Chasing the Bard

It is with much anticipation (and lateness on my part) that we proudly present Philippa Ballantine’s second serialized free audiobook, Chasing the Bard:

Born into the human world with a gift; a gift that brings him to the attention of powers both dark and light from the World of the Fey, it is his burden to defend all the world.

Sive, the goddess of battle, hopes that he may be able to change the fate of her people.The Fey are dying, killed by something beyond the boundaries of worlds, and Sive will do anything to save them. So she enlists the help of her trickster cousin Puck to guard the child, and watch him grow into his gift. But a dark power imprisoned by human and Fey, plots to destroy both worlds, and unmake all that they have created.

Can one boy stop the destruction, even if he is William Shakespeare?





This entry was posted by Evo on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 8:06 am and is filed under New Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

18 Responses to “Chasing the Bard”

  1. Duane Says:
    May 22nd, 2008 at 11:15 am

    Boooo for making me wait so long to find this title! I’ve listened to as many podiobooks as I can get my hands on, and I can say this one easily lands a spot in the top 3. It is the right combination of everything - well written, good story, well produced, excellent voice talent. I actually found the show just last week while hunting for Shakespeare stuff, and was all “What the heck? How have I missed this for so long?” Now I know. Evo’s fault.

    :)

    http://www.shakespearegeek.com

  2. Barry Bounous Says:
    May 22nd, 2008 at 2:08 pm

    Been listening from her web site. Very very fine work on all parts!

  3. Nate Lowell Says:
    May 24th, 2008 at 5:35 am

    Chasing the Bard is a great story! I’ve been subscribed over at her site, too, and Pip has an amazing production going on here. Podiobook fans of fantasy will be delighted.

  4. whiskyman Says:
    June 6th, 2008 at 7:25 pm

    This podcast is great. I found this last week and listened to the first 6 episodes in one day! This is great. Thanks for the great podcast.

  5. Gail Says:
    June 21st, 2008 at 9:24 am

    Thank you, Philippa, for this great story. You make it sound easy!

  6. Jodi Says:
    June 22nd, 2008 at 3:04 am

    I ABSOLUTELY love this story! As soon as one episode is finished I’m ready for the next one. Thank you Philippa!

  7. Philippa Ballantine Says:
    June 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 am

    Thanks everyone. I am so glad you are enjoying the story. I plan to have it all out there, barring problems by the beginning of August.

  8. Chris Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    Hey Philippa, Just seen this one and looking forward to it. Loved your other work :)

  9. Valerie Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 6:16 pm

    Hi there, Philippa! Thank you so much for sharing Chasing the Bard with the world! AMAZING!!! I do hope all ends well, though. I would love for you leave the door open for more stories of the lovely Fey. You couldn’t have done any better with the voice talent. Everyone has been spot on! (Although, you, Miss Pip, could probably read the phone book and still have a huge fan base!) I am looking forward to the conclusion of Chasing the Bard and all your future works.

  10. Sophia Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 8:12 pm

    Love this story, and the narration is fantastic. Very good work Philippa and thanks for putting it out there for us.

  11. Philippa Ballantine Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 12:51 am

    Thanks for the feedback- podcasters and authors live on such things. The good news is that the sequel to Chasing the Bard will be coming out on 08.08.08. http://www.chasingthebard.com/?p=117 Puck gets in on the promotion.

  12. madjo Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 11:49 am

    Chasing the Bard. Follow the worlds most famous bard in his midsummer nightmare.

    This is a story set in Victorian England, but with a twist. There are Fey, manipulative faeries, who are trying to get William to help them save their world from destruction.
    It’s a very moving tale, filled with excitement and adventure.

    It does have strong language (especially chapter 13, which I have to admit not having listened to, for personal reasons), so it’s not really suited for younger listeners.

    But I will guarantee you. You will absolutely like this story.
    Go, and listen to Dark Goddess Pip. You will not regret it. :)

  13. Jessica Says:
    August 14th, 2008 at 1:50 pm

    Absolutely addictive! Thank you!

  14. Megan Pawlak Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 5:43 pm

    Wow. I listen to my podiobooks at work. There were a NUMBER of scenes where I had to choke back tears. I get comments from my co-workers cause I constantly laugh, snort, or make commetns under my breath when I listen to my stories.

    This book was wonderful. I bought both of them on August 8, 2008. I’m reading Congo right now by Micheal Crichton but I can’t decide if I’m going to read Billi or Bard! >.< both so good.

    One thing that really hooked me on the reading of the podcast was the terrific voice production. Tee Morris knows how to work his characters. Casting him as Will was perfect. They have such great chemistry together.

    The blending of history and fiction was astonishing. I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of Shakespeare. The only productions of his plays I enjoy are ones that have been updated for language or otherwise taken out of their original time setting. But taking Will and putting him in a position with mystical/mythical (not sure which word is better here) powers is fantastic. It’s a whole new spin on a literary master.

  15. madjo Says:
    August 30th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    btw, I of course meant “Elizabethan” not “Victorian”. :)

  16. Hannelore Says:
    September 27th, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    I do like this book, despite the liberties Mr Ballantine is taking with history. But of course, one can only quote Dumas the Elder. When he was accused of “raping history”, he agreed and added that he did make “some fine bastards” nonetheless.

    What does annoy is the warning of strong language in front of every chapter. I despise being patronised. I haven’t found anything unfit for children, either. A metaphor is something a child should understand before reading anything beyond “run, Spot, run”, so the single(!) sex scene doesn’t warrant a warning. And the rest is about as violent as any Disney film - and less explicit.

    The audio itself is a veritable HowTo. The narration is easy to understand (even for a German like me), the music doesn’t overwhelm the listener and the voice talents add the certain something.

    Thank you, Ms Ballantine :-)

  17. Philippa Ballantine Says:
    September 27th, 2008 at 8:34 pm

    Thanks for Hannelore- I did try to be gentle with history, so hopefully with was more a gentle kiss than a full on rape. =)
    As for the warning, I find it better to err on the side of caution especially with people from different countries listening. Certainly if this was just a New Zealand audience I wouldn’t have bothered with the warning except on the sex scene. I do try not to fall into the cultural gap- though recently I have unexpectedly plunged into it. Glad you enjoyed the podiobook and thanks for the feedback.

  18. Shannon Says:
    November 8th, 2008 at 5:04 am

    I enjoy reading Shakespeare and fantasy. Chasing the Bard perfectly combines the two into a wild adventure spanning the life and times of one of the most, if not the most, famous authors in history. Ballantine has a wonderful take on magic - Art as she calls it - and its relation to humans and the mythical Fey. The two races have a long history, expertly hinted at throughout Chasing the Bard. I found this was expertly woven together a tale of battle, heroism, love, honor, magic, and humanity for a wonderful story that pulls the listener into the world and keeps them begging for more.

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