Arrow's Fall
1988 • 319 pages
Ratings26
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings26
Average rating3.5
With Elspeth, the heir to the throne of Valdemar, come of marriageable age, Talia, the Queen’s Own Herald returns to court to find Queen and heir beset by diplomatic intrigue as various forces vie for control of Elspeth’s future.
But just as Talia is about to uncover the traitor behind all these intrigues, she is sent off on a mission to the neighboring kingdom, chosen by the Queen to investigate the worth of a marriage proposal from Prince Ancar. And, to her horror, Talia soon discovers there is far more going on at Prince Ancar’s court than just preparation for a hoped-for royal wedding. For a different magic than that of the Heralds is loose in Ancar’s realm—an evil and ancient sorcery that may destroy all of Valdemar unless Talia can send warning to her Queen in time!
Series
3 primary booksValdemar: Heralds of Valdemar is a 4-book series with 4 primary works first released in 1987 with contributions by Mercedes Lackey.
Series
47 primary booksValdemar (Publication order) is a 47-book series with 47 primary works first released in 1987 with contributions by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon.
Series
37 primary booksValdemar (Chronological) is a 37-book series with 37 primary works first released in 1987 with contributions by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon.
Reviews with the most likes.
So that escalated quickly. This is the sort of story that separates Mercedes Lackey from a lot of the girl and her pony YA fiction of my youth. Lackey pulls zero punches. She spends the first two books explaining that a Herald's life is not glamorous and very dangerous and very, very likely to get you killed, but Talia and her peeps get out of scrapes all right. It's a nice, false sense of security before betrayal, death, rape, torture, and sudden horrific consequences. I'm not the sort to get teary-eyed ina book, but Kris' death got to me
The ending is maybe a litte pat, but the action of the story more than make up for it. Overall, I enjoyed returning to those fantasy tropes that initially won me over to the genre. I think the story still holds up today and could easily win over more young readers to the cause.
I would have liked a little more depth of plot. In the last half, events transpired so quickly.
