I found this whole Valdemar trilogy a bit of a hard whack. I just didn’t feel emotionally connected with the characters like the other books. And it was even harder with this novel, because it was about the children of the main characters.
In fact, I found this book almost impossible to get through. The leads were kind of whiney and annoying. I mean, I’ve read a lot of stories which feature the children of those famous, and often they complain about the exact same things. But for some reason I found these guys SO MUCH MORE irritating.
I always find it hard to write reviews about books that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. And, like my enjoyment, they tend to be a bit shorter. Mostly because I still try to focus on what I liked. And whilst I didn’t hate this book, there’s much I can recall that I actually LIKED.
It’s been an age since I read The Black Gryphon. Or really, any Valdemar book. And although this definitely isn’t as fantastic to me as the other Valdemar books, I’m glad I decided to dive back into this world. I love the world building and the action. The fact that there is always a focus on misfits and plenty of emotional tangles to unsnare.
Skan is still a hit of an overwhelming cocky character. A little less painful than in the first book, but still not my favourite of characters. His development did make me like him a whole lot more though. Having a pair of gryphlets alongside definitely helped me warm to him too.
I vaguely (hey, its been a while) remember thoroughly enjoying Amberdrake and Winterheart. There is something fantastically simple about this couple that, whilst it doesn’t inspire fireworks, gives a feeling of comfort and truth. I love the acceptance that shines between them and how it carries throughout this entire story. The fact that they’re the targets of a madman who will make you cringe… well, that makes it all better.
Probably one for the reasons I don’t get as into this as the other Valdemar books is the lore and world building. I get seriously lost I all of the terminologies for the different clans and groups. Not to mention I feel like I’m constantly missing things from the history of the wars… which just inspires me to want to read this all over again.
Title: The Black Gryphon Author: Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon Series: The Mage Wars #1, Valdemar #1 Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Fantasy, Mages, Magic, Medieval fantasy Dates read: 18th – 25th May 2020 Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: DAW Fantasy Year: 1994 5th sentence, 74th page: Cinnabar, of course, was as elegant as if she had just come from holding court, her scarlet gown cut to mid-calf, showing scarlet leather boots and slender ankles, her sleeves cut tight, displaying her graceful arms without an unseemly show of flesh.
SKANDRANON RASKAE IS EVERYTHING A GRYPHON SHOULD BE…
with gleaming ebony feathers, majestic wingspan, keen magesight, and sharp intelligence, he is the fulfillment of all that the Mage of Silence, the human sorcerer called urtho, intended to achieve when he created these magical beings to be his champions, the defenders of his realm – a verdant plain long coveted by the evil mage Ma’ar.
And now, as Ma’ar is once again preparing to advance on Urtho’s Keep, this time with a huge force spearheaded by magical constructs of his own, Skandranon is sent to spy across enemy lines, cloaked in the protection of Urtho’s powerful Spell of Silence.
As days pass and Skandranon doesn’t return, all in Urtho’s camp wait anxiously. but there is one among them for whom the possible loss of this great bird will be more than just a major military defeat. Amberdrake – a Healer of boyd, mind, and spirit whose talents are as essential to the army as those of any general – waits on the landing strip with anguish in his heart. For Amberdrake has come to value the vain, cocksure, and brave Skandranon as his closest friend and comrade, and he now fears that this prince of gryphons will never return…
It’s been a little while since I picked up a Valdemar book. Mostly because as much as I love them, they are often pretty heart wrenching. There is always some kind of abuse or emotional turmoil that just doesn’t seem to be as prominent in many of the other fantasy books that I read. So I honestly need to make sure that I’m in a good headspace whenever I pick up one of these novels… which I was when I picked up The Black Gryphon. And boy am I glad. It was enjoyable, fun and an absolutely great read. Even if there was still that signature Lackey tragedy that made the enjoyment a little less… joyful.
Writing this review, it is actually really difficult to pinpoint those aspects of this story that I really enjoyed. It took me a few chapters to really get sunk into the storyline. I think mostly because in the other Valdemar books that I’ve read so far, the characters are somehow known. Mostly they know each other. But even in The Last Herald Mage, the lead character has been mentioned again and again and again throughout the later books in the series. That’s not really the case for this. Not only are there totally new characters and events that I can’t remember being mentioned in the later books (that I read earlier). But there are also whole new species, gryphons and the such and different groups of people who have totally different names. It took quite a bit to get used to.
