Rating: 
Summary: Very very good
Review: I was impressed initially with Misty's willingness to make the main character gay. That stood out the most. It was interesting to see things from a different view I guess. The pain and sorrow that Vanyel experiences were written real well, so alive it made me sad and angry for him just reading. Any fan of Misty's Valdemar books has to pick this and the other two in the trilogy. From here on it just gets better and more exciting. Plus you see the only herald to be repudated by his Companion which is way cool!
Rating:
Summary: Emotionally honest fantasy
Review: "Magic's Pawn" is an emotionally honest fantasy.Many previous reviewers have missed the point; a few seemed to get it. Here goes: in life, people take chances. They grow. They change. Sometimes, people you love make mistakes, and bad ones at that, for the best of reasons. And sometimes, worst of all, those people die, seemingly meaninglessly, randomly, and heartbreakingly. That's a fact. And although it's not commonly seen in fantasy, maybe it should be seen more often; if it were, maybe then, more people would understand the point(s) of this book. I think Ms. Lackey did two very strong things in "Magic's Pawn." First, she fleshed out the backstory of the Valdemar world and series quite nicely. (Vanyel appeared in the beginning of "Arrow's of the Queen," in the tale Talia was reading as she spun the wool.) Second, she showed a troubled young man go through some realistic changes (considering), and based her fantasy on honest emotions and how people relate. Those looking for monumental epics need to look elsewhere; that's not Ms. Lackey's style anyway. Although she could probably write it, and do a fair hand at it, she's much more suited to emotionally strong characters with real problems. That's why this trilogy, the "Arrows" trilogy, "Oathbreakers," and "By the Sword" remain my favorites of her books (I'd also put "Exile's Honor" in this category); those books focus on characters who are realistic, who do things that are commonsensical (even if sometimes wrong), deal with real issues, and the fantasy plot overlay goes along with it and makes sense, too. It's not an extremely conflict laden book -- let me rephrase. It's not an _externally_ conflict laden book -- the internal conflicts are heartwrenching and totally believable. And really, I don't see why there needs to be lots and lots of people dying for people to see the point! Don't get me wrong. I like twists and turns in my plots just fine. Sometimes, as in "Oathbreakers" and "By the Sword," Lackey does put a fair amount of plot-twisting in. But usually, it's a straightforward story, well-told, with good description and excellent characterization carrying the momentum along. Btw, at first Vanyel _is_ a brat. No two ways about it. However, he is redeemed -- partially -- by Tylendel (who might have done the full job had he had time), and later fully by Yfandes, his Companion, and his Aunt Savil (his teacher after Tylendel is killed). The fact he has so much power, yet doesn't know how to use it effectively, and yet no one at first wants to believe it because he was and still is a brat, is _also_ very, very human. It makes _sense_. And it was a nice touch; too many fantasists would have made Vanyel immediately seen as lovable and pitiable because his lover killed himself. Not so here, and the realism helps the momentum along. The last third of the book deals with Vanyel learning how to control his magic while he realizes the love of his life is dead and gone forever. Dealing with promise while dealing with pain _is_ difficult; it's damned difficult, and it's not a lightweight premise at all. Anyone who thinks it is has _really_ missed the point of this book. As for whether it's a gay-themed book or not, I'll say this: to me, at least, it's a _universally_ themed book, because just about everyone knows what love is, and can relate to losing a great love. That is, if they can get past the same sex aspect, and if they're a fantasy reader, really, they should at least be able to do that in my not so humble opinion. Great job, Ms. Lackey.
