Product Description
Prince Manfred and his mentor and bodyguard, the deadly warrior Erik, survived dangers and enemies both  natural and supernmatural, and if they thought that their new mission was going to be anything but more of the same, they soon gave up on that hope. Returning from Jerusalem, they and their escort of knights of the Holy Trinity are escorting an envoy of II Khan Mongol to the lands of the Golden Horde-between the Black Sea and the Carpathians, which happen to be eastern bastion against their old enemies, the demon Chernobog and his possessed puppet, the Jangellion.

Unfortunately, what began as a diplomatic mission leads to Manfred and his knights being caught up in an inter-clan civil war, rescuingh a fugitive woman and her injured brother, and becoming involved in the problems of Prince Vlad, Duke of Valahia, who has been held as a hostage by King Emeric og Hungary until freed by Countess Elizabeth Batholdy to use as bait to capture a gropu pf nonhumans. Instead, the wolflike nonhumans, who masquerade as gypsies, free Prince Vlad, and help him to return to his homeland to raise revolt against Hungary and to renew age-old magics.

Manfred and Erik are forced into an alliance of convenience between the Golden Horde and the ancient magical  forces of Valahia, as directed by the troubled Vlad. The magic calls for blood and Vlad is deathly afraid of it-and at the same time, is irresistibly drawn toward it... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Superb Writing and Complex Plotting
"Much Fall of Blood" is the thirdbook in the ongoing "Heirs of Alexandria"
series, a fascinating alternative history in which power in the
Middle Ages is divided in a different manner, and magic is real
and a part of the military and political arsenal of the day.

If you haven't read the first books in the series, it would be
best to do so; at the very least, go to the internet and read (I
should say "study") the synopses available there.The plotting
and story lines are multifold, complex, and deep, that is to
say, not easy to follow if you are the least bit inattentive or
not fully up-to-date on prior events.

That said, the complexity of the novels in the series is also a
virtue, for there is no lack of content and variety.The
plotting is supported by image-rich and compelling writing.
Even though the book claims a total of three co-authors, there
is no visible clash or even differentiation of styles; and the
writing style fits the content and feeling of the novel.It's
all very well done and carries the story along most effectively.
You know that you are reading Medieval fantasy when you read this
book from the writing style alone.

As for characters, werewolves and vampires stand alongside
possessed humans; there are warriors of every description, from
Venetian shipmasters to Mongol riders; there are clerics and
kings, commoners, gypsies, and much more.The novel could,
however, used more in the way of well-developed single
characters, of which there are only a few; the boy-king Vlad,
the leader of men Benito, and maybe one or two others, are the
only real protagonists.Among these, Vlad is the best drawn and
the one to whom it is easiest for the reader to relate.

I won't try to summarize the plot here; that would be
impossible.But, as you might suspect, there is dark evil at
the heart of things, and it is up to Benito and Vlad and others
to turn the tide against a possessed, evil ruler who is on the
verge of taking over the civilized world.

Room is left, of course, for continuing the series.That's a
good thing, because writing this good and this well aligned with
its genre is a rare enough commodity.There are many writers
who can write well and tell a story, but not so many of these
are so adept at matching tone and phrasing to the subject
matter.If this isn't clear, grab a copy and read a few
chapters; you'll see my point, and you'll be hard pressed to
stop reading, as you've likely been drawn into the story.

Five stars for sure, and a hearty recommendation to any fan of
well-crafted Medieval fantasy.

A moving saga
MUCH FALL OF BLOOD continues the fantasy begin in THE SHADOW OF THE LION and tells of Prince Manfred and his mentor, warrior Erick Hakkonsen, who have survived supernatural and natural enemies and who embark on a new mission to escort an envoy of Mongols to the lands of the Golden Horde. The mission leads to a deadly clan civil war in this moving saga.

Much Falling Around the Plot
Sometimes a collaboration works, sometimes it doesn't. //Much Fall of Blood// is one of those where it's somewhere in the middle. It's essentially the usual multi-thread story of several people with grudges take down the usual evil despot in a14th century Europe where magic is real, Mongols have taken over a good chunk of it, and gunpowder is just beginning to make its presence felt in war.

The bad news is that the bad guy and his main minions are just filling space; their tactics only seem to work when used against each other. There is also what feels like a mandatory feminist element as the grandson and granddaughter of Vlad the Impaler share in the duty of guardian of the Carpathian Mountains.

The good news is that there is one of the more interesting romances. It's based on a misunderstanding where the man offers the woman his tent, as he doesn't understand her culture and language, and evolves into a practical joke based on mistaken identities and roles, making it fun to see it climax. I could recommend the book on that alone, as it's one that even guys would enjoy, but I'm otherwise hesitant to do so.

Reviewed by Jamais Jochim

You probably already know if you want to read this...
If you are considering purchasing this, you've either A) read the first two books in the series, or B) are a Mercedes Lackey fan or a fan of the other two authors.

In the case of the former, I can only guess from the other reviews, that this is like the other books. I haven't read them, so I can evaluate this as a stand-alone book, which it purports to be, and which I will do now.

There are many clear signs that this is intended to be simultaneously a stand-alone and part of a series. This is always a problematic approach, for any number of reasons (e.g., backtracking to bring people up to speed, introducing a large number of characters (i.e., preloading) at the beginning of the book, weak causal and plot connections to the rest of the series, etc.).

This book seems to have managed to acquire ALL of these. For example, the first portion of this book could adequately be described as "migraine-inducing". If you haven't read the other books in the series (and perhaps even if you have), being introduced to some thirty characters in sixty pages is a bit much. Particularly since you have no idea why you are meeting most of them. This is even more painful when some of them disappear a bit less than a quarter of the way through the book, likely to return in the next installment.

After this migraine, the pace speeds up from non-moving to glacial. For about a third of the book, very, very little happens. Once you get to page 250 or so, it picks up and the story gets a lot better. So, if you are on the fence, and willing to sit through about a third to a half of the book that is boring and meaningless, eventually it gets a little better. Not something that I would recommend, though.

Grade: C-

Harkius

Couldn't finish it
This review is based on an "uncorrected page proofs" version supplied as part of the Amazon Vine program.

I ordered this book because I thought I had read and enjoyed Mercedes Lackey books in the past.Looking through my personal library, I couldn't find any, so I'm not sure what I was thinking.

I"m embarrassed to say that I couldn't force myself to finish this book.It has all the makings of an enjoyable read.A bit of history (or at least alternate history), a bit of action, a bit of sorcery, and a bit of lust.

I just couldn't get into it.I found the story to be all over the map, and not very interesting.I notice at least one other reviewer who said he wasn't hooked until the middle of the book.Maybe I should force my way through, but after six weeks of trying, and only getting a couple of hundred pages into it, I just don't feel I can make it.

... Read more

Product Description
It has been four years since Darian saw his village sacked and burned by barbarians.Taking refuge with the Hawkbrothers, he soon finds his life's calling--as a Healing Adept.But even as he learns the mystical ways of this ancient race, Darian cannot escape the dangers threatening his future.Another tribe of barbarians is approaching.The time has come...to stand up and fight.

Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon are:

"An unbeatable team in fantastic magic and adventure."--Kliatt

* A national bestselling series--now with all three volumes available to fans ... Read more

Customer Reviews (66)

The Best Out of The "Owl" Trilogy
Well, I did enjoy this one much more than the first one in this trilogy. I like Keisha's character and having Firesong and Kerowyn show up in this one made an especially nice surprise. I also liked that the conflict in this one wasn't a battle, which is a nice difference. Mostly, I am excited to read the last one, which I don't remember anything about and then be ready to read something that is not in a 20+ book-long series!

Her style is starting to grate on me
This book is not terrible, but compared to a lot of other fantasy on the market, and even some of her other books, it lacks something.Like most of her other work, this starts out slow, but unlike those others it never really picks up the pace.75% of the book is just introducing characters and following them through their day, and even when the "action" begins, it isn't really much.A frustratingly high amount of the book is detailed description of things that don't need to be described in detail and following the characters though the process of them coming to terms with something."Maybe this is the case.But then again, maybe this.And this could be it.I've never thought of that."Way too much of the book is telling us what someone is thinking like that.Something that really bugs me too is the extreme overuse of italics to put emphasis on words.She literally does this three or four times per page.It's just as annoying as a writer who uses exlamation points all the time.You don't need to emphasize everything, or else it loses its effect.

