Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As fate had it..., September 8, 1999
...I got this book by chance. Hell, even before reading this particular book I have never even glance at any fantasy novel. I'm glad I did. Vanyel is simply the most wonderful of characters that one might imagine.I cried every time I read the books in this trilogy (and that amounts to hundreds of times). I first read this book in '94 and since then I have been buying Misty's books, basically on the srength of this particular book. Vanyel is the most complex of characters I have ever encountered and to me Misty managed to flesh him out realistically. When I read this book I feel as though I'm a part of the story, an invisible 'ghost' who dogged his every step, shared his every thought and feel his every pain. I love him to the point of madness. I especially respect the way Misty managed to convey his confusion over his feelings towards Shavri and 'Lendel.And I especially love his banters with Yfandes, whom to me is the rock which helped keep his feet on the ground and restrain him from going bonkers. I can imagine how lonely his life is when people's perception of him are coloured by his heroics and how his legend preceeded him. This can be seen by how Herald Sofya (?) treated him. For me this is the best book of the trilogy since this time 'round he's already matured (unlike the time in Magic's Pawn) and not too obsessed (as in his revenge-mad mode in Magic's Price). Okay, for you sceptics out there I can just say one thing: I wish he was straight and alive. I loved him when I was 13 and I still love him now that I'm 18. Miss this book at your own risk.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Important bridge b/w first and third books, January 8, 1999
By A Customer
There are very few writers as flawed as Mercedes Lackey who can manage to keep my interest for so long. Although I LOVE the Last Herald Mage series, I was annoyed by her faults, which include a tendency to be melodramatic, sentimental and use predictable writing devices (like never-ending interior monologues). The editing is also pretty poor. And yet she has managed to get me so hooked I have devoured 9 of her novels in the space of 3 weeks. Magic's Promise is not as gripping as the other books of this series for the simple reason that there is no love interest. Lots of teasing little comments about how drop dead gorgeous Vanyel is and how starved for affection (setting the reader up for Stefen in the next book) but no real action (and yes, I do like a good love story). But this is still one of her best books because the main aim is the development of Vanyel's character and he is one of the most appealing characters she has ever created. It bridges the gap between Vanyel as confused brat (in Magic's Pawn) and Vanyel as legend (in Magic's Price). It has a gripping enough plot, interesting characters and a nice tidy ending. The only bone I have to pick with this novel is that the reconciliation b/w Jervis and Vanyel and Vanyel and his parents is much too pretty. In the real world there ARE parents who couldn't care less if their kid was dead or alive and there ARE sadistic teachers. And however mature you grow, there are some gaps you simply cannot bridge or just should not. Given the brutal treatment he received at the hands of his family, I think it would have been much more plausible if Lackey had made Vanyel wash his hands of the whole lot of them. And which descriptions of the family and Jervis are we to believe? The highly unfavourable ones in Magic's Pawn or the too-good-to-be-true saccharine ones in this novel? This is an excellent example of the fantasy genre and I (being a diehard fantasy addict) really loved it. If you occasionally enjoy mushy love stories, long for a simpler, cleaner world and love Tolkien, McCaffrey, Eddings and Jordan, chances are that you will enjoy this book and the whole series immensely.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
HEARTFELT AND INSPIRATIONAL, July 20, 2000
I got a loan of this book from a friend and was reluctant to read it at first, but by the time I had gotten through the first chapter I couldn't turn the next page fast enough. Vanyel to me is an inspiration, I found myself thinking back to times when I wanted to be like Superman and other childhood Heroes. My hands were shaking when I had reached half way through, I found I couldn't put the book down. I finished the book that night, and the next day I was in the shop looking for the next book in the series. Lackey is a genius the way she can grab your attention and hold it to the very end of the book and leave you panting for more. I hadn't read any other of her books before, but by the time I was half way through this book I knew who Vanyel was and what his childhood was like, without delving into too much detail. This book is shear excitment and heartache and inner challenges all in one and I would recommend this book to anyone.
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