It has been YEARS since I picked up any of Mercedes Lackey's books, but I was drawn to this when I saw that it was the start of a new trilogy. I've read some of the more well known books in the universe, particularly the Arrows trilogy and Magic Trilogy. I really liked the latter. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember anything about gryphon's being in these, so I was a little nervous I wouldn't understand what was happening or that I hadn't read anything in the universe in forever that I wouldn't know important things. I'm glad that's not the case. I greatly enjoyed Gryphon in Light and I can't wait for the next book.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.

I have been reading the Valdemar books for decades and I was delighted to start this new saga with a lot of familiar characters. I do wish I had re-read a few of the relevant series more recently as I was a little foggy on the details. I love the world building and character development in these books. This magical world always feels real to me and it’s a comfort to get to revisit. I especially loved that this one includes characters from all the major areas and set up perfectly for the next book (which I need now, thank you very much). Kelvren was badly injured and away from his allies. He didn’t have enough magic to heal himself but he could heal the captain sharing his tent and dreaming of making it back to Haven to see his wife again. With this single choice Kelvren’s life will never be the same. The magic waves reverberating have changed the world and no one fully understands how to manage the problems Kelvren has unleashed upon herself.

Set in the current time period in Valdemar, this new trilogy gives us more gryphons and glimpses of our favorite characters. Kel is delightful, as are all the gryphons really, and I wanted to hug him so much. It was great seeing Firesong again and I can't wait to see what the next book brings.

I received a digital e-arc from the publisher via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year as I've really been wanting to read more about the Gryphons and this book didn't disappoint. I was surprised that it takes place many years after the events of the Mage Wars that involved the White Gryphon, his family and friends but I think that's mostly because I didn't read up on this beforehand as I didn't want to know much going in.

This is the beginning of a new series centered around the gryphon Kelvren, wing leader of the gryphons of k’Valdemarr who is so noble, brave and trying very hard to live up to his idol the White Gryphon. It was interesting how it started off with a human named Hallow Haven of the Sixteenth Guard Regiment who is very injured as a battle and houses Kelvren who took on Hallow's pain and literally saved is life though almost dies in the process. I loved getting to know his awesome wife Genni who is a healer in the making as well as Jefti who is a youngling that eventually helps to see to Kelvren's needs.

Eventually Kelvren is healed from the wounds that he takes on though it turns him into something that many fear is a weapon. Not long after he arrives back to k'Valdemarr, he finds himself being promoted due to the fear of being a weapon and an unknown which causes a lot of frustrated and Kelvren wondering where he fits in. When he is approached by his longtime friend who is a Mage named Firesong to help with an expedition to a potential dangerous place known as Lake Evendim which appears to have some sort of mystery around it, Kelvren decides to join in.

Joining this group is his new friend Jefti, Haven, Jefti's Mom, Genni, other magical creatures--the bondbirds (adapted from raptors, and bonded with the Hawkbrothers), the kyree, the tervardi, human-sized, flightless beings adapted from songbirds, and others, more Gryphons from Iftel who are known as the Heavy wing Gryphons, a Firecat, Firesong as well as his lover Silverfox, Kelvren's trondi'irn Nightwind who Jefti is learning to apprentice with, Ayshen who is Silverfox's hertasi (lizard-like) assistant and many others.

This group of people and creatures find themselves on quite the journey without quite knowing what to expect and along the way, there will be challenges of the strange animal and weather variety. Some secrets will be revealed and many of the characters will be put to the test of what they can handle.

Overall, it was a fun adventure of a book and has inspired me to dive deeper into the Valdemar world. I'm looking forward to reading the second book when it's released and seeing what new adventures are to be had.

Trigger warnings: death, violence, injury, mention of war

Gryphon in Light takes place in Valdemar during the aftermath of the Mage Storms which caused widespread destruction and discord across the entire continent of Velgarth. Some of this discord was magical, but with the Heralds and mages spread thin across Valdemar, some of the discord is also opportunistic. With less oversight, some nobles have decided to seize control of the town of Deedun by force using both local Valdemaran Guards and hired mercenaries.

With the increasing threat of civil war, loyal Guardsmen are sent in to lay siege to the town while those in charge try to decide a course of action. Meanwhile, K'Valdemar Vale sends their gryphon Wingleader Kelvren to investigate the situation. Kelvren arrives to the loyal Guards under attack and takes heroic action to save them. In the process, Kelvren is mortally wounded, and it is unclear if he will survive. Only a drastic magical experiment by a more powerful gryphon saves Kelvren from the brink of death.

