Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful World
Review: I have always been hesitant to read fantasy novels, because everytime I picked one up I always got bogged down in the author's world or it just...didn't make sense. But 'The Outstretched Shadow' by James Mallory and Mercedes Lackey proved that you could have a lucious, well imagined fantasy world and magic system without being overbearing.
The story focuses on Kellen, a 17 year old looking for his way in a world full of hypocrisy and oppression. He finds three Books, Books that are the guide to a repressed form of magic called Wild Magic. I'll only say this much more: the subsequent action follows in short order, and the world outside of Armathelieh is full of surprises.
The only un-positive note (for it's not really negative) is that sometimes the descriptions get a bit long winded, but nothing that I found too detracting. Overall a great story, and I'm inspired to pick my way through some more fantasy to find others that are as good.
Rating: 
Summary: Blood, Guts and Gore
Review: I LOVE Mercedes Lackey's books but I don't think I ever read such bloody sections in any of her previous books. If this book had been in the horror section I wouldn't have been quite as surprised. I've never read James Mallory so maybe all the gore was his contribution.
The story does plod along, quite a few sections appear again and again. Some of the characters appear to made of cardboard. I honestly don't know if I'll buy the next two in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Well, /I/ liked it, a little bit slow paced though it was...
Review: I loved the descriptions involved and the general world and characters. It was a new and interesting approach to magic, using the Wild Magic, High Magic, and the Dark Magic.. it all interested me, and it interested me further the descriptions of each person. Shalkan, the unicorn, particularly interested me, as well as the Centaurs. The unique descriptions of them brought flavor to the book. While it was a bit long and the descriptions could go on for a couple pages, it was a lot more interesting to me compared to, say, Lord of the Rings, which is just boring.. (in my opinion..) And it left me hanging. I want to see if the pompous mages of the City of a Thousand Bells will finally realize that they've dug their own grave! If Kellen will develop his Knight-Mage talents and if he'll ever wield a sword as well as.. before. I can't wait for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: Lackey: Just a little slower than usual
Review: I really liked this booked. However I feel a need to warn everyone that it is slow at first. I like getting alot of background on a new world and the main characters, But I usually prefer that you grab my attention first. The book spends a great deal of time at the begining going over history from one view point, and giving us a great deal of information on the homeland of the main character. But it is not until much later in the book that anything actual begins to happen.
I would have prefered the book to start out with some action or decision then started giving us the background information which I think could have been done easily.
All of that aside The Story is great and I can't wait for the second book.
Rating:
Summary: A solid, interesting read, though unfinished
Review: I should warn you first that I am a fan of Mercedes Lackey's work, since her filk days. I have not seen any of James Mallory's work. I found this book to be very much like most of Lackey's work; I didn't sense much of Mallory's presence except perhaps in the good characterization of the main character as a teenage boy. I found this to be a good, fun read. It was engaging and interesting, and it made me want to know what happens next at most points. It's more of a good-vs-evil story than Lackey is prone to; the Endarkened appear to be pure, unredeemable evil and we get plenty of proof of it. In addition, there's some indication that this world is another one with active, benevolent "gods", which is something that usually drives me right up a wall. However, Lackey handled that well in her Valdemar/Oathbreaker series, so I'll go along with it for now. I won't give anything away here, other than to say that like in her other series, it's a "god" system where you can clearly answer for yourself the big question: "If (the) God(s) love us and want to do good by us, why does evil and want and pain exist?" And okay, I admit that I'm also a sucker for world systems where good people with generous hearts can do great good and not get ripped off. If you're someone who hates to read an unfinished story, you should hold off on this book until the sequels come out. Even though this is a thick long book, it feels more like it ended when it ran out of paper than at a natural endpoint of the story. I think I agree with another reviewer in that it needed to be edited. Unless there's something further on to give a payoff to it, we spend entirely too much time getting our heroes to the point where they even KNOW about the major foes, much less start to do something about it. It's something I've noticed in many of Lackey's books from the last 5 years or so; perhaps she has become resistant to editing and her work is suffering for it. While I appreciate learning about our characters and their world... it means that the "main" plot doesn't start until around page 400 of 600! Overall, I like this book even though it spends way too much time setting things up. I like watching the characters develop, and there are interesting things to see along the way. This book is also suitable for children from about age 10 and up. The sexual situations are not at all disturbing, and violence is handled as something to be avoided. And most of all, our main character's thoughts about both can lead to healthy decision-making. However the actions of the Endarkened might be too much for children younger than 10 to handle.
