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A review by ipomoea
Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey
4.0
I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is it, this is the book that has the scene you’ve heard about a dozen times over the years– King Valdemar goes into the grove, prays, and ta-daaaa: MAGIC HORSES. I first read this story in 1991, and I’ve been waiting for this to be told directly for 32 years. It’s more complicated, but it always is. If this trilogy is where you started your Lackey journey, that’s okay, it’s an unexpected entry point, but as long as you started with the first book in the trilogy, I think this book will make sense to you. If this is your first Lackey book, stop. Put it down. Go read something else.
The book starts ten years after settlement in Haven, with the Palace erected, the town walls built, and everyone settling into a new life. Against his wishes, the people have decided that Kordas Valdemar needs to be the king, as that’s what they’re used to, and he’s been the de facto leader of this group of settlers for the last decade. But of course, nothing is easy, and while right now there’s a good leader and a good heir, will there always be? And what’s up with that mysterious city in the distance where some settlers have left and traveled to join? In order to protect his people and their descendents, Kordas prays and prays and prays. He prays some more, people come to see, and three Companions show up, all “hoofbeats like bells” and blue-eyed horse spirits. This is when I started to get nit-picky. The Companion names (in the uncorrected proof I got an ARC of) are different from what’s in Arrows of the Queen (and the Valdemar Wiki), but whatever. There’s also Sunsinger and Shadowdancer, of “sad ballad” fame, and Windrider, and some of the lore isn’t quite right or really needs to be squinted at in the right light to see it as matching canon, but I’m willing to let it slide.
Throughout this trilogy, the Tayledras have been supporting characters in that “wise Native characters support the white people on their journey” way, yet they’re absent from previous Valdemar kingdom lore. This gap is neatly explained away, but after 30+ years of writing the Tayledras as “wise Natives”, it’s jarring in 2023 to still read them that way. Lackey has been trying to evolve her characters and writing to meet contemporary norms (especially regarding gender-diverse people), but this is an area that maaaaybe hasn’t quite evolved that much.
Overall, if you’ve been a Lackey reader for years, this is worth reading. The pivotal moment in Valdemaran history is in here, and you’ve been waiting for it. If you’re a casual fantasy reader, this isn’t the book for you, this is entertaining fan service.
This is it, this is the book that has the scene you’ve heard about a dozen times over the years– King Valdemar goes into the grove, prays, and ta-daaaa: MAGIC HORSES. I first read this story in 1991, and I’ve been waiting for this to be told directly for 32 years. It’s more complicated, but it always is. If this trilogy is where you started your Lackey journey, that’s okay, it’s an unexpected entry point, but as long as you started with the first book in the trilogy, I think this book will make sense to you. If this is your first Lackey book, stop. Put it down. Go read something else.
The book starts ten years after settlement in Haven, with the Palace erected, the town walls built, and everyone settling into a new life. Against his wishes, the people have decided that Kordas Valdemar needs to be the king, as that’s what they’re used to, and he’s been the de facto leader of this group of settlers for the last decade. But of course, nothing is easy, and while right now there’s a good leader and a good heir, will there always be? And what’s up with that mysterious city in the distance where some settlers have left and traveled to join? In order to protect his people and their descendents, Kordas prays and prays and prays. He prays some more, people come to see, and three Companions show up, all “hoofbeats like bells” and blue-eyed horse spirits. This is when I started to get nit-picky. The Companion names (in the uncorrected proof I got an ARC of) are different from what’s in Arrows of the Queen (and the Valdemar Wiki), but whatever. There’s also Sunsinger and Shadowdancer, of “sad ballad” fame, and Windrider, and some of the lore isn’t quite right or really needs to be squinted at in the right light to see it as matching canon, but I’m willing to let it slide.
Throughout this trilogy, the Tayledras have been supporting characters in that “wise Native characters support the white people on their journey” way, yet they’re absent from previous Valdemar kingdom lore. This gap is neatly explained away, but after 30+ years of writing the Tayledras as “wise Natives”, it’s jarring in 2023 to still read them that way. Lackey has been trying to evolve her characters and writing to meet contemporary norms (especially regarding gender-diverse people), but this is an area that maaaaybe hasn’t quite evolved that much.
Overall, if you’ve been a Lackey reader for years, this is worth reading. The pivotal moment in Valdemaran history is in here, and you’ve been waiting for it. If you’re a casual fantasy reader, this isn’t the book for you, this is entertaining fan service.