However, now Kelvren has power he doesn't understand, and the actions he took at Deedun have caused a political uproar. The Tayledras leaders of K'Valdemar Vale decide it's best for Kelvren to leave Valdemar for a while, and they propose an expedition to Lake Evendim as a solution. Dark energies are coalescing in the area around the lake, and Lake Evendim's past could be the cause. Now, Kelvren, magic Adept Firesong, and others must get to the bottom of the mystery before something worse than the Mage Storms is unleased.

Thus, much of the story in this book is very character focused. Kelvren first has to learn how to deal with his increasingly possible death and what that means for his legacy. Then, he has to learn to deal with his newfound power. The very power that saved him also has the ability to kill him, and anyone nearby, if he can't keep it under control. Finally, he has to learn to hold a different place amongst his friends and people than the one he expected to have, and all of this is explored throughout the book.

I really enjoyed how much this books explored gryphons and magic in general. In fact, I feel like I can tell Larry Dixon had more to do with the explanations about magic and how gryphon biology is magical while Mercedes Lackey wrote a lot of the characterization and slice of life moments. The way magic and gryphon biology is explained is almost scientific, and I like when authors attempt to inject characteristics from one genre into another like that. It was definitely interesting, but a lot of it also made me wish I had read some previous books Lackey has written revolving around the gryphons.

That being said, if you're new to the world of Valdemar at all, I don't recommend starting with this book. First of all, while this is the first book in a new trilogy and it is technically its own story, I would recommend reading at least five other trilogies in the Valdemar universe before reading this one. If you're not in it for the long haul, then you can get away with only reading the Owlknight Trilogy, also known as Darian's Tale (Owlflight, Owlsight, and Owlknight). This trilogy takes place in the years before Gryphon in Light and introduces Kelvren and several other characters that appear in the book.

However, if you're like me and want to read all the Valdemar you can get your hands on, I would recommend reading the following series in this order before starting Gryphon in Light:
• The Mage Wars - this trilogy takes place many years in the past during a major conflict between two very powerful mages and explains the creation of several magical species including the gryphons. It consists of The Black Gryphon, The White Gryphon, and The Silver Gryphon.
• The Arrows Trilogy - this is the first trilogy Lackey wrote about Valdemar, and it tells the story of Tallia becoming the Queen's Own and the development of Elspeth as the heir to the throne. It consists of Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight, and Arrow's Fall.
• The Mage Winds - this trilogy takes place after the Arrows Trilogy, and it focuses on Elspeth as the heir to the throne as she searches for magic which has been absent from Valdemar for centuries. It consists of Winds of Fate, Winds of Change, and Winds of Fury.
• The Mage Storms - this trilogy follows the events of the Mage Winds Trilogy and sees Valdemar caught up in war and magical upheaval. It consists of Storm Warning, Storm Rising, and Storm Breaking.
• The Owlknight Trilogy - this trilogy introduces Darian and follows his training as a mage and role in helping establish K'Valdemar Vale. It also introduces Kelvren and some important Tayledras characters. It consists of Owlflight, Owlsight, and Owlknight.

This is a lot to read to be sure, but if you do read all of those books then some of the references and some of the characters in Gryphon in Light will make more sense. So, I would say that is one thing working against this book. Without a lot of commitment to learning the background, especially of Kelvren as he's the main character, some of the events in this book might not make as much sense.

The only other negative thing I have to say about this book is the lack of action. There was much more focus on characters and how they felt and what was going on inside their heads as opposed to plot taking place. There were maybe three points in the book that I felt did anything to move the plot forward. Subsequently, the ending of the book felt very anticlimactic. I won't give anything away, but the ending didn't feel like a conclusion to anything so much as a convenient place to end the book to pick up the story in the next entry in the trilogy.

I gave Gryphon in Light by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon three out of five stars. I really enjoyed reading more about the technicalities of magic and how it works. I also like learning more about gryphons and their biology, and of course I love Kelvren. He was one of my favorite characters in Darian's books, but I feel like he took a beating in this story. I also felt like there's a lot of homework to understand all the significance of the events and characters in this book, and it will be a difficult entry point into the world of Valdemar for a lot of readers. I would still recommend anyone who is caught up on Valdemar or who plans to read all of trilogies leading up to this story to read this book.

