I have been a big fan of Lackey's earlier Valdemar books, less so of her newer ones. The writing got a lot 'looser'; the Founding series (which has its good moments) tends towards the preachy. But I still read them and this time I was happier than with the more recent books.

Lakey and Dixon return to the main Valdemar series so there are a lot of references to characters or events from earlier books like the Mage Wars and the Storms; Firesong and Silverfox are strong secondary characters, Companions and firecats, etc. If you haven't read the rest of the series you should either hold off on this book and read those first, or accept that you'll be a bit behind and catching up on some events and people.

My main complaint with the more recent Lackey books, the writing, isn't here as much. The writing is better than her last several books have been- not quite up to her original standards, but much better than lately. The pacing here is a bit uneven. There's a lot of character focus for most of the book and the action movement only really happens in the last 20%-30% of the book, when the characters have gathered for an expedition to the hidden center of Lake Evendim. And of course, this will be multiple books, so be prepared for things to not end neatly wrapped up.

Characters and cultures and worldbuilding are always Lackey's strong suit and are here in access. We get more about gryphon anatomy than we might want, and a bit of editing to streamline things might have helped the pace of the book. But overall, this felt like I was returning to the familiar world of Valdemar, seeing familiar faces through new eyes and discovering new characters and new challenges for them in the ways that drew me to Lackey's worlds in the first place. I'm looking forward to the next book in this saga!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Gather ye round to hear the start of an epic quest filled with fantastic beings, magic and danger. In this tale we rejoin some old friends and make some new friends on their way to confront the unknown. An unknown that may very well destroy life as they know it.
This is why I love Mercedes Lackey. Great characters, fantastic world building and a tale that sucks you in and makes it so you don’t want to leave.

I grew up spending hours of free time in Valdemar, treating my horse as a Companion and wishing I knew gryphons and mages and Tayledras and Heralds in real life. I started with Arrows of the Queen (Talia's story) when I was twelve or thirteen, and never stopped collecting every book and short story available in the rich universe Mercedes Lackey created. So, I was excited for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's newest Valdemar novel, Gryphon in Light.

Gryphon in Light is set in the current Valdemar timeline, when complications in the country after a war, mage storms, and new allies arriving has thrown society into a state of change. A group of merchants who want to be new warlords have hired mercenaries and conscripted locals to fight against the government in a preliminary volley of civil war. It is here the gryphon wingleader, Kelvren, nearly dies, sacrificing himself in a heroic manner, and ends up in the "there's nothing we can do to heal this one" tent.

The last-ditch magical effort to save Kel has some unexpected consequences, and instead of the celebration he expects at his return to k'Valdemar vale, his home, he is met with suspicion and fear. His very nature has changed, making him an unstable bomb that could level the area in a spectacular inferno if he doesn't learn to control himself. With the famous mage Firesong's help, Kel has to figure himself out before he kills everyone by accident. At the same time, Kel and a company of allies are sent on a quest into the wilderness to search for the evil mage Ma'ar's stronghold, currently beneath a lake created a thousand years ago when Ma'ar died.

There have been a few books in the Valdemar timeline that felt rushed and not quite fully fleshed out: Gryphon in Light is not one of them. Kel's inner and outer worlds are equally compelling, and there are twists and surprises that keep the reader in the adventure (and lose sleep to keep going). One of Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's strengths in the large and ever expanding Valdemar universe is their ability to mix known and loved characters with new blood. All the characters involved have their own motivations and growth, which means both known folk and new ones never feel like a cardboard cutout there to take up space. Gryphon in Light is the first in a new series of adventures in Valdemar with a crew of heroes both well known to longtime readers and brand new.

This book stands on its own as Kel's story, but I should say that it is so much better and richer if you've read the novels leading up to this point in the timeline, particularly the Mage Wars, Mage Winds, Mage Storms, and Owl Mage trilogies. There's backstory in them which make the references in Gryphon in Light deeper and the world that much more realistic. However, it's not necessary to read them to get pulled into Kel's tale, nor to recognize the traumas and motivations of the others around him.

