Feuds
by Mercedes Lackey, editor
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Pub Date Nov 26 2024 | Archive Date Nov 19 2024
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Description
The 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 more. These inborn talents—combined with training as emissaries, spies, judges, diplomats, scouts, counselors, warriors, and more—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-two authors ride with Mercedes Lackey to the beloved land of Valdemar, where feuds—large and small, devastating and comic, longstanding and fresh—are brewing. Familiar faces await: in her brand-new novella Mercedes Lackey brings fan-favorite Vanyel back to the page, along with his aunt, the indomitable Herald Savil. So come explore Valdemar in these fantastical tales where:
Vanyel is enlisted in a clandestine mission, but when his investigation into two squabbling noble families reveals a pair of lifebonded lovers, he and Savil find themselves scrambling to prevent an all-out war—and the King himself is watching…
A duel between two small town bards abruptly crosses a line, and their battle of wits explodes beyond verbal showmanship…
A student of the Bardic college is increasingly frustrated by a peer’s insistence that she’s seeing ghosts, but as her visions escalate she begins to wonder and to worry…
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780756419523 |
| PRICE | $21.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 432 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1179059
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Feuds is an anthology where every story takes place in the world of Valdemar, a high fantasy world created by editor Mercedes Lackey, with many starring bards. Along with stories from debuts and established authors, this anthology includes a new novella from Lackey herself.
One of the reasons I requested this ARC is because, despite loving fantasy for decades, I still have yet to pick up a Mercedes Lackey book even though all of her series are on my TBR. Because of this, I'm not able to comment on whether or not the other authors got certain details correct or how it compares to the original work or even if characters established by Lackey made an appearance. I picked this up and read it as someone who is interested in her works but is a bit intimidated by how sprawling the world is and Lackey's extensive backlist for Valdemar.
I can definitely say that I am going to make it a priority to read at least one of her books by the end of next year. I haven't read a lot of books with bards, so this was a real treat to see a world where bards are a major player, not just one of thirteen classes. I can see someone who really loves playing bard characters in DND having a real blast with how varied the characters are and the situations they end up in. There's also a cozy element to a lot of the stories that I'm curious about whether or not it also shows up in Lackey’s work as I've often heard Valdemar described as a little bit disco.
There were a lot of really great stories so it's certainly hard to pick one or two. My favorite one was probably ‘Harmony’ by Anthea Sharp. The competition between the two students who believe their way is the right way and are so strongly opposed that they risk not graduating unless they set aside their dislike for each other. The setting of a concert to do that was very clever.
I would recommend this to fans of the Valdemar books, readers curious about the Valdemar series who don't mind possible spoilers, and those looking for more short stories involving bards.
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