By the Sword

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Summary: has made it to my list of favorite books
Review: I enjoyed reading about Kerowyn's adventures and struggles as she grows up. I especially liked her involvement with Eldan, and hope to see at least one sequel that reveals more of their developing relationship, and how they would work together on a herald's assignment(on the embassador trip to Karse with Talia, perhaps?).

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Summary: Damsels in distress + magic sword= Kerowyn and Need.
Review: Go, Lackey!! Another great book from the land of Valdemar with sword, sorcerey, and even a bit of humor added to the mix. What could be better? The story of Kerowyn starts as a girl who didn't like frippery. My kind of girl. Then when raiders attack her fathers keep on the night of her brothers wedding her life is changed forever..

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Summary: Mercedes Lackey's `Valdemar` book series continued greatness
Review: Mercedes Lackey's `Valdemar` book series continues to meet and exceed my expectations. If you like medieval settings and/or seemingly ordinary people meeting extraordinary challenges this is a book for you. I would rate as a get and read.

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Summary: It's not a "Chic-book"
Review: I'm a male, and I also enjoyed this book. The characters and story really come to life in this book as they do in all of the other Mercedes Lackey books that I have enjoyed over time. This one won't let you down.. grab a copy

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Summary: No compromises. Occasional regrets.
Review: This may well be the best female-protagonist sword-and-sorcery I've ever read. The character in question, Kerowyn, suffers from an all-to-familiar feminine syndrome -- she takes responsibility for EVERYTHING. Starting out as a pseudo-Cinderella, she must rescue a maiden-in-distress when all of her male relatives are disabled. When this earns her a fearsome reputation, making it impossible to return to her former life, she runs off with her granny to become a mercenary -- not as unrealistic as it sounds. The requisite situations for mercenaries in sword-and-sorcery follow: trapped-behind-enemy-lines, battles-against-impossible-odds, etc. What sets this book apart is the emotional reality in which the main character exists. Her conflicts are very similar to conflicts modern career women face transmuted into genre terms. And she does not compromise on her responsibilities, no matter what her personal desires are. I suppose that's what makes it a fantasy. . .

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Summary: Overcoming obstacles is the name of the game
Review: By the Sword is about a girl named Kerowyn and her struggle to learn about the woman she must become. She rescued her family with the help of her strange Grandmother Kethry's magical sword. The book is non-stop action and adventure. The heroine is believable as well as loveable, in that blood- thirsty kind of way. Once you pick up the book, it's almost impossible to put it down.

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Summary: Good action adventure - a heroine one can identify with.
Review: By the Sword has a strong heroine who carves her own way in a world that would rather gently shelter and support her - if she would let it. Anyone who has ever chafed at the restrictive roles society tries to place over us will empathise with this lady! This is a action adventure tale with a strong, smart and sexy lady who keeps rolling with the punches, and believe me, the punches never seem to stop

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Summary: All time favorite of Lackey's.
Review: Seriously probably the best book in the entire series of books on Valdemar. Extremely well written. You realy realy want to know what happen to these characters. These two women of the world, each very different but similar in ways. Very nicely done. Loved it.

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Summary: overall good book, but a slightly odd middle.....
Review: Okay, this book was about Kerowyn and how she became to be a Herald. She starts out as the lowly sister who escalates to lowly mercenary then to mercenary Captain before finally becoming a Herald. It had some really colorful characters. Kerowyn was really cool and was terribly funny. Eldan seemed rather dull, though. And I really HATE Daren. He was just so pompous. In the later books he's all nice and funny, but here his character is the stereotyped rich boy. The book had a really good pace until the middle where she just sort of looks around Karse.... it's a tad odd to me. I don't know. I loved the ending though! It was superb.

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Summary: Misty's best
Review: Of all of M. Lackey's Velgarth books, I do consider this one at the top of the list. It's the ONLY one of her books that I have definately re-read at least 20 times. Yes, 20 times or more. My current copy is falling apart, and that's some feat considering how carefully I treat my books.

I rank this book over all the other books in the series--yes--even above the beginning trilogy. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a strong woman in a fantasy setting. Heck, the Arrow's trilogy was what got me hooked on fantasy as the young age of 12 or 13. Buy this book. It's not going to dissapoint you.