Foundation: Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles, Book 1

Are we reading the same book??
I am surprised by the contents of the negative reviews on this book. I have read all of Ms. Lackey’s Valdemar books, starting when they were first published, and many of her other books. In my view, this is one of Ms. Lackey’s best books. Like some of the other reviewers, I have not cared for some of the other series she has started recently. Unlike some reviewers, I believe that Ms. Lackey has been deepening the history and culture of Valdemar in the more recent books, and also deepening the personalities of both her longstanding characters and new ones, as she (and I) grow older and have more experience with people. When I went back and reread the earlier Arrows series (which I loved at the time) recently, I found it much inferior to the recent books where Ms. Lackey has developed more mature characters.This book is interesting in terms of its exploration of how the Collegium based education system of the Heralds developed. Also, I found her picture of the starting position of a person who has been *totally* abused and exploited (more so than most of her other characters who have had bad lives, but not *this* bad), and how he evolves away from that situation as he is exposed to relatively richer environments (and for him even adequate food falls into this category).It is almost as if I and the critical reviewers read different books. We certainly have different ideas of what makes a good Valdemar book. For me it is about the creation of people that I can savour, and development of this different society, and this book meets these tests.

Good start to a decent series
I recently read Mercedes Lackey’s five-volume series “The Collegium Chronicles.” The books, in order, are:FoundationIntriguesChangesRedoubtBastionHere, why don’t I jot down a few words about the entire series, and not just the first book (no plot spoilers).Lackey is perhaps best known for her long-running series about the fantasy kingdom Valdemar, and this set of five books are her most recent addition to the saga. The Valdemar books overall don’t have to be read in any particular order; the series is made up of both sets of books (usually trilogies) and individual titles that are semi-independent of one another. However, it perhaps makes the most sense to read the stories in chronological order according to the history of the kingdom. The Collegium Chronicles , while the most recently written about Valdemar, take place fairly early in the history of the country.It’s been quite some time since I visited Valdemar, and I was quite happy to go back again. I’ve enjoyed the previous stories I’ve read very much, and had been thinking of doing a complete reading of the entire series in chronological order, so I had no problem in jumping in with these, since they detail an earlier portion of the country’s time-line.And—in general, I found the books to be quite enjoyable. I liked the main character and found his adventures to be quite interesting. While reviews for the series were mixed, this was in large part due to the leisurely pace of the stories, with unfinished plot points left hanging at the end of each of the first four volumes. Since these were published at a rate of about one book per year, some readers were very frustrated about all these loose ends regarding the primary plot, which dealt with the mystery of where Mags came from, who he was, and why strangers were hunting him down.However, since I had the entire stack of books at hand, this wasn’t an issue for me—as soon as I finished one I was able to jump right into the next.Now, Lackey does have quite a knack for getting into her characters’ heads, and imagining in complete detail the running commentary that fills their minds as they go about their daily tasks. In one sense this is a plus—we really get to see how these characters think. Problem is—she writes it all down, whether it has anything to do with advancing the plot or not! And this does tend to pad out her books to a certain degree.I love the stories and fantasy realms Mercedes comes up with—I can only wish I had such an imagination. But I think she suffers from the same problem as a number of other very popular and prolific authors, in that her publisher doesn’t seem to edit her any more, and as a result there’s a LOT in her books that could be trimmed to make for a much tighter story.Oh, I don’t mind getting a moderate amount of unnecessary detail—I enjoy losing myself in these fantasy worlds. But I do have to admit that when we’re talking about the mechanics of quality, first-rate writing, her books would be better with a strong editor at the helm.For instance—in one of these books, there was a passage written about how the villains were able to hide their wagon from the eyes of the good guys. The description went on in detail for an entire page, but—we simply don’t need to know this! It had nothing to do with the plot—just two or three sentences about this would have been quite sufficient.Now—while each book was of a reasonable length, averaging out to 330 pages or so, all together this story did NOT need five volumes to be told. The text could have been edited and tightened down to four volumes. Heck, the complete tale could probably even have been knocked down to three 400-page books.So, that is my primary reservation about the stories. But on the other hand, I enjoyed them despite problems in pacing, so I’ll happily recommend these for those who enjoy Mercedes’ work. There are still a lot of Valdemar books I haven’t read yet, and I fully intend to continue on with the series.

your circle of friends
Every Valdemar book I have read expands my circle of friends. I have been gathering these precious folks for 20 years.This writer has an unusual way of creating characters that are very real, that stay with you, that every now and then come to the forefront as in”I wonder what so and so is doing?That includes the Companions.I have been a horsewoman all my life and have had the privilege to be close friends with 2 horses, a mule, and a very sparkly grey(Unicorn White) Welsh Mountain Pony who was a great joy to me and the many children she taught to ride properly at my training barn.Though none spoke the way the Companions do, they all had their own voices and for any who listened, a very effective way of communicating.I think this author must have spent considerable time listening to horses. She has Equine intelligence down.Good on you, Mercedes Lackey

Lackey always brings me joy, especially the valdemar series. It’s like curling up with warmth on a nasty winter day.

社会の底辺から選ばれて使徒になる…という王道のストーリー。軽く読めて、面白くないわけではないのですが、Magic’s Pawn (Last Herald-Mage)で書かれているヴァニエルの頃から60年ぐらいしか経っていないという時代なのに（本の冒頭の年表ではそうなっている）ヴァニエルはすでに伝説。ヴァニエルの本の設定ではまだ生きているはずのステフェンも遠い過去の人になっていて、とても5-60年前のこととは思えないぐらい。200から300年ぐらいは少なくとも経っていそうな書かれ方。ヴァニエルのころにはあったはずの学院が「建てはじめられたころ」みたいな時代設定の逆転が起こっていて、時々違和感がある箇所があります。このシリーズを読破しているファンだったら誰だってわかるようなミスをどうしてそのままにして出版したのか、ちょっとわかりませんね。事件も起きるのですが、どうも解決を見ないままに終わってしまって、これは続きがあるだろうなー。という感じのエンディング。というか、これで続きがなかったら、悲しい。2-3箇所、あれ？と思う時代のずれさえ気にしなければ、楽しめます。Brightly Burning (Daw Books Collectors)は商人の息子が選ばれる話でしたが、これが楽しめたのなら、こっちも大丈夫。久しぶりのヴァルデマールシリーズの新作、折角なのでこのシリーズのファンならやっぱり、お勧めです。このシリーズを読んだことのない人だったら、先に新訳 女王の矢―ヴァルデマールの使者 (C・NOVELSファンタジア)をおすすめします。

Firstly and most importantly for an audio product, it was well read, no annoying voices! Very easy to listen to. As a book the story was another great tale from the herald-chronicler of Valdemar, I was not disappointed. If you have not read any books from this series this might well be a good place to start, it’s a stand alone book about the central features of the series, and for those established fans listening for the new snippets of local colour in the familiar sequence of lonely child, Choosing and becoming a herald is an oasis for those thirsting for more tales of shining white horse-shaped companions with those sparkling blue eyes.