Rating: 
Summary: Not the Worst thing I've ever read, but not the best, either
Review: Kellen Tavadon lives in the Mage city of Armethalieh, where nothing ever is allowed to change. Son of the Arch-Mage, he's expected to follow in his father's footsteps, but he doesn't fit in, doesn't live up to expectations, and doesn't agree with the agenda that's been set for his life. His discovery of a mysterious set of books on the forbidden topic of "Wild Magic" sets him on a course that will ultimately thrust him form the life he knows and introduce him to his destiny.Sound familiar? It should. The plot, characters, themes and settings are typical of fantasy in general and Mercedes Lackey in particular. Except for the hair colour and the fact that he whines a little less, Kellen could have been Vanyel. Whether this is comforting or annoying will depend on the reader. I found this book very difficult to get into, mostly because the writing style is frankly amateurish, particularly for the first five or six chapters. For every location there are hundreds of words of unnecessary back-story and description. No event is truly connected to the larger story, as most of them occur mainly to elucidate conditions in Armethalieh. This was especially grating in chapter 2: an entire chapter devoted to a situation and characters who never appear again, merely to point out that women are not allowed to practice magick and mages go to great lengths to prevent them doing so. I couldn't help but feel there would have been a much more elegant and less wordy way of getting this point across. I wouldn't have found it worth my while even to give those characters names! Once Kellen's destiny is thrust on him things pick up, but there's still a lot of the same-old here. The same old good vs. evil conflict, the same old debate between Earth magic and ceremonial magic, the same old magical creatures and, saints preserve us, the same old Elves. The action is okay and the concept of Wild Magic has some originality, but there's way too much introspection and moralizing on Kellen's part. I felt very strongly that the writers did not trust their readers to "get it," and so over-explained things to the point of boredom. _The Outstretched Shadow_ has its moments. There were some things about it that I quite liked, occasional brief flashes of originality and wit. Unfortunately, it seemed that instead of pressing the boundaries of genre fiction, the writers allowed themselves to be limited by its banalities. So this was never quite the book I felt it COULD have been. I'll probably read the rest of the series, but I won't expect any more of it than I've seen here.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting adventure with nicely developed characters
Review: Kellen Tavadon, son of the high mage of Armethalieh, is bored. Learning the intricacies of mage-work is boring. Taunting his father is boring. Following all of the rules of the city--rules seemingly set up to freeze the entire civilization into immobility--is boring. When he discovers three books--books on a different kind of magic, Wild Magic, Kellen is instantly attracted. Because Wild Magic is about change. And Kellen has a desparate need to see some change. What he quickly learns, though, is that Wild Magic has its price and is one of the many things outlawed in Armethalieh. Chosing Wild Magic sends Kellen into a new life--assuming he can live long enough to claim it. Although Armethalieh considers itself the center of the Universe, there are other forces that are older and potentially more powerful. Elves once allied with humans against the demons of the Underworld. Now Armethalieh considers the elves to be among the enemy, an inferior race to be crushed where possible and ignored elsewhere. It's an attitude that the demons do everything they can to encourage because they have been licking their wounds since their defeat at the hands of their allied enemies. And now that the allies have divided, the demons intend to strike again. Kellen finds himself a focal point in the new emerging war. Authors Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory spin an exciting and compelling adventure. The demons of OUTSTRETCHED are completely evil, but the other characters are fully dimensioned. Kellen can be annoying with his boredom, self-doubts, and doubts about everyone else but he grows to become a fascinating hero. The Mages of Armethalieh are making a terrible mistake with their rejection of non-human species and the Wild Magic, but even their mistake is understandable potentially noble. They really do try to do their best for their people. And the Elves obsess about beauty but don't always make for good company, or understand the priorites of their human allies. THE OUTSTRETCHED SHADOW blends high adventure with truly human characters--real people with goals, needs, and fears that allow the reader to sympathize and invest in their struggles, successes and failure. OUTSTRETCHED is an exciting start to a new series. I can hardly wait for the next.
Rating: 
Summary: 4+
Review: Kinda long and detailed,
BUT entertaining ideas and characters. This a great foundation to build on. So many things can and will happen.
I a excited about the future books in this series, and hope
the authors will follow through.
Rating: 
Summary: Formulaic Fantasy Made Passable
Review: Mercedes Lackey's books are hit and miss for my opinions. Some of them I enjoy, some of them just bore me. While this book is not quite good enough to earn enthusiastic praise, it does offer some promise of a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy trilogy. Overall, its shortcomings and clichéd segments gave way to its positive elements.
Kellan, the protagonist and focus of the tale, is introduced as a cliché. The dissatisfied and rebellious son of the arch-mage of a city ruled by magic and the mages that wield it, he chances across certain books of "wild" magic that are banned by the cities "high" magic wielding rulers. He begins studying these books of wild magic and eventually is banished by his own power hungry father. These somewhat tired concepts did little for me at the beginning of the story, but Mercedes later manages to make better use of them.
