Rating: 
Summary: Lackey Lets Others In Her Sandbox
Review: ... and it makes for a lovely book! Honestly, I'd been finding Mercedes Lackey's own Valdemar books to be getting repetitive. It's to the point where I can pick one up (say, Brightly Burning) and go, 'Ok, he's going to be Chosen, she's going to have a Lifebond with HIM, and those two over there are going to have catastrophic mental Gifts that they have to fight to master.' Predictable. Still affecting, I must admit - nobody can make me cry like Lackey - but boring.This book is not like this. Why? Because other authors were let in to play with Ms. Lackey's toys, and it's an enchanting work. Lots of short stories set in the Valdemar universe, each exploring some small aspect that Lackey hasn't focussed upon yet. One thing that sucks me into fantasy worlds like nothing else is the feeling that so many OTHER stories could be being told than the one the author has chosen. This book proves Valdemar has this potential. If only Ms. Lackey could write Valdemar stories like these, instead of her (now-standard) Tayledras/Herald/etc moony lovefests about Grand Quests and World-Changing Events, I'd buy a lot more of them in hardcover. As it is, I hope she lets folks into her playground again, for another similar volume.
Rating: 
Summary: Just didn't have Misty's touch...
Review: A good read, but it just didn't have Misty's touch. Valdemar didn't seem quite as enchanting or real without her. Most of the stories were good. Some needed to be longer to really touch your heart, others were just not even Valdemar-style. Only for the Valdemar fans who are obsessed, like me, who want to be Heralds. :)
Rating: 
Summary: A great introduction and tribute to the world of Valdemar.
Review: Although I had never read the original Valdemar series, the tales told in this anthology easily introduced me to that interesting world. As I am a fan of short stories, I probably won't read the Valdemar novels, but if I were a big novel reader, I definitely would read them immediately.
Rating: 
Summary: A Disappointing Read
Review: I bought this anthology with anticipation, as I have enjoyed the Valdemar series thoroughly. However, the majority of the stories read like mediocre fan fiction rather than professional submissions. My recommendation: avoid this book, but do read the associated Valdemar series by Lackey.
Rating:
Summary: it's just not misty!!
Review: I love anything having to do with Valdemar, but many of the authors in this book couldn't really capture the "feel" of Valdemar (of course there were some that did though). I think the one that had to tick me off the most was where the Heralds were lifebonded and the man wouldn't go with his beloved because of some stupid question of duty. Hello?! It's just kind of frustrating to me to read books that are Valdemar, but they're not at the same time...
Rating:
Summary: Weaves everything about Valdemar together amazingly!
Review: I rate anything having to do with Misty a ten. Am I biased? Of course not... I loved the way the short stories plugged the little holes in society. Readers get filled in on details about the common life and we get to find out about Jonne! The story about Van's lover from his point of view! It was great. Really an amazing collection.
Rating:
Summary: Good Collection and Fresh Air
Review: I really like short stories and I think there aren't enough of them published so I'm always glad when a book of short stories I haven't read in magazines comes out. Letting other authors in your world can be asking for heaps of trouble. Here it really works out well. I'll risk heresy and state that I think Lackey had been getting stale and a book of fresh viewpoints into her mythos is a great thing that can only help future works. There are tales here that are absolutely Valdemaran yet probably could never have been written by Ms. Lackey herself. This only strengthens her world considerably. To me, every tale here rang true to what Valdemar is about with nothing throwing me out of the story by being obviously wrong. Quality varies of course, but I don't think any story would be worse than mediocre, and most are above average and some first rate tales. The short story is quite well suited to providing a look at the other corners of Valdemar that aren't royal family, or top herald related and these do so superbly. These new voices may have even inspired the better quality Exile's Honor which was just published. If you enjoy short stories, if you enjoy Valdemar, pick these up. Allow yourself to believe that other people can write in this universe as well as the creator and you'll be in for a pleasant treat. Ms. Lackey deserves kudos for allowing others into her world, and doing such a fine job of picking good stories that fit into her world yet reveal more.
Rating:
Summary: Good Collection and Fresh Air
Review: I really like short stories and I think there aren't enough of them published so I'm always glad when a book of short stories I haven't read in magazines comes out. Letting other authors in your world can be asking for heaps of trouble. Here it really works out well. I'll risk heresy and state that I think Lackey had been getting stale and a book of fresh viewpoints into her mythos is a great thing that can only help future works. There are tales here that are absolutely Valdemaran yet probably could never have been written by Ms. Lackey herself. This only strengthens her world considerably. To me, every tale here rang true to what Valdemar is about with nothing throwing me out of the story by being obviously wrong. Quality varies of course, but I don't think any story would be worse than mediocre, and most are above average and some first rate tales. The short story is quite well suited to providing a look at the other corners of Valdemar that aren't royal family, or top herald related and these do so superbly. These new voices may have even inspired the better quality Exile's Honor which was just published. If you enjoy short stories, if you enjoy Valdemar, pick these up. Allow yourself to believe that other people can write in this universe as well as the creator and you'll be in for a pleasant treat. Ms. Lackey deserves kudos for allowing others into her world, and doing such a fine job of picking good stories that fit into her world yet reveal more.
Rating:
Summary: It was okay
Review: I thought about 1/2, maybe 3/4 of these stories were good, and worth the read, but some fell flat in my opinion. Maybe they were just too short, but I found a few boring, and without the "tone" of Valdemar (or maybe it's just MLs writing) that I've come to adore. If you've got the time, give it a try, but don't strain yourself to get at it.
Rating:
Summary: It was okay
Review: I thought about 1/2, maybe 3/4 of these stories were good, and worth the read, but some fell flat in my opinion. Maybe they were just too short, but I found a few boring, and without the "tone" of Valdemar (or maybe it's just MLs writing) that I've come to adore. If you've got the time, give it a try, but don't strain yourself to get at it.
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