It's fair to say I'm probably predisposed to appreciate any of the Lackey-Dixon novels in the Valdemar universe. Gryphon in Light took me back to those older trilogies where I could lose hours of time in a different world through a character's journey. I loved every word, and I'll be picking up a copy of the final hardcover for my library when it's released later in July (last I checked, July 23rd 2023 is the release date). If you're a fan of Valdemar, you're going to need to read this one. If you've never read any of Mercedes Lackey or Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, and you like fantasy, you need to start. Gryphon in Light's Kelvren is a fabulous hero and I can't wait for the sequel.

The beginning was difficult to understand because several locations, directions, and names were thrown at the reader and I couldn't tell up from down. Once I got a grasp on the story, new characters were introduced.

The story is, no doubt, entertaining, but I'd recommend it for those who have read Lackey's other series first.

The cover is gorgeous!

Set in the World of Valdemar. This is the 1st book of a new trilogy featuring majestic Gryphons. Gryphon Kelvren had made the ultimate sacrifice to save the life of Guard Officer Hallock and the regard of all of Valdemar. He thought he would have a hero's welcome upon return to his homeland but is shunned by many as he is greatly changed. Something new.
He joins the quest to the centre of Lake Evendim along with many friends and different cultures. This is the start of a thrilling adventure which already keeps you on the edge of your seat as you know there is so much more to be revealed.
I am fairly new to this world but had no problem with catching up as there is so much great interaction between characters that keeps you wanting more.
I would recommend starting this series now even if you are late to the party.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, DAW) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Another great chapter in the Valdemar world! As always, Mercedes Lackey delivers a fun tale full of vibrant characters. I love how as this huge series continues to grow we learn more and more about the history of all the nations, how their stories all tie together in past events.

In this book, we follow some familiar characters from past Valdemar books as well as some new faces. We start with some internal politics in Valdemar but soon enough we are deep into a potentially world ending magical crisis.

I loved this and can not wait for more!

I admit - I'll read anything Mercedes Lackey writes, and I'll enjoy it!

And this was no exception. We're back to later events in Valdemar here, following the events of the Mage Storm trilogy, and the consequences of the original Cataclysm, which have not yet been fully dealt with.

Although the title of the new series suggests that it is gryphon centered, all the various groups that we've read about throughout these books are involved in the expedition to try to resolve the problems. We have gryphons, humans, hertasi, dyheli, kyree - all are involved. Firesong plays a big role here. The gods are also involved - we have a companion and a firecat, there to give the expedition any aid that they can.

It's a good story. Just one caveat - although it's clear from the series title that this is going to be more than a standalone, it's rare to have book 1 end with "to be continued." So, if this drives you crazy, be forewarned!

I have been reading Mercedes Lackey's books since I was about 11 and have read every single Valdemar book I could get my hands on. I have DEVOURED them when able, and have went back and reread as it had become a comfort universe for me to enjoy. This book is definitely an easy pickup and read for new people being introduced to Valdemar and the characters. I enjoyed this so very much!

I’ve received this arc through Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review, thank you for letting me read it.
First let me tell you first and foremost, I’m a huge fan of Mercedes Lackey work…and before this book I’ve not picked up one of her works set in the world of Valdemar. I know, I know, crazy, but it’s an intimidating series to start! Well after reading Gryphon in Light, I’m feeling inspired to start at the very beginning.
Would I recommend this book to start? No, not if you aren’t comfortable with high fantasy books with specific lingo and established set of rules that’s been expanded upon through multiple series. To me, it didn’t really deter me, I tend to power through world building and allow context to help my understanding. One thing about Mercedes Lackey’s books is just the ease and comfortability of her writing. I read one of her books and it just feels like a warm sweater, and this felt the same.
Regarding to the actual plot of this book, most of the actual action is set off screen, but the results of war is shown on screen. Some tws would be taking about death, war but nothing on screen. We follow a gryphon eager to make his mark on a world, and in the process of trying to help others creates a quest with a motley crew of magical and non magical beings, not all as recognizable as gryphons. This book is mainly the getting together the group, establishing it as a holy and dangerous mission and creation of a chosen one. But not much happens and they don’t even leave on the quest until 250 pages pass out of 319.
Overall I’m intrigued but before the next book in this series comes out, I’m going to brush up on my lore so I can keep up and appreciate cameos of past important characters and references. Thanks again for letting me review!

