Exile's Honor (Valdemar) (Paperback)

by Mercedes Lackey (Author) "HE was not dead..." (more)
Key Phrases: battle guard, gray leathers, command tent, Lord Marshal, Herald Alberich, Son of the Sun (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Trained from childhood in the arts of war, Alberich strives to walk a careful path between obedience to the priests of Vkandis Sunlord and fairness to the soldiers under his command and the people of his native land of Karse. His attempts to hide his heretical gift of precognition, however, earn him a sentence of death by fire, thwarted by a bold rescue seemingly engineered by his faithful white battle steed-in actuality one of the Companions of the Heralds of Valdemar. Lackey continues her popular Valdemar series with the story of Alberich, Weaponsmaster and Queen's Champion of a land he was taught to fear and hate, as he struggles to redefine the meaning of the honor he holds so dear while learning to accept the magic he once tried to conceal. Libraries should anticipate demand for this highly recommended fantasy.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
This stand-alone novel in the best-selling Valdemar series tells the story of Alberich...

When Alberich took a stand for what he believed in-and defected-he was chosen by one of the magical Companion horses...to serve the queen of Valdemar.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: DAW (October 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756401135
• ISBN-13: 978-0756401139
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,304 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 4 in The Heralds of Valdemar Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful story from the world of Valdemar, October 23, 2002

By	Justin Toner (Geneva, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Exile's Honor (Heralds of Valdemar Prequel) (Hardcover)

In the last year I have become a fan of Mercedes Lackey, I have read all of the Valdemar books except for the Owl Trilogy and Burning Brightly. She has created alot of wonderful and beloved characters in her Valdemar books, Vanyel, Talia, Skiff, Elspeth, Keorywn, Tarma and Kethry, and Alberich, who finally gets the spotlight in this great novel.

It starts nicely with the short story that she wrote years ago showing how Alberich, Captain in the Army of Karse (the centuries old neighbor and enemy of Valdemar), was choosen as a Herald. Saved from being burned alive by the Vkandis Sunlord Priests for using "Witch Powers" by his Companion Kantor. From there she delves into Alberich's head as he comes to adjust to and love his new home in the land of the country he was raised to hate and fear. I loved how Alberich was torn in trying to remain true to his values of honor and loyality to both his homeland of Karse and his new home of Valdemar, trying to save Valdemar and at the same time not trying to hurt Karse too much is a balance he strives for throught the novel. I also enjoyed the portrayal of Vkandis Sunlord, the God of Karse, and how Alberich tries to understand what hand he played in bringing him to become a Herald of Valdemar. This is a nice companion piece to what we learned of the Sunlord in the Mage Storms Trilogy

Alberich is not the only one featured in this one, a young Princess Selenay is shown, which was a nice touch as we see how she came to be the great Queen and ruler of Valdemar in the later books. Alot of other familiar characters pop up such as Talimar, Lord Orthellen, Myste and more. Plus we also get to see Selenays' father King Sendar, who I liked very much. It was nice to see them and get alot of backstory information only mentiond off hand in other books.

If you love Lackey and Valdemar, you have to have this book. Its a keeper.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More complex than she used to be, September 29, 2002

By	Virginia E. Demarce "veasleyd" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Exile's Honor (Heralds of Valdemar Prequel) (Hardcover)

Compared to the early books in this series (such as the Arrows of the Queen trilogy), this deep-backgrounder on Herald/Weaponsmaster Alberich is very sophisticated in its handling of moral and ethical questions. This is the case not only for Alberich himself, but also for the Karsite weaponsmaster who trained him, and the discussions of the varying nature of the priesthood of Vkandis Sunlord. It doesn't slow down the story line -- it just gives it greater depth.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally: a book worthy of the Valdemar Series!, October 1, 2002

By	Andra Abramson "pagirl" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Exile's Honor (Heralds of Valdemar Prequel) (Hardcover)

I've been really disappointed with the latest books by this author--many of which seem slapped together without any real thought, or given to lesser writers to work on--so I'm thrilled to say that this book is worthy of the author who brought us Talia and Vanyel and Elspeth.

After reading "Take a Thief" and the one about the fire starter (can't remember what it's called now...), I almost didn't bother with this one. I was ready to write Ms. Lackey off as a writer who got too popular and didn't need to put in the work anymore. So I'm really glad to say that book has the same caliber of writing that made the early books in the series so powerful: strong characters, believable feelings, and overall a sense that you are in this place with these people.

If you felt as I did, and were wavering about this one, I say go for it!