Customer Reviews

Brightly Burning

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I'm not one of those readers who thought "Owlflight" and its sequels were boring. I thoroughly enjoyed them, and the whole Valdemar series for that matter. "Brightly Burning," however, is quite amazing, a real standout on the level of the Last Herald Mage and Queen's Own trilogies. Mercedes Lackey is at her storytelling best here. And her talent for creating memorable characters we care about is as good as ever. This tale centers around Lavan, the 16-year-old son of a cloth merchant and a needleworker, who is sent by his parents to what proves to be the school-from-hell. It's dominated by a gang of vicious, sadistic bullies, and it's where Lavan's rare and dangerous Gift manifests itself. We meet many well-portrayed, likable characters: young Owyn, Lavan's ally against the school thugs; Herald Pol, Lavan's mentor; Herald Trainee Tuck and his delightful family; King Theran; the Companion Kalira. If you enjoyed the stories of Vanyel and Talia, you'll probably like the story of Lavan Firestorm too.

Brightly Burning tells the legend of Herald Lavan Firestorm of the Heralds of Valdemar. The background is carefully delineated for the tragic tale of young Lavan, the epic hero of the magical kingdom of Valdemar. He begins as an unhappy boy in the Chitward family, textile merchants recently moved from countryside to urban Haven due to their profitable cloth and needlework trade. Lavan is uncomfortable with his family's expectations of him, but he is truly tormented in his new school experiences at Haven. This unleashes a lethal display of his unusual talent (fire starting) and ultimately leads to his discovery and enrollment with other young Heralds at the Collegium. Key to his survival and discovery is his being Chosen by his special protector and Companion, Kalira, the white telepathic horse/Mage who declares she loves him and will risk her life to help train him. Pol, the Collegium tutor is sympathetic to the unique needs of his terrifying protege, and he is also the Chosen of Kalira's father, Satiran, who wonders at her Choice: "Children grow up and make their own paths...It's not for us to force them out of the roads they pick, however much we might wish to. The Choice is made; now let's deal with it (p. 141)." Pol and Satiran, Kalira, Elenor (a Healer), and Tuck, Lan's trusted sturdy friend among the Heralds in training - all become the network of trust that helps anchor, train, comfort and stableize Lan. The story moves quickly but unhurriedly to its natural conclusion, a horrific mad martyr's end for Lavan and an enduring legacy of protection to Valdemar from their demonic enemies the Karsites. Many gripping moments and terrifying ordeals await Lan, but his unusual lifebond with his Chosen Kalira helps him weather many storms until the last tragic stand. Always in his mind is the dread that he is an assassin, a murderer, a deadly instrument. So long as Kalira's life is blended with his, he knows he is not alone and not condemned. Their union curiously transcends species and sexuality, an unusual occurrence even in Valdemar. When the end does come, it is clear why Lavan Firestorm is lifebonded to Kalira and how that bond supported him. Though the tone and events described are grim, cruel, and sometimes frightening, this is excellent adolescent heroic fantasy that does not flinch from the tough questions. The world of Valdemar is all too recognizable and real. Such reading blends the appeal of traumatic adolescent angst with a tempered knowledge of the grim reality behind ultimate sacrifice and bliss. This if very good myth-building, it challenges our preconceptions in all the best, growth provoking ways. In this, it is typical of Mercedes Lackey, and is as highly recommended as all her related works.

Nancy Lorraine Reviewer

I guess you would call me a fan of "old-school" Misty...All her old stuff was great, and the more recent publications are trite, boring, and not worth reading. Brightly Burning is about 10 times better than the bilge she's been producing lately, but it's not up to the standard of the Arrow, Vanyel, or Mage Winds trilogies. I think it's a promising sign that she's turned her work around and is getting back on the right track.

So, on to critiquing the book, shall we? Bad points first. It really took awhile for the book to pick up the pace. Too much time was spent on Lan's awakening ability, not enough on his Herald traning and the bonding to his Companion, and the end of the book was very rushed (as I believe someone else pointed out). The characters were the same stock characters Misty loves using. Angst-filled, pure-hearted main character, good-hearted but unprepossessing friends, Companions who resort to childish jibes, simple country folk with the dialect written in, annoying parents, and the hated sibling who actually turns out ok. Misty has also started writing very annoying and subservient female characters (like Ilea and Elenor...I couldn't stand them). There also seem to be a few contradictions in this book as pertaining to the rest of the Valdemar books, especially in the way the Companions Choose and the subsequent acceptance of the new Herald.

On the bright side (pun not intended), the emotion in the book was written superbly. All the times when Lan's Gift comes in, you almost get lost in the same feelings he does. The storyline is decent even if it falters a little. I found myself actually interested in the ending (a phenomenon that hasn't happened since before the Mage Storms came out...).

If you're a fan of the series, definitely buy this book. It's refreshing, if not her best. If you're new to Misty, start off with some of her older series such as Arrows of the Queen or The Last Herald-Mage.

I was quite disappointed with the latest Herald books (The Owl Series, and the previous Elspeth-centered trilogy). They contained too many boring descriptive passages, and not enough action.

Action's back in _Brightly Burning_. This is more like the _Arrows_ trilogy or _The Last Herald-Mage_; good, fun fantasy reading with interesting characters.

Recommended, even if you didn't like her last few efforts.

Well, Mercedes Lackey is definitely getting better. The Pawn/Promise/Price trilogy is still the best of the Valdemar books, however.