As a decades-long Mercedes Lackey reader, even I struggled with this one. I had to refresh my memory as to which time period this was from, as I’d most recently been reading the founding of Valdemar series. This book is great for those of us deep in the Valdemar universe, but I wouldn’t recommend It as a starting place for people unfamiliar with Lackey’s works. There was both a lot of plot, and not much plot at the same time. It wasn’t one of her stronger books, but still one I enjoyed.

I was provided an ARC copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks to the publisher and the author for providing it to me.

I received an eArc of this work in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much to the authors, NetGalley, and the publisher DAW for the opportunity. This review will be as spoiler free as possible.

I've been reading Mercedes Lackey's books since I was ten years old and I've read every single thing in the Valdemar/Velgarth world I could get my hands on. Yes even the anthologies. All 17 of them. I don't love all the stories in the anthologies, but the longer novella from Mercedes or Larry at the end is always like getting to the dessert course at the buffet - such a yummy treat.

Which is why I was so pleased that a story that had originally started out in the anthologies was allowed to be expanded as it's own series. I even prepped to read this book by hunting down the first several short stories previously published, but that turned out to be wholly unnecessary - they are all cleaned up and presented chronologically in the first part of this book. Very convenient.

If you are not up to date on the chronology in Valdemar, and do want to do some pre-reading before you get into this one (or for something to do until the next book in the series gets published), I'd recommend reading the Mage Wars, the Mage Storms, and the Owl Knight trilogies. BUT if you want to jump into it by starting with this book, I'd say it can stand alone without needing all the other books (but it's nice to know they are there!).

My initial impressions of this book are that it is a proper fantasy novel, with light peril, some good things to say about survival and hardship, and includes an interesting magic system. There is also great diversity and representation, and the book is not shy about philosophical and humanitarian messages. The prose is easy to read and the premise is great in terms of answering a question I've had about this world since I read Storm Warning back in 1994.

The read initially seems pretty similar to Into the West - I'm getting a very similar vibe and there was even a shoutout to some events/items that featured in that series. I'm hoping for some parallel story beats between these two as the additional books come out.

In terms of worldbuilding, we get a bit of a slow burn as we spend time getting introduced to the supporting cast of characters. It was nice to see a few familiar characters like Darian, Treyvan, and Firesong, although there were a few characters from other books that I would have thought would make an appearance because of spoiler reasons, but it's still only the first book.

In general I would recommend picking this book up if you want an introduction to a new fantasy world or are a big fan of the other books that take place in the series.

I'll be waiting eagerly to read more!

This review of Gryphon in Light is courtesy of NetGalley
#GryphoninLight #NetGalley #Fantasy #Valdemar #MercedesLackey #DAWBooks
Rating 4/5
Upcoming publication date: July 25, 2023

I was lucky enough to be approved by DAW to review an uncorrected proof of Gryphon in Light by Mercedes Lackey. It's the first in a new trilogy set within Misty's Valdemar world. As it was an uncorrected proof, I'm not allowed to include quotes as they may differ from the final book.

I'm not new to Valdemar. I have very fond memories of the "Arrows" trilogy (now referred to as The Heralds of Valdemar trilogy) and "The Last Herald-Mage" trilogy as a teen, bought "The Mage Winds" trilogy when then first came out in paperback, etc. I admit that I haven't finished reading all the books covering Valdemar (primarily "The Collegium Chronicles", "The Herald Spy", "Family Spies", "The Founding of Valdemar") though they are in my "to be read" pile.

