One of My All Time Favorite Novels, Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey

It was very difficult to choose a favorite novel. I have a library that includes over 1,100 books and I have read many more. After some searching through all the books I have enjoyed, I can narrow my favorites to two trilogies. One is the first three books in the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling, and the second is The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. I decided to write about Magic's Pawn which is the first book in The Last Herald Mage trilogy. The Last Herald Mage trilogy is part of the larger Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey. I am writing about Magic's Pawn for two reasons. I have already written about Lynn Flewelling's series and I have probably read Magic's Pawn more times than any book I own. I love this novel and the rest of the trilogy for several reasons. I absolutely adore Vanyel. His story is heartbreaking and I feel for him every step of the way. I love the world that Lackey has constructed for us. There are 7 other trilogies and 5 other stand alone novels is this series. There is only one trilogy that I don't care for. I also enjoy that way she employs current issues into her fantasy world. Vanyel is a homosexual character and is persecuted by other characters because of it. He is also from the nobility so we also have class issues present in the novel. So while these novels are fantastical they are also relevant. This is the book I pick up when my life is crazy and I can't believe my bad luck. No matter how bad my life is at the moment, Vanyel's story is more heartbreaking. It gives me the perspective to buck up and carry on. Lackey's writing style is also easy to read, her characters are realistic and endearing. Her books are always and enjoyable and quick read for me.

Background: The Valdemar series is set in the kingdom of Valdemar. The Kingdom of Valdemar is a very unique place. Women can be rulers, and the government tries to be fair as possible. There are four types of gifted people in Valdemar. Bards--who sing so that you are transported into or experience firsthand the song; Healers--those who have herb knowledge and those that can use their energy to heal someone magically; Mages (which are in some books and not in some) who would be your magic users or could include people with gifts like fire starting, fetching and farseeing; and Heralds. Heralds are the focus of many of the Valdemar novels as is the case in the Last Herald Mage Trilogy. Heralds are people who are selected by mythical white horses called Companions. Companions are intelligent and can mind speak to their chosen whether or not their chosen has that particular gift. They have the ability to see inside the person to determine whether or not they are good people therefore no inherently bad people are chosen. Not to say they can't have stretched the law a bit'"one of the chosen in the The Heralds of Valdemar series is a thief. Heralds act as the law in Valdemar. They help defend the borders if necessary and generally ride circuits around the kingdom to settle disputes within the kingdom and to spread royal edict information. A Herald's word is the law within the Kingdom so that the rulings they make stand as law, although big decisions must be approved by the king or queen, who usually is also a Herald. Heralds often have different gifts (whatever is needed by Valdemar at the time) one was a thief, there was a fire starter, a mage, all types. Each trilogy usually tells the story of one particular Herald and the reason why he was chosen or how his gift was needed by Valdemar. Most of the time we have heard of the famous Heralds before, Vanyel is mentioned in the first series written, Levan Fire-starter (a stand alone book) was mentioned somewhere else in the series, To Take a Thief tells the story of side character in The Heralds of Valdemar series, etc. The books themselves are not written in chronological order. The Heralds of Valdemar series is actually the first series that was written. The Last Herald Mage series came later even though chronologically it happened before the other series. Lackey periodically goes back and fills in historical gaps in the series.

Plot: Vanyel is a young nobleman. He is lithe, wiry and beautiful which is everything his father is not. He father reminds him of that fact every day. Vanyel wants nothing to but to be a bard and his father wants him to be more a manly man since he will one day be in charge of the keep. After some family confrontations that don't end well, Vanyel's Aunt Savil steps in and takes Vanyel back to the capital city of Haven. Vanyel's Aunt is a Herald and a Mage and thinks perhaps some time away from his father and some education will help Vanyel. She also gets him tested for the Bard gift. He has two of the three markers to make him a Master Bard but that is not enough to get him out of his birthright of running the estate, if he had only been second born. Savil also has a herald apprentice. In Vanyel's time, each herald took on an apprentice whose gifts were like their own. They trained them and taught them how to be a proper herald and even rode circuits (think court circuits equivalent) with them. Vanyel falls in love with Savil's apprentice. This love will change Vanyel's life forever. It will lead him through trials, heartbreaks, tragedies, and successes that he would have never experience any other way. It's a story of growing up, accepting loss, and responsibility and getting on or through life. I am not giving away any more plot details. It's a journey best seen through the discovery of reading it yourself.

What I enjoy most about Mercedes Lackey's books is her characters. She writes spectacular characters. There is not a herald I do not enjoy (that's any novel in any series), and several I really love. Vanyel is by far my favorite. They are believable characters each with their own downfalls but each has a hero inside them. They each struggle with their own personal issues which are ones you could be struggling with yourself. Each character has their own depth. For me Lackey's Valdemar novels are engaging, and entertaining. They move quickly and have relatively little sex and violence in them for fantasy novels. Her plots are spiced with action and intrigue, and just a little romance.

My sister and I wait on baited breath for new installments to the series. We are both big fans. For us, these are sit down and read them in one sitting books. Magic's Pawn and all of the Valdemar series are fantastic books and if you good fantasy worlds with magic and good plots then this is a series you have got to try.