0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Storm Warning (The Mage Storms) book 1, 2008-03-18
I like her writings, but haven't read this one yet. The world she has created, Valdemar, is interesting and exciting.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Addiction began between 2 covers, 2005-05-27
Being one of the first of Lackey's books to pick up, I immediately became facinated by her explaination of life, religion, and society. This paticular novel started me on a quest to read the following books in the trilogy, which were not a disappointment. Her medium of fantasy certainly engages the reader to explore their own world in a different light, and to open up their minds to appreciate the differences in their own existence. I completely enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone with the slight interest in the fantasy genre.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Karsites in Valdemar!, 2003-12-02
I loved this book--especially the story line with Karel. I loved the fact that Misty has created a usefulness for the Blues and has developed their part in the Collegium and society as whole. Alos, Misty did a great job developing the entire Karsite side. Be patient with the Empire and stranded general plot lines: It takes time to set up an epic. However . . . Misty could have done a better job with the residents in Haven. The native characters' development has suffered to allow the ambassadors to be developed. This lack of continuing character development for the Palace Residents disconnects the reader from the story in many places. Beware, ladies: Have that box of tissue ready, because you'll end up needing it when you least expect it. Misty always has a good cry in her books, and this one doesn't disappoint in that arena.
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
A refreshing change, 2002-11-11
Karse and Valdemar have long been enemies, each hating the other without ever really knowing anything about how each truly operates. Since Ancar of Hardorn's attempted invasions of each country, an uneasy alliance has been formed. Now Ancar is dead and his conquests along with him, but a new and more dangerous enemy has emerged: the mysterious and powerful Eastern Empire. Karse and Valdemar must decide what exactly their alliance entails.
The Son of the Sun, Solaris, High Priestess of Karse, sends an envoy consisting of Ulrich, a black-robe priest, and his secretary, Karal, to Valdemar to negotiate the terms of the alliance.
While the two countries work together to try to determine a way to defend against the Eastern Empire, a new and deadlier threat makes itself known, one so ancient and powerful that it may be impossible to stop...
"Storm Warning" is the first book in Mercedes Lackey's Mage Storms Trilogy. I absolutely loved this book. It was a refreshing change after reading the Mage Winds Trilogy. The story seemed much more about the characters than about the events, which really gave it a more human feel. Similar to Mage Winds, it had alternating perspectives, which made me want to keep reading.
The characters, as always, were wonderful to read about, particularly Karal. He is one of the most remarkable Lackey characters I have encountered yet (and this was my fifteenth Valdemar book). I absolutely loved him. He was an extremely compassionate, caring, sensitive individual, almost on the same level as Talia of the Arrows Trilogy. I was able to feel every step of his journey as if I were there with him. An'desha developed nicely, and I'm anxious to see what will become of him.
It was also nice to see enemies that were entirely human as opposed to insanely fanatic mages bent on revenge. Charliss wasn't completely without honor, and Tremane was a decent human being who just happened to be born an Imperial.
I also enjoyed learning the Karsite perspective. It was interesting to look at Valdemar through the eyes of its enemy and to see Karse painted as something other than barbaric.
Bottom Line: An amazing story with a delightful lead character. A must-read for any Valdemar fan, but make sure you read Mage Winds first.
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Ummmmmmmmm???, 2002-04-19
I've read ALL of Mercedes Lackey's Valedemar series, and she's running seriously short of ideas.
I bought this book because I was interested--the others were decent and fairly interesting, and so I thought I'd try this one. I now think it should stand as the classic example of why authors shouldn't make serieses run on too long.
This book is four hundred and twenty-eight pages long, and everything that happens could be contained in about ten. We struggle through Karal feeling lost and lonely, An'desha feeling put upon and self-pitying, and everyone realizing that magic isn't the answer to everything. It gets so repetitive at the end that I was extremely tempted to just shove it in a corner of my bookshelf with the other two books in the series and not finish any of them, and I almost ALWAYS finish books, unless they're ghastly. This one came pretty close.
If you want to start out with Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series, read The Heralds of Valdemar (ARROWS OF THE QUEEN, ARROW'S FLIGHT, ARROW'S FALL) and Vows and Honor (THE OATHBOUND, OATHBREAKERS, OATHBLOOD) first. If you've read all her Valdemar books, read this just to fill in on what happens, but don't waste your money buying it.