All through the story Mercedes takes such clichés as these; a hut in the woods for a magical healer, unicorns and their inability to tolerate non-virgins, brutishness of centaurs overcome by gentle firmness, pride-blinded city councils, discoveries of easy battle prowess; and melds them into a passable story with proficient writing of internal turmoil and a well developed world.
The world of The Outstretched Shadow will be as familiar to fantasy fans as it is new to them. The inclusion of undines, selkies, unicorns, and dragons in fantasy stories predates Tolkien by centuries and many will consider their use clichéd and formulaic. Lackey takes the formula that, these days, many fantasy fans disparage and reweaves it into a world as balanced, governed, and mysterious as our own. This balance and mysterious natural laws apply to the magic that exists in her world as much as they do to the physics of flight in ours.
The magic of Lackey's world gives the world more depth than most fantasy novels. The idea of magic being linked back into the world by the same laws of equal and opposite reaction as other kinds of force is not new, but is seldom so well executed. The three kinds of magic, wild, high, and endarkened, achieve their power from very different sources, but all require a price for the power.
All of these create a fascinating twist on traditional magic focused fantasy. This is what sets this book apart, small twists to traditional fantasy formulae that add depth and interest to a world that will feel familiar to any long-time fantasy fan. All told, this book makes for an easy, and, for the most part, enjoyable read, and it serves to raise hopes for a truly good trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book with Wonderful Authors
Review: Most of the reviews I have read about this book deal with the fact that there are some long descriptions in it. What I don't understand is that without the descriptions how would you be able to understand and visualize a world as complex as the one in this wonderful novel. The descriptions made me feel that instead of just reading another book I was with the main characters, seeing and feeling everything they saw and felt.
I have read many of Ms.Lackey's novels and I've yet to find one I don't like and this one is no exception. The main character Kellon starts out in the novel feeling dissatisied with his life but not knowing why until three special books find him and he realizes that there is more to the world than what he was taught. He ends up going on not just a physical journey, but a journey of self-exploration as well. He finds new family, friends, and a new way of viewing himself and the world.
I must also say that the way magic is portrayed in this series is very original and engrossing especially when it comes the Wild Magic. The very idea of being able to use the magic only by paying a cost of anything from helping someone to making the world around you a better place is a wonderful way to make the Mages seem more attuned to the world around them.
This is a great start to an exciting new series and I am eagerly awaiting the chance to read the books to come.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, but not up to par with 'Valdemar' series
Review: The Outsretched Shadow is a very good book. A great book, even. It focuses around Kellen, the son of the head mage of Armethalieh, and magick. Two kinds of magick in fact: Wild magick and high magick. Kellen's society is ruled by high mages, and Wild magick is outlawed. This poses a bit of a problem to Kellen, as he runs across the three main texts of Wild magic. Eventually, Kellen is outlawed, and I will not say after that, as it would spoil the plot. Good Guys: Kellen, Idaliah, Shalkan, Jeremy, a half-demon.
Bad Guys: Kellen's father, Angril, Demons, high mages. Pros:
+ Good Plot.
+ Good characters.
+ Interesting, I could put it down, but it took a crow bar and the promise of caffine. Cons:
- Rather like a lot of her other work. Lackey was answering the same problems she answered in the Storm series in the same way.
- I've seen this plot before. Not the entire plot, but bits and pieces here and there.
Rating:
Summary: An Evil Plot Discovered
Review: The Outstretched Shadow is the first novel in The Obsidian Trilogy. A millennium in the past, the Great Alliance of Elves, Men, and Otherfolks joined against the Endarkened and other Shadow creatures and fought the Great War until the Enemy were driven back into the World Without Sun. The Alliance celebrated their victory, but also mourned their losses, for the war had damaged the land and even destroyed some races of the Light. The few remaining human Mages turned their back on Wild Magic and built the Golden City with High Magic, which was tame and predictable. They banned the Wildmages who refused to deny the Wild Magic and they created a haven of stability and peace. Any who threatened the stability of this haven were discarded. In this novel, seventeen year old Kellen Travadon is the son of the Arch-Mage and a scion of a long line of Mages. Great things are expected of Kellen and his father Lycaelon never ceases to remind him of this. Unfortunately, Kellen is bored with his studies and restless in his relative peaceful existence. Then Kellen finds three slim volumes hidden under an illusion within a bookseller's box in the low market: the Books of the Moon, Sun and Stars. These books teach the practice and philosophy of Wild Magic. Kellen recognizes the titles as being on the prohibited list and is intrigued. When Kellen loses his key after another unauthorized excursion into the city, he uses one of the spells from the Book of the Moon to find it, only to discover that he has a strong urge to run through the alley ways and climb a wall, where he finds a child who has lost a kitten up a tree and also finds his missing key as he tumbles down the tree with the errant kitten. Kellen continues his studies of Wild Magic with a little more caution, but his second use of the finding spell leads him to a cistern that needs to be cleaned and filled in as well as a writer who is disillusioned about the City. Moreover, his behavior leads his father to search his room and find the three books. Kellen is called before the High Council and banished from the City. In this story, Kellen flees the City with the aid of a unicorn, fights the stone hounds of the Outlaw Hunt, and discovers