I was apprehensive when I began reading the Valdemar books because the pretty horses on the cover made me think these books might be aimed towards kids or girls who dream about ponies.For most of the series, I didn't feel like that was the case, but in this series I do.There is something indescribable about the style that makes me think this was not intended for adults.It just doesn't seem suited for an adult intellect.

Going from bad to worse
I first picked up the Darian's Tale series because I thought that any fantasy author who takes up a great deal of shelf space in bookstores and libraries, as Mercedes Lackey always does, must be at least a competent writer.Of course, you would think that after my unfortunate encounters with Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind I would have learned my lesson.Anyway, "Owlflight" was mediocre, but "Owlsight" is much, much worse.There's much discussion among fans of the genre about the fact that many of the most popular authors can't seem to find a decent editor."Owlsight" is an excellent showcase of this trend.The book is rife with errors in grammar and punctuation.There are awkward sentences ("There just wasn't enough readily available magic energy available to do such a task.") and inapt metaphors ("She felt as if her nerves had been rubbed raw and somebody was pouring saltwater on them.")The writing feels completely shoddy and hasty, especially when we get descriptions of people's clothes that go on for pages and sound more gaudy and tasteless than anything that the most incompetent fashion designer could come up with, or when we have to endure speeches about various trite morals, such "war is bad" and "judging people is bad".Normally editors are supposed to flag down all of this.When authors grow powerful enough to muscle past the editorial process, they risk embarrassing themselves, which is certainly what happened to Lackey and Dixon in "Owlsight".

If we look past the lousy writing, what do we find?Not much.I complained that the plot of "Owlflight" was slow.In this book, it's almost nonexistent.The first three-hundred pages are spent entirely on introducing the two main characters and showing us many, many, many scenes of them chatting with friends, eating, and otherwise going through the motions of an ordinary day.We have Darian, who's still hanging out with the Hawkbrothers and endlessly ruminating about unworthy and inferior he is.And then we have the healer Keisha, who is hanging out in Errold's Grove and endlessly ruminating about how unworthy and inferior she is.The new army of barbarians doesn't show up until almost the end of the book, and the authors' method for dealing with them sounds forced and unrealistic.After four-hundred-and-fifty pages, "Owlsight" limps to a close without giving us a proper climactic showdown, or even a single action scene.At no point do we ever get a decent portrait of any character.You would think that right before a showdown with a large and possibly dangerous army, these teenagers would be at least a little bit nervous, right.But in "Owlsight", they act like it's a walk in the park.

I don't think that I'll even bother reading the final volume of this syrupy series.After all, don't we all know how it's going to end?Darian and Keisha will fall madly in love, but it will somehow take them several hundred pages to express their feeling for each other.Meanwhile, a new bunch of bad guys will show up from somewhere, but our heroes will once again find a clever way to deal with them, and all will be right with the world.Yawn.I have better things to do with my time than sitting around reading predictable claptrap like this.

Could've been better.....
Owl Sight is the continuing tale of the life of Darian a Tayledras-trained mage. It is also the story of Keisha, a farmer's daughter-turned healer. (This book is the sequel to Owl flight, for those who haven't read it!)

Darian, who has been in training with the Tayledras for over four years has mastered his gift and is now ready to return to Errold's grove as the town wizard. Together with his companions, the Hawkbrothers, and his newfound friend, Keisha, he establishes a settlement for his new community right outside the village. Together, with the villagers, and the Heralds of Valdemar, they prepare to fight their greatest challenge - an invading force of barbarians.

While I liked Owl Sight, I found the plot a bit rambling. I did not like the 'switching perspectives' between Darian and Keisha, and there wasn't a lot of action. Also, I felt both Keisha and Darian suffered from 'super hero' syndrome. Both characters are way to mature and perfect to be human, and thus were almost boring.. Darian was at times almost insufferably wise and brilliant, doing everything from lecturing elders, to designing his own settlement, all at the ripe age of 18! (I winced when Darian was giving his teachers relationship and teaching advice ).

I was also disappointed to see very little of Snowfire, Darian's mentor. He faded into the background to become just another of Darian's spear-carrier in this books, with no voice of his own. >Sigh<. Overall, a good, but somewhat predictable read.

"The barbarians are coming, the barbarians are coming!"
At this point I've started buying Misty's novels more out of love of Jody A. Lee's cover art and misguided hope for improvement than real expectation of quality.As a friend said, her novels have grown formulaic--which wouldn't be insurmountable if they didn't derive more from the flaws of their prequels than their strengths.Characters are not so much shallowly depicted as they are simply uninteresting and even old friends like Kerowyn and Firesong are blander than stale pita bread.Other than glop about Keisha and Darien's personal lives, plot doesn't kick in until more than halfway through, when the "barbarian" horde everyone had been going on about finally arrives.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed the xenophobia of the Hawkbrothers.For people who complained about what goody goodies the characters were, I can't subscribe to that view myself--maybe it just seems that way because the only viewpoints we really get are theirs and they never ask themselves whether their views might be wrong."Owlsight" is the most ethnocentric of the Velgarth books to date: this in spite of the fact that the characters displaying the xenophobia comprise a host of different humans and non-humans (Taleydras, Valdemarans, Heralds, Companions, gryphons, dyheli, kyree, tervardi, etc.) all of whom appear incapable of conceiving that the "barbarian" horde approaching might be no more barbaric than they themselves.Perhaps Lackey thought without this blindsidedness there wouldn't be much of a story, but she handled it somewhat unbelievably.For example, Darian is shocked at the notion that Northern tribes might be as different from one another as Taleydras and Valdemarans, as if he had truly never thought of it before.For all the passages Lackey expends on their endless, "in-depth" discussions, this implies that Darian's think-tank of friends and colleagues is doing a childishly pathetic job.

There is also a great deal in this book that goes flagrantly against the message of previous novels in the series.The Heralds, who should be acting as third parties, make things worse.One might expect them to at least remark on the usage of the term "barbarian" but they adopt it themselves without question.Nor do Kerowyn and Eldan make an effort to uphold the Valdemaran motto "There is no one true way."Regardless of the fact that the Ghost Cat tribe has not done anything wrong, there is no attempt to contact them on decent terms.Instead the big plan is to "pull a Cortez" and pretend to be spirit people so as to overawe them.

Even then, when the tribe does nothing wrong and, according to Valdemaran law as depicted in previous books, they have done nothing undeserving of the free sanction of their people, the Valdemaran/Taleydras alliance does not appear to make any follow-up on communications with them.Instead, there is discussion of burning the entire tribe to death to avoid the sickness they carry.It would be one thing if this option were coached as a last-ditch course of action: however, Kerowyn discusses it casually and seems to consider it their first.Kerowyn is portrayed in pretty poor terms all around: when the Healers under her command discuss possible steps they might take for healing the "barbarians," she bursts in on them in an immature fashion, yelling that they are stupid for even thinking of such a thing, apparently unable to tell apart discussion from action and forgetting that it is in fact her Healers' *jobs* to think about this stuff. However, the Healers are also not without flaw when one makes a distasteful remark about being reluctant to heal people who eat their food raw--something that a Healer simply would not be capable of saying in Lackey's world as it has been portrayed till now.

Not only is there a breakdown in communication with the tribe but within the Valdemaran-Taleydras ranks as well...for no good reason.Leaving aside the ethical questions of kidnapping a "barbarian" for medical experiments without even asking if anyone with the disease would like to volunteer, what is it that prevents Keisha and Darien from mentioning it to their friends?They could easily get their little scheme okayed, considering all the callousness that these people have demonstrated towards the "barbarians."The kidnapping is then followed by a forcible mental "language transaction" that basically amounts to what Lackey has in the past referred to as "mind-rape."Keisha and Darian, however, do not give it a moment's thought.

