A Bard Without A Star, by Michael Hooten

5.0 out of 5 stars
No power without responsibility, no love without committment.
March 15, 2015
By Pat Patterson (Woodstock, Georgia, USA)
This review is from: A Bard Without a Star (Kindle Edition)

I don't suppose there ever was a little boy anywhere who didn't wish he had some kind of special powers. Michael Hooten's Bardic Tales give full expression to that desire for special power, and do not fail to warn that with special power comes special responsibility.
"A Bard Without A Star" is set in the world of "Cricket's Song," and predates those events by about 200 years. The players are different, but the music and the magic are the same, and remain beautiful.
As I was reading the book, I saw many of the same themes as in "Cricket's Son," so many that at one point I wondered if this was a re-telling of that story from a different perspective. It's not, in the literal sense; these are different people, there are differences in relationships, but the beauty, and the struggles, are so very similar?
So: does this make this a redundant story? Only if you believe that you can only kiss your love one time, and that covers it. If you are satisfied with having your cat come sit on your arm and go to sleep just once; if you only want to have breakfast with your grandson just once; if going to church and singing praises to God one time is enough for you, then I suppose that this is a redundant book. Otherwise, no; it's a sweet re-experience of warmth, affection, delight, and renewal.
Make no mistake about it: Michael Hooten, known to the Mad Genius Club as gnardopolo, is in love with his work. He paints pictures with his words, and they are just as beautiful, and just as original, as any story can possibly be. Love does not change; it has many faces, but once you've been loved, you will recognize it.
Michael Hooten loves his work. I hope that you will as well. I certainly do.