Owlsight (Valdemar: Darian's Tale, Book 2) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Larry Dixon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The popular husband-and-wife team here launch yet another trilogy laid in their best-known creation, the world of Valdemar, with a book that is considerably more accessible for readers new to Valdemar than many another in the several overlapping triptychs. The action begins during the recovery of Valdemar from the traumatic events of the Mage Storms trilogy completed by Storm Breaking (1996). The story is basically about the coming-of-age of Keisha, an untrained healer in a remote village who is trying to care for her people without going mad, and Darian, a young mage turned Hawkbrother who has figured in other Valdemar yarns. Together, Keisha and Darian take active part in the rebuilding of Valdemar. Lackey and Dixon may not develop their protagonists as remarkably as does Lois Bujold, whose characters grow astonishingly from book to book, or Andre Norton, who has been ringing changes on classic motifs for a half century. Nevertheless, although Lackey and Dixon tend to repeat themselves, they always offer a well-told tale. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

It has been four years since Darian saw his village sacked and burned by barbarians. Taking refuge with the Hawkbrothers, he soon finds his life's calling--as a Healing Adept. But even as he learns the mystical ways of this ancient race, Darian cannot escape the dangers threatening his future. Another tribe of barbarians is approaching. The time has come...to stand up and fight.

Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon are:

"An unbeatable team in fantastic magic and adventure."--Kliatt

* A national bestselling series--now with all three volumes available to fans

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: DAW; 1st THUS edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886778034
• ISBN-13: 978-0886778033
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #262,102 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Owl Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is not bad, and you might enjoy it!, April 1, 2000

By	C. Gist (Chelmsford, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read some of the comments on the sequel to this, and I must conclude that I am either helplessly in love with Mercedes Lackey's and Larry Dixon's writing style, or that the books in this series are actually rather nice to read. OwlSight certainly doesn't have as much action and wild adventure as the other series that these two wrote, but it helps to satisfy my thirst for extra knowledge on the subject of the Hawkbrothers and their non-human associates. I like Darian a lot, but in a book with these authors' names on the cover that is to be expected. It is very easy to understand if you already know what all of the typical Mercedes Lackey vocabulary means, so if you are a fan of hers you are all set. Overall I loved it, and it made me laugh more than any of the other books she wrote except for the Vows and Honor duology. I hope you like it as much as I do!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good but Flat, February 7, 2000

By	Beth Birdsall (Vermont, USA) - See all my reviews

This book is well-written (what Mercedes Lackey book isn't?) and has very good detail and description. She's obviously done a great deal of research into the life of a rural herbalist, and has spent a lot of time mentally crafting the village and Vales. Unfortunately, she sacrifices plot and conflict for this, cramming the climax into a few chapters at the end, as if she suddenly realized that a deadline was approaching and she'd spent all her time describing the Vale and Keisha's work. Also, I found myself reading passages thinking that they could have been summed up in a few sentences--do we really need to know EXACTLY how Keisha decides what things to take when she moves? Most annoying, to me, was that none of the characters had any real character flaws. One of the great things about Lackey's Valdemar books is the humanness of the characters: Elspeth is impetuous and sometimes arrogant, Vanyel shuts himself off, Amberdrake won't believe that he's a leader. Unfortunately, she seems to have misplaced this knack for this series. Keisha is kind, sensible, and generous, and most of her minor "flaws" are simply the result of an untrained Gift; Darian is kind, sensible, generous, and eloquent to boot. And the Tayledras have suddenly turned into Purveyors Of All That Is Useful, rather than an isolated, forest-dwelling people with a small population who carry on a very limited trade of luxury goods for basic supplies. And Firesong, who was kind but fickle and EXTREMELY arrogant in the Winds trilogy, has not only mellowed but is in this book utterly calm and humble and seems to have lost any sense of vanity. Though I usually love Lackey's books, I was getting thoroughly sick of Darian and Keisha by the end. To sum up: this book is pretty good, but not up to Lackey's usual standard. It's fairly fun, especially if you like lots of description, but slow-moving, and understandable even to those unfamiliar with the series. Don't expect it to be on the level of the Last Herald-Mage trilogy, though, or to be a gripping adventure story.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read our Review!, August 29, 2000

By	Dazzling Davina (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Owlsight (Darian's Tale) (Hardcover)

This book was okay, but not up to usual Lackey standards. A few of the things that bothered me... 1. hair. Silverfox is supposed to hair down to his ankles. Firesong's hair is white, as stated in the winds trilogy. 2. eyes. Firesong's eyes are blue, not silver. 3. Firesong and Silverfox's relationship. Come on. For all the mentioning of 'ashke,' the two guys seem like casual acquaintences, not lovers. And why would Starfall think so negatively of Silverfox's profession when the Tayledras 'do it like kestrals'? (as mentioned in Winds) 4. There was no villain. Even though I like coming-of-age novels, they're not fun to read when the characters are so goody-goodyish. 5. Also, I'd love to know just exactly how many years have past since the Storms trilogy. In Winds, Firesong wasn't even 30.In this one, he's like what, 40? I'd read this just if you want to read more about Firesong. But even he's taken a turn for the goody-goodies.....