Foundation

Yet another success from Mercedes Lackey!!!

I've seen many arguments about successful authors becoming somewhat formulaic the more they write in a particular genre. While I can understand that viewpoint, I have yet to understand why that is wrong. One uses a "formula"--any formula--because it works.

The difference in Lackey's case, and a few other authors in various genres, is that she manages to take this formula and make each telling completely authentic to the tale that she is telling. Her characters are well written, without supplying us a full biography. Her landscapes and environments are both strange and familiar. The plots are never as simple as they seem on first inspection.

I rate a book based on the level in which I was engaged show more by the story. Not only did I want to join Mags and his friends in their adventure(s), but I felt throughout most of this novel that I was physically there observing the action. That, in my opinion, is a rare gift. The most interesting tool that I feel Lackey used in [b:Foundation|463421|Foundation (Valdemar Collegium Chronicles, #1)|Mercedes Lackey|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348767800s/463421.jpg|6926938] was Mags' speech--his style and obvious accent. I immediately could visualize him as the character that Lackey presented me with; this would have been more difficult if he spoke in generic / recognized English. Brilliant!

I, for one, very much want to join Mags and his crew as they continue to solve the puzzles that they discovered in this first novel of a new seris. show less

If you're already a fan of Lackey or her Valdemar books, this one will read like a dozen before it: a young person is abused and/or impoverished and escapes their desperate circumstances when they're chosen by a Companion (read, magical horse) and learns that as a result they will be trained to become one of the celebrated Heralds admired and respected throughout the realm. (Although Lackey certainly describes the desperate circumstances of "Magpie," a child miner, vividly and in a way that certainly creates empathy and liking for him.)

This particular story is set after the Last Herald Mage novels with Vanyel and before the original set of stories with Talia. No character from either of those sets of novels overlaps here, so I think you show more could read this one without having read the other Valdemar books, but I just don't think this story is as strong as the others and thus wouldn't make a good introduction. It's set when the Collegium was first built and took over training for the Heralds and for those who are fans already that period is an interesting one to read about. But if you're unfamiliar with the Valdemar books, I'd start with Magic's Pawn or Arrows of the Queen.

Although I wouldn't call this a standout among the Valdemar books, Foundation is an entertaining enough story I'll certainly be trying the next book in this trilogy when it's published. show less

Another Valdemar series gets off to a great start. It begins like most Valdemar stories - a mistreated child is Chosen by a Companion and goes off to become a Herald. This is set much earlier in the history of Heralds though, at the founding of the Collegium and the beginning of formal training for Heralds replacing an apprenticeship system. Mags' closest friends are in the other disciplines - a Healer trainee with a special affinity for herbs and a Bardic trainee from a family of famous bards. Because his strongest power is Mindspeach, he finds himself caught up in an as-yet unknown threat to the kingdom. Start of a 5 book series rather than a trilogy this time. Lackey has been one of my favorite authors for many, many years and this show more story doesn't disappoint. show less

This coming-of-age tale from the early days of Valdemar introduces Mags. Mags is an orphan who works in a gem mine far from Haven. When he is Chosen by Dallen his whole life changes.

Mags is taken to Haven where things are changing for the Heralds. A new collegium is being built in the capitol to sit alongside the collegiums for the Bards and the Healers. There are some Heralds who are not in favor of the changes. But an influx of new Herald candidates makes the old system of apprenticeships to Herald impractical.

Barely literate and totally ignorant of any life outside the mine where he was enslaved, Mags loves the new collegium with its regular meals, comfortable rooms, and clothing that aren't rags. But he is still wary and spends show more most of his time observing others. He does manage to make friends with a couple of other loners - Lena from the Bards and Bear from the Healers.

He makes other friends too among the upper classes when he saves a man from overpaying for a ring. This leads him into spying to protect his home under the tutelage of the King's Own Herald Nikolas whose daughter Amily also becomes his friend.