All this is not to say that this xenophobia might not have been a valuable element of the book.It was certainly the most interesting.The problem is that it wasn't handled well at all: it was overwritten to the point of unbelievability, and it wasn't explored as it could have been.Characters hold their xenophobic views without change.No one plays Devil's Advocate (beyond Darian's superficial speech about wanting to drop women and children off of cliffs but knowing that he has to wait and see the tribe before he does) and so, until the kidnapping of Hywel, there is no real sense of another side, and then it is too late to provide anything interesting.All is apparently justified by the ease with which parties interact in the next book, "Owlknight," when "barbarian" appears to be a word of the past and Ghost Cat lives in peaceable coexistence with the Taleydras-Valdemarans.There is no reference to the process which has made this possible and which could have provided some real meat for the book.Instead it becomes merely glossed over and pointless: an exercise in prejudice and xenophobia without rhyme, reason or reward. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

BEST!! Book Ever!! A++
The first time I read this book I was 13 years old and when I grew up I wanted to be a herald. Now I'm 25 (and not a herald, nor any closer!) and after reading this book over 10 times I still pick it up every once in awhile and read it over. It never gets old and even though I know what will happen next, I'm riveted. If you have a teenage daughter-give it to her when she's done with her last Harry Potter book. Make sure you buy a hard cover because you and your daughter will re-read it often. Mine is worn and already needs new binding, but I wouldn't throw it away for anything! One day I will give it to my daughter.
The Arrows of the Queen, Arrows Flight, and Arrow's Fall are the same continuous book. The Queen's Own is a trilogy and if the books are bought separately they go by the above mentioned names 1-3. Don't miss out on this book filled with adventure, intrigue, romance, action, war, betrayal and friendship. It has everything!

From the dustjacket
Raised in the Borderlands of Valdemar, 13-year-old Talia knew little about the world beyond her father's farm.But with her love of reading - a man's privilege, considered mere frivolity for females - the girl found temporary escape from the drearines of her life.And in stolen moments, lost in the spell of forbidden books, she dreamed...of the valiant, white-clad Heralds and their wondrous equine Companions who served the Queen and the Kingdom.
Then came the day that her father's Firswife announced it was time for Talia to either marry or enter the service of the Goddess.
Both futures filled the girl with dread, but her wishes meant nothing to the elders.Desperate to get away, Talia fled to a cave that had often been her secret refuge in the past.
Wrapped in misery, fearful of discovery, she'd almost resigned herself to returning home to face whatever fate her father decreed when she heard the sound of hooves and gentle bridle bells outside.
It was no searcher on horseback;Talia knew from the tales she'd read that only a Herald's Companion wore such tack.Still she was unprepared for the sheer magnificence of the creature that gazed at her with eyes of deep sapphire blue.
I Choose you.Out of all the world, out of all the seeking, I have found you...
It was a feeling more than words, radiating from the Companion, and it filled Talia with a joyous sense of love and joining.In that moment, she was unaware of what it truly meant to be Chosen, but her greatest dream was coming true.She was about to begin training as a Herald - and not just any Herald, but the Queen's Own...the one person the Monarch would be able to turn to, and trust, as Valdemar faced a dangerously uncertain future. ... Read more

Product Description
Venice had been thrown into chaos by the scheming of Chernobog, who came within a hair of seizing absolute power, but was thwarted by the guardian Lion-spirit, who awoke to protect his city from the power-mad demon. But the power of the Lion does not extend beyond Venice, and Chernobog has a new ally in the King of Hungary, who has laid siege to the island of Corfu as the first step in his plan to seize control of the Adriatic from Venice. Trapped on the island is the small band of heroes who awoke the Lion and blocked Chernobog's power grab before. They are far from the Lion's power to help them, but as Manfred and Erik lead a guerrilla movement to fight the Hungarian invaders, Maria discovers that the ancient magical powers of the island are coming to life again, stirred by the siege. If she can make an alliance with them, she may be able to repel the invaders-but not without paying a bitter personal price. . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

excellent alternate history, diverse characters, well written
I like both the prequel Shadow of the Lion and this book a lot. I do not always have the patience and concentration for this type of book, very long, many strands, many characters, definitely not a quick read. But well worth it, the ideas, the people, the religious background, the historical intrigue, all very well done, quite gripping and easy to read once you have the characters and places fixed in your mind. For those who like a lot of intelligent politics and strategy in their fantasy, highly recommended.

For those who are looking for the continuation of this series:
I found this info hard to find - there is an excerpt of the book at the end of the ppbck edition of This Rough Magic, but it also does not say clearly that it is a sequel in this series:
Dave Freer has written "Mankind Witch", alone, which is part of this series, and his website says that he plans two more.

I regret that this is not to be found here in some reference (i.e. tag the book as an Heirs of Alexandria series book) or put on the website of Mercedes Lackey, or Baen, I like this story and its people, and I will read Mankind Witch as soon as I find it. Maybe others will find this useful info.

"Rough but Sweet"
This is the following tale of "The Shadow of the Lion". It takes place in Corfu rather than Venice. Actually, it is an alternate reality inwhichmagic persists and good and evil emesh the characters in a struggle for supremacy. The strength of this tale lise in the character development, especially of Maria and Benito. Most of the carryovers from the previous book are developed and humanized except Francesca, who seems a bit wooden and Marco and Katerina, who are reduced almost to caracatures. However it is in many ways a superior tale, and if you likked the first book, you will love this one.

Only okay
First off, I will admit that I didn't read the first book. I didn't know there was a first book until about halfway through. However, I wasn't very impressed. I generally love Mercedes Lackey so I can only attribute the lackluster performance of this book to the other authors. I felt there was too much jumping around to the different groups which made me confused as to who was where and with whom. In addition, I wasn't much engaged with many of the characters.

I also thought the blood sacrifice descriptions were a bit much. I understand wanting to make the evil characters really loathesome, but I don't think it added anything to the story to describe the sexual activities and satanic human sacrifices. To me, it cheapened the book, as if the authors couldn't write anything more engaging. Besides if they had cut out all that description, the book would have been much shorter. Long books are not, in and of themselves, bad, but they have to be extremely well-written in order to keep from lagging. This book lagged and lost steam a few times throughout.

At the same time, the plot was reasonably interesting and the characters fairly well developed. I knew from the beginning who Benito would end up with, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Happy endings are good in my opinion, and this book had that even with the bittersweet background. That's why it gets three stars instead of two.

Couldn't put it down
A captivating sequel to 'Shadow of the Lion'.I read all night!

Excellent
I read this book without reading the first one.

Very very good, quick paced, with enough background that you can read it without reading the first.

I have been a long time Mercedes Lackey fan, this book just confirms and renews my faith in her:) ... Read more

Product Description
Possessing the potential to be the greatest bard her world has ever seen, young Rune rashly brags about her abilities and must prove herself by meeting the Ghost of Skull Hill, who forces her to fiddle an entire night. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

I may be impartial...
... because I have read this book before and knew I liked it. I love the whole Bardic Voices series. Eight years after I read them the first time I found myself wanting to re-read them (not something I do often) Not to post a spoiler but the gist is a young girl who dreams of changing her situation, and the crazy tale of how she winds up doing so. If you are not sure you want to spend money on it, get book 1 from a library and you'll know from that if you want to own it, or read the others. You can also save some money and buy the trilogy all together The Free Bards (Bardic Voices) But there is another book that is not necessary, but goes in between the second and third book A Cast of Corbies (Bardic Choices)

New to Sci-fi
Up until I read this book, I only read westerns. My wife was reading this outloud to my son and I was hooked. I've read this book over and over and have since gone on to other Lackey books. I loved the girl playing for the menacing ghost and getting the pile of coin.

Government GOOD, Church BAD
Fiction is a wonderful way to explore philosophical musings and perceived problems in the way the world works. Unfortunately, Ms. Lackey didn't explore the topics of the government and the church, she merely told us, with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, that the church is a bad, bad thing with only the rare exceptional priest who has a genuine desire to help. The government, on the other hand, is a good thing, and one should never begrudge the government taxes because they do such wonderful things with them. The government does those things that people can't, or don't want to, do for themselves. Without the government, people would have to clean the streets themselves, and actually protect themselves! Apparently, there are no corrupt government officials in this world.

In this created world, people are required to pay both a tithe and a tax, leaving the poor with barely enough to survive. I can't help but be disgusted with this unequal treatment of those in power. I'm a long time fan of the Valdemar series, and it was obvious in those books that Ms. Lackey and I have completely different ideals regarding both personal faith and politics. However, never have I seen her present her bias so heavy-handedly.