After I started to get connected to the characters however, I realised what a great series this is. Or at least, what a great novel to start off a series. Skan might not be human, but I think he is one of my favourite characters in this series. He is strong and sarcastic. Plus, I absolutely adored the constant inner dialogue whenever he’s doing something kind of stupid. Even if that stupid has the best of intentions…
Although this isn’t really like any of the other Valdemar books, I can see how the characters and groups of species / people act as the precursors to the rest of the books. You can see a hint here and there of the collegium and the healers and the different schools of learning throughout the books that I’ve already read. And I’m honestly looking forward to understanding more of this as the series unfolds. That and finding out more about Skan, Winterheart and all of the other wonderful characters.
‘Tis the Season-for 14 more magical, macabre and merry tales to make your Holidays … Fantastic! Gingerbread houses, caroling carolers, brightly trimmed trees, big family dinners, pristine snowfalls … the familiar pleasures of the season. But what better pleasure is there than a good holiday story? So open this winter solstice sampler and indulge in funny festive fantasies, nightmares before Christmas, and stunning space-age celebrations … these stories will warms hearts and minds like a blazing Yule log. Fantastic Holiday Stories by Kevin J. Anderson, Mercedes Lackey, Mike Resnick, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jonathan Maberry, Eric James Stone, Nina Kiriki Hoffman., Quincy J Allen, Ken Scholes, Sam Knight, David Boop, Heather Graham, Brad R. Torgersen, Patricia Briggs
I bought this collection because the very last story is a short story in the Mercedes Thompson series that I don’t yet have. And I started reading this last year to try and get me into the Christmas spirit. And it worked. Beautifully. Fantastically. I’m actually sad that it’s over, even if I finished it after the Holiday Season…
The stories in this collection run the gambit from cutsie
little fantasy tales to convoluted and entertaining science fiction tales. They
fit into series and stand by themselves. And it’s this range that I truly love.
After all, the reason why I tend to read so many short story collections at
once is that they get a bit same-same with their tales. The fact that these are
far more varied made this collection a little more difficult to put down, and a
lot more fun to read than usual.
It’s the longest night of the year, and the night that dark things stalk the halls. Especially for a student who is spending her Christmas away from her crime-fighting family in a school created for students of magic.
I first heard of Krampus a few years ago when an Austrian friend came to stay with me. She showed me YouTube footage of the celebration, and damn is it terrifying! Although, I can understand why some parents would want to tell their children the legend of Krampus – a lump of coal isn’t enough of a deterrent to stop them from being absolute terrors…
I’ve read a few of Lackey’s Valdemar series, and one of the things that I love about them is the fact that they’re kind of dark. There is no glory and sugar coating, but the story is always about someone who has some serious psychological issues and damage. It turns out that her short stories are no different. One of the girls featured in this believes that she is so naughty and evil that she deserves a visit from Krampus. Which, of course, means that all hell breaks loose. Because hey, this is a story featuring magic and mayhem.
Although The Longest Night has a dark sense overlaying the story. But, it still encompasses the spirit of Christmas. The idea of joy and love and caring for one another. At least, for me, that is something that I’ve always felt Christmas to be about…
Title: Bastion Author: Mercedes Lackey Series: The Collegium Chronicles #5, Valdemar #11 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Fantasy Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Daw fantasy Year: 2013 5th sentence, 74th page: If anything, it was with a certain measure of relief.
When Herald Trainee Mags was abducted by two magical foreign assassins, he spent weeks drugged, robbed of his Mindspeech, and unable to communicate with Dallen, his Companion. Trapped in terrifying, drug-induced dreams, his only moments of peace came from brief visions of a woman who he felt might be his mother. Though he eventually managed to escape his captors, he left with many unanswered questions.
Moreover, Mags knows that, after searching for him for years, the assassins will not give up.
Mags has powerful allies in Haven, and together, the heads of Herald’s Collegium devised a plan: to send Mags, all of his friends and loved ones, and other trained fighters into the hills to a stronghold called The Bastion. Banded together, they are less vulnerable to the assassins, less likely to be picked off one by one.