Rating: 
Summary: Sadly disappointing
Review: I really wanted to like this novel. I had heard very good things about it from numerous people and websites. After reading my way through it, however, I cannot understand why. I can describe the whole thing in two words: contrived and exaggerated. The angst experienced throughout is not merely powerful, it is flat out overwhelming. Just when you think the characters' torment is over, some new and sinister plot point barges its way into the life of the truly hapless hero (and I use that term loosely) and another round of sorrow, misery and "Why me?"'s commences. The closest thing to a positive emotion I felt for the lead character was pity, and that only as a last ditch effort to involve myself in the story by any means necessary. It seemed a shame, really, because he had such potential for being something more than a two-dimensional device for affirming sexual equality. In the beginning, he was a very real and personable character that I could relate to. But as the story progressed, his personality flaws became more prominent and most of his redeeming qualities fell by the wayside. Like almost all the characters, Vanyel seemed to undergo a number of extreme personality shifts for no other reason than because the author decided that that's what was needed for the story. He has such radical mood swings and make such bizzare and unexplained decisions that the whole novel becomes a sad, surreal, manic-depressive fairy tale. I didn't even feel that the book did a particularly good job at supporting homosexuality and nonconformity- which was all too clearly its aim. Beating the reader on the head over and over again with themes of "Gay is O.K." is hardly the best way to impress that sort of message. But that is what Lackey chose to do, and the book, along with the reader, suffers for it. As a gay man, I don't feel compelled to automatically like a book just because it has a gay theme to it. Still, I wanted to like this novel. Unfortunately, I didn't. I truly hope this book does not become the standard for gay fantasy. If you are in desperate need of self-affirmation, you might find something beneficial here. If you're looking for a good fantasy and/or gay-themed story, there's better stuff out there.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy isn't supposed to be realistic
Review: Writing this review from the perspective of one who normally likes literature and "hard" sci-fi, there are a lot of things wrong with the book, including telepathic horses, a constantly complaining, foolish main character, and predominantly two-dimensional minor characters. Reading the book in light of its being a gay romance reveals the writer's misconception of how both gay relationships work and how the gay psyche is structured. However, the delightful thing about fantasy is that it doesn't owe any allegiance to reality. Lackey does an excellent job of writing a very entertaining, fast-paced romantic adventure that keeps the reader eagerly turning pages to finish each chapter. Violence, gore and similar themes are at most merely peripheral to the story. The gay romance between Vanyel, the main character, and Tylendel, another herald mage, is described in vanilla fashion, lacking any explicit details (unless you count the occasional kiss or stroking of hair). Nonetheless, their relationship is touching and informs the reader with a better understanding of Vanyel's nature, helping the reader to appreciate his character development later in the book. This book is definitely an all-around good "light" read.
Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: After reading all of the reviews I think most of the book's detractors focused on 4 reasons that they didn't like the book: Vanyel's whiny, gay romance, cliches, and poor writing. Yes Vanyel is whiny... but people ARE whiny. Anyone who has ever worked in retail can tell you that people love to whine and complain. Luke Skywalker is particularly whiny in the beginning of Star Wars ("But I wanna go to Tosche station", "But I CAN'T go to Alderaan"). Bilbo complains about he discomfort of adventuring quite often in The Hobbit. Personally the character who is strong and capable from day one and takes every personal tragedy with a stiff upper lip and chin held high is the real cliche. So yes Vanyel complains a lot in the beginning but like Luke and Bilbo he gets over it. Some readers weren't thrilled with the gay characters. Well sci-fi fantasy literature is chock full of heterosexual relationships. How many romances popped up in the Dragonlance Chronicles? Is there a female character in those books that didn't have a romance with one of the male characters? Magic's Pawn isn't obsessed with homosexuality. It's not a treatise on gay rights; if Tylendel had been a girl I doubt people would be so upset about the place of romance in the series. Some readers complained that the book poses the notion that gay people are born gay. Well folks I hate to break it to you but some of us are. Some people felt that the plot was too cliched. A LOT of sci-fi fantasy is cliched especially if you subsribe to the Jung/Campbell idea that stories and myths are universal. A character we liked is killed to move another character emotionally? No way? Yes it's been doen and a lot of peoples aw it coming but I think thaht is because people can relate to it.
Rating:
Summary: One of Miss Lackey's best books
Review: I've read all of Misty's books and this one has particularly stood out. Even though it has its flaws and the plot work is similar to some of books, it stands out as being one of the top books in my growing library of books. This first book is quite emotional to the point that some readers will have tears by the end of reading. You will learn about the internal conflicts of a very confused young man that will stay confused through out his life time and the rest of the trilogy.