To add insult to injury, the book included some eye-rolling devices for moving the plot along (the Skull Hill Ghost? sheesh), and the end of the book took off in a completely different direction. If the characters' names had not been the same, I might have felt like the end of the book was a printing mistake.

Parts of the book were interesting, though the whole thing is rather juvenile. I won't be continuing this series.

the first Lackey book I read
had a unicorn on the cover. And a desperate looking young man with nice long locks and a pouty mouth like Eddie Vedder (big at the time). Inside, was a hybrid - half interesting coming-of-age story, half politically correct tract. Being gay is okay seemed to be the central message. But not apparently, okay enough to mention the hero's sexual orientation anywhere on the book jacket. Sigh.

"The Lark and the Wren" has no unicorns but a lot of messages. Basically, it's "Dragonsinger" by Anne McCaffrey without the dragons. A put-upon girl with a passion for music decides to run away and seek her fortune. Like Menolly, we get reminded about a gazillion times that Rune "can pass for boy." Rune is a bastard, which gets mentioned about a gazillion times. Lesson One: People should be judged on the content of the character, not their parentage.

Rune goes to the Big City, and like Strawberry Shortcake, finds a mixed bag of people. Rather than the Peculiar Purple Pie Man, she finds that the city is run by Priests. Priests are evil and corrupt. Lesson Two: Organized religion is bad.

Rune finds friends in a whorehouse (in a G-rated manner). Lackey goes to great lengths to stress that prostitution is a profession like any other. Seriously. After all, there is a great deal of difference between "skilled lovemaking" and sex. (No, I'm not making this up.)

Eventually, Rune competes in a contest and is discovered to be (gasp!)
a girl. This leads to her joining a group called the Free Bards, meeting a guy old enough to be her real dad, and marries him. Why? Because the book needed some romance, perhaps. Then there is some intrigue tossed in as an afterthought about an heir in hiding.

A wise person whose name escapes me suggested that if you want to preach, you should write a sermon. If you want to entertain, write a story. I agree.

Not bad...but could be better
I have to say first off that I'm a huge fan of Mercedes Lackey, but this is just not one of her better books. Usually they keep you entranced to the end. At first, this book seemed to do the same. But as things went on, and the initial appeal disappeared, I lost interest. Of course, I kept on reading to the end, because I was mildly interested in the ending.

One of the things I found that annoyed me was the fact that the characters, the main ones, at least, did not have any major flaws. They all seemed so perfect. Rune was determined, smart, and talented. Talaysen was handsome, famous, talented, nice, and a Master Bard to boot! Furthermore, the book lacks a central plot, and thus seems to drift meaninglessly at times. The characters have little "adventures" that have little connection to each other. Chapters would go on describing trifles and everyday going-ons of the characters. But then the final climactic scene was sqeezed into one short chapter.

Overall, good for a light read, but not something overly engrossing that will keep you turning pages. ... Read more

Product Description
When a wandering mage came to a village, they asked her to stay and offered her the cottage that had belonged to their previous mage. It was almost too good an offer - or was it?

This story was originally published in the anthology LAMMAS NIGHT, Jan 1996 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

3 1/2 stars quite a bit better than average for the genre.
A rather short story with one good main character and another who starts to develop.Reads like a sketch for a longer story.Overall a very good read.

Why 3 1/2 stars?The author leaves the story unresolved I find this very annoying.

Nice start and that's about it
Just when this story begins to get interesting it is over. Bewarned, it is only a dollar, but still. ... Read more

Product Description
When Dick White set out to discover the origins of the ship's new cat, he certainly never expected to find himself involved with the Drug Interdiction group of the Patrol.

This story was originally published in the anthology Catfantastic IV, Aug 1996. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An enjoyable read...
This is the third of four S'Kitty/S'Cat shorts that I've read so far for the Kindle.The four stories (SKitty, A Tail of Two SKitties, SCat and A Better Mousetrap) are light-reading, SciFi short stories that were individually published over the years, and now have been released in this format.

Light and entertaining and not particularly thought provoking pretty much sums them up.

I always find the challenge in reading short stories is that sometimes I feel the story is fragmented and incomplete.This one definitely makes more sense if you have read the previous two stories, but seeing as I had, it was a good read.As a stand alone it might fall a little short however.

Another challenge I have when reading a short, is whether or not it is interesting enough that I would then read a full length novel involving the characters.This is not a requirement--as a truly great short story is complete--but if I like the shorts enough to care to read a longer book, then I also feel the effort was a success.

If Ms. Lackey were to write a full length SKitty novel I would give it a try.Which is saying a lot as I have been sorely disappointed with many of her efforts (used to LOVE her, but things changed....). ... Read more

Product Description
In the tradition of her acclaimed fairy-tale-inspired novel, The Serpent's Shadow, best-selling author Mercedes Lackey re-imagines Sleeping Beauty-as a dark and enchanting Edwardian fantasy.

Marina is the cherished daughter of the wealthy Roeswood family, practioners of Elemental Magic. But evil portents have warned her parents that Marina will be killed before her eighteenth birthday-by the hand of her own aunt. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (48)

Nodding Off At the Gates.....some spoilers
Of all of the Elemental Masters series that I've read (Phoenix & Ashes, Serpent's Shadow, Reserved For the Cat, Wizard of London and The Fire Rose), Gates of Sleep is by far the most disappointing.

One thing I enjoy about Mercedes Lackey's books is that she tends to have stronger female characters.Marina was the most weak-willed, milk-soppy main character I've ever encountered (I cannot call her the heroine of the book because there wasn't much heroic about her).If she'd spent far less time being so wrapped up in yearning for fine gowns and a social life and spent more time interacting realisitically with the main male protagonist then I could have bought into their romantic relationship.As it was, Marina goes from barely knowing him to announcing that he's her fiance' with no build-up in between.

Madame had the twisted, wonderful evil-genius quality about her that Lackey's baddies tend to, but there was no underlying reason for her machinations.No grand schemes to take over the world, society, etc., just it seems a desire to get Marina's fortune for her son (although I can see why she'd want to make him financially independent of her...if he were my offspring I'd have given him the boot long ago).

The first part of the book was very promising, Marina's 'aunt' and 'uncles' were great characters, quirky, eccentric and very interesting.I just wish the plot had been better and the storyline less ambiguous.If you've never read Mercedes Lackey before, try her early Valdemar series books or the first 2 in the Joust series instead.

Could have been better
Don't get me wrong, Lackey is a good author. All the other books I have read - Serpent's Shadow, Phoenix and Ashes, and Black Swan are all engaging reads.

But this story disappointed me. It had a good start, but it ended in a boring and bad way. In Serpent's Shadow, the protagonist is a Earth Master who is rescued by a Water Master. In this book, it's the other way around, which disappointed me. I'd have liked to see Marina paired up with a Air Master or some such, so as to not repeat Earth x Water.

This book had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it started to sputter out about halfway through the book and ended poorly.

I really hope that for the next Elemental Master book, opposing elements are paired up together. I'd love to see a Water Master being wooed by a Fire Master. Now, that would be a more than engaging read, provided that Lackey put as much effort into that tale as she did Serpent's Shadow and Phoenix and Ashes.

A complete misfire
This is attempt at reframing 'Sleeping Beauty' within the setting of industrial England and Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series. However, the plot just doesn't work, and is completely absent for large stretches of the book, which are instead busy talking about how wonderful it is to be an Elemental Master and how misguided everyone else is.

The villain is known from the very beginning of the book (no suspense) but WHY she does what she does is completely unknown to the very end. Her schemes simply make no sense. If she has the power to murder powerful magicians at a whim, why does she instead waste power on a complicated curse for a helpless infant, and then seem unable to actually carry out that curse until the writer realised the book was almost over and it had better get on with the plot? What was the point of cursing her anyway? What was she doing with all her supposed power?

No one really carries out any plans - when the final crisis comes, it is quickly solved without us having to wonder about how, and all the actions taken by characters earlier in the story are completely meaningless. And then we're suddenly told two characters who have barely interacted are in love and are going to get married.

About all you can draw from this story is that pottery factories are bad.

