Customer Reviews

Storm Breaking (The Mage Storms, Book 3)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I thought this book was fantastic. I couldn't put it down. I happen to be a hopeless romantic, and the interaction between Natoli and Karal made for a very touching side story. I liked the ending and for those of you who have read it you'll know when i say that Altra is wonderfully faithful to Karal. If you haven't read this, read it! You need to read the first two before this but they are all excellent books. In fact, I think this is the best of her Valdemar series. If anyone wants to talk about Lackey or Anne McCaffrey or Star Trek, please email me. Thanks!

I will agree that the story starts of with a weak and predictable plot; however, it does pick up the pace towards the end. At first I did not like this book once I was done with it...But I read it again one month later, and started to like it. While this book is not a "filler book," it does leave you with that impression the first few times. The story ending is somewhat unresolved, i.e. the Empire, the Alliance, and the new laws of magic, but if she follows her pattern, they will be filled in at a later date/book. The latest book, Owlflight, does deal with some of the new laws of magic, but not all aspects are dealt with. I have read every book in the series at least seven times each, so I can say this is not one of the best! Her latest books may leave the reader unsatisfied with the characters, but after a while they grow into the story and fit in. This book could have done with a bit less dialogue dealing with trivialities, but the basic ideas and style that makes her other books so enjoyable are there--just buried under several things that might turn off newcommers or dedicated fans in the series.

Newcommers should start with The Last Herald Mage series, then read it chronologically. Read the Gryphon books as the second to last completed trillogy, though before this trillogy so you can get a better understanding of the plot developments. Overall, this is a good book, mabey not the best of the series, but it does fill in the gaps nicely with a thorough, mostly entertaining, plot with few holes.

I loved this book. Many people said there were too many characters and plots that didn't tie in together. Were they reading the same book? Every single part of this story, the history of the first cataclism, to the tower, Grand Duke/King Tremane's ascension to the Hardornean throne which brings Iftel into the open and gives our heroes ideas of how to protect the land, even the Emperor of the East and his plot to destroy everything plays a part. I don't want to give it away but if you know the books...this one ties it all together!! We find out history and learn the why's of things. Without all the plotlines and character development we wouldn't understand how our heroes succeed at their near impossible task! Loved it!

I have been reading Misty's books for about 10 years now, starting with The Last Herald-Mage series. Since I finished that trilogy, I have purchased every Mercedes Lackey/Valdemar book I can get my hands on. I am eagerly awaiting Take A Thief, the story of Skif pre-Cymry (his Companion), as well as the Valdemar Companion. Anyways, I liked this series. I have read many reviews complaining about Lackey's evil-just-for-the-heck-of-it bad guys. Take a look at Tremane. At first, you want to hate him, because he's from the Eastern Empire. But as we get to know him, it turns out he's not such a bad guy. When he finally took some responsibility (I don't want to spoil the book), I found myself liking him.
As for new Valdemar books, I would like to see a book on the founding and King Valdemar himself. I would also like to see what happens with Selenay's twins, Kris and Lyra. Who becomes Chosen first, who becomes Heir, etc. (Are you reading this, Ms. Lackey?) Getting away from Valdemar itself, I wouldn't mind reading about some of Need's earlier bearers.
Anyways, I like Lackey's books. 'Nuff said.

as someone who has spent way too much money on mercedes lackey books (yes, i own all 21 of the valdemar books, and will undoubtedly be buying owlknight when it comes out in paperback), reading this book (again and again!) makes me feel justified in my purchases! no, of course she is no tolkein. but the world she has created is so vivid and her characters so real, that you can't help becoming totally absorbed. many authors will write a short series, and then when the books become popular, keep writing more and more and eventually end up writing ridiculous books that are nowhere near as good as the first ones were (case in point: the dragonlance series - the chronicles and legends trilogies are absolutely fantastic but the never-ending sequels, in my opinion, are just plain stupid. of course, they're by different authors. but i digress. back to mercedes lackey). where was i? oh yes. mercedes lackey is not like that. in fact, i think her writing has gotten better and better as the series progressed. i did find it hard to get through the long passages about what's going on in the empire - they're the bad guys, you want to know what the characters you care about are doing!

SPOILER HERE - STOP IF YOU HAVENT READ THIS BOOK.

but in the end the conclusion was definitely satisfying and uplifting. that last line, about karal gaining vision without sight (or whatever the exact line is), makes me choke up every time, especially since karal is in a tie with tarma for my favorite character of all the 21 books.

ok, this review has ended up being a bit long and confused, and i'm sorry - anyway - i highly recommend this book. that's all.

This book (like all of Lackey's) starts grindingly slowly.

