Customer Reviews

Under the Vale and Other Tales of Valdemar

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Under the Vale and Other Tales of Valdemar is the seventh anthology of short fiction set in Velgarth (not just Valdemar). It is the weakest of the seven. Several stories are further episodes in the lives of characters introduced in earlier anthologies, and invariably the newer stories are less interesting than the older ones.

Most of the stories are okay at best, and most could have taken place in any world, not necessarily even a fantasy one.

Lackey's own The Simple Gifts is an amusing tale of a man finding his vocation, competently written, having a few bits of Valdemaran local color.

Edghill and McCune's Catch Fire, Draw Flame is undeveloped.

Vaughan's In an Instant is inconsequential; it reads like an outtake from one of Lackey's own books (By the Sword).

Cooper's Slow and Steady was good; it's hard to bring this sort of character off, and Cooper does it well. Story could've taken place in any pre-industrial setting (in which women are on a more-or-less equal footing with men).

Paulk and Hoyt each have a further episode in the life of one of the change creatures, Ree, which have the virtue at least of belonging in the Velgarthian milieu. But the characters and situations are losing steam.

The Bride's Task by Williamson and Sanders was interesting; I'd like to see the characters and situations developed further in a longer form (novella or novel, depending).

Ohlander's Fog of War was the best story, with characters worthy of greater development to add dimension. I wanted to know more about them, where they're going and how they got there.

Patton's Watchmen's Ball is essentially Irish cops in Haven. The story could just as easily have taken place in New York City or Boston around 1900. It has its moments, but it's pretty obvious where it's going.

The other stories are mostly competently written, bland, and without a strong sense of place.

There's a longish backgrounder at the end of the book by Larry Dixon. I read the first few pages and skimmed the rest. It's essentially the underpinnings of the world developed in the series published from the early 1990s on. Some may enjoy it.

The book could've used one last edit and proofreading. This is more apparent in some stories than in others. These aren't OCR-conversion errors; it's just plain sloppy editing.

Thoroughly disappointing. This string and the collegium books are a tired old rehash by her and Larry Dixon. I own 45 books by Mercedes and probably won't buy any more.

This is a collection of shorts which are very variable in quality. If you are familiar with the Valdemar series this has some good reads but overall is not great. The last section on the world of Valdemar is a ery good read if you like the nuts and bolts of the story creation.

This is not the place to start this series!

"Under the Vale and Other Tales of Valdemar" is the newest anthology edited by Mercedes Lackey which features sixteen short stories and one essay exploring the many varied themes of her well-established fantasy world. The breadth of themes available to expound upon in Valdemar are showcased in tales which touch upon the life-changing act of Choosing (`In an Instant' by Elizabeth A. Vaughan) or others that show the variety of jobs that the Chosen can perform, some with more grace than others, (`Catch Fire, Draw Flame' by Rosemary Edgehill and Denise McCune, `Fog of War' by Ben Ohlander, `Sight and Sound' by Stephanie D. Shaver and `Family Matters' by Tanya Huff). The various Talents possessed by the inhabitants of Valdemar and its surroundings are explored in the unconventional `The Simple Gifts' by Misty Lackey herself, as well as `A Healer's Work' by Daniel Shull, `Slow and Steady' by Brenda Cooper, `A Leash of Greyhounds by Elisabeth Waters, and `Discordance' by Jennifer Brozek. We are reminded that there are many cultures that interact with Valdemar including the Tayledras (`Warp and Weft' by Kristin Schwengel), Karsite (`Judgment' Day by Nancy Asire) and Shin'a'in (`The Bride's Task' by Michael Z. Williamson and Gail L. Sanders). The anomalous hobgoblin Ree, his beloved Jem and their family are revisited in Kate Paulk's `Heart's Peril' and Sarah A. Hoyt's `Heart's Place' while Fiona Patton focuses on the rarely examined peacekeepers in `The Watchman's Ball'. Last, but certainly not least, Larry Dixon expounds on an example of the intricate detail and hard work that comprise this remarkable body of work that he and his wife and collaborator have created with his essay `Under the Vale'.

This is a fascinating collection of tales that celebrate the myriad themes in the Mercedes Lackey Valdemar series. There is something for every fan and enough variety to garner new devotees to this wonderful fantasy world. Each author showcases a different aspect of Heralds, their delightful (and opinionated) Companions and/or the kingdom that they are devoted to and will undoubtedly tempt readers to read their other works. It was very entertaining to explore the elements of a Vale and eye-opening to learn that Hertasi have their own motto, difficult to read about the ravages of war and intriguing to explore the impact that becoming a Herald will have upon a betrothed couple. The new perspectives provided by these varied voices add depth to an already well-built world and give a very enjoyable read.

© Night Owl Reviews

I was disappointed to read the negative reviews because I thought there were quite a few very entertaining tales in this collection. I, too, own most of the books and anthologies set in this world and appreciate the imaginative explorations provided by the great authors who have come to play in the entertaining universe created by Ms Lackey.

Another December, another Valdemar anthology. It's become a bit of a tradition at my house that one of the books I get for Christmas is the new Valdemar anthology. And every year I spend an enjoyable day or two during my Christmas holiday visiting the world that got me hooked into fantasy for good. This year was no exception to the rule and it was a good visit to Velgarth. Lackey is my literary chocolate, my comfort reading and she never fails to disappoint in that respect.