It looks like she wrote this one herself, rather than co-writing with her husband. I don't want to insult her hubby or anything but her books are Always better when he is not co-authoring.

I was rather upset with what she did with this character, or at least, that she did it so quickly. Three quarters of the book were used to make you get to know and enjoy the character, though it did go mildly slow through some of that. And then BAM, he was off to war, etc. I won't say more as I don't want to spoil it for folks. I just think this could have been a three book series like Pawn/Promise/Price was. I suppose, though, it might've been too much like that series if it had been.

This is a good Valdemar book, but I don't think it's quite back up to the quality of the Vanyel / Arrows or even Mage Storm books.

Like the Vanyel trilogy, Brightly Burning is an emotionally-driven tale. Where Vanyel had depression and loneliness, Lavan has fear and anger. Lackey depicts these emotions SO powerfully at times that, as someone prone to empathy, I was drawn in completely and found it hard to keep a grip on my own emotions while reading it. But the plot is a little uneven; like other reviewers, I feel that some things should have been resolved, a few things seemed inconsistent with previous descriptions of Valdemar and Heralds, and it did seem a bit rushed at the end. But I do NOT think the ending was a copout -- if you've read the other Valdemar books that mention Lavan, you'll see that this book stays true to the history. Overall, though, the story is good, and if you love Lackey's books (as I do), this is worth reading.

I was overjoyed to find a new book about my 2nd favorite world (Pern being #1). I have enjoyed everyone of her books, including the owl trilogy, which I gather puts me in a minority. Birghtly Burning made me laugh, filled me with rage--that school was straight out of Dickens!--and above all made me cry. Even now several days after finishing the book, I can fill moisture in the corner of my eyes. Thank you for another fine work.

The plot of Brightly Burning is basic: gifted but misunderstood child leaves home, joins the Heralds and saves the country, more or less in that order. It isn't a bad storyline, the same that made the Vanyel and Talia books so successful. In this case it's about Lavan Firestorm, the most Gifted herald in Valdemar history.

Brightly Burning begins with Lavan's incompatibility with his merchant family, and the bullying he faces when he is sent to the city school. (Sound familiar already?). After being pushed to the limits by his tormentors, his firestarting abilities come to the fore. The story from that point on is one smooth ride to war and eternal glory, albeit with some bumps.

Lackey has never exactly been lauded with critical acclaim, but she's reached the point where the word Valdemar can and does sell novels. Her strongest point has always been with her characters--real, likeable characters that breathe life and verve into cliched plots and an otherwise standard fantasy world. In this respect, Brightly Burning falls flat. Lavan fails to catch the reader's sympathy. Instead of being angst-ridden and tormented by his problems and abilities, he comes across as shallow and self-centered. Lavan wants to be Vanyel. He wants to be tormented and compassionate and sympathetic, but he just comes off flat and unrealistic. He appears no have no reason for existing outside of being in this book--which he doesn't. The only reason for his existence is his being the main character of the book.

I saw no reason for this book to be written other than financial demand. Misty has nothing new to say about Valdemar in this book, or even about life in general; the same old themes are reiterated again. We don't even learn anything new about the Heralds; everything said has been said before. (the lifebond between Lavan and his Companion was pointless; while I could appreciate the principle of it, it did offend my sensibilities, and even more annoying, the only purpose of its existence appeared to be to keep Lavan from forming a relationship with anyone else. Nothing came of it.)

But Valdemar has built up a large following over the years, one that persistently demands additions to their favorite series. There's a growing consensus that the books have been deteriorating of late; is that because Misty is tired of the same old and wishes to move on? The plot of Burning is closer to her old books than anything we've seen lately, but it appears to lack the passion that fueled those ones. There are twenty books in the series already; isn't that enough to make any story complete?

This is a book that I would love to love. It had good characters (not great, but good) and a totally fascinating premise, I mean, what would happen to ones mind if they had the power to call down fire onto anything at will? The ability to burn the very air and yet the inability to control it? However I kept wanting for there to be a climatic confrontation between Lavan, our hero, the bringer of fire, and Elenor, the Mind Healer with an infatuation with him. I felt like there had to be some big scene between the two, about Elenor's unreciprocated love, and Lavan's guilt about killing (yes he does kill a quite a few people). But THERE WASN'T! I had thouroughly enjoyed the book all the way up to the climax when I realized there were too few pages left to settle that little conflict nicely. Let me say that it would have been fantastic if Lackey hadn;t taken the easy way out! And somehow I don't think this will be resolved in a sequel. -Eli@

I have read every single Valdemar book, save Oathblood, that was written and when I read the reviews for this one, I was actually shocked and offended. So many people say, "Oh, it was fine, but..."

Frankly, this one is my favorite. Of course, I delight in tragedy, which this manifestly is one. The Saga of a boy, surounded by nasty tormenters, finding a Gift he would never have chosen, and finding the courage to face down an army alone.

One reviewer said that Firestorm's tormenters were Two Dimentional... I don't know, I allow my imagination to fill in the blanks in any story. I do know, however, that that school situation is very realistic. For proof, read Surprised by Joy, and the school situation with the autobiographer experieced.

Bunny Trail... sorry.

Really, I cried over, felt very close to this hero and if I were a Bard, I would write a ballad about it. Frankly, as good as Vanyel's series was, I feel closer to this Herald, simply because he was young, frightened and never had a chance, like Vanyel did, to grow into his strengths.

All in all, I loved it and I highly recommend it.