Return to the world of Velgarth with Gryphon in Light

Mercedes Lackey teams up with her husband and co-writer Larry Dixon to carry the story of Valdemar and its neighboring land beyond the events of the Owl Mage (Darian) trilogy. Gryphon in Light picks up several years after Owlknight. The titular gryphon is Kelvren, an engaging, charismatic, and enthusiastic gryphon who currently serves as the leader of the gryphon guards at the diplomatic enclave of k’Valdemar. The book is entertaining, and I loved seeing Kelvren and several other familiar and beloved characters. If you’re new to the series, this is not the place to jump into the Valdemar books, but if you’re already a fan, read on!

The story opens with an open rebellion within Valdemar; Kelvren risks his life to save a group of the Valdemaran Guard, including Hallock Stavern. The effort leaves both Kel and Hallock badly injured, eventually leading to an unusually risky magical working to save Kel. And that’s just the first part of the tale! The story continues with Kel’s recovery and a joint expedition to the shores of Lake Evendim, site of Ma’ar’s former stronghold and now (since the end of the Mage Storms) a new source of trouble.

There were plenty of things I liked about Gryphon in Light, and a few that bothered me. Most appealing, of course, was the chance to catch up and spend time with a number of well-loved characters from previous books. Besides Kelvren, we also get to see Silverfox and Firesong, Snowfire and Nightwind, Ayshen the hertasi, and the gryphon-mage Treyvan, among others. (These characters can be found in one or more of the following: the Mage Winds, Mage Storms, and Darian trilogies.)

The book’s POV is shared between several characters, including Kel, Hallock, and Firesong. This works for the story, and Lackey’s use of the multiple third-person-limited POV will be familiar to most Valdemar fans. In this case, it does make it hard to determine who is the real protagonist. While I think that honor goes to Kel, in terms of whose actions really drive the story, Hallock is also a main character. Both of them are likeable and interesting characters, with enough imperfections to make them feel realistic. Hallock is more mature and steadier than Kel, who tends toward impulsiveness and a certain showiness along with his undeniable courage and intelligence. Hallock’s wife plays an important secondary role, though we rarely see her POV; despite that, I liked her very much.

On the downside, while the plot works, it sometimes feels a little disjointed or episodic. Some of that is no doubt due to the fact that the first third or so of the book was originally three individual short stories, published in three separate volumes; the second half flows more smoothly, though the pacing is somewhat uneven. Another frustration was the occasional inconsistencies with the worldbuilding and magic systems established in previous books, something which drives me nuts. (I understand that it’s hard to maintain consistency in a series this large, even if you’re using a series bible, so I try to cut the authors some slack on this. But I do notice the inconsistences, and they can irritate me enough to temporarily throw me out of the story.)

Despite those quibbles, longtime fans of the series will probably enjoy Gryphon in Light as much I did. Newcomers will do better to start with earlier books set in this world, since the book references everything from the Mage Wars (Black Gryphon) trilogy to the Mage Storms and Owl Knight trilogies. (My personal recommendation is to read the books in publication order, though chronological order works, too.)

I started this book thinking it was the first on a series and then I realize it was the first on a new series around a whole world. Let me tell you I will read all the books around this world! It's so exciting! I love how you write! I felt all the emotions around the characters and not many authors do that for me. I would love to continue with this series.

You have no idea how happy it makes me to write a review of one of Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books where I don’t trash it.

In fact I’d go so far as to say that a lot of Gryphon In Light is just rather good.


This book follows Kelvren, the genially bombastic and bold gryphon who befriends Darian in the Owlknight trilogy. He gets himself into a number of scrapes in the borderline civil war going on in Valdemar, as a result of which he finds out his magical biology has been changed into something very different indeed. This leads to other scrapes.

Most of Gryphon In Light is a pleasant romp, with pleasant people facing difficult situations and mostly escaping them with the old out of the frying pan into the fire technique. I’m not sure Kelvren would have been my choice of protagonist from past Valdemar characters, as he was always rather monofocused, but Lackey and Dixon make the change work here by forcing Kelvren into a battle with his instincts. Some of the conversations Kelvren has about others with that, particularly Firesong, have as much philosophical depth and emotional impact as anything in the Valdemar series.

