Book Six of A Wonderful Week for a Quest
Battle of the Bards
The Battle Begins…
A legendary competition. A murderous melody. One wizard determined to impress Merlin.
Jackdaw finally gets a chance to restore his reputation—only to discover that this year’s Battle of the Bards may end with considerably fewer surviving musicians.
Available Formats
Choose Your Format
Enter the Battle of the Bards in print or ebook, or hear the music, magic, and comic timing performed in audio.
This Musical Battle Contains
Enchanted Music
Songs, performances, and magical techniques powerful enough to move an audience—or remove it entirely.
Deadly Performers
The contestants arrive ready to win, but some have plans extending far beyond trophies and applause.
Jackdaw’s Big Chance
Hosting the competition could restore his standing among wizards—assuming he can keep everyone alive long enough.
Footnotes in Concert
A clean comic fantasy with suspicious musicians, magical sabotage, and narration that refuses to stay backstage.
The Story
The Competition Is Fierce. The Music May Be Fatal.
If there is one wizard Jackdaw cannot stand, it is Merlin. So when the mage of mages sends him a letter, Jackdaw expects ridicule, criticism, or at minimum an unnecessarily superior signature.
Instead, Jackdaw receives the honor of hosting the annual Battle of the Bards in the Beandom. A successful event could cement his reputation as a premier prognosticator and perhaps force Merlin to admit that Jackdaw is occasionally competent.
But a menacing darkness enters alongside the competitors. With help from his friends, Jackdaw begins uncovering a conspiracy among the musicians—one designed to slaughter the competition and enslave the Beandom. To stop it, he must survive the performances, unravel the plot, and discover whether a wizard famous for explanatory footnotes can finally command the main stage.
FROM BOOK FIVE TO THE BATTLE
Restored Memories and a Darker Power
Book Five ends with Grimblewaith newly faekind, preparing to reunite with Wren / Serrinanal and investigate the dangers gathering beyond the Beandom’s borders. At the same time, Sir Ruprecht’s encounter with power from the Netherworld signals that the crisis is still expanding. Battle of the Bards shifts the spotlight to Jackdaw’s musical tournament while carrying those unresolved loyalties, transformations, and threats into the next day of the quest.
Meet Jackdaw
The Narrator Takes Center Stage
Merlin’s third cousin, interpreter of the Uppercase Prophecy, and persistent supplier of footnotes, Jackdaw has spent five books explaining everyone else’s adventures. This time, the responsibility—and the danger—belong to him.
No verified Jackdaw-specific interview or interactive chat is currently available, so this section keeps the focus on his role in the story rather than linking to an unrelated character experience.
THE COMPLETE BOOK SIX QUEST ROUTE
From Pixie Post to the Netherworld Breach
- Pixified Potion: Pixie post ruins Jackdaw and Petra’s work.
- Merlin’s Missive: The Beandom must host the Battle and its Bard Card exchange.
- The Un-Reunion: Sir Roderick returns to Bell under a fragile illusion.
- Dormor Letters: Arach searches for his Dragonborn father and people.
- Trying Tryouts: Jackdaw and Petra audition increasingly dangerous acts.
- The Fell Five: Felgarath performs with the four instruments of the Alpaca Lips.
- Turn-Based: Sir Ruprecht summons ghosts and traps his brother in a game-like duel.
- Beyond the Mountains: Grimblewaith, Wren, Glocke, and allies confirm the border threat.
- Royal Library: Bell and Petra investigate Felgarath while the arena is transformed.
- Wizard Convention: Jackdaw struggles to unite Merlin and the visiting council.
- The Battle Begins: The Golden Harp arrives and the musical tournament opens.
- God from the Machine: Felgarath, Precht, the DEM, and the dragonbond collide.
- The Breach: Precht tears open the Netherworld, the heroes retreat, and undead armies overrun the Beandom.
Three endings widen the crisis: Felgarath escapes with one DEM gear, Petra becomes Precht’s vessel, and the surviving heroes prepare for the final day of the quest.
BOOK SIX ENCYCLOPEDIA
Characters, Music and the Hidden Conspiracy
These illustrated entries replace the earlier spoiler-light cast summaries with complete, canon-based guides.
The Battle and Golden Harp
The tournament’s rules, host duties, judges, champions, and enchanted prize.
Merlin and the Great Council
Magus’s lineage, wizard politics, ceremonial titles, and Jackdaw’s rivalry.
Precht and the Conspiracy
Ruprecht, the DEM, Felgarath’s betrayal, the breach, and Petra’s possession.
A Collectible Companion
Meet the Bard Cards
The First Edition contains 30 downloadable Bard Cards inspired by the competitors and performers in Battle of the Bards. The complete set comes with the book.
These are three samples from the complete 30-card First Edition set.
Listen to Book Six
Hear the Battle in Audio
Experience Jackdaw’s rivalry, the magical performances, the sinister conspiracy, and every carefully timed interruption in the audiobook edition.
Take Your Seat Before the Music Starts
No verified reader reviews were available on the existing page, so the empty placeholders have been removed. Begin with the sample or step directly into the competition.
Continue the Seven-Day Misadventure
The Finale Is Waiting
Return to Grimblewaith’s phoenix mission in Book Five, continue to the final quest in Book Seven, or explore the complete series.
THE BRIDGE TO BOOK SEVEN
Twenty-One Gears and One Impossible Bargain
The arena disaster does not destroy the DEM. It scatters the machine into twenty-one active gears, tears open the barrier between worlds, leaves Petra as Precht’s vessel, and releases undead armies across the Beandom. In Book Seven, the Netherking offers one restored life for every gear returned—turning the survivors, Felgarath, Mercurius, and Grimma into rival treasure hunters.
EXPANDED BOOK SIX CHARACTER LORE
The Arena Guard and the Compromised Wizard
Lol the Troll
The small troll guarding the old arena risks his employment to help Sir Roderick survive Ruprecht’s challenge, then joins the company as a loyal friend and practical ally.
Pelican
Jackdaw’s old Wiz-Camp friend combines compass-guided teleportation and ice magic with a dangerous secret: Felgarath’s controlling serpent has turned a trusted wizard into an unwilling conspirator.
Readers Also Enjoyed…
The Whatsit’s Rebirth
Return to Book Five for Grimblewaith’s phoenix-powered transformation.
The End of the Quest as We Know It
Continue into the seventh and final adventure of the original series.
Book details
Battle of the Bards
Author: Michael D. Young
A clean comedic fantasy in which magical music rises, battle lines form, and the bards discover that words can be dangerous weapons.
Language: English
Genres: Fantasy · Humor · Middle grade
Series: A Wonderful Week for a Quest · Book 6
Official page: https://authormichaelyoung.com/battle-of-the-bards/
Michael D. Young 