Pathways (Valdemar Anthology #11)

Posted on 05 March 2018 by Mercedes Lackey

The eleventh anthology of short stories set in Mercedes Lackey s beloved Valdemar universe features stories by debut and established authors and a brand new story from Lackey herselfThe Heralds of Valdemar are the kingdom s ancient order of protectors They are drawn from all across the land, from all walks of life, and at all ages and all are Gifted with abilities beyond those of normal men and women They are Mindspeakers, FarSeers, Empaths, ForeSeers, Firestarters, FarSpeakers, and These inborn talents combined with training as emissaries, spies, judges, diplomats, scouts, counselors, warriors, and make them indispensable to their monarch and realm Sought and Chosen by mysterious horse like Companions, they are bonded for life to these telepathic, enigmatic creatures The Heralds of Valdemar and their Companions ride circuit throughout the kingdom, protecting the peace and, when necessary, defending their land and monarch Now, twenty three authors ride with Mercedes Lackey to her magical land of Valdemar, adding their own unique voices to the Heralds, Bards, Healers, and other heroes of this beloved fantasy realm Join Janny Wurts, Elisabeth Waters, Michele Lang, Fiona Patton, and others in twenty four original stories, including a brand new novella by Mercedes Lackey, all set in Valdemar, where A young woman without any of the Heralds Gifts must see a Companion safely delivered to Haven.A Herald must revisit the mysteries of his childhood to save his own young family and combat a threat at the very heart of Valdemar.A Hawkbrother flees for his life, trailed by a mysterious bird that prophesizes a dire future.A mage must choose whether to steal a priceless artifact and be branded a thief and traitor, or let his country fall to magic that could prove far deadly. Best Read Books Pathways (Valdemar Anthology #11) by Mercedes Lackey – kino-fada.fr I found these stories a mixed bag Some, I liked a lot, others not so much I guess the truth is that no one tells Valdemar stories quite as good as Mercedes Lackey does.PATHWAYS gathers stories from all over Valdemar in this eleventh collection Many of the authors have contributed to some of the earlier anthologies too All of the stories were entertaining and well written My only complaint is that they were too short I would have been eager to read longer stories with the same characters.I especially enjoyed the stories that included Companions because I m a fan of white horse like creatures with silver hooves and blue eyes I also enjoyed the stories that PATHWAYS gathers stories from all over Valdemar in this eleventh collection Many of the authors have contributed to some of the earlier ...Mercedes Lackey seems to release a new Valdemar anthology every year just before Christmas, and 2017 was no exception Which means that one of my solstice presents was an ebook of the latest volume, Pathways This year s collection is, as always, a balance of stories about heralds or would be Heralds and stories about people from other parts of Valdemar s world, some human and some not Because this is an ongoing series of anthologies, there are some familiar characters, as authors write new tal Mercedes Lackey seems to release a new Valdemar anthology every year just before Christmas, and 2017 was no exception Which means that one of my solstice presents was an ebook of the latest volume, Pathways This year s collection is, as always, a balance of stories about heralds or would be Heralds and stories about people from other parts of...Really enjoyed the short stories it s nice to see some of my favorite character s from the previous anthologies make reappearances.I probably wouldn t be the avid reader that I am today if it wasn t for an annoyed librarian who handed me a copy of Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey almost 15 years ago and told me I could sit down and read quietly or go back outside into the 120 degree heat Now I ve discovered a lot of amazing books and authors since that day but Mercedes Lackey and her Heralds of Valdemar books have continuously been among my favorites While I normally don t like anthologies I think Pathways contains I probably wouldn t be the avi...Silent Storms 2 3 stars A Herald who doesn t do anything to serve Valdemar.Traded Places 4 stars Fun but too short Think Twelfth Night Reborn 3 stars A follow up on a horrible tale of murdered children from the last anthology Doesn t make a lot of sense.The Girl Who Rejected the Ordinary 4 stars The continued story from the last anthology of a blind girl who was the only witness to a Herald s death.Unexpected Consequences 5 stars Lady Cera successfully continues to raise chirras, search Silent Storms 2 3 stars A Herald who doesn t do anything to serve Valdemar.Traded Places 4 stars Fun but too short Think Twelfth Night Reborn 3 stars A follow up on a horrible tale of murdered children from the last anthology Doesn t make a lot of sense.The Girl Who Rejected the Ordinary 4 stars The continued story from the last anthology of a blind girl who was the only witness to a Herald s death.Unexpected Consequences 5 stars Lady Cera successfully continues to raise chirras, search for new ways to support her people and avoid suitors.A Herald s Duty 4 stars A Herald s Herald son is missing and he takes ...Originally published to my blog Nonstop Reader.I remember reading the original Valdemar books in the late 1980s I have been a lifelong reader of speculative fiction, so it was delightful to me to read about a society where difference was often a strength rather than a reason to be judged and despised Mercedes Lackey occupied a space in my library with Ursula LeGuin, Anne McCaffrey, Sheri Tepper, Zenna Henderson, Evangeline Walton, and many others Heinlein, Bradbury, Clarke, Atwood, Bester, E Originally published to my blog Nonstop Reader.I remember reading the original Valdemar books in the late 1980s I have been a lifelong reader of speculative fiction, so it was delightful to me to read about a society where difference was often a strength rather than a reason to be judged and despised Mercedes Lackey occupied a space in my library with Ursula LeGuin, Anne McCaffrey, Sheri Tepper, Zenna Henderson, Evangeline Walton, and many others Heinlein, Bradbury, Clarke, Atwood, Bester, Ellison, etc etc.Throughout the years, I ve always loved anthologies Whether or not they share a thematic cohesiveness, I like the inevitable variation of having a group of stories from which to choose, and have never yet been disappointed in ...I enjoy these roughly annual Valdemar anthologies Author Mercedes Lackey s fantasy realm lends itself well to the short story format Also, I gave up on Lackey s current Valdemar series years ago, so this is the only new material I really read Of course, none of the anthologies this is the 11th and counting get above 3 stars from me because of the range of short stories within each volume There are always a few I really don t care for and one or two that I really like Still, this one was o I enjoy these roughly annual Valdemar anthologies Author Mercedes Lackey s fantasy realm lends itself well to the short story format Also, I gave up on Lackey s current Valdemar series years ago, so this is the only new material I really read Of course, none of the anthologies this is the 11th and counting get above 3 stars from me because of the range of short stories within each volume There are always a few I really don t care for and one or two that I really like Still, this one was one of the better volumes in my opinion, since most of the stories were quite good It was also refreshing that nearly all of the stories had hopeful or even happy endings Many of the previous anthologies had a fair...I m just over half way through this anthology and will finish it by tonight or tomorrow I couldn t wait to do the review I found this anthology to be a wonderful continuation of the previous Tales of Valdemar anthologies I only wish that each new one would come with a history of the stories by each author as most of the authors ...While I usually call out two specific stories in anthologies, my favorite and the one I d most like to see expanded into a novel, I m unable to do that with this Valdemar collection I enjoyed most of the stories, but none of them jumped out to me as amazing A few of the stories also dragged, and one I stopped reading altogether One thing this anthology did well was the fantastic representation of diversity in sexual orientation and even gender identity I d love future anthologies to explore While I usually call out two specific stories in anthologies, my favorite and the one I d most like to see expanded into a novel, I m unable to do that with this Valdemar collection I enjoyed most of the stories, but none of them jumped out to me as amazing A few of the stories also dragged, and one I stopped reading altogether One thing this anthology did well was the fantastic representation of div...

English
05 March 2018

Mercedes Lackey