The Silver Gryphon (Mage Wars Trilogy, Book 3) (Hardcover)

by Mercedes Lackey (Author), Larry Dixon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
YA?In Book Three of "The Mage Wars" series, readers find the city of White Gryphon at peace. The warriors of the Cataclysm have settled into a comfortable and secure life within the city gates. But, there are other worlds to explore outside the haven of White Gryphon. Silverblade, a human, and Tadrith, a gryphon, complete rigorous training and are sent on their first solo mission to guard a remote outpost, where they encounter dangers and unknown evil. Using the skills learned in training and the tools at hand, Blade and Tad defeat their enemies and win the admiration of their parents. More importantly they learn to trust in themselves and one another when threatened. Even without having read The Black Gryphon (1994) and The White Gryphon (1995, both DAW), YAs will enjoy this story. There is enough explanation and background given to understand the history behind the setting and characters.?Beth Devers, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Third in the Mage Wars trilogy from the wife and husband team. Twelve peaceful years have passed since the action of The White Gryphon (1995), while Skandranon the Black Gryphon and Amberdrake the Healer settle down into comfortable middle age. An elite warrior force, the Silver Gryphons, has been formed to protect the city--a force that Skandranon's son Tad and Amberdrake's daughter Blade, sowing rebellious streaks, have joined. Following two long, hard years of training, Tad and Blade are given the difficult assignment of occupying a remote guard post reachable only across miles of unknown territory. On the way, a strange force drains Tad's magic powers. So, alone, injured, and desperate, Tad and Blade find themselves beset by Wyrsa, dreadful mage-created hybrid creatures who have the power to absorb magic. Standard fare for series regulars. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: DAW Hardcover; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886776848
• ISBN-13: 978-0886776848
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #857,500 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 3 in The Mage Wars Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Severe disappointment, December 24, 2003

By	Jennifer Riemenschneider "elonna" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Silver Gryphon (The Mage Wars) (School & Library Binding)

I've been a Lackey fan for years, and this is by far her worst book ever. I've always loved the Valdemar universe and I had been excited when the "pre-history" series was coming out. I don't know if it's the influence of her husband as a co-author, but this trilogy is one that I don't think I can bear to read a 3rd time. I only read it twice because I couldn't believe it had been as awful as I'd recalled.

The characters in the 3rd story are so hard to care about that it becomes nearly impossible to care about anything happening in this book. The book seemed rushed - almost as if it had been thrown together to complete the trilogy.

I'd recommend reading ANY of Ms. Lackey's books before these. I still think she's a wonderful author, but don't let this trilogy be your first experience reading her work.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Very Poor Showing, February 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Silver Gryphon (Mage Wars) (Paperback)

Having read and enjoyed the first two books in the trilogy, I was really looking forward to the conclusion. I needn't have bothered. Somehow I got the feeling that Lackey was just churning this one out to get it done. It was very poorly written. My advice: get it from the library if you really want to read it. You'll be glad you didn't waste your money on this one.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, March 23, 2003

By	Leanna "moondance34" (South Deerfield, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silver Gryphon (Mage Wars) (Paperback)

It has been twelve years since the city of White Gryphon became a part of the Haighlei Empire. The kestra'chern Amberdrake and his friend, the gryphon Skandranon, and their families have lived in relative peace. Amberdrake's daughter, Silverblade, and Skan's son, Tadrith, have grown up and are now members of White Gryphon's elite guard, the Silver Gryphons. They are given their first assignment: a remote rain forest post on the Haighlei border. Despite their parents' misgivings and concern, the two set out. Along the way, a mysterious force suddenly sucks the mage energy out of their equipment, causing Blade and Tad to crash. Injured and unable to call for help, will the two be able to outrun and outwit a deadly enemy they have never encountered before?

"The Silver Gryphon" is the third book in Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's Mage Wars Series. As with the previous two books, Dixon's influence on the text will be apparent to Lackey fans. It is easily the weakest of the three, although it is still a worthwhile read for experienced Valdemar fans.

I really enjoyed the characters, especially Tadrith. He was a lot of fun and demonstrated all of the entertaining male gryphon quirks that have been present in Skan and Treyvan of Mage Storms and Mage Winds. I didn't like Blade so much at first, mainly because I was hoping she'd be more like Amberdrake (one of my favorite Valdemar characters), but she grew on me as the story went on. I came to appreciate her strength and courage. And of course it was a pleasure to read about Amberdrake and Skan again, even if only for a relatively small portion of the book.

The action in this book was quite good. There was ample suspense as Blade and Tad were chased and hunted (I won't mention by what as some other reviews have because I feel it ruins the surprise). The climax was also very tense and exciting.

My major complaint (and it really is a trend in Lackey's books) is the rushed feeling I came away with after completing the book. However, this book felt even more rushed than the others. I think this is mostly because I was expecting it to be the concluding book of a series. It really wasn't. These three books can be treated almost individually, unlike the Arrows books or Last Herald-Mage books.

Bottom Line: Good for its action and suspense, but lacking in the pacing of its ending. I would really only recommend this to readers familiar with Valdemar.