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snjluc's review against another edition
4.0
I really like Mercedes Lackey's books, but it frustrates me that they all have so many typos. It makes me feel like someone along the way just doesn't care much about these books, and that makes me sad, because she writes such fun fantasy books.
faehistory's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hollyeula's review against another edition
3.0
Probably the best thing I can say for this book is that it is better then the previous two. The plot is clearer, and the characters are a bit more focused. Unlike the previous book, I did not find myself wishing passionately that the main character would die by the end of the book. Still, unlike other Valdemar books, I don't really like any of the characters. Worse, I'm not fascinated by them, or feel anything other than mild annoyance that they can't live up to prior characters in the series.
babble_75's review against another edition
4.0
I always like reading books set in the world of Valdemar. I've been reading this series of books for around 20 years, so it's comfortable and nostalgic. I could do without the CSI: Haven bit, and I need to find a timeline to see how far this is set before Arrows of the Queen.
I haven't given up hope that maybe sometime we'll get the origin story, the story of the original King Valdemar.
I haven't given up hope that maybe sometime we'll get the origin story, the story of the original King Valdemar.
maggpiebymoonlight's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
iffer's review against another edition
1.0
As another reviewer of a different Mercedes Lackey book wrote, "Mercedes Lackey is the comfort food of fantasy." I agree with this. My problem is, that even with that designation, this most recent trilogy, The Collegium Chronicles, was extremely disappointing.
The plot was slow; there were typos in all the volumes; and all the characters spent too much time whining. The amount of plot that was covered in three volumes should have been covered in one, and the main character wasn't likeable because he was just *too* nice, even assuming that heralds of Valdemar are supposed to be duty-driven straight arrows. Maybe it wasn't that he was too nice as much as that he was boring. Mags starts off as some country bumpkin with a heart of gold, and at the end of the THIRD novel, he's still portrays himself as a nice country boy (but not a bumpkin unless it's useful to disguise himself as ignorant) and you still haven't found out anything about his parents. I guess that the message of the novels is supposed to be that his mysterious unknown past shouldn't be important because he's found a new family and he's going to forge his own destiny, but this wasn't communicated particularly well. Furthermore, no messages, themes or any characterization was conveyed particularly well. In these novels, Lackey tells, over and over again, instead of showing the audience what she presumably wants them to get. Most of the Valdemar novels that have come out after Arrows of the Queen, The Last Herald Mage, and The Mage Winds trilogies have fallen somewhat flat, but these are the nadir. Either Lackey is fresh out of ideas, or she needs more time than her publisher (wanting to milk the Valdemar cash cow) is giving her to write a well-planned story.
The plot was slow; there were typos in all the volumes; and all the characters spent too much time whining. The amount of plot that was covered in three volumes should have been covered in one, and the main character wasn't likeable because he was just *too* nice, even assuming that heralds of Valdemar are supposed to be duty-driven straight arrows. Maybe it wasn't that he was too nice as much as that he was boring. Mags starts off as some country bumpkin with a heart of gold, and at the end of the THIRD novel, he's still portrays himself as a nice country boy (but not a bumpkin unless it's useful to disguise himself as ignorant) and you still haven't found out anything about his parents. I guess that the message of the novels is supposed to be that his mysterious unknown past shouldn't be important because he's found a new family and he's going to forge his own destiny, but this wasn't communicated particularly well. Furthermore, no messages, themes or any characterization was conveyed particularly well. In these novels, Lackey tells, over and over again, instead of showing the audience what she presumably wants them to get. Most of the Valdemar novels that have come out after Arrows of the Queen, The Last Herald Mage, and The Mage Winds trilogies have fallen somewhat flat, but these are the nadir. Either Lackey is fresh out of ideas, or she needs more time than her publisher (wanting to milk the Valdemar cash cow) is giving her to write a well-planned story.
bunnerz's review against another edition
4.0
Ratings - completed series:
#1 Foundation: ★★★★☆
#2 Intrigues: ★★★★☆
#3 Changes (this book): ★★★★☆
#4 Redoubt: ★★★★☆
#5 Bastion: ★★★☆☆
#1 Foundation: ★★★★☆
#2 Intrigues: ★★★★☆
#3 Changes (this book): ★★★★☆
#4 Redoubt: ★★★★☆
#5 Bastion: ★★★☆☆
alpettit's review against another edition
2.0
This is not Lackey’s best work. The story did not flow well or feel cohesive. It wasn’t plausible to me that a trainee would go with another Herald on such a dangerous mission, and be taken out of classes for it. The characters seem to lack depth and complexity, even though we’ve been following some of them for a while. The exception was Mags who grew up enough to fall in love, but somehow after years of education had not improved his diction. Speaking of, this book was poorly edited. Lots of typos.
alannabarras's review against another edition
3.0
My least favorite of the series, just because it felt more like filler than an actual plot in and of itself.