Another Masterpiece
I fell in love with this series when I first read Lackey's "Serpent's Shadow," and this lived up to my expectations. The characters are vivid and lifelike, and Lackey again uses the story to explore some of the harsher realities of London in the early 1900s. Add to that the subtly done retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and "The Gates of Sleep" is a book that I think you'll read over, and over again.

Modified Fairy tale
If you read and like fairy tales - this one is a pleasant surprise for you. Being still new to Lackey, and having read only Wizard of London before this, I had not expected the magic she wrought with the well beloved fairy tale - my own favourite.
The characters are well defined and the main character - Marina - is indeed the prime mover of the tale. There are few predictable points in the tale and there are no surprises and it has a comfortable ending. How the author gets from the beginning to the end is the enjoyable ride. In a lot of ways, the characters behave normally - including in how love can creep up on you when you are not watching - inspite of some questionable decisions they make once or twice.
Her language of course is very vivid. I'm simply mesmerised by the way she describes magic. It is beautiful tale well told, if you accept it without asking questions. ... Read more

Product Description
Two masters of epic fantasy have combined in this brilliant collaboration to create a rousing tale of the sort that becomes an instant favorite. This is the story of Shana, a halfbreed born of the forbidden union of an Elvenlord father and a human mother. Her exiled mother dead, she was rescued and raised by dragons, a proud, ancient race who existed unbeknownst to elven or humankind. From birth, Shana was the embodiment of the Prophecy that the all-powerful Elvenlords feared. Her destiny is the enthralling adventure of a lifetime.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (67)

Dragon-made tall tale comes to life
The world that the writing team of Norton and Lackey crafts is quite fascinating in its detail and description. The timeline and history of this world seems to place it sort of after the end of our present world, as a kind of post-apocalypse in which first the dragons found and then the elves, with the latter taking over and enslaving the remaining humans. I found the passage of time to be bothersome at times, since the authors seem to almost skip over the climaxes in favor of just relaying the information through the memories of the characters after the fact. More than once, I wished the writers could have written out this passage of time so that I can actually experience it as it happens.
The characters were all well-developed and unique, as the size of the book allowed the writers to spend lots of time focusing on a single character, even if his or her purpose seemed to end rather abruptly with death, such as Shana's mother, Serina Daeth. Normally, I have no trouble picking characters that I favored over the others, but with this book, no character seemed to jump out at me as so much better than the others, even the main character Shana, who seemed to lack in maturity as much as a pre-teen, with how she behaves around some of the other characters.
There were several over-arching themes in the book, such as the need for change, the call for justice, and how every rule has exceptions.Shana especially seemed to find the latter annoying as she continually found that what she was taught about elves, humans, or dragons was not always true. Even though the legend of the Elvenbane is merely a tall tale crafted by the dragons to stir up trouble with the elves and humans, Shana falls into the role by accident simply because of a dragon's kindness. Ironically, her up-bringing gives her the perfect personality for playing that role, as the main goal of this book was to put her in the perfect position to fill this role for the next book in the series, Elvenblood (Halfblood Chronicles).

Not Worth Reading
I've read a few novels by Mercedes Lackey that I enjoyed, but this definitely isn't one of them.The pacing of the book is very slow for the first 90% of it (then the end comes in a rush).The characters are developed reasonably well, but their interactions are trite and uninteresting.The twists on high fantasy stereotypes are interesting, and I thought that might bode well for an interesting story, but unfortunately the story is typical fantasy and the ending is downright banal.I won't be reading any of the other books in the series.

Poorly Constructed Tale
Interesting characters, poorly constructed plot. The story jumps all over the place and leaves many plot-threads. There are entire episodes that are completely unnecessary to the story (like the visit to the Elven Lady Triana, the "handfasting" with Mero) and neither introduce important characters or move the story forward. Interesting ideas, but these authors needed some severe editing and re-writing, because the story reads like a first draft.

However, the second book (Elvenblood), is much better.

Dragons and Wizards and Elves Oh My!
I first read this book when I was fourteen and fell totally in love with it. The characters are rich, interesting and unpredictable. The story grips you from page 1. I've read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi novels and The Elvenbane ranks as my favourite. If you like sweeping sagas with exotic, lavish locales, a focused, engaging plot and characters to love and hate aplenty, get this book. It's so well written; one of those wonderful reads that you're sad to say goodbye to when it's done. Luckily, there are 2 more books in the series, although this is the stand out of the 3. In true epic style, my copy of Elvenbane got destroyed by rain when the roof blew off my house during a particularly nasty storm- haha! I promptly ordered a new one. Love it love it love it!

Plot Overview:

Elves (a ridiculously good looking but cold-hearted race)have invaded Earth because their world had become uninhabitable. They promptly enslaved humans and constructed a decadent and self-indulgent existence for themselves. One of the wealthiest and most powerful Eleven Lords, Dyran, has a feisty and ambitious concubine named Serena. She falls pregnant to him (a crime punishable by death) so flees his estate. A shape shifting dragon encounters Serena in the final stages of giving birth and ends up taking the baby girl when Serena perishes shortly after. She names her Lashana (Shana) and raises her alongside her own son, Kerman. Shana grows up to be a gorgeous and strong willed teenager, who shows great promise as a wizard (something elves fear and suppress at all costs because it endangers their position in the world). She eventually meets up with a band of rebel wizards who suspect her to be "The Elvenbane" a mythical maiden prophesied to eventually bring down the reign of the ridiculously good looking but very nasty elves. Is she? Does she? Read it and see!

The Elvenbane By Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey
The Elvenbane
By Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey

In The Elvenbane, a young fiery halfblood (half elven, half human) girl named Shana, is raised by a Kin of dragons. After using her magic to defend her foster brother Keman, Shana is banished to the desert where she is captured by human servants of elven lords; races she thought no longer existed. A rare mystery, Shana is about to be sold in a slave auction when she is rescued by disguised halfbloods who take her to a Citadel where wizards live in secrecy. Yet fate intercedes and soon the most diabolical of elven Lord's, and presumably Shana's father, discovers the location of the hidden city and Shana and her friends must fight for their lives.

Slow to build and exhaustively descriptive, The Elvenbane is 566 pages of introduction to the next book in the sequel. This first book in the trilogy takes place over approximately sixteen years of time, and you certainly feel it. While I found the story interesting and the writing good, the pace was just too slow for me. Admittedly, I am not a fantasy/sci-fi aficionado so please take this review for what it is worth.
... Read more

Product Description
      Prince Manfred and his mentor and bodyguard, the deadly warrior Erik, have survived dangers and enemies both natural and supernatural, and if they thought that their new mission was going to be anything but more of the same, they soon gave up on that hope. Returning from Jerusalem, they and their escort of knights of the Holy Trinity are escorting an envoy of Il Khan Mongol to the lands of the Golden Horde—between the Black Sea and the Carpathians, which happen to be the eastern bastion against their old enemies, the demon Chernobog and his possessed puppet, the Jangellion.

      Unfortunately, what began as a diplomatic mission leads to Manfred and his knights being caught up in an inter-clan civil war, rescuing a fugitive woman and her injured brother, and becoming involved in the problems of Prince Vlad, Duke of Valahia, who has been held as a hostage by King Emeric of Hungary until freed by Countess Elizabeth Batholdy to use as bait to capture a group of nonhumans. Instead, the wolflike nonhumans, who masquerade as gypsies, free Prince Vlad, and help him to return to his homeland to raise revolt against Hungary and to renew age-old magics.

      Manfred and Erik are forced into an alliance of convenience between the Golden Horde and the ancient magical forces of Valahia, as directed by the troubled Vlad. The magic calls for blood and Vlad is deathly afraid of it—and at the same time, is irresistibly drawn toward it . . . ... Read more

Product Description
A fantastic odyssey into the magical prehistory of the world of Valdemar--when Valdemar is as yet unformed--follows the perilous quest of the gryphon Skandranon Rashkae as he braves the dark spells and evil forces of Ma'ar. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

high schoolers veiw
as a ihgh school stfudent, im always being told to do more reading. so whe i head of the mage wars trikogy i though i woul giveit a try... well it was by far worth it! with the complex characters amazing plot and just detialed writing this book is definaely a 5 out o 5

The start of a great saga!
I haven't re-read this series in its entirety in a long time. There are some new books added to it since the last time, so that is pretty exciting for me. These books really just remind me of being young, reading them in the back seat of the car... I think I was in 5th grade when I started reading them and they've always been a pleasure to re-read.

