Winds of Change (The Mage Winds, Book 2) (original 1992; edition 1993)

Winds of Change is both better and worse than Winds of Fate. The writing is substantially more even - we spend less time in Darkwind's head, which is the main problem with the earlier book. The stupid jealousy subplots are present and just as stupid - this is one of my chief pet peeves, the plot where lovers work themselves into a tizzy assuming their lover is attracted to someone else, when the reader - having access to everyone's head - knows that this is totally not the case. Total waste of my time.

Speaking of wastes of time, the villain doesn't make an appearance until 350 pages in. The book is basically a training montage for the various characters. Nothing of substance actually happens, and the "big battle" at the end feels tacked-on and far too easy.

There's some mildly interesting character development, but other than that, this book is utterly skippable even as the middle book in the trilogy. ( )

This one is, for the first 3/4ths at least, mostly about relationships rather than adventures and quests. Skif is seeking Nyara, but his reasons - and her reasons for disappearing - are the focus, rather than Skif and Wintermoon's adventures while hunting. Darkwind is teaching Elspeth, but again the focus is on their relationship - or relationships - rather than on the lessons themselves. And so on. Darkwind and Starblade; Darkwind, Elspeth, and Firesong; Skif and Wintermoon; Nyara and Need; Nyara and Skif...lots of interactions and reconsiderations. Near the end, it goes back to being an adventure - Falconsbane pokes his head up, in a very nasty attack that comes way too close to succeeding, and they all work together (including Treyvan and Hydona's Clanmates, who show up just in time to help) to take care of him once and for all. Nyara is the focus of the job, but everyone contributes, and it seems that it worked. So then it's time to move on - and all those relationships come into play as they decide who goes where and does what. Very much the middle of a story, though it comes to a reasonable conclusion. ( )

One of my favourites in the Valdemar-verse. Lackey continues the saga of the Princess Elspeth as she learns about magic in general and more specifically about her own powers as the first Herald Mage since Vanyel. This trilogy neatly ties together several pieces of information from other Chronicles of Valdemar, develops characters we've encountered before (including Elspeth, Need, Skif and Gwena), further deepens reading understanding of newer characters, like the passionate and talented Darkwind and his gryphon friends, Hydona and Treyvan, and introduces Firesong k'Treva, a character that is pivotal to most of the subsequent Chronicles of Valdemar.

As some other reviewers have noted, there are mature themes in these books - dealing with sexuality, morality and power use - and may not be appropriate for younger readers, depending on their own maturity level. ( )

The second book of the Mage Winds trilogy expands on a great deal that was hinted at in the first book of the series, and includes a great many more hints about things to come. Among others, the developing romance between Elspeth and Darkwind, the further healing of Starblade, and matter of the Heartstone, Tre’valen’s thoughts and feelings towards the now-Avatar Dawnfire, and of course, Skif’s hunt for Nyara.

And the arrival of my dear dear Firesong. Honestly, who doesn’t love Firesong?

Mercedes Lackey often takes the middle of things, be they books or trilogies, to expand on things rather than to focus on big action. The initial conflict is set up in the first book, and this book paves the way for the third book. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is open to interpretation and personal taste. While many things within this book are essential to the plot, it could, realistically, been tightened and shorted and perhaps the trilogy could have been a duology.

But to have that happen, you sacrifice a lot of character development and interaction, which I personally find quite entertaining.

Especially when you learn about Falconsbane’s origins and his continued reincarnations, and you see the list of names that he once had and a familiar one just pops out: Leareth. I remember reading that passage for the first time and flashing back to the Last Herald-Mage trilogy and feeling my jaw drop in surprise at the tie-in. Leareth’s presence in that trilogy could have been easily contained within those earlier three books, but Lackey chose to bring him back, a mere mention that spoke volumes.

And fortunately, that isn’t something that fell prey to the numerous internal inconsistencies within the Heralds of Valdemar series.

Falconsbane/Ma’ar is definitely a fascinating character, once that I’ll probably talk about in depth after I finish the trilogy proper. The name he takes for himself, Mornelithe, established as meaning Hatred-that-Returns, is all too apt, and has layered meanings that make him well worthy of a discussion all on his own.

The Mage Winds trilogy, as I said previously, is definitely one that can’t be missed for anyone who likes the Valdemar books. It may not be one of my favourites, but it is fascinating, and essential to understanding a good deal of the history of the world that Lackey sets up. ( )

Winds of Change is the second book in the Mage Winds trilogy. If you're new to Lackey and the Valdemar series, I wouldn't begin with this book: Go back and read the first trilogy that begins with Arrows of the Queen, and certainly the previous book Winds of Fate. I enjoy the Valdemar series, and Elspeth is one of the first characters I got to know in it, as a child, so I enjoyed reading of her coming of age in this series. This also has elements, that if you loved books of Lackey, including those with Kethry and Tarma, are fun to follow: the sword Need becoming a character in her own right, learning more about the Tayledras, and this book features one of the more memorable of Lackey's villains. Overall, this is a fun and entertaining book. ( )