About this title: The first in a new trilogy. In this chronicle of the early history of Valdemar, a 13-year-old orphan named Magpie escapes a life of slavery in the gem mines after he is chosen by one of the magical Companion horses of Valdemar to be trained as a Herald.
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Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DAW Hardcover
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780756405243ISBN:0756405246
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DAW Hardcover
Date Published: 2008-10-07
ISBN-13:9780756405243ISBN:0756405246
Description: New in New jacket. New Hardback Book With Publisher's Inventory Mark. We ship 6 days a week, generally within 24 hours; single CDs and DVDs upgraded to 1st class! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DAW Hardcover
Date Published: 2008-10-07
ISBN-13:9780756405243ISBN:0756405246
Description: Like New. Excellent copy ~ 1st Printing ~ DJ in excellent condition showing modest edgewear/rubbing ~ HC in excellent condition showing a very minor bump to top corner front board ~ Inside pages clean ~ Binding tight & square ~ read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DAW Hardcover
ISBN-13:9780756405243ISBN:0756405246
Description: Used-Very Good in Good jacket. FIRST EDITION hardcover; Corner Wear; Clean Pages; DJ Shelf Wear; Edge Wear; book has minor shelf wear; Tight Spine; Very good condition. Reliable customer service and no-hassle return policy. read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Daw Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780756405243ISBN:0756405246
Description: New in new dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 340 p. Collegium Chronicles (Hardcover), 1. Audience: General/trade. Brand New-Gift Quality In a plastic cover read more
Description: New. AUDIOBOOK. NOT A BOOK! Please order accordingly! All Audiobooks are in the original factory sealed shrinkwrap box! Box may show signs of dents, etc. All CD's Are guaranteed to play! Audio CD, New, 2008, read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Daw Books
Date Published: 2008-10-07
ISBN-13:9780756405243ISBN:0756405246
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780756405243. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DAW Hardcover
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780756405243ISBN:0756405246
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Spoken Word Compact Disc
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Date Published: 2008-10-07
ISBN-13:9781423307570ISBN:1423307577
Description: NEW. Spoken Word Compact Disc. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781423307570. read more
Binding: Audio CD
Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridge
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781423307570ISBN:1423307577
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Spoken Word Compact Disc
Publisher: Brilliance Audio Lib Edn
Date Published: 2008-10-07
ISBN-13:9781423307921ISBN:1423307925
Description: NEW. Spoken Word Compact Disc. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781423307921. read more
Binding: Audio CD
Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridge
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781423307921ISBN:1423307925
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
"Read my first Valdemar book in the late 80s and have loved most of these books. I really liked going back to the founding of the Heralds' Collegium and beginning a new story in somewhat familiar surroundings. Another good book with interesting characters, intrigue, magic, and suspense . . . and, of course, Companions."
"I was so excited when I saw that Lackey finally came out with a new book in her Valdemar series. I've been waiting years for a new full length Valdemar book and was disappointed when she wrote on her website she was taking a break writing her Valdemar books especially since I haven't enjoyed any of her other new books. While I thought Foundation wasn't bad it's definitely not going to be one of my favorites that I read and reread again and again. Lackey seems to be setting it up for a series, maybe a trilogy, like her other books. So hopefully book 2 will be better. I definitely like Mags' character and will be interested to find out his history and why he was labeled as "bad blood".
I am also interested to see if Cole Pieters will be back in a later book. You never really hear what happens to him and Mags keeps worrying that Cole will be back to get his revenge. It's hard to say if that thought was just a part of his character and his fear is supposed to go away as he becomes more comfortable as a Herald or if it is a sign of things to come. So while I give this book only a 3 I will definitely be waiting for the next book to find out what happens."
"How to write a Mercedes Lackey Valdemar book in Three Easy Steps:
Step One: Create a main character who is abused, socially stunted, living in abject poverty, living with religious zealots, or gay.
Step Two: Have a Companion choose them.
Step Three: Upon arrival in Haven, have them be awkward but keenly observant, picking up on a dastardly plot no one else has noticed, thereby saving the kingdom, while making friends, becoming more secure in their Gifts, and learning a few valuable life lessons along the way.
Step Four (Optional): If you write a sequel, try to switch up the gender of the main character or at least give him/her a different sort of Companion. If the first was "mothering", make this one "sassy", "headstrong" or "wise beyond it's years". Also, it might be cool to add some smoochie stuff.
Mocking aside, OMG I missed Valdemar books! They all follow almost the exact same plot, but who doesn't like to see a character grow and mature, find their place in the world, and save the whole Kingdom? How brilliant was this woman to craft a series with a couple hundred years of timeline to fill in, one book at a time?
This book explores the start of the Herald's Collegium and has some almost interesting negations with some neighboring country or other. I prefer the books that focus on Valdemar's neighbors (like Karse or Rethwellian) but I"ll take what I can get. There is such an ease in Lackey's writing and in the little details that make this world such a rich and diverse place to visit. Groundbreaking literature? Hardly, but it nicely reminded me why I can read Lackey books again and again."
"This was an enjoyable new entry into the Valdemar series. Not something I would recommend to somebody just starting in the "world" of Valdemar mostly because portions of it were a bit confusing and not well followed-through. (Still point people towards the Arrows of the Queen or Last Herald Mage series to begin.)
Now bunches of spoilers.
I had a hard time placing this in the chronology until mid-way through there was a reference to Stefan dying about two generations ago, so I was finally able to figure it out (shouldn't need to consult a story reference map for sense of time). A lot of space was wasted (to me) on a lot of description. I don't think I really needed to know that much about midwinter festivities; it's fine to include if it doesn't take the place of the story, but it really did. Nothing was really resolved in this book--just to name a few: Mags' heritage (lots of looking in archives, but no finding anything), the Herald/Bard/Healer problem (that had a great set-up but no follow-through), the Vrondi (how convenient that the only archive reference is water damaged, and wouldn't they have noticed the problem with mages entering the country decades earlier?), the Lydia story (good set-up for conflict but no follow-through with her father or any specific expectations), a revenge issue related to the mine (good set-up but again, no follow-through or word of how the issue was resolved). So frustrating! I just felt the whole way through that something should be happening, but it never went anywhere.
From the way Mags just kept saying things he wasn't thinking to help people resolve problems, I was anticipating him being the next Kings/Queens own, but then along comes the Kings Own, and I'm confused again. Same with the Bear issue--why would he lie to Mags about the herbs referenced in the archive not being interesting? Just seemed pointless.
I am intensely annoyed that there was such a confused ending. What?!? I don't even really know what happened. Why was Bear kidnapped? And suddenly this assassin shows up--from where? And why would he be crazy? I can take a vague big bad story continuing through a few books (even though this has been done to death--Talia? Vanyel? Elspeth? Every other story?) as long as there's some small resolution in the current story, or at least a clear setup for what's coming. I couldn't find any indication anywhere of when the next book is coming, or that this was the beginning of a trilogy, or duo, or anything else. And I felt like I was missing a few chapters at the end of this book because it just petered out at the end.
I always (except for Brightly Burning) enjoy Mercedes Lackey's books, but I'm frustrated that after five years we weren't given a more coherent, tighter story. Boo to the editor--a lot could have been fixed by a more significant revision of portions of the story."
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