As far as this trilogy goes, I think this first one has always been my favorite - it's very exciting... though the other two are good as well, from what I remember. They are all fast, fun reads - and who doesn't love gryphons?

A very gripping story!
This was my first book I have read by these authors, and I must say it is a very good read!! The way the authors tell the emotions and movements of the characters is very detailed, I feel as if I am there amoung Skan and Amberdrake. The writing style couldn't be better. The story follows that of Skandranon, a gryphon broadwing warrior under Urtho's forces in their battle against Ma'ar. I could hardly set this book down at all. I will definately be having to get "The White Gryphon". I strongly recommend this book and these authors.

Dissapointed and angry with such fabulous style
This book is fabulously written, with characters readers grow to love and care for, laugh at, and relate to.The imagery conjured up is fantastic- readers are transported to the battlefield in this fast-paced war and are left wondering... did s/he make it?What happens next?

The ending, however, is not for those who enjoy happier endings.I usually don't mind a well written, unhappy ending, but this one bothers me because I feel as if it was thrown together without much consideration to what reader reaction would be.I almost feel scarred from it, emotionally, though I will soon forget this book because the impressions are not lasting, memorable, or in general, good.It was a great ride for the first 350 pages and then it was over for me.Sadly, theending left me disappointed and angry with life in general.Perhaps this was target action the authors wanted to elicit?If so, they hit it head on.

This is a Great book!
This book by Mercedes Lackey is one of the best in the series. It has adventure and mystery and i could hardly put the book down! This book is about the black gryphon Skandranon and Amberdrake the kestra'chern who go to endless lengths to save their world from the evil Ma'ar. But its up to you to go read it and find out the ending! ... Read more

Product Description
Combining their fortunes for a life on the open road, a gypsy bard and an heir to an unwanted throne seek happiness together, encountering the Ghost of Skull Hill and making him their ally in a plan to foil a sinister plot. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Always a good read
I've loved this series forever but have only now gotten around to buying them. I love the way the author progresses at a logical and interesting pace from one storyline/book to the next. The Robin is still incorrigible and despite her scrape with the dark mage still lets hubris and attitude get her into another dangerous situation. Robin's husband,the Kestrel is a really nice guy who's still learning to be himself. I love that they revisit Wren's old haunts and end up playing for and helping the the ghost themselves while destroying a bunch of annoying, self-serving, undereducated or overpriviledged idiots in the process. The story also introduces us to more of the nonhuman species, and they're a lot cooler than the humans, in preparation for the third book.

the Robin and the Kestrel:Bardic Voices II
Mercedes Lackey never fails to entrance her readers.The Robin and the
Kestrel: Bardic Voices II is another of her successes.

The Robin and the Kestrel: Bardic Voices II
A wonderful follow-up to her earlier book in this series. It flowed well and told an excellent story. I also got book III and find it quite good as well. Joe

Improvement, but still slightly superficial.
The Lark and the Wren left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. It was a *good* book, but truely lacked in several elements.It's sequel, the Robin and the Kestrel seems to have picked up some of the pieces to produce an interesting novel.

The main characters are developed nicely, and for the first time, I didn't find myself groaning at the idiocy of either of the leads.The 'enemies' though, made me wince a little because of their resemblance to cardboard cutouts.While we do hear a little about the antagonists past, it's hardly enough to satisfy a curious reader.

A small annoyance for me, was also the 'fade to black' scenes.It's wonderful that the leads have such an intimate relationship, but it doesn't need to be mentioned every night if the author won't follow up with a scene.

Finally, this book does seem to bash a modern religion a little, but most shouldn't take offense, because it also provides some sympathetic characters from identical beliefs.

All in all, Mercedes Lackey is a wonderful writer, and while I feel a bit generous about giving this book four stars, her unique style helps ease the decision a little.

A continuing saga of the Free Bards
This is a tale of free bards, gypsies, non-humans, evil priests, and magic. It is book two of the series, and both continues characters fromthe previous book and introduces new characters that reappear in later books.The series should be read in order. The book begins with Free Bard Kestrel (a.k.a. Jonny Brede) and his wife,the gypsy Robin (a.k.a. Gwyna), traveling from Birnam in a gypsy wagon. The first half of the book takes them through a series of adventuresthat lead them to Gradford.The second half deals with events in Gradford,including the attempt of an evil priest to take over the city as a dictator (onecan recognize the usual historical process of scapegoats, strong-arm police,a charismatic leader, etc.).It describes the strategies used by the generalpopulation to survive during such a reign, and has an eventual confrontationbetween good and evil.Overall, it is an entertaining book that holds your interest. ... Read more

Product Description
The Compact prohibits any weapon "beyond the arms' reach of the one who uses it." So, are arrows lawful? Varzil may not like it, but Tayksa n'ha Elayna thinks this is a valid question. And he needs her help; someone is trying to kill him.

This story was originally published in the Darkover anthology RENUNCIATES OF DARKOVER, Mar 1991. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

Watching P's and Q's !!!!
Some years ago, I discovered Valdamar.I have received enjoyment and have felt as if these books were about people I had met."Arrow's Flight" is such a book.Ever felt like you were ready for just about anything?Then you run into a situation that shows you how easy it is to mess up so badly because you thought you knew about a subject.You find out that you studied the wrong chapters!!!Been there!Done that!I felt the story so strongly and was waiting eagerly for the next page and the next chapter!

This was a story that could fit into our way of life so easily. Talia was chosen because she had an extremely difficult job waiting for her.Teaching.It is a thankless job.You show a child the easiest and best way to complete a job.You teach them to apply what they are learning.What do they say?Your preaching!!I already know that!!We've already heard about that!!

Put everything you read or see or hear into prospective.I'm a good driver.....(what does this book teach about this subject?)....I know how to drive......but suddenly something will happen and I'll think "Thank you, Mr. Tully!!

Talia needed to learn and to use what she learned....

This book showed teaching and learning and it was shown in a good book about Magic.You just never know where we will run across gems to be gathered for a necklace to wear and cherish.

Arrow's Flight (The Heralds of Valdemar, Book 2)
This book is an excellent addition to the Valdemar series. It mixes seriousness with humor while making every character true-to-life.

One of her best!
Oh! I enjoyed this re-read quite a bit! The romance is fun and though I did remember just about everything, it was in no way dull or boring to re-read. I like the relationships and how Talia matures throughout the book. It is the next one that I think I remember the least, so I am REALLY looking forward to re-reading that one.

Disappointing
Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
on 10/01/2008

Talia has earned her Herald whites (see ARROWS OF THE QUEEN) and is ready to embark upon her eighteen-month internship with Kris, her mentor. Together, they are to ride through their assigned sector to settle disputes and perform other duties as Heralds.

The circuit is in trouble from the start, however, as Talia learns of rumors that she has abused her powerful empathic Gift. With her fragile confidence shattered, her Gift gets out of hand. She must regain control, or she'll be a danger to everyone around her.

Talia must successfully complete her internship. The Queen and many, many others are depending on it. Can Talia finish the year and half without driving herself, and her mentor, insane?

I was disappointed with this novel. The first one was enjoyable, so I was eager to dive in to this, the second installment of The Heralds of Valdemar. Unfortunately, the main conflict in this novel was over the lack of control over Talia's Gift. She didn't talk about it with her mentor until it was almost too late. The slow degradation of her abilities over many, many months was painful and repetitive to read. For being a smart character, she didn't act with much intelligence in that regard. One might argue that this lack of communication was due to her long-standing poor self-esteem, but that excuse only goes so far.

One of my pet peeves is when the author expects the reader to swallow a series of misunderstandings that should never have gone beyond the first few scenes. It feels like a deliberate machination on the author's part. If the author feels the need to use this to make the story fit their idea of the plot, then there's a fundamental flaw in the plan. The author should figure out how to work with the conflict without using tenth-grade tricks.

