Reviews

Vanyel Ashkevron, Herald-Mage of Valdemar, is no longer young, and no longer on the front lines. His tremendous talents of mind and magic – along with an impressive reputation – are employed within the walls of Haven, running the kingdom of Valdemar according to the wishes of King Randale. But Randale’s health is failing fast, and there are other problems lurking just out of sight. The “ordinary” Heralds, without Vanyel’s mage-talents, feel themselves worthless in comparison… and the feeling is returned by the people of Valdemar, who would rather deal with a problem themselves then call for help and receive just an ordinary Herald.

Vanyel Ashkevron, Herald-Mage of Valdemar, has faced the worst that the world can throw at him. Karsite demons, enemy mages, creatures from the Pelagirs; he has faced and defeated them all. The bards he once aspired to join now sing songs of his exploits to a rapt nation. Young women worship his image while fearing to approach a legend. Even his teacher, Savil, acknowledges that Vanyel’s talents have exceeded her own in many areas.

The Eye of the World is the first novel in Robert Jordan’s epic series Wheel of Time. The series, which began in 1985 and presently spans more than 10 books, has been wildly popular ever since. The author has described the first part of The Eye of the World as a homage to Tolkien’s epic trilogy. Whether the series is worthy of that comparison remains to be seen, but there are certainly many elements that the initial part of both series have in common.

Magic’s Pawn, the first book in Mercedes Lackey’s The Last Herald-Mage trilogy, is a superb coming-of-age adventure. The trilogy itself is without a doubt the best thing Lackey has ever written, and represents required reading for fantasy fans even if the rest of Lackey’s work holds no appeal. The story begins approximately two centuries prior to the events of Arrows of the Queen, at time when mages were still well-known within Valdemar…

Having made their reputation as independent mercenaries, Tarma and Kethry set out to advance their careers by joining an established mercenary company. Their hope is simple enough: work hard, rise up through the ranks, and eventually, attract the attention of a noble with land to grant and some need that only Tarma and Kethry can soothe. For values of soothing that involve swords and sorcery, of course. As with all of Lackey’s Valdemar novels, the characters end up finding what they were looking for.

Shadow Games is the first of the Books of the South, the second part of the Chronicles of the Black Company. Following the events of The White Rose and roughly contemporaneous with The Silver Spike, Shadow Games follows Croaker and the Black Company on the first steps of their quest to return to their origins… the almost-mythical city of Khatovar, across the equator and nearly seven thousand miles of marching from the Lady’s tower at Charm.

Continuing the Chronicles of the Black Company, The Silver Spike tells the tale of events following the climatic clash in The White Rose. In the aftermath of that battle, the surviving core of the Black Company went one way, and the supports of the White Rose another.. leaving the soul of the Dominator imprisoned in a silver spike, buried deep in the heartwood of a sapling demigod. But evil calls to evil, and what man’s soul is immune to the temptations of wealth and power?

Arrow’s Fall completes the story of Talia, Queen’s Own Herald of Valdemar. Returning from her internship, Talia’s friends and allies at Court welcome her back with the news that the Queen is considering a betrothal for Elspeth, heir to the throne, at the insistence of her advisors. The betrothal offer came from Ancar of Hardorn, a neighboring kingdom with a history of friendship, if not outright alliance, but something about the situation doesn’t sit right with the Queen – nor with the Queen’s Own.

The story of Tarma and Kathry, shin’a’in swordsworn and white-winds mage, begins as a short story published in a collection. After two or three stories, the characters made it into a full-fledged novel set slightly before the events in the Arrows of the Queen trilogy. Although this book successfully stands alone, readers will want to read the sequel Oathbreakers, and may also be interested in Oathblood (which collects the short stories concerning the two main characters into a single volume).

Arrow’s Flight is the second novel of the Arrows of the Queen trilogy, and the second in Mercedes Lackey’s tales of Valdemar. It picks up the story with the completion of Talia’s Collegium training, and about to begin her internship with one of the other Heralds. The internship period is the final test before becoming a full-fledged Herald, and it will take Talia out of the capital city of Haven and into the northern border areas of Valdemar.