I enjoyed this story about a young orphan boy who finds a home and a found family to make his own. I like the worldbuilding in the Valdemar novels and enjoyed seeing things in this time period when the collegiums are just being built. Nick Podehl does an excellent job of bringing the story to life. show less

One of my favorite parts of the Valdemar epic saga are the Collegium so I love that there is now an entire series based on them! Foundation is the first in a (so far) five book series set in the Collegium. While Mags is the center of the series from the Herald Collegium, the Bardic and Healer Collegiums are also at play through Mags' two best friends.

Mags has spent his childhood as little more than a slave, a paid worker in name only. He has been neglected and abused his entire life and seen those around him treated the same way. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he had a natural knack for finding the "sparklies," life would have been even worse for him. But no matter how bad it has been for him, he has still remained kind and show more loyal, often sacrificing what little he has for others. And then one day, his entire life changes when a white clad Herald and a seemingly crazed horse come charging into the mine to claim him. At first, he is terrified, completely uinaware of what is happening to him. He doesn't realize that this will prove to be the best thing to ever happen to him.

I love Mags,one of my all-time favorite characters in the Valdemar series. He is uneducated, but far from unintelligent. When he is finally exposed to knowledge, he soaks it up like a sponge, ever aware of how little he knows about the world around him. He has lived a life of mere survival, never experiencing anything other than mistreatment at the hands of the mine's owner.

This is one of my favorites, full of mystery and intrigue and emotional characters!

NOTE: The books in this saga were not published in chronlogical order, but it is on her website here, about 3/4 of the way down the page.

My Recommendation: Admittedly, I am a Mercedes Lackey junkie, but this is one of my all time favorite series within the entire saga.

FTC Disclosure: Regardless of how I received this book, this is an honest review based on my own opinions. show less

I've been disappointed for a while with Lackey's books. It seems like, when she decided to team up with her husband, the general quality level of her Valdemar books dropped significantly, and they began to read like YA titles. Very YA titles. And so I drifted away. I'd read the new ones, be a bit ho-hum about them, and wander off to something else.

I really feel like the first two books of the Foundation trilogy are a return to the writing style of the Arrows and Last Herald-Mage titles. They're not quite as grand -- the first books of a series tend to be the best, in my experience, and Lackey has done some significant exploration of the history and world of Velgarth. That she's able to return to some of the simplicity and grandiosity show more of the first few books really was a very pleasant surprise.

I just want to say, on the off chance that she checks the reviews for these books, that Lackey was really my introduction to epic fantasy as a genre, and it's really been something I've enjoyed for my whole life as a consequence. I was 13 when I started with the Last Herald-Mage, and it's been fifteen years of absolutely amazing adventures, and through her, I've had my eyes gently opened to some of the more pressing issues of our times. I would not feel guilty giving these books to a young adult in the early teenage years, depending on maturity levels, but also feel as though they're written for an adult.

Either way, definitely worth a read. Writing style and story are on the same level as Brightly Burning, though Mags is not as legendary or as outstanding as Lavan Firestorm -- which is not necessarily a bad thing. I hope I don't have to wait two more years to find out where Mags ends up. :) show less

Me gusta. Getting back to the style of the first Valdemar series - Mags reminds me a lot of Talia, when he's not reminding me of Skif. It's really funny how the Weaponsmaster could just as well be Alberich - I don't think a name is ever given, but the (minimal) description and his behavior is so similar to Alberich...And a really odd thing - the King's Own's Companion is Rolan. But Sendar's King's Own lost his Companion when Sendar died and Rolan came out of the Grove then to Choose him (and then Talia). Do they switch off, then? Will Rolan die at some point between Mags' time and Sendar's? We never get a name for the King, either. It's kind of nice that Mags _doesn't_ end up dealing with the top people so much - even with the show more Councilor, he's mostly with the youths. And Lena and Bear are important (at least, Bear is and everyone expects Lena to be), but not ranking-important. A new view of the Heralds, from the middle layer (not a Trainee with no rank, not hob-nobbing with nobles, just a Herald...). Of course, in the next book or two Mags will doubtless get to save...some of the Heralds, at least, if not the world. But it still feels smaller and more comfortable than the grand sweep of Storms or Mage Winds. Looking forward to the next already! show less