For those unfamiliar with Valdemar, Gryphon in Light will not make a good starting point. The short, barely a little more than screen of text on my phone, prologue gives a "Our heroes were last seen" type of feel and provides enough context to understand that this book takes place after the "Darian's Tale" trilogy (the "owl" books). For those who read the previous "modern time" books as they came out, you may need a refresher as they were published decades ago. Readers who haven't read the series will be lost in references to previous characters, why Heralds with a capital H is important, the various types of unique intelligent species like hertasi, etc.

I enjoyed reading the book. There are bits of humor mixed with poetic turn of phrase which keeps the text from being dry. There's definitely a sense of caring and warmth amongst the characters which continues the feel good feeling from reading Valdemar. The events in the book suggest that the remaining books will be EPIC and I'm looking forward to them. Those looking for tons of action won't necessarily find it as this book is largely setup and it's not until about 79% of the way through that the expedition mentioned in the book blurb even gets started. It also doesn't get a perfect rating for me, because unlike what I remember of the "Arrows" or "Last Herald Mage" books, it doesn't end at a good logical stopping point and instead ends with the dreaded words "TO BE CONTINUED".

Gryphon In Light by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon (Kelvren’s Saga #1) 4.5 stars

Gryphons, Kyree, Firecats & Companions… oh my. Throw in characters from the Mage Storms Trilogy and The Owl Mage Trilogy and you have an exciting first entry into Kelvren’s Saga. For those who don’t remember Kelvren is a gryphon whose first appearance was in The Owl Mage Trilogy. I won’t say that you have to read the other books, but if you do, you will appreciate this one more. The story moves along at a fast pace and I enjoyed this one immensely. Kelvren and company band together to solve a mystery left over from the Mage Storms Trilogy. There are dangers to be faced with unknown creatures inhabiting the territory they must traverse. It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I am confident that all the main characters will come through it. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. In the meantime, we can look forward to this year’s Valdemar anthology “Anything With Nothing” (November 2023) and Valdemar (The Founding #3 – December 2023)

Thank you Netgalley and DAW for this ARC.

Gryphon in Light is the first book in a new trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon. It continues the story of Valdemar after the OwlKnight trilogy. Valdemar is embroiled in battles with mercenaries after the borders of Iftel open. Kelvin, a Gryphon living in k'Valdemar and friends with the OwlKnight is among those who are in the battles fighting against the mercenaries. He is wounded and put into a tent with a human soldier who is slowly dying from a gut wound. Although gravely wounded himself, Kel heals the soldier. Now near death himself, his magic energies depleted, Kel is close to dying himself. Haven hears of the wounded gryphon and Treyvan goes to the front lines to see what can be done.

This is an exciting new chapter in the Valdemar books which continue the storyline started in Arrows of the Queen, rather than a new trilogy somewhere else in the timeline. While I love the series, and love the stories concerning the gryphons and Hawkbrothers, in some ways I would rather have this set in a different part of the timeline, to fill in some of the blanks. I do like that Misty and Larry are trying to show us different parts of the world, and opening up new possibilities to the reader - let's discover more about the lands surrounding Valdemar, for example. The problem lies in working around established 'canon' from earlier books when opening up these lands. I'm looking forward to seeing how this trilogy progresses.

Disclosure: I was provided a digital copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I have only one complaint about the book- that it stops! I could have kept reading for a thousand pages. The first approximately quarter will be familiar to anyone who has read her Valdemar anthologies, as she returns to those stories to set the stage. However, it quickly picks up speed and launches an adventure including a menagerie and a glowing gryphon. Fast paced and enjoyable fluff read.

With thanks to Netgalley and DAW Books.

I love reading books set in the Valdemar series so may be somewhat biased in my enjoyment of this first instalment in a new trilogy.