Incidentally, the return of Firesong has a lot to do with how much I enjoyed this book. Firesong is as witty, impatient, and caring as ever; he is excellent entertainment. I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed reading about him, but I do.

There are gripes with this book. Yes, I did enjoy seeing some old friends as per above. The level of self-reference did get too much a few times. There was one set piece of Kelvren’s friends being mad at him that seemed a bit overwrought. There’s a draggy part towards the end where a planned expedition takes forever to come together as everyone gets involved. Everyone.

The big gripe – and this one is big, a straight up star off the rating there and then – comes at the end when the book ends right on a cliffhanger. It didn’t even feel all that momentous a cliffhanger either, just an unbelievably abrupt one. I think there’s meant to be some big reveal at the start of the next book, but they could have made it here and left a cliffhanger as to what it meant and I’d give that star right back. I might have even given a little more. This? Honestly, the moment I ended Gryphon In Light, I went online to find out if somehow they’d forgot the last chapter out of the arc.

That aside, this is a fun read. It grips the attention and rewards it with a number of good action scenes and caring moments. I’m a fan.

I love Lackey's world of Valdemar. This particular novel didn't excite me as much as past books in the setting. The characters and plot didn't resonate as much with me. I wanted more.

This title was intriguing because our high school's mascot is the Gryphon. As a reader, I was not familiar with her earlier works and that put me at a disadvantage. It was difficult to understand all that had transpired in her earlier books about Velgarth without having read them. After checking our catalog, I learned that we did not have any of the earlier works. It is on our purchase list because of the association with our mascot and I have asked some of our top YA Fantasy readers to check it out when it arrives and let us know what their thoughts are and if we should continue with further purchases in the series.

This is the latest in the Author's Valdemar series which , whilst it can be read as a standalone I would recommend reading any of the 'later' previous books first to set the world building and overlapping characters in place

Kelvren has returned to the Peligars and his home , but he is no longer welcome . He has been badly affected by the magics that saved his life and is now impacting on the magic within the Vale
Feeling ostracised he is convinced by his old friend Firesong to set out on a journey to the centre of Lake Evendim to discover what mysteries are still there .
Along with his friends and a multicultural intrepid fleet they set off prepared for anything - or so they thought .
The lands have been change along with whatever resided within - the journey is full of perils , can they survive both individually and as a group
I love they way they Author manages to bring together characters from her previous books , weaving them into a new story with new dangers . The story draws a reader in , fully immersing you in a world of magic and fantastical creatures with peril around every corner
I cannot wait for the next book in this new series

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

First in a new series, set a few years after the Mage Storms. It starts off in deadly earnest, then backs off and becomes mostly setup. Hallock is a good character, though, as is Kelvren (the gryphon of the title), so it holds the interest reasonably well. Ends right in the middle of things.

Here's hoping it's not too long a wait for the sequels.

I wrote a review for this book but I'm honestly not sure if you want me to post it or not. I happily will but this book just wasn't all that good IMO. It was full of a lot of editing issues, continuity errors, all the character voices felt off.

This would easily get 1 star and I'd rather no do that but if you'd like me to I'll post it.

I spent days and weeks living in Valdemar as a teen. This series’ message of hope and perseverance through great challenge, helped me make it through my darkest days and I am here in part due to these books. Reading Gryphon in Light brought me right back to that place of hope, and I am not ashamed to say I cried many times throughout this book. Mercedes Lackey is an amazing author, and I am so grateful for all of her works. Thank you so much for allowing me to ARC for one of her books.

This series centers around Gryphon Kelvren, Captain Hallock, and Healing Adept Firesong k’Treva. After saving a fighting unit and receiving serious wounds, Kelvren heals a dying Captain Hallock because, “No one should have just one good day”. Kelvren unknowingly mortally wounds himself in the process of the healing, and drastic measures are taken to prevent his death.

Kelvren returns to k’Valdemar vale to a rather unceremonious welcome, and finds that he has been fundamentally changed in a way that makes living in the Vale very dangerous. Coincidentally, gryphons from Iftel arrive with a quest from the Goddess, and Kelvren must be Wingleader. This book follows this journey and what came before.

I loved this book so much, I will absolutely follow this new trilogy in the series. I highly recommend it!