a older sister that he had previously not known existed (his memory had been modified) who is also a Wildmage. Idalia is living just across the border from the City lands in a log cabin. She is the local healing mage and also shapes the weather as needed and performs other magical tasks. She teaches him much about the Wild Magic, relieving many of the fears induced by the lies told by their father. Kellen and Idalia are not yet safe, for the Endarkened of Shadow Mountain know where he is and use him to tempt his father. Lycaelon convinces the High Council to expand the City boundaries west to encompass their cabin and the homes of their friends. Idalia learns of their plans as she is demonstrating the art of scrying to Kellen and they hurriedly warn their neighbors and prepare to move. Kellen and Idalia flee across the Wild Hills into Elven territory. There Kellen meets Jermayan, an Elven Knight who loves his sister (and she loves him, but is conflicted by the difference in lifespan). He also becomes friends with young Sandalon, a five year old Elven prince. In this story, Kellen is even more conflicted than his sister, for he has trouble separating the truth from the lies told by his father. He is afraid that the Wild Magic has Tainted him so that he will eventually become a Demon. After he discovers that Demons really exist, he becomes even more concerned. He is also dissatisfied with his abilities, for he doesn't seem to be good at anything. His sister performs Wild Magic with an effortless ease, but he must struggle to perform the simplest working. Moreover, his former tutors have set him up to fail so many times that he is suspicious of anyone who asks him to try something. He even suspects Idalia, despite his growing respect and love for her. This story often reads like Hamlet, with Kellen questioning everything. It doesn't help that Elves believe it is rude to ask direct questions and often avoid sensitive subjects. Sandalon, however, is young and excused from adult manners; in fact, he often doesn't wait for the answer before he asks the next questions, so Sandalon is a blessing to Kellen in his openness and willingness to share information. This novel is a multi-threaded story, with the extra verbiage that usually accompanies such tales. One learns more than strictly necessary about the Endarkened, who are thoroughly destestable creatures. The novel is slow moving in places, but still full of interesting scenery and characters, especially among the Otherfolk. There are a few places where east is used instead of west to refer to the direction toward the Elven lands; mavbe the book was proofed in sections rather than as a whole. Nonetheless, the story is an enjoyable introduction to the series, but this installment was terminated at a crucial point; thank goodness the second volume, To Light A Candle, is due out in October. Highly recommended for Lackey and Mallory fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of various forms of magic and conflicts between pure evil and impure humanity (together with elves, unicorns, and Otherfolk). -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating:
Summary: Valdemar-like, some nice ideas, not enough editing
Review: The three-star rating is for general readers; for Lackey fans, I'd give it 4 stars. Not her best, not her worst, many fun and interesting parts if you can get past the tiresome bits.
The world built in this book has many obvious parallels to that of Lackey's Valdemar, complete with a whiter-than-white, intelligent, horselike animal much given to sardonic pronouncements that bonds in some way to the young hero. Also present is magic that comes from "Gods" who confer it and ordain its usage price in order to balance the world. A Lackey fan will also find much other familiar territory.
As several other posters have noted, this book suffers grievously from inadequate editing. It will lose many readers in the first few chapters, in which the hero is introduced and the awful relationship with his father and the duplicity of the magic-workers in his city are dwelt on and pummeled on and dragged on for what seems like forever. Any possible shades of gray in relationships are ruthlessly stamped out - everybody is either goody-good or evily-evil. As if even the authors suspected it might be over the top, there's even a little exposition on how, if Dad had been a bit nicer, maybe everything would have turned out badly and the world would have been destroyed. Insufficient excuse, if you ask me.
For anyone who perseveres past the point where the hero finally leaves home, things do pick up. The pace is still slowed by the oddly chosen points in which long, descriptive passages are inserted; my preference would have been to have fewer of these and have them chosen more carefully by subject and timing. My patience was especially tried by the repeated attention to the minutiae of torture by the bad guys. Enough, already! We know they're bad! Then too, there are some "Huh?" moments; for example, it isn't clear to me why the bad guys can't wipe out the heroes in the last scene. Overall, the book does feel padded, like there was an order for so many pages by such-and-such a date and the crank was turned.
As others have mentioned, this book is appropriate for children 10 and over; in fact, the frequent focus on the feeeeeelings and uncertainties of the teenaged hero make this a book that wouldn't appeal to most adult readers.
For all of this, I did enjoy reading the book (once I got past the first chapters and skipped through especially egregious parts), and I look forward to reading the sequel. In fact, the story does end abruptly, so the plot feels incomplete in the first book. It's too bad that so many fantasy books are published as trilogies, when the story would be better served by editing to one or two books.
Rating:
Summary: great new fantasy series
Review: This is a great beginning of a fantasy series. It had similarities to Valdemar and maybe a little Harry Potter thrown in. The plot flowed smoothly and left the reader wanting more. There were nicely developed characters, and an overall plot that would encompass an epic series. I truly enjoyed this read.
Rating:
Summary: a great book
Review: this is new series that is just great. it is along the lines of her other books with magic, intrigue and non-human characters.
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