Gryphon in Light returns to Valdemar in the period after the Mage Storms where Elspeth is Queen with Darkwind as her partner. The story begins with a dreadfully wounded soldier, Hallock, who agrees to sharing his tent with Kelvren, a brave gryphon who nearly died after heroically saving Valdemaran troops. Unfortunately, by his actions Kelvren has created a diplomatic incident and needs to be removed from the situation.
Meanwhile, it seems that conditions at Lake Evendim, Ma’ar’s s stronghold are deteriorating and affecting the different planes, so an expedition is planned.
While it does take a large part of the book to reach the point of the expedition’s departure the world building is exceptional, as always. If you haven’t experienced Valdemar before I would recommend reading earlier entries into the series prior to this one to maximise your enjoyment.

With a cast of characters both old and new, Gryphon in Light finds Valdemar in a difficult situation after the Mage Storms ended, leaving chaos in their wake. Though it's been a while since we visited the world of the mage storms, and some of these characters, I found myself once more wrapped into the book as a warm hug that is Valdemar. One by one we're reintroduced to the magical creatures which inhabit the world alongside human soldiers, Heralds, Tayledras, and more. And when they're swept into adventure, you don't want to be left behind.

While this book may be a bit overwhelming to those new to Valdemar, they won't be unfamiliar with the world for long as the author does a brilliant job of explaining the characters and making each one unique. Needless to say, this is a delightful treat for longtime fans, and my only regret is now I have to wait for the next one. But that's a small price to pay to be able to visit Valdemar once again.

I have been reading M. Lackey's books since I was a teen. I love her rich world creation and heartwarming stories. The last several books have disappointed me somewhat. This book has me on the fence. The beginning is slow, really slow. We have Kelvren, a griffin, who is gravely injured using magic to heal a Vlademaran guard, Hollock. This leaves the Griffin gravely injured. A magical attempt to heal him leave him even more at risk this time the risk extends to others around him as well. we learn more about griffin anatomy then we really need to. This part of healing and heading home to K'Valdemar take up 30% of the book. Then for some reason It is decided that Kel with many old and new chars should head on a journey to lake Evendim. I'm still not sure why they decided to go but apparently it has become important. The next huge chunk of the book is all how were are organizing the trip. When you are finally nearly 80% done with the book they actually leave on this journey. This is the only part that is really interesting. So of course whilst in the midst of danger and excitement the authors cut us off with a to be continued. I absolutely HATE that. Listen after dragging us on for hundreds of pages do not just cut us off with a buy my next book too routine. Earlier books in the series had nice small conclusions while moving on with the metaplot. This seems to be following the new trend of authors to get you to the rising action of the book then cut you off. That isn't a book that is an introduction. The character creation is detailed as normal though some of the characters seem to be thrown away as soon as you are introduced to them. Why go into detail if you aren't going to use them. I am curious about the next one, but I also dread dealing with another build up then oops buy the next book. I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gryphon in Light is the first book in the newest Valdemar trilogy. It is set after the Owl Knight Trilogy and carries on the affects from the ending of the mage storms. This book is focused on the gryphon Kelvern who we met previously as a side character. Other returning characters included well known names such as Silverfox, Firesong, Snowfire, Nightwind and Ayshen to name a few.

Kelvren is wounded saving Valdemarian troops, nearly dying after saving his new friend Hallock and depleting his magic. An attempt to restart his magic and save him leaves him glowing and dangerous. Mounting an expedition with new and old friends they head out to explore the strong hold of an old enemy. Much like with the Owlknight book, there is much world building and back story built here. It expands on the already vast knowledge of the series and adds in new facets. It has a slow start but heats up towards the end leaving you ready for more. I have been a long standing fan of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books and this definitely scratches an itch. I have often wonders what more occurred after the mage storms and hope this trilogy answers my questions.

I received an arc copy from Netgalley and am leaving this review of my own volition.

Nice continuation of main Valdemar series. First quarter is from short stories and I found the linking chapter rushed and inconsistent in style. The overall story was written well and enoyable.although at times found use of dialects speech annoying and overused which spoil an otherwise good book. Would I read part 2? Yes. Recommended read but wait for paperback.