Last year I was disappointed at the lack of new names among the contributing authors. And while the majority of this year's authors are return contributors - half of which feature recurring characters - there are two new authors to this anthology series: Daniel Shull and Jennifer Brozek. While Shull was an unknown author to me - and I haven't been able to find any more info on him, not even in the author bio's in the back of the book - and Jennifer Brozek, who I had heard of before. Shull's story A Healer's Work, a look at the Healer's life and the way magic's return after The Mage Winds trilogy affects both Healers and Heralds, was very enjoyable and I hope to see more of his work in the future. Brozek's Discordance focuses on Bardic Collegium's occupants and how rejection can affect a teenager and cause him to use his talents to bad ends. I enjoyed this look at the other side of the coin. Most stories in these anthologies are about those who do get Chosen or are Gifted enough to either get into a Collegium or find another good purpose for their gift. Discordance and, to a lesser extent Lackey's own Simple Gifts and Edghill and McCune's Catch Fire, Draw Flame, deal with those who go rogue with their Gifts.

Surprisingly, this year there weren't any complete duds for me--yes, some of the stories were more enjoyable than others to me, but there weren't any stories that I actively disliked. I really enjoyed returning to some of the returning story settings. I absolutely love Kate Paulk and Sarah Hoyt's Ree and Jem stories, so I was glad to get two more of them on this outing, Heart's Peril and Heart's Place, even though the latter made me a little sad. Ree and Jem are lovely characters, so much so, that I'd love to have a whole book about them! Other perennial favourites are Herald Jors and his Companion Gervais. In Tanya Huff's Family Matters we get a lighter tale after last year's tragic adventure. I loved Jors' theatrical little cousin Annamarin and I left the story with a smile. Another fun return visit was that of the Dann family of Haven watchmen in The Watchmen's Ball. I always enjoy Fiona Patton's writing and I really like her tales about the Dann family. They're a fun bunch and again it's nice to have a tale from the perspective of regular people, not connected to any of the Collegia or the Court.

My favourite stories from a non-recurring setting were those by Elizabeth A. Vaughan, Kristin Schwengel and Ben Ohlander. Vaughan's In an Instant, in which Selenay and Daren acknowledge their Lifebond, though very short, was poignant and packed a punch. I really loved this seemingly small, intimate moment, which in actuality is something that is life-changing, not just for Selenay and Daren, but their Companions as well. Schwengel's Warp and Weft was awesome. It is a very cool look at post-Mage Storm Tayledras life and how they go about restoring the Pelagirs and how magic works after the Storms. Finally, Fog of War by Ben Ohlander really impressed me. I loved how this didn't feature a Herald with a very powerful version of a know gift, but one who's gift is rather numinous and who is very, very good at what he does. Plus it was a grittier, darker story than we usually see in the Valdemar universe, which was refreshing.

The titular story Under the Vale by Larry Dixon is less of a short story and more like a scientific essay describing the technical underpinnings of a Tayledras Vale. This was very informative to read and learn about and it makes me curious about all the notes and research Lackey and Dixon have lying around their office! I hope this will be a returning feature in the anthologies or that they would consider publishing these sorts of essays in a follow up to The Valdemar Companion.

Under The Vale is one of the better Valdemar anthologies so far. However, they are not for the casual reader; more and more they've become snacks for the dedicated Valdemar fan. As such, I really enjoyed it, but a casual reader would be better served by starting with one of the earlier trilogies, such as The Heralds of Valdemar series or the Last Herald Mage trilogy, or by starting with the first book of the current trilogy, Foundation.

I got the book really, quick, fast, and in a hurry. I love any Valdemar stories, but this book is a great read. it has Great stories in it. Cant wait til more comes out and I know i will buy them as quick as possible. Hope every one enjoys it as much as I did.

I love it. It is a buffet spread with returning characters that we consider friends. And best of all, they are not all in Valdemar, so it makes another world seem that much more familiar. I eagerly await the next installment.

I hated to reach the end of the book, as I usually do when I read these collections. Always gives me at least 1 new author to try, and true fantasy is now hard to find since "the powers that be" have chosen to lump paranormal romance, which I really don't care about reading, in the same category. Hope another is released soon.

This is one of my favorite series of all times. However, words like "man whore" and in previous books Companions being in Nicotine patches do not seem to fit well within the context and time period of this series. There are several good stories, but far too many stories of poor quality that make this book on of the weakest in the anthology series. If you want a great one, read "Sword of Ice."

I really enjoy Mercedes Lackey but this book was missing something indefinable. I love the Velgarth world, but it seems like since the end of the mage storms, the world is winding down. There's nowhere to go next. Magic is evenly dispersed and the major countries seem to finally be at peace. This winding down is clearly visible in the newest anthology.

The strongest stories were those with Ree and the ones about the Heralds themselves. The bard/healer pair and the stories involving them aren't as strong, and I don't feel connected to the characters. The story of how the Teyledras are handling the new magical disbursement was very interesting. That might be a good direction to take the world. How does the Empire deal with the aftermath of the mage storms? Iftel?

All in all I have found the anthologies to be the weakest stories in the Velgarth setting. Mostly because they're written by other people who have a different focus than Mercedes. The strong stories in this volume do make up for the weaker ones however.