Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword by Tee Morris
Podiobooks.com is excited to present Tee Morris’ return to the podcast novel: “Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword.”
Somewhere in Prohibition Era Chicago, an enchanted weapon holds the key to ending The Gangland Wars. In the wake of The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, only one is man enough to stand up against Al Capone… …a four-foot-one dwarf named Billibub Baddings.
February 27th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Didn’t expect anything but a top notch story and podcast from Tee
February 27th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
dear tee, this story had better be good, your Morevi fans are waiting patiently!
and lay off scott sigler & j.c. hutchins!
(yeah i cannot wait to hear it too!) …now back to work!
March 1st, 2007 at 9:00 am
Billibub is proving to be a lot of fun. While Morevi was okay, Billibub shows a dramatic improvement in writing. I love the concept. It’s something you don’t see every day.
Mick’s voice was fantastic! And kudos for having Joe Murphy involved. Plus, Leann Mabry plays our client oh so well. She’s got such a sexy voice.
Tee, congrats on a job well done. I’m having a blast, and from your podcast, it’s obvious you are too. Thanks for your hard work.
Trampas Whiteman
March 3rd, 2007 at 1:37 pm
WOW WOW!! I love it just love it ! you have really pulled one out of the hat this time .
March 30th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Great. Not only is it a good story, it fills that often rare spot in storytelling, the Fantasy / SF crime novel. Setting it in 1929 is spot on.
May 15th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Tee, you’ve done it again! Billi is probably the single greatest character ever. I had to stroll over to Amazon to buy all your works. I love your distinct voice and your guest spots. Thank you for giving us this story.
May 16th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
The premise of an otherworld, wise cracking dwarf who is now a private eye could have ended up as cutesy and juvenile. Instead, Tee has kept it witty and entertaining. I enjoyed the exploration of the “short man’s complex” which Billi puts to good use as he finds himself a duck out of water on Earth. The humorous references to his home world remind us that Billi is more than just attitude without altitude. Prepare to have your assumptions smacked on the nose fairly often. I haven’t had so much fun with a dwarf since Discworld.
May 30th, 2007 at 7:26 am
Tee Morris has brought to life a character and setting that I found enchanting. I can not encourage him enough to add a sequel. The podcast with sound effects and other people doing the voices of other characters is a step above the normal author reading his work.
I so enjoyed this podiobook that I’m trying to find a copy to purchase. I did find and purchase the eBook, but haven’t found a paper copy yet. Maybe I should say that I haven’t found one I can afford yet. Used copies are bringing a premium on the internet.
June 15th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
The fan-fic Christiana did is sooo funny!
Thanks for a great story!
June 30th, 2007 at 11:34 am
good-bye, Billy!
I’ll miss you. Hurry back!
July 1st, 2007 at 4:48 am
A dwarf PI, whooda thunk it.
July 13th, 2007 at 4:48 am
As someone who has dabbled in the field of A/V production I can appreciate the immense effort that Mr Morris has gone to in making this available. The story itself is great on it’s own and combined with the quality of production this is now the standard by which I will be comparing all further podcast novels! I guess I’m a bit of a geek that way but the story is incredibly cool and it is sooo much fun to listen to!!
Personally, my favourite bits are the conversations with Scar Face himself: “You… You’re good, Baddings. You are very, very good!” And Billy is indeed good
Mr Morris, thank you very much from me and all my friends! Even if they haven’t heard it yet, I’ll make sure they do.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:18 am
Loved the book but cant rate it because the rating page seems to have gone pear shaped.
Must mention though that at 4ft 1 he wouldn’t need a stick to turn on a light switch and chairs wouldn’t really be such a hassle. I have a nephew about that height and he has no problems.
Maybe you should have made him shorter? lol
August 29th, 2007 at 3:27 am
Great book, really enjoyed it. Easy listening, very pleasant, creates a dandy atmosphere and even though I’m not a fan of the twenties, nor detective stories I fancied this particular tale.
September 21st, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I am *really* looking forward to Mr. Badding’s next case.