The Bastion is the same stronghold where Mags’ parents had been murdered by bandits. The drugs he’d been given opened up memories that couldn’t be his – and gave him knowledge of fighting styles unknown in Valdemar. Perhaps his new-found memories will spark recognition in the place where his parents had once been imprisoned. Mags might unlock the secret of who his parents had been and, in doing so, finally know his own identity.
This was a fantastic conclusion to the Collegium Chronicles. The slow lead up to understanding Mags’ past and his integration into the Heraldic society finally hits its climax and we are welcomed into a new age for Mags and his cohort. Getting a completely open look into his past let’s all the pieces of the puzzle that Lackey so painstakingly laid out fall into place.
I love this conclusion to the Collegium Chronicles, but there was never one story or challenge throughout the series (unlike say, the overall battle between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort). I’ve found this throughout the majority of Lackey’s books thus far, there isn’t one over-arching tale, but rather, a group of little ones. Normally I would find this tactic within writing really frustrating, after all, a character needs a good character arc. But in Lackey’s books, it works very well. The character arc is about finding oneself and your place in life, rather than an epic battle or one single lightbulb moment of self-discovery. This uniqueness is what keeps me coming back to Lackey’s books again and again.
Mags and Amily’s relationship is one of the least drastic literary relationships that I have ever come across. And I love it. They don’t have a passionate and all-consuming love, and there is almost no drama throughout their courtship. They are both quiet and contained people, and this shows in the way that they handle themselves in their relationship. It’s the way in which they are so distinctly different from others that draws me in. It’s a great reminder of the fact that love takes many forms and it doesn’t have to be bright and flashy to be real.
Title: Redoubt Author: Mercedes Lackey Series: The Collegium Chronicles #4, Valdemar #10 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Fantasy Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Daw fantasy Year: 2012 5th sentence, 74th page: Without the armor, without helmets, without the padding, this was just a romp.
CAPTURED!
Life at the Heralds’ Collegium in Haven has definitely improved for Mags. He’s even become something of a hero since risking his life to rescue his girlfriend Amily – daughter of Nikolas, the King’s Own Herald – from Karsite kidnappers. His training as an undercover agent for the crown is progressing. he is no longer the “foreigner” so many students distrusted. Life is good.
But Mags still doesn’t know who his parents were, and though he knows there are skilled, determined assassins hunting for him, hired by Karse, Valdemar’s longstanding enemy, he doesn’t know why. So it is necessary for mags to be always on his guard.
Mags has grown extremely strong, agile, and remarkably adept at running across rooftops, slipping down drain pipes, and sneaking unseen along dark alleyways. But now it is time for Mags to graduate to a new role: Nikolas’ partner and information broker. And Mags discovers that he’s quite good at his new job. So good, in fact, that Nikolas decides to let him run the undercover operation in town along one hot summer night.
Mags has barely unlocked the shop when everything goes black in a blinding flash of pain.
He wakes with an agonizing headache, bound, blind-folded, in a conveyance of some kind. But worst of all, he’s head-blind. No Mindspeech – he can’t even sense his Companion Dallen. And if he can’t sense or hear Dallen, then no one can sense him. And if no one can sense him, then this may well be his demise.
We all have a past, and no matter how hard we run from it, it will come back to haunt us. It’s true that the past has shaped us and all of those wonderful clichés, and Lackey reminds us beautifully of this in Redoubt. Mags doesn’t remember his past, but it constantly reappears in his life to torture and harass himself and his friends. It’s a fact that both fascinated and frustrated me throughout the story – it was easy to understand that Mags’ biological family had some amount of importance, but that was it. I like to know things, so not knowing drove me a little crazy. So, it was wonderful to finally find out more about his family and past.
Not only is Mags forced to confront his past in Redoubt, but it also takes him hostage – quite literally. He is taken, drugged and enforced to relive moments that he never knew existed. Although I know that my past won’t literally turn up out of nowhere and take me into the woods, it is a strong reminder that ignoring what has been before can bite you in the ass.
Mags’ horrifying upbringing is a bi-story throughout the series, and his innate toughness is really bought to the fore in this story. It is such a strong reminder that we can survive whatever is thrown at us, as long as we are strong (or stubborn) enough. He is in the worst of situations, but his physical and mental stubbornness allows him to survive and eventually return to his people.
