The Black Gryphon [Import] [Paperback]

Mercedes and Larry Lackey and Dixon (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Millennium; New Edition edition (1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857982371
• ISBN-13: 978-1857982374
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,711,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is the acclaimed author of over fifty novels and many works of short fiction. In her "spare" time she is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. Mercedes lives in Oklahoma with her husband and frequent collaborator, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read for Valdemar fans, January 26, 2003

By 

Leanna "moondance34" (South Deerfield, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Black Gryphon (Mage Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

Since the gathering of Ma'ar's evil forces drove away High King Leodhan, Urtho, the Mage of Silence, has been forced into becoming the leader of those opposed to Ma'ar. Among Urtho's subjects are the Kaled'a'in, including the kestra'chern Amberdrake, and the magnificent gryphons, most prominent of which is the Black Gryphon Skandranon.

As Ma'ar's power continues to grow, Urtho and his forces struggle to keep him from destroying all that is good in the world. Will Amberdrake and Skandranon be able to stop him before it is too late?

"The Black Gryphon" is the first book in Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's Mage Wars Trilogy. It was an interesting read that I really enjoyed. Dixon's influence on the style of the writing will be quite evident to those who are familiar with Lackey's other novels.

What I liked most about this book were, as with all the other Valdemar books, its characters and their sensitivity and perceptiveness. Amberdrake was simply wonderful, and I loved his interactions with the gryphons and hertasi. Skandranon was a lot of fun to read about. I particularly liked the pep talks he gave himself and the sarcastic conversations he had with Amberdrake and other gryphons. Also, Winterhart's growth was very rewarding to watch.

The descriptions of the area surrounding Urtho's Tower were very effective. I felt like I could really see Healer's Hill and the gryphon landing area. I enjoyed reading about the territory that was to become the Dhorisha Plains. I can't wait to read the descriptions of the new surroundings in "White Gryphon" and "Silver Gryphon."

My one complaint about this book (and this is a common one I have throughout the Valdemar books) is that the climax comes too close to the end of the story. Lackey and Dixon effectively tie up all the loose ends, but everything somehow feels rushed. Given the length of the book (460 pages), ten pages or so of denouement seems very abrupt, but perhaps this is mainly because it is only the first book in a trilogy.

Bottom Line: A solid start to a very promising trilogy, but you'll probably appreciate it more if you read the Mage Winds and Mage Storms trilogies first

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my favourite of the mage wars..., February 24, 2001

By 

straitjacket (columbia, MO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Black Gryphon (Mage Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

this is a really, really great book. i reckon this is one of her best yet, in the same league as 'magic's promise' and 'magic's price'. what i regret most is the fact that it took place at the end of the war with ma'ar. i regret the fact that urtho is such an enigmatic character, in which i mean that there's not much that we know of him. it would have been great had we known him like we know vanyel... i find urtho really fascinating. one of the best thing about this book is the fact that the emotions are real and tangible.... it feels like a battlefield out there and the future looks bleak and yet hopeful at the same time. i really wanted to actually know what ka'venusho is like before the war, how urtho was dragged into the mess and generally what was the past like. all of this is sadly lost by vanyel's time and it's sad... the people, the history and the technology has all gone to dust by then. i love the way misty express the bond between amberdrake and skan, and also how urtho was with skan. i was really pissed off when i realized that urtho died in such a wastefull manner... and really uncalled for. they had such fantastic plans and well, it's just too bad. that's why i personally think that misty should do a series on his life, at least. the story telling is superb, the character development is excellent and the plot is not wasted here. be forewarned though that the ending is really heartbreaking. a truly enjoyable book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gryphons!, May 1, 2004

By 

Kithwynn "Kith" (Colorado, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Black Gryphon (Mage Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

The first Mercedes Lackey book I ever read(which does give me sort of a strange perspective on the timeline...); it got me hooked. I'm sure you've got better things to do than read the 64th rehash of the plot, so I'll simply say that the back- and inside-cover-summaries never explain things very well with Mercedes Lackey. It's probably one of the three greatest gryphon books of all time (the other two are 'Dark Lord of Derkholm' and 'Year of the Griffin', by Diana Wynne Jones-- another awesome author; check her stuff out!) and you should read it. Yes.