Magic's Promise (The Last Herald-Mage Series, Book 2) (edition 1990)

by Mercedes Lackey

Series: Valdemar : The Last Herald-Mage (2), Valdemar: Publication Order (7), Valdemar: Chronological Order (798 AF)

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3,250	15	4,092	(4.08)	49
Fantasy. Fiction. LGBTQIA+ (Fiction.) HTML:Groundbreaking epic fantasy series in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar universe Lambda-Award winning novels with heartfelt high adventure and magic Wild magic is taking its toll on the land. Many Heralds and Herald-Mages have died fighting to preserve the peace. Even Vanyel, the most powerful of the Herald-Mages is almost at the end of his strength, in need of a respite from the dual threats of war and dark magic. But for Vanyel, there can be no rest. Not when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a summons which can't be ignored�??a desperate cry of a magical holocaust in the neighboring kingdom. Almost overwhelmed by the devastations they discover there, Herald-Mage and Companion must try to unravel this tragic mystery. Is the young Prince Tashir, a newly Chosen Herald who can't control his magic, responsible for the destruction? Or is Tashir a pawn in a deeper, more deadly game�??and, if so, will Vanyel be able to find and defeat the true destroyer before this master of dark powers can strike again? From the Paperback edition. … (more)

▾Book information

Member:	frantastk
Title:	Magic's Promise (The Last Herald-Mage Series, Book 2)
Authors:	Mercedes Lackey
Info:	DAW (1990), Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
Collections:	Read, Your library, Currently reading
Rating:
Tags:	fantasy, e-books, series, ya, 2013

Work Information

Magic's Promise by Mercedes Lackey

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Showing 1-5 of 15 (next | show all)

First printing

Snowplum85 | Apr 17, 2024 |

The middle book sees Van sad, lonely, stressed out and put upon but at least there is no really brutal violence in this one, at least from what I remember, having read it last year. (

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kitsune_reader | Nov 23, 2023 |

I like the books Mercedes Lackey writes, she is good at creating a believable world and people to populate it. While her writing is not the strongest I do find it engaging ang and enjoyable. I like a series I can live inside of and her books are ones that have characters I feel invested in and a world I believe could exist. (

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KateKat11 | Sep 24, 2021 |

Absolutely loved it. One of my favorites out of all of her works. (

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Linyarai | Feb 16, 2020 |

This book requires a tissue warning! Sometimes the middle book of a trilogy is a weaker one than the ends. This one is a powerful book. Vanyel has come into his own as one of the most powerful (if not THE most powerful) Herald-Mages ever. Valdemar is still taking the geographic shape it would have in the Arrows trilogy. This story is one of personal sacrifice made for the good of others.

Do start at the beginning of the trilogy, but if you like fantasy, then you should try this series. (

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Jean_Sexton | Feb 10, 2016 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Mercedes Lackey	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Lee, Jody A.	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Valdemar : The Last Herald-Mage (2)

Valdemar: Chronological Order (798 AF)

Valdemar: Publication Order (7)

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DAW Book Collectors (803)

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The Last Herald-Mage by Mercedes Lackey

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Magic's Promise

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Epigraph

Dedication

Dedicated to: Elizabeth (Betsy) Wollheim. Who said - "Go for it"

First words

The blue leather saddlebags and a canvas pack, all bulging with filthy clothing and miscellaneous gear, landed in a corner of Vanyel's room with three dull thuds.

Quotations

Surrounded as it was by newer, smaller outbuildings of whitewashed stucco, it [Forst Reach] resembled a vast and rather ill-natured gray granite hen squatting among a flock of paler chicks.

Baby Heralds wrecking rooms, adult Heralds making magic Gates and then falling through them half-dead, a possible war on the Border, and still somehow the beds get made. What a world.-- p. 187

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▾Book descriptions

Fantasy. Fiction. LGBTQIA+ (Fiction.) HTML:Groundbreaking epic fantasy series in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar universe Lambda-Award winning novels with heartfelt high adventure and magic

Wild magic is taking its toll on the land. Many Heralds and Herald-Mages have died fighting to preserve the peace. Even Vanyel, the most powerful of the Herald-Mages is almost at the end of his strength, in need of a respite from the dual threats of war and dark magic.

But for Vanyel, there can be no rest. Not when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a summons which can't be ignored�??a desperate cry of a magical holocaust in the neighboring kingdom. Almost overwhelmed by the devastations they discover there, Herald-Mage and Companion must try to unravel this tragic mystery.

Is the young Prince Tashir, a newly Chosen Herald who can't control his magic, responsible for the destruction? Or is Tashir a pawn in a deeper, more deadly game�??and, if so, will Vanyel be able to find and defeat the true destroyer before this master of dark powers can strike again?
From the Paperback edition.

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The wild magic is taking its toll on the land, and even Vanyel, the most powerful Herald-Mage to ever walk the world, is almost at the end of his strength. But when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a call for help from neighboring Lineas, both Herald-Mage and Companion are drawn into a holocaust of dark magic that could be the end of them both.

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