The Heralds of Valdemar

Heralds' talents belie the normal English-language meaning of the word. They are paired with horse-like creatures, called Companions, who can communicate with them telepathically. ("He's NOT a horse" is a frequent comment made by their riders, when explaining their needs to innkeepers and the like).

The Companion selects his/her own rider, usually someone quite young (early teens) so that they can be trained in the skills a Herald will need.

Heralds of Valdemar are known not only for their companion, but for their magic - heralds all have some kind of magical skill. The mind skills include far-seeing, fetching (making far-off things appear), far-speaking (broadcast telepathy) and so on.

A select few of the Heralds can also access the power within the earth and use it to power their magic. Power flows along leylines and pools into nodes; tapping into this power makes these Heralds very powerful magicians. They are known as Herald-Mages.

Wish-Fulfillment Fantasy

The Heralds of Valdemar books typically come in trilogies, of which there are a number, and follow one character from their selection by a Companion throughout their training and mature career.

The Heralds of Valdemar books are very popular with young adults because they speak to a particular fantasy of the young; the youthful protagonist is typically an outcast in their own segment of society, and their selection to the ranks of the Heralds elevates them instantly to a position of power and respect.

The Queen's Own Herald

In the original trilogy (often called the Heralds of Valdemar, which can also confusingly refer to all the books that take place in this universe), the protagonist is Thalia, a spirited girl trapped in a family of 'holderkin', a sect known for the subjugation of women. Her selection by her Companion - and Companions are allowed to roam the kingdom at will seeking their perfect match - freed her from a life of drudgery. Of course, she has also to overcome the prejudices of the snooty elite in the Collogium and her own ignorance of life outside her narrow sect, but goes on to become the Queen's Own Herald, a power position within the powerful ranks of the Heralds.

Thalia's story is told in Arrow of the Queen, Arrow's Flight and Arrow's Fall.

The Last Herald Mage

There is a period in Valdemar history in which the Mages became fewer and fewer until for a time, there were none at all. Vanyel Ashkevron was the last of the Herald Mages for some centuries.

Vanyel is neither poor nor dispossessed, but is actually a child of privilege, the younger son of landed nobility. He is, however, gay in a homophobic culture, and his disgusted father sends him to his aunt, a Herald in the kingdom's capitol city Haven, to 'make a man' out of him.

Alas for his father's intentions, the Heralds are notably more tolerant of diversity than the petty landowners. Vanyel falls in love with Tylendel, one of his aunt's male students, a Herald-trainee and chosen of a Companion. Vanyel helps Tylendel gain an illegal revenge for the death of his brother, but the plot goes awry, resulting in Tylendel's death and the sudden blasting open of all of Vanyel's own latent magical skills and abilities.

In despair at the death of his lover and driven nearly mad by the magic he now possesses but can't control, Vanyel is prevented from killing himself by the intervention of Companion Yfandes, who chooses this moment to make her selection.

In later books, Vanyel becomes the most powerful of the Herald Mages, yet cannot prevent the Mages from passing, for a while, into the history books. He finally finds love again in the person of the young bard Stefan, before dying in a last stand that saves the kingdom from invaders.

Vanyel's story is told in Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise and Magic's Price, notably some of the earliest books in mainstream fantasy that feature a gay hero.

Chronological Order Versus Historical Order

Mercedes Lackey started her stories at a particular time in her kingdom's history. Then, like many authors do, she went both forward and back in time, filling in as the stories came to her. Thus, you can either read the novels in order of publication (recommended) or in chronological order as they reveal the history of the kingdom of Valdemar.