elven refugees he becomes entangled with while he's still a Juilliard student moonlighting in a rock band. After a long gap, Mercedes Lackey resumed the series with a new collaborator, Rosemary Edghill, for Beyond World's End, Spirits White as Lightning, Mad Maudlin, and Music to My Sorrow, which follow an older, more capable Eric as he works as an outreach counselor for at-risk kids while continuing to fight supernatural threats that prey on society's most vulnerable people.
Across both halves of the series, Lackey uses Eric's magic — literal, audible Bardic power — as a way to dramatize music's real-world capacity to heal trauma, giving the series a throughline of social conscience underneath its urban fantasy plotting.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Bedlam's Bard series?
Six novels: Knight of Ghosts and Shadows (1990) and Summoned to Tourney (1992), both with Ellen Guon; then Beyond World's End (2001), Spirits White as Lightning (2001), Mad Maudlin (2003), and Music to My Sorrow (2005), all with Rosemary Edghill.
What order should I read the Bedlam's Bard books in?
Publication order. The first two (with Ellen Guon) introduce a younger Eric Banyon; the later four (with Rosemary Edghill) follow an older Eric and can also work as a starting point on their own.
Who co-wrote the Bedlam's Bard books?
Ellen Guon co-wrote the first two novels; Rosemary Edghill co-wrote the four that followed after a roughly decade-long gap in the series.
Is Bedlam's Bard connected to the SERRAted Edge series?
Yes, both are set in the same contemporary universe where elves live quietly among humans, and some characters appear in both series, but each has its own protagonist and can be read independently.
Is there a more recent Bedlam's Bard book, like 'The Waters and the Wild'?
The Waters and the Wild (2019, with Rosemary Edghill) shares Bedlam's Bard's Eric Banyon-era co-author and universe but is marketed by its publisher as part of the SERRAted Edge line rather than Bedlam's Bard, so it's tracked in this site's SERRAted Edge series file rather than here.
If you like the Bedlam's Bard series
Reading order last verified .