However, once you get past the initial, standard 50-70 pages of plot-exposition, it's pretty interesting. This author exhibits an amazing talent for uncovering & thinking through the smallest details of a civilization; how it survives a battle or mage-storm, how the crops are handled, the benefits of certain kinds of trade, how an army settles down in a town for a long, hard winter. Her views on this are frankly amazing (and a similar approach was seen in her "Take a Thief"); but it is handled in such detail that it stops the action dead, and takes up far too much of the story. (She's thought every detail through so far, that I think the U.S. government ought to put her on-staff, to help address disaster relief after events like Katrina!)

The drawback to this book, like many of her others, is that the characters TALK TOO MUCH. And too often, the reader is robbed of WITNESSING action scenes (like the Iftel Gryphons' attack on the rebel township), in favor of having everybody and his brother TALK ENDLESSLY about it afterwards. (Beginning this section of the story, I had a bet with myself that she'd do that --and she did. Very frustrating.) The reader spends far too much time, in this book, cooped up in Urtho's tower-tunnels, claustrophobically listening to the characters TALK to each other.

Dear Author: A picture (so to speak) is worth a thousand WORDS. Let the readers witness important events, and make up their own minds. I do not need you (in the guise of favored protagonists) EXPLAINING every blessed thing to me, so I will agree with YOUR "take" on everything. There is always the feeling that this writer's afraid that the reader somehow won't GET IT.

Oh -- and, as always, there ought to be a Glossary of Terms or something, included in every one of these books. (What the heck is a chirra? Did I miss the single line, in some early chapter, that may have defined this?) See the books of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series; while I am not especially enamored, they at least have pages of term-definitions in every book. The reader, coming across an unfamiliar italicized vampire-specific word, can just flip forward or back, and proceed onward with a clear understanding.

Storm Breaking quite nicely rounds out the Mage Storm series. It answers a lot of questions that have been lingering throughout many of the Valdemar books. It also does what the previous Wind Series did not do: it is an actual conclusion to this particular 3-book series. While there are still many open questions to be answered and some rather interesting possible storylines, it does not leave you hanging (and feeling rather cheated) like the final book in the Wind series, Winds of Fury, did. The cataclysm is over. The characters who have been present in the previous two books (Elspeth, Darkwind, Firesong, Karal, An'desha, Grand Duke Tremaine, et al) are there. You also get to meet two characters frequently discussed, but never met: the Emperor Charlis, a marvelously twisted character, and Tremaine's main rival for the Empire's Throne, Melles, a very practical, if rather chilling, man. And what I considered two of the high points of the book, the gryphons in the far north of Valdemar and the question of Iftel are finally explained. The answer sent me running back to the Black Gryphon to see if I had missed something: so far it doesn't look like I did. This story is somewhat darker than the previous two books in this series, nor does not it move at as fast a pace as the first two did. This is a book that resolves the problems that arose in the previous two books. The book is eminently readable and satisfying. While there are still many unanswered questions concerning this time line in Valdemar, I hope that Ms. Lackey will do a book about the founding of Valdemar before she goes any further. There are so many little tidbits dropped surrounding Baron Valdemar and the flight of his people, but the real reason that they fled the Empire is never given, just a rather vague comment about the abuse of power by Baron Valdemar's overlord. Of course, I have noticed that Ms. Lackey does books about Valdemar in the order in which they are needed to further flesh out the Valdemar story, and to provide information that will be needed in the next set of books or stories. I look forward with a great deal of anticipation to the next Valdemar book, whatever it may be.

What a bittersweet conclusion... a (mostly) happy ending for all and a lot of fun to read. I read this in more or less one sitting - bathroom breaks for the puppy were about my only distraction. I knew how all the sadness was going to settle around the characters... I just wish that remaining books had more about how these characters ended up... Though I do believe that Firesong appears in the "Owl" books. I guess I mostly just wish that the "Owl" trilogy was more to look forward to... But, who knows, maybe a re-read will do these books well. I just have to get over the disappointment that unlike the past nine novels, the next ones don't pick up where they left off with a majority of the characters and settings' stories entwining. And I suppose it should be some motivation that after these "Owl" books, the brand new Mercedes Lackey book awaits me to read it!

I actually liked this book the best of the three. The only part I didn't like were the passages about what was going on in the empire. Who cares? My favorite parts of the book were actually the ones about Tremane and his ascension. I liked his character a lot and I loved how the change was made in him from the first two books.

I love Storm Warning (5 stars) but feel let down by Storm Rising (3.5 stars) and Storm Breaking (3.5 stars). Main reason being I like my story to concentrate on just one or the maximum 3 characters, which is the case in Storm Warning. Lackey's shift to other characters in the Empire who have their own long long stories to tell in the last 2 books just put me off. Maybe she is trying to build a sense of anticipation and climax but I find myself frustrated and just wish to skip the pages detailing the Empire characters. I wish she has just continued to concentrate on Karal (a lovely character), An'desha and Firesong. However I must compliment her on the last part of Storm Breaking which features three of my favorite persons in the Last Herald Mage Series. This series could have been better but it is still an enjoyable read.