Another thing that annoyed me about this novel is that there were events that seemed important to the story and weren't included. By this, I'm referring to a visit Talia took to her family of birth and was basically turned away. This event was mentioned in passing, but I never saw it happen. The rejection by Talia's family is a critical key to the formation of her as a character, and it needed to be in the book. Whether Lackey didn't feel the need to write this event or whether the editors chopped it to save on page count, I feel it was a mistake.

After all that, it probably sounds like I hated this novel. In fact, I liked it well enough to finish it in less than a day. These two major issues, however, made it difficult for me to enjoy this book to its potential.

Fun Book, Like the first
This is one of my favorite Lackey series set in Valdemar.Lackey does write fluffy books, but I like that about them.There is good and evil and everyone fights the good fight.Its a quick enjoyable read that is no less worthwhile for being a lite read.The characters are all plausible is slightly one sided and the story is interesting if shallow.If you looking for an epic this isn't it.If you want a couple of fun afternoons try itne Arrows set. ... Read more

Product Description
Bringing cats to the planet to kill the local vermin seemed like a great idea, until they discovered the existence of a sect that revered the vermin as children of their god.

This story was previously published in the anthology Werehunter, Apr 1999. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The weakest of the entries...but gets the third star anyway
This is the fourth of four SKitty/SCat shorts that I've read so far for the Kindle.The four stories (SKitty, A Tail of Two SKitties, SCat and A Better Mousetrap) are light-reading, SciFi short stories that were individually published over the years, and now have been released in this format.

Lighty/fluffy (no pun intended) reading is what these are about.

Of the four stories, this is the weakest.I still would give a full length SKitty/SCat book a try, but boy as with a lot of ML things, the best ones were the earliest.Even so, there was enough here that in a light and airy mood I could enjoy a full book.

I would not buy this particular short as a stand-alone, and it's just not as interesting as the previous ones.This one falls into the trap (hah, another funny!) that although it has an interesting premise, the short format just can't carry it off.If this was the only story I'd be giving it 2 stars, but as it supports a (small) body of work, it does fit in with the others, hence the third star.



... Read more

Product Description
A dozen years of peace have passed in the city of White Gryphon - providing well deserved and much needed security for the people who had lost their homes in the magical Cataclysm which killed the Mage Urtho, creator of the gryphons. But the inhabitants of White Gryphon have not forgotten their long struggles, and have trained an elite guard force, the Silver Gryphons, to protect their city, and if necessary, to join with the army of the Black Kings for mutual defense. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

Took to long, not in good shape
It took a little over a month to recive this book. When i did get recive the book it was in very poor condition. I had to contact the seller again to ask why it took so long and i suspect that they only shipped it after I contacted them.

a rare fail for lackey
essentially, The Silver Gryphon is to the first two Gryphon novels what Jurassic Park III was to its predecessors; an inconsequential waste of time. The first two dealt with grand and dire events, a war between archmages and a serial-killing bloodmage in the midst of dramatic and tenuous international diplomacy. The Silver Gryphon is about kids lost in the woods being attacked by big lizards. Certainly not a fitting end to a trilogy called "The Mage Wars." The big lizards are kinda cool though, so I tacked on an extra star.

Different from the rest of the trilogy, but still well worth a read or two!
Well, I did remember this one the best, but I'm surprised that I thought that I would like it the least of the three. It was VERY exciting! And, yes, I did remember quite a bit... right down to the details, but it was still a pleasure to read. I think I liked it the least when I was younger because Skandranon and Amberdrake did not feature very prominently and poor Kechara wasn't more than mentioned. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it this time around.

An okay read
I really enjoyed the first two books of this trilogy, but this one left me a little underwhelmed. Amberdrake, Skan and the others are all older, so the focus changes to their children, who, badly wounded, get lost on a mission and their fathers lead a rescue party.

Things I liked: the pacing for the first two thirds of the book; I did enjoy the characterizations of Amberdrake, Skan et al, how being parents of the missing changed their viewpoints.

Things I didn't like? Normally, Lackey writes teen emotions really well. In fact, some of her strongest work deals with outsiders trying to fit in and the rejection they receive. Here, this is all glossed over. It's mentioned, then put away.The last part of the book felt very, very rushed.

Overall, this book is for people who live the Valdemar books or who have read the other books in this trilogy. Otherwise, no so much.

Not one of Lackey's better efforts.
I really wanted to like this book.I really, really did.I loved the two prequels (The Black Gryphon and The White Gryphon) and I've enjoyed many of the other books in the Valdemar series.But this one?Not so much.

The book focuses on the children of the main characters from the two earlier books: Skandranon's son Tad and Amberdrake's daughter Blade.Tad and Blade have both spent two years training to be part of the Silvers, the defense/police force for the town of White Gryphon.Their first assignment is to a remote outpost which is several days away by gryphon.On the way there, they make a crash landing in a dense rainforest.Both of them sustain injuries in the crash, no one knows where they are, and they think something's stalking them.

And this is where the book stops being interesting for awhile.After the first hundred or so pages of exposition, it drags along for another two hundred or so until we finally get to the ending.The middle part of the book drove me nuts because we don't actually see the things that are hunting them or even get a clear indication that they're being hunted until about three-fourths of the way through the book. The last few chapters are pretty good, so I won't ruin them for you.

I'd only recommend this book if you're a diehard Valdemar fan and you really want to read every one of the books.I don't feel like this one added anything to the previous two.

As a side note, this is the third book in a trilogy. If you haven't read the first two, you probably won't understand some of the concepts in this book (e.g. trond'irn and kestra'chern; those were explained in the first chapter of the first book of this trilogy). ... Read more

Product Description
Zombies in Space ... Jim was a zombie, stuck on a spaceship with a werewolf and a bunch of vampires. He didn't think the situation could get much worse, so he decided to improve it. ... Read more

Product Description
In a female-dominated world where men are unfairly repressed by the magical powers of women, Xylina is ordered by the Queen to publicly conquer an attractive Mazonian male or suffer execution. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

Pretty decent, interesting read for a pulp fantasy novel
I wouldn't say this is an instant classic or even one of the top books of the genre, but for what it is, it is definitely entertaining, thoughtful, and on rare occasion even provocative. Like one reviewer said, if you're a fan of either of them, get it. This is more on the line of Anthony's more serious works (On a Pale Horse, Isle of Woman, etc) and it isn't a bubbly read like his well known Xanth series. It is, however, quite easy to follow and understand without being childish, and it's good in that aspect for an average 10 or 11 year old to a senior citizen! The somewhat mature themes would be good for a somewhat mature 13 year old and I'd also be bold enough to say this book would be good reading for any boy who's just beginning puberty and starting to notice women as more than friends, just as a reminder that all people can share all qualities, masculine and feminine. Skim the book first as you should do with all content you give to an early teen and younger, and if your child requires guidance read it along with them! I'd imagine that anyone, young to old, who was interested in the study, practical application, and possible array of diversity of gender roles (including some vague transgender issues) would be interested in reading this. Also, the phenomenon of culture clash is touched on somewhat in this book. I have a social sciences background and I found it interesting to look at it through many different lenses. It's easy to see how cultural relativism can dead end when you're allowing all cultures (not just the weaker ones) to do what suits them! Lastly, anyone who just enjoys pulp fantasy would probably enjoy this. It's certainly more intelligent than a lot of pulp fantasy I've had the (mis)fortune of reading.

Please excuse my rambling! I saw this book talked badly of on Amazon and I wanted to see it get the good credit it justly deserves! Mercedes Lackey and Piers Anthony both did excellent jobs on this!

it was awesome.
the book was in good condition as advertised. and the story was even better than i remember. thank you.

Entertaining read
I have read several books by both authors, and have enjoyed their fare. I love Ms. Lackey's Elemental Masters series and Mr. Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series, and this book is a decent collaborative effort between the two. It's not the best that either of them have written, but is still a fun and decent read, I rate it at 3.5/5 stars (too bad you can't give half-stars when you're asked to choose how many stars)

The premise is entertaining, and this society certainly is interesting, but I found the idea of other societies with different rules to be a bit out of place here, due to the magical rules, which just felt conflicting and contrived to me. If the rules of this world had been tweaked a bit and more better thought out, the story would have been more believable. If you like Piers Anthony or Mercedes Lackey, you may enjoy this book - just don't have *grand* expectations.

