THE BARD'S TALE: CASTLE OF DECEPTION

by Mercedes Lackey & Josepha Sherman

Published by Baen Publishing

Reviewed by Sir Launcelot du Lake

A young bard faces webs of lies and deception in a world where nothing is as it seems - and everything is a trap for the unwary. When young Kevin became a bard's apprentice, he thought that his new life would be filled with excitement and adventure; so when his new Master's first task for him is a perfectly ordinary manuscript copying errand to the castle of Count Volmar his disappointment knew no bounds. Why the Count was not even involved in Court politics!

But when the Count's niece is kidnapped by elves and the Count asks for his help in recovering her, Kevin is convinced that the adventure he craves is at least at hand. What he cannot know is that the distressed damsel is not really Count Volmar's niece, that the abductors are not really elves - and that even the rescue is not what is appears to be!
- blurb from book

While computer role-playing series has not seen a new installment since The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate, given the uncertain status of the on- off Bard's Tale IV, the universe of The Bard's Tale lives on in a series of fantasy novels. Castle of Deception is the first in this series, which now numbers three with Fortress of Frost and Fire and Prison of Souls. A fourth book, Gates of Chaos, is in the making.

Actually, the only link to the computer game series that I could find in Castle of Deception was the focus on Bardic magic, with the young bardling, Kevin, being the main character. The famous town of Skara Brae has no mention at all, and most of the places are unfamiliar.

The story is fairly short for a novel of this type, having only 266 pages. The rest of the book has a 44 page sneak preview of The Ship who Searched, by Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey. The focus of the plot is really more on how young Kevin comes to terms with his first adventure, and how he tries to assume leadership of a party of misfits. This is, of course, nothing new and original, as many previous novels have used such a theme. The barb-filled interaction among the members of the party are quite amusing though, and one of the characters, Naitachal the Dark Elf necromancer, would go on to feature prominently in the next two novels (shades of Drizzt Do'Urden in R.A. Salvatore's Icewind Dales and Dark Elf trilogies?). The mystery of the myriad plots and intrigues going on in the castle is known to the reader from the start, the authors having chosen to reveal the villains' plottings through a series of "interludes" in between chapters.

Castle of Deception is a decidedly light read, and certainly not earth- shaking or original. Devotees of The Bard's Tale may want to get it for the novelty, but if you are looking for serious fantasy, look elsewhere.

This review is Copyright (C) 1994 by Sir Launcelot du Lake for Game Bytes Magazine. All rights reserved.