Mercedes Lackey
Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 320 pages Rating: 4.21 | 18904 Users | 302 Reviews
Present Based On Books Magic's Promise (Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage #2)
| Title | : | Magic's Promise (Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage #2) |
| Author | : | Mercedes Lackey |
| Book Format | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 320 pages |
| Published | : | January 2nd 1990 by DAW Books Inc (first published 1990) |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Fiction. LGBT. Magic. Science Fiction Fantasy. High Fantasy. Romance. M M Romance |
Representaion To Books Magic's Promise (Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage #2)
I don't know what just happened, and I'm almost afraid to examine it too closely in case I find things to nitpick (and I certainly could nitpick) and end up lowering my rating. This hasn't been a very good year for me, rating wise, and I was pretty close to giving up on Lackey altogether. I was really tempted to just finish up this trilogy and move on. And for all I know, it goes downhill from here (I know how the next book ends) and this book is a complete fluke. After the dregs of the Vows & Honor series, I wouldn't be surprised if that ends up being the case, but this one gives me hope that there could be other gems in the Valdemar series. This series has certainly had it's ups and downs, and Lackey has quite a few storytelling quirks that irk me more often than not - like her tendency to emphasize words she feels are important but really puts the emphasis on words that end up being completely unimportant and not at all the words I'd emphasize myself. It breaks the natural flow of the sentence structure and I really wish she'd stop trying to help out the readers with the constant italics. Also, she can't write a romance worth a damn. Thankfully, she doesn't really attempt that here, and the little hint of a possible (completely nonsensical) one was mostly ignored and then quickly resolved, taking up maybe a half page out of the whole book total. She has gotten much better at writing action and she's filling in more of the rules of this world with each novel and trilogy that gives new insights into things that didn't quite make sense before. Now I could certainly complain about the "gays don't get happy endings" trope and the "gays must suffer" trope that are definitely in full force here, and I wouldn't blame readers who get annoyed by them, because I certainly do too. But for Vanyel's personal journey, knowing where this character comes from and what he's been through, and knowing already some of the history of this story and how it impacts later generations, what Vanyel goes through here to understand his place in the world and to come to a sort of peace with his hurts and losses makes sense. Also, keeping in mind this was written in 1990, Lackey needed to humanize Van as a character, which means he is going to be used to call attention to many of the stereotypes so prevalent (even to this day) about gay men. I was thrown a bit at first that this jumps ahead in the timeline by about 10 years or so, and some of the cast of supporting characters were new. I was having to catch up at the beginning, but then Vanyel was off for "vacation" back at the homestead with his loving family and things got so good. A former rival turns into a surprising ally, his father ends up being kind of reasonable, there's trouble over the Border and new friends to make. I really liked Medren and Tashir, and it was a treat to actually get to see Vanyel engage in a job rather than just hear about it afterwards. Savil continues to be great, and even Van's brother Mekeal has his shining moments. Everything was just working in this one. Lackey was firing on all cylinders and she proved that when she stays focused and doesn't get wrapped up in unnecessary high school melodrama or half-formed subplots she can actually weave a fantastic story.Mention Books Supposing Magic's Promise (Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage #2)
| Original Title: | Magic's Promise |
| ISBN: | 0886774012 (ISBN13: 9780886774011) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage #2, Valdemar (Chronological) #5, Valdemar (Publication order) #7 , more |
| Characters: | Vanyel Ashkevron, Yfandes, Savil Ashkevron |
Rating Based On Books Magic's Promise (Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage #2)
Ratings: 4.21 From 18904 Users | 302 ReviewsDiscuss Based On Books Magic's Promise (Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage #2)
Re-read 2018I'm dipping into some of my favorite books to take a break from my more serious reading for college classes. Vanyel and his lousy luck are one of my favorite things to read about. It makes things I'm going through seem not as bad. Re-read 2017I love Van and the journey he takes to adulthood and being one of the main Heralds in Valdemar. I do feel bad for everything he has to go through to try to save his country.I don't know what just happened, and I'm almost afraid to examine it too closely in case I find things to nitpick (and I certainly could nitpick) and end up lowering my rating.This hasn't been a very good year for me, rating wise, and I was pretty close to giving up on Lackey altogether. I was really tempted to just finish up this trilogy and move on. And for all I know, it goes downhill from here (I know how the next book ends) and this book is a complete fluke. After the dregs of the Vows
I love it. Vanyel and Yfandes are pushing my buttons so hard. I just want wrap Van up in a warm blanket, give him some hot chocolate and hug him. He made me cry when he talked/thought about his grief about 'Lendel and his loneliness (and I really don't cry easily while reading books). I really liked the first part of the story with Van getting some rest and meeting up with his family and finding some surprises, being able to let things go, having some old hurts starting to heal - even though he
Easily the best book of the trilogy; the relationships here felt the most genuine, the plot unfurled organically rather than being tacked on in the last thirty pages, and sometimes it's nice to read about a main character who's just really awesome at a lot of things. Many of the problems I had with the first book where also present in Magic's Promise, but my least favorite elements of the first book (the romance, the Hawkbrothers, and the "Powerful Enemy From Out Of Nowhere") were not present in
Herald-Mage Vanyel has spent long years defending Valdemar against wild magic at its borders, and has seen many of his friends and fellow mages die in the fierce demonic battles. Returning from one such bitter victory, Vanyel is exhausted, haggard, lonely and heartsick. By king Randal's order he takes time off to rest and recuperate, all the while knowing the safety of Valdemar rests on his shoulders - for who else could do his job? There is no one else.Reluctantly returning to his family's
How wonderful to have a more mature and thoughtful Vanyel to narrate the second volume of this series. Not there is no angst, but it is dealt with in a much more adult way. A depleted & exhausted Vanyel returns from the battle front, only to discover that his family insist on his presence at homenot the most restful place for the young man. His father is having difficulty accepting Vanyels sexual orientation and his mother frankly refuses to believe him, proceeding to push any and every
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