Loved the High Fantasy!
I read this for the first time almost fifteen years ago, when I was a teenager, and it is one of my favorite books. Everytime I pull it down to reread, I still like it. I'm not sure if that's nostalga, or something else, but I really love the creative fantasy in this book. I love the quest - the changing landscape as they travel. I loved the beginning when the character was helpless, and the end, where she found power.

The only thing I disliked, in fact, was the love story aspect. When I first read the book, I thought Faro would be the love interest. Then when someone else becomes her object of affection, I thought she would still come back to Faro in the end. I was disappointed.

Reading the book again, a few years later, I felt differently. I saw that Faro held no romantic interest for her, and also saw other aspects in a more mature light. I really liked the book. I see similarities to Anthony's Fractual Mode books, which I liked as a teenager. As far as Lackey goes, my favorite book of hers is Elvenbane, (also something I read as a teen).

As an adult, I'm not a huge fan of Lackey or Anthony, so I definately recommend this to their younger fans. I've spoken to several people who have outgrown their work, but going back to reread things I liked when I was younger is still enjoyable to me.

In the Minority as well
Guess I'm a minority here as well, I recently pulled the book down for my 4th or 5th read through, I can't remember exactly when I first bought it but it's been years.I know nothing about either author, so can't judge this against their other works.I just know I really like this book, yeah maybe storyline isn't perfect but it's a fast and enjoyable read for me and after so many times it's like visiting old friends.It is probably a bit on the light side but not all books have to be "Lord of the Rings" depth. Wish I was better with words so I could defend the book from the more articulate negative reviews.I would recommend this book to people looking for a fast, enjoyable but not to deep fantasy tale. ... Read more

Product Description
When it became certain that Edward VI was dying, the duke of Northumberland, who had been ruling England in his name, made a plan that would let him hold onto his power. He dared not let Mary come to the throne because she was fiercely Catholic and he had espoused the Protestant cause. He did not want Elizabeth to rule because he knew her imperious nature would never defer to him. But there was more than one puppet master at work: The evil elf-lord Vidal Dhu had no intention of losing the flood of power the misery of Mary’s reign would bring the Dark Court, and intervened so that Mary was proclaimed queen.

Urged by her Chancellor and the Imperial ambassador to order Elizabeth’s death, Mary chose a different to insure that Elizabeth would never reign. She must marry and bear a child to be the Catholic heir. Vidal Dhu, replete with power from the pain and terror of Mary’s burning of heretics, agreed with Mary. Vidal Dhu had very special plans for that child. And since Oberon and Titania had disappeared, there now was no one except the double pair of twins to stand between the mortals of England and the rule of Evil.

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Customer Reviews (15)

Less than Kind
This wraps up the series quite nicely.It did leave me wondering what the two authors would have come up with had they chosen to continue to follow Elizabeth's life as a Queen.Who knows...maybe that is in the works.

And less than kind
another of the series, very good, loved the idea as to why Queen Elizabeth never married :)

M. Lackey, always a good read.
Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis have turned out another good book to read. This series involves Elisabeth I of England, and while I doubt that elves were really there, it does add to the entertainment.The authors have excelled in making the book worth collecting and reading, and rereading.

A disappointment to an otherwise good series...
The Double Edge series is a captivating blend of history and high fantasy.Books 1 through 3 had excellent character development, captivating story lines, and weaving patterns of intrigue that kept the reader engaged.
Book 4 has been a disappointment, lacking the luster, quick timing, and character interaction of the first three.The reader finds themselves drudging through page after page of pointless environmental descriptions with little charcter emotion portrayed. I am hoping this volume is just a bump in the road to a more dynamic series finish.
If you love Historical Biographies, this series could be for you. Liven up your history a little by weaving it with a Fairy Tale.

Rise of the English Queen
And Less Than Kind (2008) is the fourth fantasy novel in the Scepter'd Isle series, following By Slanderous Tongues.In the previous volume, Piketa had addicted Llanelli once more to oleander and she had her guardians tear him to pieces.She had thought they were destroying Vidal Dhu, but then killed herself in despair when she found that Vidal was still alive.

Pasgen and Rhoslyn were deeply disturbed by their mother's death and searched for ways to hurt Vidal.Pasgen initiated audits into the illicit activities of Thomas Seymour while Rhoslyn spied on the affairs of Lady Somerset.Their efforts led to the execution of Thomas for acts of treason.

In this novel, Lady Elizabeth Tudor is second in line for the throne of England.She has been protected from infancy by the Bright Sidhe, who have seen visions of a future in which her reign will be a time of peace and great power for the Seleighe.

Lady Mary Tutor is the eldest child of Henry VIII.By Henry's will and the Act of Succession, she is first in line for the throne.She has strong negative opinions about Elizabeth.

Prince Denoriel Siencyn Macreth Silverhair has been Elizabeth's sidhe guardian from the beginning of their protection.Over the years, Denno has become white-haired and has gained facial lines from living in the mortal world.Yet he is just as beautiful as ever when he entertains Elizabeth in Underhill.

Prince Vidal Dhu is the ruler of the Dark Court.He hates Elizabeth and wants her dead.Still, Oberon has forbidden anyone from taking her life.During the past four years, Vidal has been a prisoner of the living mist in the Unformed Lands.

Princess Aleneil Arwyddion Ysfael Silverhair is Denoriel's twin sister.She is also a talented FarSeer.She and others had foreseen the benefits of Elizabeth's benevolent rule.Lately she has been one of Elizabeth's household.

Pasgen and Rhoslyn are also twins and half-siblings of Denoriel and Aleneil.They have been members of the Dark Court, but Pasgen broke away after Vidal Dhu returned.Then both Pasgen and Rhoslyn became allies of Elizabeth.For two decades, Rhoslyn has been protecting Lady Mary and reporting on her behavior to Denoriel.

In this story, Vidal Dhu finally learns to control his temper and the mist lets him slip out of his bounds.He returns to the Dark Court with the same objectives, but more patience.He is even more deadly than before.

Dakari is a Dark Sidhe, but has little power and even less influence.He has been spying for Vidal Dhu on the Seleighe efforts to cleanse the Evil from the Alhambra realm.When the Bright Sidhe contain the Evil with silver and iron and then leave the realm, he reports the situation to his lord.He is sent back to remove the tokens and recruit the Evil.Instead, the Evil possesses Dakari.

King Edward is dying, but Elizabeth cannot get permission to visit him.Northumberland is trying to keep Elizabeth away from the court.She really wants to see Edward before he dies, but her own advisors are recommending that she stay away from London.

Since Mary is the next in line to become ruler of England, Elizabeth supports her succession to the throne.When Northumberland tries to disinherit both women, Elizabeth supports Mary.After word of Edward's death reaches the sisters, Elizabeth declares Mary is the Queen and helps drive Northumberland from the court.

When Mary is crowned as Queen, Elizabeth continues to support her sister, even after the Queen replaces her ladies and gentlemen with those of the Catholic rites.Mary slights Elizabeth several times and never loses her belief in Elizabeth's illegitimacy.Yet Elizabeth is determined to outlive Mary and take the throne only after her death.

Meanwhile, Vidal Dhu is still trying to kill Elizabeth.So are others within the English court and elsewhere.And then there are the fat sidhe and his Dark Sidhe companion.

The guardians of Elizabeth and Mary are kept busy protecting them from plots and misadventures.Denoriel is a regular visitor of Elizabeth except while she is living at court.Aleneil is among her handmaidens.Rhoslyn becomes Mary's favorite maid of honor.Pasgen is mostly searching for the missing Evil, but he spends some time impersonating one of Mary's guards during the day.

This tale describes the riots and rebellions among the English subjects over Mary's determination to bring back the Catholic rites and submit the English throne to the edicts of the Papacy.Every act against Mary brings accusations that Elizabeth has committed treason.Elizabeth even asks for a trial, but Mary's ministers are persuaded that English juries would not find her guilty without solid proof.

This is the most risky time for Elizabeth.Although still remembering the kindness of the younger sister, Mary is thoroughly convinced that Elizabeth is a threat to her own reign.Read and enjoy!

Recommended for Lackey & Gellis fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of early England, internal and foreign intrigue, and a very determined princess.

-Arthur W. Jordin ... Read more