Owlsight (Darian's Tale) [Turtleback]

Mercedes Lackey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999 | Series: Darian's Tale

OWLSIGHT is the companion volume to Lackey & Dixon's most recent Valdemar novel, Owlflight, and follows the fortunes of Darian, who watched his mentor die as his own life was saved, and of the village he left, Errold's Grove - now safe from the barbarians under the watchful eyes of the Hawkbrothers - and of Keisha, a natural born healer, though not yet officially recognised for her gift. Though he fought long and hard to avoid his destiny, Darian is now gaining new skills as a mage, but a very particular mage with an affinity for the Hawk Owls which have become his closest companions. An imaginatively realised fantasy that brings to life a world rich in natural magic and wonder, beautifully illustrated with Larry Dixon’s character portraits.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The popular husband-and-wife team here launch yet another trilogy laid in their best-known creation, the world of Valdemar, with a book that is considerably more accessible for readers new to Valdemar than many another in the several overlapping triptychs. The action begins during the recovery of Valdemar from the traumatic events of the Mage Storms trilogy completed by Storm Breaking (1996). The story is basically about the coming-of-age of Keisha, an untrained healer in a remote village who is trying to care for her people without going mad, and Darian, a young mage turned Hawkbrother who has figured in other Valdemar yarns. Together, Keisha and Darian take active part in the rebuilding of Valdemar. Lackey and Dixon may not develop their protagonists as remarkably as does Lois Bujold, whose characters grow astonishingly from book to book, or Andre Norton, who has been ringing changes on classic motifs for a half century. Nevertheless, although Lackey and Dixon tend to repeat themselves, they always offer a well-told tale. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

International bestselling authors, selling hundreds of thousands of copies

Regular appearances in B Dalton & Waldenbooks genre bestselers listings

Appeals to readers of Marion Zimmer Bradley

Regularly tops Locus reader polls of best fantasy

Top selling import authors for Forbidden Planet & Murder One --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606275738
• ISBN-13: 978-0606275736
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)

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

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good but Flat, February 6, 2000

By 

Beth Birdsall (Vermont, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Owlsight (Valdemar: Darian's Tale, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is well-written (what Mercedes Lackey book isn't?) and has very good detail and description. She's obviously done a great deal of research into the life of a rural herbalist, and has spent a lot of time mentally crafting the village and Vales. Unfortunately, she sacrifices plot and conflict for this, cramming the climax into a few chapters at the end, as if she suddenly realized that a deadline was approaching and she'd spent all her time describing the Vale and Keisha's work. Also, I found myself reading passages thinking that they could have been summed up in a few sentences--do we really need to know EXACTLY how Keisha decides what things to take when she moves? Most annoying, to me, was that none of the characters had any real character flaws. One of the great things about Lackey's Valdemar books is the humanness of the characters: Elspeth is impetuous and sometimes arrogant, Vanyel shuts himself off, Amberdrake won't believe that he's a leader. Unfortunately, she seems to have misplaced this knack for this series. Keisha is kind, sensible, and generous, and most of her minor "flaws" are simply the result of an untrained Gift; Darian is kind, sensible, generous, and eloquent to boot. And the Tayledras have suddenly turned into Purveyors Of All That Is Useful, rather than an isolated, forest-dwelling people with a small population who carry on a very limited trade of luxury goods for basic supplies. And Firesong, who was kind but fickle and EXTREMELY arrogant in the Winds trilogy, has not only mellowed but is in this book utterly calm and humble and seems to have lost any sense of vanity. Though I usually love Lackey's books, I was getting thoroughly sick of Darian and Keisha by the end. To sum up: this book is pretty good, but not up to Lackey's usual standard. It's fairly fun, especially if you like lots of description, but slow-moving, and understandable even to those unfamiliar with the series. Don't expect it to be on the level of the Last Herald-Mage trilogy, though, or to be a gripping adventure story.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is not bad, and you might enjoy it!, March 31, 2000

By 

C. Gist (Chelmsford, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Owlsight (Valdemar: Darian's Tale, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read some of the comments on the sequel to this, and I must conclude that I am either helplessly in love with Mercedes Lackey's and Larry Dixon's writing style, or that the books in this series are actually rather nice to read. OwlSight certainly doesn't have as much action and wild adventure as the other series that these two wrote, but it helps to satisfy my thirst for extra knowledge on the subject of the Hawkbrothers and their non-human associates. I like Darian a lot, but in a book with these authors' names on the cover that is to be expected. It is very easy to understand if you already know what all of the typical Mercedes Lackey vocabulary means, so if you are a fan of hers you are all set. Overall I loved it, and it made me laugh more than any of the other books she wrote except for the Vows and Honor duology. I hope you like it as much as I do!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The magic has all but died, June 24, 2001

By 

"selany" (Montana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Owlsight (Valdemar: Darian's Tale, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was wonderful. I think there is much more going on story wise than alot of the negative reviewers picked up on. At the end of Storm Breaking magic was shattered remember people?

The big magics had all but vanished other than of course the magic done by blood sacrifice or many working in concert. Yes Firesong is a shadow of himself but rightly so. He lost almost all in the aftermath of the last book. And as for his eyes being silver as one person said. Magic "bleaches" out the user or did you not remember? All eyes of magic users turn a lighter shade and their hair eventually goes silver as do their bondbirds.

Now as for the plot I think that Mercedes Lackey did well introducing us to the world that now has little or no magic. Or rather, magic that is scattered like rain all over and no longer in pools (nodes) or streams (ley lines). She is letting us know that now the Big magics are gone there are going to be more occurances of weirdling beasts, nomad and barbarian tribes, and other possible kingdoms that might test the Valdemar, Karasite, Hawkbrother, and Shin'a'nin alliance.

Don't let the bad ratings discourage you loyal Mercedes Lackey fans! Read on with the other two in this series and see what she is setting us up for next!