November 4th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Is there such a thing as a singing sword? Or does an off balance sword sing?
November 27th, 2007 at 6:09 am
Awesome! I love the combination of fantasy and detective story. I’m looking forward to Mr Baddings next case!
December 23rd, 2007 at 4:26 pm
This book is a lot of fun. The blend of hard-boiled and fantasy works well, and the protagonist’s small stature, “foreign” beginnings, and special powers fit into the story nicely (the only false note is the repeated comparisons to things from the other world; they just felt like Mr. Morris is trying too hard). I’m looking forward to some other stories about Mr. Baddings, or items from his side of the portal!
January 17th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Great story!
But the big question is - when’s the sequel due out? great to see that another swede (Johan N) has read this fantastic book.
Beeen listening to BBC7 (bbc.co.uk/bbc7) over x-mas . They hade a season of Raymond Chandler storys. Morris you’ve nailed the gendre to a Tee!!
Congrats
Sven-Erik
January 21st, 2008 at 9:49 am
There is such a thing as a singing sword. The clearer the note, the better. Lots of stuff in European, Chinese and Japanese myths on magical swords that could sing or talk etc.
Impure metal sounds several notes, pure metals have one Famous stories also of blacksmiths.
Love the story, very well produced and put together.
March 5th, 2008 at 3:23 am
U kno, 4 far 2 long 1 read stories like these w/the “dark troll” of this or the marauding “savages of the hinterlands” or the obtuse “black orcs” of some other regions… Usually, 1 grins a great “yassa boss” smile as if 1 isn’t bothered by this ferocious attack on 1s subconcious mind, but w/this story 1 let loose a great sigh of exasperation.
The final straw has been placed on the proverbial camel’s back & epiphany rings true. Elves will always be fair w/guile and mystery & men will be noble, they just won’t be black. That, of course, is reserved for the dullard trolls, orcs or whatever “figurative” assortment of beast rolls out of the so-called “imagination” of man. But 1 DOES have choices, for every story won’t b this 1.
Although the arrangement and production is quite good, my choice is not to have to grin & bare a 3rd rate LOTR knockoff. Perhaps, 1 day will come where I read an exciting journey in a faraway that doesn’t subconciously “blackwash” a whole group of people into a vile abyss of stupidity. Perhaps THAT’S just fantasy…
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Dear Nveegle1:
I took a moment to read your scathing review of The Singing Sword, and I am not quite sure what to make of it. You make some very good arguments in this review but they’re difficult to take to heart as you’ve written them using your mobile phone’s text messaging feature (”U kno, 4 far 2 long 1 read stories…”). Either that, or you’re one of the many fauna featured on http://icanhascheezburger.com. I respect your opinions, negative and harsh as they may be; but I have nothing but contempt for the immature way you’ve chosen to express them.
Srsly.
But thank you for listening, and thank you for posting a review. While you consider my work with slight regard, you took the time to give it a try and I do appreciate that.
Kthxbai.
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
WTF? I don’t even understand where this person is coming from. “Yassa Boss?” What the hell? Are you a Gungan?
Did you just throw the RACIST card? RACIST CARD? Al Capone is played by a FRIGGIN’ AWESOME BLACK DUDE, and you throw out the RACIST CARD? Not only did you use your cellphone text messaging language, you also have no idea what you’re talking about!
Lord of the Rings knockoff? Um… no. To be a knockoff it would have to be… you know… not in 1920’s Chicago with gangsters and machine guns and detectives.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:06 am
This is a fun book! I’ve listened to a lot of professional audio books, and this is as good as most and better than many. I discovered podiobooks because I was thinking of making an audiobook myself and wanted to see whether anyone else was doing it. I’m impressed! The music, the voices, the quality of the recording, and an entertaining story - I’ll recommend it to people. Tee, if you don’t mind me asking an audacity question (and I’m really sorry if this is the wrong place to ask; I’m new): what is the name of the echoey voice effect you use for some of Billibub’s memories? I’ve heard it used in other books for thoughts, as well. Do you know what that effect is called and where i could get it?