Loved visiting the Lands of Valdemar again, and with the main character being a Gryphon I was in heaven!!

Gryphon in Light by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon

I have loved Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books for thirty years. As I said in my review of her last Valdemar book, I still have the SFBC omnibus of the Last Herald Mage trilogy on my shelf and I can’t tell you how many times I read it.

Until recently, I haven’t read many of her Valdemar books in the last few years. I listened to the audiobooks of the Collegium Chronicles series, which was fun, but I felt it dragged on too long, with too many kidnappings, and Mags’s accent drove me bananas. I lost touch with the series when my library stopped buying the ebooks of the Herald Spy series after Closer to Home, and I was disappointed in Spy, Spy Again, the third volume in the series focusing on Mags’s kids.

Two years ago, I really enjoyed Beyond, her new novel about the origins of the kingdom of Valdemar. I also enjoyed the sequel, Into the West, although it was a weird book and the pacing felt off.

But what I have been wanted for decades now is a continuation of the main timeline. We see Elsepth grow from the brat in the Arrows trilogy into a strong, powerful young woman during the Mage Storms. But what happens next? Well, here is the beginning of a new trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon to tell you.

Larry Dixon is Mercedes Lackey's husband and sometimes co-writer on Valdemar books, specifically the Owlknight trilogy and the Mage Wars etiology focusing on the gryphons. As I kid, I really dreaded reading the books co-written by Mr. Dixon. I felt that they were not as well written as Ms. Lackey's solo Valdemar novels. So I had some trepidation going in to this book, an eARC of which I got from DAW and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My fear was not completely unfounded here, but neither was my eager anticipation. This book did continue the story! Finally!! We see Elspeth again, if briefly! We are told what is going on in Valdemar, politically speaking, and it seems like some “Make Valdemar Great Again” types are causing all sorts of troubles. Writing style-wise, this book did not seem markedly worse than the last few solo Valdemar books I have read.

But oh is this book a sloooooooooow slog! It takes forever for anything to happen! We get a lot of internal navel gazing of the main human and gryphon protagonists with a lot of telling, not showing, of their characters. The human is a little too perfect, which is saying something in a series about white clad heroes on white horses, and the gryphon is a little too stupid and selfish for me to deal with at times. But my main gripe is that we get like 50 pages worth of plot spread out over the whole book, and all of it seems to be prologue for the sequel when the real story begins. A book needs to stand on its own, not just be setup for the next book, and this book falls down there.

But I did enjoy it, and I am excited to see where the story goes from here. Totally recommended for completists, not a great place to start the series.

Mercedes Lackey returns to Valdemar after magic has re-emerged and ties with the Pelagirs and other areas have been established. Gryphon in Light follows Kelvren a gryphon hero who saves Valdemaran forces but faces prejudice when he undergoes transformation to save his life. He joins up with Firesong in an expedition supported by the gods. Read and be enchanted.

Mercedes Lackey never disappoints. I’ve been waiting for another gryphon book as I so enjoyed the 3 that preceded the Valdemar stories. Seeing Kelvren again is fantastic and the hertasi, kyree and tervathi. Oh yes! Now we find out what happened at the other point whilst Karal and his friends saved the world.

Great storytelling as ever and I don’t wish to spoil the plot for you but I urge you to read it!

Set after the Mage Winds trilogy but a new reader can jump in with this story. Kelvren the gryphon has been injured and yet uses all his magic to heal a soldier with a gut wound. A last-ditch effort to heal Kel from the overexertion of his magic leaves him no longer able to regulate magic and he must shed magic by glowing brightly. Firesong works on a possible fix for this problem while a group from the Vale readies for a trip to go to Lake Evenrdim to find what the echoes of the Mage Storms would have caused there.


Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon return to Valdemar starting a tale about a Gryphon in Light (hard from DAW) . Kelvren was wounded protecting Valdemar soldiers, and practically used up his magic to save one the soldiers dying from an intestinal stab. The extreme measure used to save his, leaves him glowing with magic from his feathers. There is something brewing inthe center of legendary Lake Evendim, and an expedition is needed to investigate, Meanwhile Kelvren needs something to keep him busy while he learns to control the magic burning inside him. This first of three tales puts the expedition together and has them face some danger getting to the lake. This is a warm fuzzy tale with very likable characters. I’m looking forward to see how they deal with the problem of the lake. .