Title: Changes Author: Mercedes Lackey Series: The Collegium Chronicles #3, Valdemar #9 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Fantasy Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Daw fantasy Year: 2011 5th sentence, 74th page: Mags noted how the young man was acutely sensitive to any vibration, looking almost immediately when the floor trembled the slightest bit as someone nearby dropped something heavy.
THE SPY TRAINEE
Mags was a Herald Trainee in the brand new Heraldic Collegium in Haven, Valdemar’s capital city. Though his background of unimaginable poverty and abuse set him apart from most other trainees, nonetheless he had found his own special group of friends. Bear, Lena, and Amily were all students whose situations in life set them apart from more usual trainees, and together the four friends struggled to help one another find the solutions to their individual problems.
But Mags’ friendship with Amily brought him to the attention of her father Nikolas – the King’s Own. The seemingly immortal Companion Rolan had Chosen Nikolas to suit the specific needs of the current monarch, and those needs were for an agent who could collect information surreptitiously – a King’s Own spy. Nikolas recognized the same traits in Mags that Rolan had recognized in him. Both were inconspicuous with an almost uncanny ability to fade into the woodwork. Both could mimc low-class behavior and pidgin speech. Both were unusually expert at observing the situations around them, and at ferreting out hidden motives.
So Mags began training as Nikolas’ partner. They worked in disguise at night in one of the seedier parts of Haven, where Nikolas had set up a false identity as a pawnbroker and fence. Hiding in the shadows behind the desk, pretending to neither hear nor speak, Mags could better “observe” the clients, and even the surrounding neighborhood. And Nikolas could send him out on “errands” to chase down leads.
But this new job was far more dangerous than Mags had ever considered. For there were mysterious agents in the city – agents who sought to bring down the kingdom, and no one knew where they came from or who they worked for. They were smart, talented, and preternaturally fast. And most of all they were willing to do anything – anything – to bring Valdemar to ruin.
The challenges that Bear started facing with his familial issues really come to light in Changes. The conflict that starts to build in Intrigues is heightened and Lackey poignantly reminds us that family isn’t everything. I loved the contrast with Amily and Lydia’s families, they show exactly what unconditional love is all about. It’s a great reminder that blood isn’t everything and sometimes it is actually okay to say goodbye to family.
The other great theme in this story is that of Amily. She undergoes surgery to remove her crippling injuries. Not only is she able to finally walk around on her own, but Lackey reminds us that crippling sometimes isn’t just of the body, but also of the heart. Amily’s ability to simply move around on her own gives her a greater feeling of self-confidence and assurance. She undergoes physical repair, but it is the social and emotional restoration that really means something in this story.
Although this story is still focused upon Mags, it is the journey of his friends and pseudo-family that really drive it home. Lackey has an uncanny ability to take issues that we all face in our daily lives and use them to construct a story that engages and enthrals us. Her stories remind us that some issues are universal and love is worth fighting for, even if it’s not the love of our blood family.
Title: Intrigues Author: Mercedes Lackey Series: The Collegium Chronicles #2, Valdemar #8 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Fantasy Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Daw fantasy Year: 2010 5th sentence, 74th page: This is important enough that they are about to be intercepted.
FOREIGN BLOOD
Mags has been an orphan working in a gem mine when his life was saved by his companion, Dallen, who took him to Haven to be trained as a Herald. Now he was never hunger and never cold. He slept in a real bed in his own room and, most importantly, he had Dallen, who was like another part of himself. And yet, aside from Lena and Bear, both loners like Mags, he couldn’t relate to most of the Herald, Healer, or Bard trainees. He was the only trainee who came from what – to the others – was unimaginable poverty. And since Mags had no tolerance for the chronic complaining of his fellow trainees, this kept him feeling like an outsider, even though he was part of an elite corps of students.
But there were other factors that contributed to his isolation. For Mags had been “recognized” by foreign assassins fleeing the court. These spies had escaped the Royal Guard and never been questioned. Now, Mags was an object of suspicion among his fellow students, and even some of his teachers. After this incident it seemed far more urgent to discover exactly who his parents were. And at Haven, he had access to the extensive Archives.