Rating: 
Summary: Really a different read
Review: I'm not usually Mercedes Lackey's biggest fan - her books are frequently a lot of the same thing, over... and over... and over. Joust and Alta, two of Lackey's latest (and both unrelated to the Valdemar books) read much like her other, more prolific series. This one, however, was quite different - and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The main character, Kellen, is a believable person - perfectly willing to sit on his backside and watch the world fly past him until something *really* needles him - in which case he picks himself up and decides to do something about it. The other characters in the book are equally enticing - particularly the centaurs, a race you don't always find in good fantasy novels - I suppose because it's difficult to draw them in nicely. Lackey and Mallory have definitely done that.
On a whole, the Outstretched Shadow was a wonderful book, and I'm eagerly awaiting it's sequels.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent New Series
Review: I've always enjoyed reading books by Mercedes Lackey, but I never classified her as one of my most favorite authors. She may be converting me though if this series stays as strong as the opening book. The book begins typically enough with the protagonist, Kellan, dissatisfied with his life. He is the son of the Arch-mage who presides over the counsel of mages who control almost every aspect of life in the city. Kellan is gifted in magic although there is very little evidence of it at the beginning of the story. All of the mages in the city are only permitted to practice High Magic which Kellan finds very boring. The story really begins to pick up when Kellan finds three books about a different kind of magic called Wild Magic. Once he begins to dabble in this very different magic the story really gets going. I loved the system of magic that the authors developed. There is a certain coherence and structure to it. Obviously, its magic so it is still unexplainable, but I've always felt that even when you're writing about magic there should be some system to how it functions. I also thought that the various races that Kellan encounters throughout the story were very well done. The authors did a reasonably good job of giving them different characteristics and natures (i.e. elves are not simply very pretty people who love nature, but actually have characteristics that reflect their nature). The last thing I liked about this book was that you get to see some of the development and training of Kellan. He has some gifts, but he has to work at learning to use them. If you've never read Mercedes Lackey, I encourage you to give this new trilogy a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Unskilled execution
Review: I've now read six books by Mercedes Lackey, and all of them had a common theme: Cruel men rule all with an iron fist and women, who should be allowed to practice their talents are denied that opportunity because of these sexist pigs. And of course, these men are set in rules so rigid that even spices are regulated lest they disrupt the purity of the City.
The same holds true for this turgid and uninspired tale. There is an elegance in relaying information and backstory, that's done especially well in early Jordan and even Goodkind that is sorely lacking in this book. It takes too long to find out anything. Endless pages are given documenting the grim and cheerless nature of the City.
Ok we get it. The Mages are all-powerful there and no woman is allowed to practice magic! The citizenry are complacent cows. Move on! But, they don't. Kellen, the main character, languishes in the City, doing nothing and learning nothing for over 200 pages and the story and our knowledge isn't furthered beyond what I just wrote in three sentences. That is the breadth of information that the reader receives in 200 grueling pages.
Finally, Kellen leaves and things get a little interesting, but then it bogs down again. Vague hints are made about Wild Magic and Demons, but does Kellen ever learn anything? Nope. Why? Because he's not ready for the information according to others. And Kellen, being the lumpen idiot that he is, accepts this without any disagreement. He doesn't even ask and questions. Why? Because there's never any time to do so. Not one moment. Ever. At all. To simply ask a question and learn something.
This is without a doubt the most clumsy and annoying manner I've read in which back story is withheld simply to withold it. It didn't pique my interest. It just annoyed me. If you aren't going to tell me the details, at least make the reasoning plausible.
The book overall was tedious and verbose and not a pleasure to read. Not least because the richness of human experience is melted down into extremes: Rules are inherently evil and lead to rigidity and conformity, while those who live a more carefree lifestyle are good and happy. No shading of the two. No grayness. You're either good or bad and nothing in between.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!!
Review: If you enjoyed Elizabeth Moon's 'Paksenarrion' series, you will definitely enjoy this start, to what one would hope to be much longer than a mere trilogy. Battle scenes are realistic, the emotions are right on target, and even contains humor!! This read would also appeal to those who eagerly await the next installment of the 'Green Rider' (Kristen Britain) series. My only beef is WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE JUST A TRILOGY?!!!
Rating:
Summary: Find the Scissors!
Review: Interesting setting, interesting characters, but far, far too long. Needs to be cut by about 100 pages. The pace is glacial, the same ground gets covered again and again. This isn't being paid by the word, it's being paid by the pound.
It could have been such a good book-the elements are there.
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