The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey is a
compilation of three books that tell the story of Herald-Mage Vanyel,
originally published separately as: Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Promise, and Magic’s Price.
This m/m fantasy collection starts with Magic’s Pawn that
introduces Vanyel Ashkevron and details his harsh upbringing and eventual
relocation to stay with his aunt, Herald-Mage Savil, where he learns to follow
his heart and allows him to discover his own worth. Meeting the extremely talented and
charismatic Tylendel changes his life, but attention-starved Vanyel may not
have enough resources to deal with the challenges of a personal relationship.
Magic’s Promise follows Vanyel as he deals with the
responsibilities of being a Herald-Mage in the face of increasing threats to
the kingdom, both from without and within.
Vanyel also copes with the challenges of family, both acknowledged and
unacknowledged, plus adds a new charge to his overwhelming burdens. Again and again, Vanyel must be willing to
give his all, until he figures out what magic’s promise truly is.
Magic’s Price details the radical changes in both Valdemar
and Vanyel’s life that will have lasting effects. There are also frightening shifts in Karse
even as Valdemar’s king is fading and the heir makes a radical decision of her
own. The bard Stefen finds a way to make
himself invaluable but Vanyel discovers there’s much more to him than he
realized, which is good, because the weapons being utilized to attack Valdemar
and its inhabitants are unlike anything the Herald Mages are used to and every
defense becomes vitally important. As
evil mounts, it is possible that all will be lost, and the price of safety may
be higher than anyone can possibly pay.
I fell in love with this author’s Valdemar series several
decades ago. This was fantasy that
intrigued me, combining a well-built world with magic and the fascination of
horse-type beings who were wise and able to communicate with their special
partners. Combining my love of animals
with my fascination for magic and ESP, these stories transported me a place
that inspired me to believe that there was a place where at least one being
could find the best in one and always be there for you. Then I read these three stories, probably
some of the first m/m fiction that I had been exposed to at that time. Wow. I
couldn’t remember crying while reading a story before, and while I was
horrified by some of the occurrences in these tales I was still anxious to read
more. In retrospect, it is fascinating
the way the author expanded on the mystique of Valdemar and laid the groundwork
for tales about some of the surrounding lands which have their own complex
relationship with magic and gods and the ongoing struggle between good and
evil. Getting a chance to glimpse beings
such as the Hawkbrothers (yum), learning new words such as shay’a’chern/shaych
(which was a far kinder term for being gay than some of the ones I was hearing
in real life), and being exposed to a society where there are those who are
capable of learning from their mistakes yet go on to do wondrous and heroic
deeds all inspired me just as much as the stories coming from a certain popular
science fiction series did. It is not
often I think of tales as life-changing, but I consider these to have changed
my life and attitude at the time, making me take a look at the world around me
and want to change it for the better.
Having the opportunity to read these stories again so many
years later reaffirms my fascination with Mercedes Lackey’s Bard-like
voice. I was amazed to realize that
despite fuzzily remembering some of the horrific events from my previous
exposure to these tales, I was still brought to tears (pretty embarrassing,
since I was in a doctor’s office at the time, lol) and strongly invested in the
characters. It was fun to realize how
things played out with some of the other threads and I was reminded how many
different peoples I came to know and admire in these books that connect with
Valdemar. Please be advised that there
are themes that may serve as triggers to those who are sensitive to them, and a
dismaying number of losses occur throughout as can be inferred by the title of
the trilogy. This is still one of my
favorite trilogies in the fantasy genre and I am delighted that this author has
written 95 books and is still going strong.
Make sure you set aside plenty of time once you start the book…and don’t
forget to have tissues close at hand!
A copy of this title was provided to me for review.
© Night Owl Reviews
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