Poring through the Archives, day after day, Mags finally got some answers, but they were incomplete: his parents, found dead in a bandit camp, had been two of a number of hostages, some of whom had survived. These survivors had told the Guard that Mags’ parents spoke a language that no one understood or even recognized. So Mags’ parents were foreigners, though from what country no one seemed to have any idea.
But rather than help his situation, this information did just the opposite, for ForeSeers had been having visions of the king being assassinated by “one of foreign blood” and some had even Seen Mags with blood on his hands.
How could Mags defend himself against a crime that hadn’t yet been committed?
Intrigues returns us to the world of Mags’ and the building of the Heralds Collegium. Mags is finally settling in to his new life and his small group of friends. I love that he isn’t a popular kid, he has a select few with whom he is close, and that is enough. I’ve never understood the idea of quantity over quality with friends, and Lackey helps to drive this home. You only need a few people who really care about you, not an entourage of characters that just happen to be there.
Lackey always deals with the idea of the ‘other’ really well. Intrigues highlights this through the use of Mags’ foreign blood and the ease with which his peers believe in his guilt. The way he is completely ostracised from the group because of the vague predictions of a future teller is incredibly cruel. But, the way that his friends choose to rally to his aid is a reminder of the importance of quality in relationships, something that can be really difficult to find.
This theme of bad luck and misunderstanding is even echoed in Mags’ own friendships towards the end of the story. Childish misinterpretations and jealousies not only further this, but also remind us that we all have a little evil in ourselves. No one is perfect, and there is nothing more frustrating than reading a story about a perfect protagonist. Mags’ self-doubt and insecurities about his own worth as a human makes him even more relatable. And has given him a special place in my heart.
Title: Foundation Author: Mercedes Lackey Series: The Collegium Chronicles #1, Valdemar #7 Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Fantasy Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Daw fantasy Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: Outside the windows, the sun was setting.
THE BUILDING OF THE HERALDS’ COLLEGIUM
Mags has slaved at the gem mines for as long as he could remember, completely unaware of how unusual his paltry existence was – until some strangers on huge white horses forced their way past the mine owners and carried him away to Haven to become a Herald Trainee.
Suddenly the whole world opened up for him. He was warm and well fed for the first time in his life, and he had Dallen, his Companion, who seemed more miraculous than an angel. But the world of the Collegium was not all heavenly. there was political upheaval in Valdemar’s capital, for the ancient way of training Heralds – the system of one-on-one mentoring that had been successful for centuries – was failing. Many veteran Heralds had died in the wars, and there were too many Trainees to go around. A Heralds’ Collegium was being built, and many thought it was wrong to train Heralds in classrooms the same way the Bardic and Healer Trainees were schooled. But dissent among the Heralds was no the only discord in Haven, for the court had been infiltrated by foreign “diplomats,” who seemed to be more interested in seeding discontent than in actual diplomacy… and Mags seemed to be the only one who’d noticed…
Foundation was a really unique book in my eyes. Most books have a very specific plot line and journey through the chief protagonist’s life. Foundation, not so much. It’s almost like a huge introduction for the remaining three books in the series. Not that this is a bad thing. Of all of the Mercedes Lackey books I’ve had the pleasure of reading, it is Mags that I feel the most connected to. So much so that when I finished reading this series, I turned right around and started to read it again.
Lackey has this incredible ability to take real human tragedy and cruelty, and show you how it can affect a person’s sense of self, confidence and even physical well-being. Foundation is no different. Child slavery is still occurring throughout the world, and it is something that most of us don’t really want to think about. Especially when it is all too easy to imagine the same thing happening to your own loved and cherished ones. So, the telling of Mags’ journey from child slave (really no better than a wild animal) to Herald hit me hard. There is something especially terrifying about the corruption and destruction of childhood innocence. At least for me. Mags’ childhood and back story made me appreciate my own life and upbringing to a whole new level.
Foundation is the first book in my favourite Valdemar series thus far. The combination of the creation of the Collegium, Dallen’s humour and Mags’ gratefulness for the simple things in life bought these characters to life and made me turn the pages again and again and again. Combine that with the beauty and simplicity of Bear and Lena’s friendship, and this story was very sweet and enthralling in its every word.
Earth and Skye 