April 7th, 2008 at 12:52 am
Wow, I was unaware that you need possess a literary degree to leave a comment. My deepest apologies to those I’ve offended by not submitting this via laptop or desktop. The reason for such truncation was to prevent a filibuster.
One opinion is only one opinion and the majority concludes that this a fun and adventurous story. So those who will should have at it; I’m just declaring I won’t.
Mr. Indiana Jim, a point that you may not realize, a lot of “awesome” black guys were some of the best blackface vaudville performers.
April 18th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I finished this book, and it was a rock’in good time! The narration and voice acting are superb. The writing is funny and silly where it’s supposed to be. The premise - of a D&D-style Dwarf who’s been magiced into Gangster-land USA, where he has to make a life for himself - is original and entertaining. The plot twists are not going to surprise you if you’ve read many mysteries (or many of Terry Pratchett’s city watch books, for that matter), but this is the kind of story that you read for the ride, not for the destination. It has some great one-liners.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:59 am
A really excellent story, well read and with humour and suspense galore! I liked Morevi, but Billibub is even better. And don’t even get me started on the production values….
The way podcasting was meant to be! Keep ‘m coming, Tee!
July 7th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Thanks so much for the kind words and enthusiastic feedback. If you’re digging the production values of Billi, allow me to recommend MOREVI: Remastered. It’s an experiment in seeing if I can effectively mix the 2005 audio with my audio of today, along with guest voices and new production elements. Thanks again for the feedback.
July 15th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Wow! What a ride! Love Billi and the various characters. I’m a DJ, very sensitive to good (or poor) voice work. This was very well done. Kudos to all who participated! I have dropped out of some podiobooks because of poor production but Billibub Baddings was a joy to listen to. Thanks TEE! When’s the next one?? After all, we still have 8 more talisman’s to find! NanO
August 13th, 2008 at 7:08 am
This is easily one of the best podiobooks I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. The writing was sharp, the narration was spot on, and the voice acting was fantastic. Sound effects and music were also top notch, adding amazing suspense and life to the story. The world was rich and felt realistic, while the characters were all fascinating and didn’t ever come off as flat or two-bit. (Again, the stellar voice acting helped with this.) And of course, the hilarious mixture of high fantasy and an old black-and-white detective’s story was extremely creative and enjoyable. Something I probably never would have thought of. All in all, this podiobook kicked some serious butt and I absolutely loved it. It was actually addictive–I couldn’t stop listening to it, even when I didn’t necessarily have the time to do so. So, Tee, when is Pitcher’s Pendant coming out as a podiobook? Hmmmm? I’m waiting…
August 15th, 2008 at 6:53 am
The title of this book had put me off for some time, I decided to give it a go based on the reviews - I was delighted with the quality as well as the story, superb. The whole thing was produced so well and thoughtfully. The soundf effects were not at all overbearing and really helped transport my mind to all the places Billi goes to. I went home and made a chilli for the first time in ages because I found myself really wanting one of Micks
Dont give it a second though, you will like this book no matter what genre you ordinarily like. This is much better quality than many audiobooks I paid a lot of money for.
The voices were all spot on too, very very well done..
I really hope the sequel that is going into print is released as an Audiobook as well, I would not hesitate to buy the audiobook. I am finding myself getting too lazy to read I am afraid - I prefer being read to nowadays!!
I am now off to download the remastered MOREVI as recommended by Tee….
August 28th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
This podiobook is very good. A great “who done it” for those who enjoy a bit of fantasy too. It is well written, very well narrated and really worth the time! Great job Tee, I look forward to listening and reading more of your stories!
September 17th, 2008 at 3:55 am
Wow what a great book!!! I listened to it a few months ago before I even had an Ipod. You know it has to be good to get someone to sit at their computer and listen to an audiobook for hours on end.
Thanks for your masterful work on this novel. I’m hooked on Podiobooks largely because of this story. Thanks for a great book Tee.