The main flaw that I find in this book is that Misty seems to concentrate so much on sexuality that it takes away some of the fun of the book. Sure you can make it one of the important things in the plot, but the reader doesn't have to hear about it every other page or so. More subtle messages about it would of made it less boring when it came to the homosexuality that the main character and others are faced with.
Here come the good stuff. Emotion. That's what you feel while your reading this book. I felt everything the characters were feeling and when Vanyel felt meloncholy and abused, so did I. When Savil felt the irritation she felt about Vanyel early on, well, I felt it too because I put myself in her position. The reader will end up being so engrossed in this book and the rest of the trilogy that you time will mean nothing and each character will live through you...fun eh?
If your looking for something that you will cherish until you're grown up and want something for your kids to read later on in their lives, this is one of the best recommendations I can make along with the rest of the trilogy. If you're looking for something bawdy, bloody, and full of gore, go somewhere else because this books doesn't contain much of it...
Rating:
Summary: Dear Goddess.
Review: After seven years of fanatical fantasy reading, Mercedes Lackey always comes as a refreshing change, no matter what she's writing. The few cliches she uses are turned completely around and made interesting. She doesn't focus on titanic battle scenes and brawny heroes, but on the characters, and developing all of them completely. The Vanyel books are probably my favorites of all of them. The entire trilogy is simply a masterpiece. I knew what would happen (thanks to a friend who just couldn't contain herself), and I still cried. Four times. AND when I reread it. An absolutely heartrending, believable, exquisite novel. Recommended to anyone who is not a boring old prude.
Rating: 
Summary: Magic's Yawn
Review: Lackey's attempt at fantasy has me baffled. About the only thing that I liked in this book were the Companions (Intelligent horses). Let me get into why I don't like this book. Thankfully, I was loaned this book by a fellow fantasy fan, and I don't have to keep it. It would just take up the space in my bookshelf that I needed for better novels. Simply put, it's gushy. Lovey-dovey, fantastical gushiness, all the way around, concerning specifically the main character, and his lover. Also, its bad formulaic fantasy. How many times have we read the scenario: You meet kid. Kid has some hardship in life. Because of hardship, kid feels alone. Goes on to become the most important person in the world. About the only formula fantasy story I've read following this pattern that I enjoyed was Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Series. That's only because eventually the plot in Feist's series gets a whole lot more dynamic. Anyone who has read any fantasy knows that most of the time there is a certain mystic quality towards magic. That's what I enjoy. Magic should not be explained. Lackey finds it necessary to explain a great deal of the magic in her world in a categorized, scientific way. To me, this polluted the mysticism, turning Magic into something a lot colder and more clear cut than it should be. Granted, there is some mysticism, but it is very limited. Finally, I come to my major beef with the book: Propaganda. Lackey's focus in this whole thing seems to be the preaching of Moral Relativism and Tolerance. I don't need to be preached to about homosexuals and "no one correct religion" by a second-rate fantasy author. The ridiculous attempt she makes at trying to show that Vanyel is made homosexual from birth contradicts itself by claiming later in the book that it is the result of his father's poor treatment of him and ideas of "manhood" that change him. I have not yet finished this series, and who knows what I find in the second book, but if its more of the same of this, then I won't waste my efforts on finishing this series. I'll go back to The Two Towers. I'm not even sure why I gave this book two stars. I suppose its because, for some reason, I kept reading it. Not that it was a hard read anyway, it's very young-adultish in its style, but I wouldn't recommend it for young adult readers. It's not worth the time, and there's SO much better stuff out there to sink your mental teeth into.
Rating:
Summary: Best of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar Books
Review: This is the first book in what is, in my opinion, Lackey's best trilogy in the Valdemar series. Sure, it's melodramatic in parts, aimed at a younger (early teen, maybe) audience ... but it's a highly enjoyable read nonetheless. The first book is particularly recommended to gay teens who are dealing with unsupportive parents - it's cathartic to read about Vanyel's similar experiences and how he deals with them. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get angry, you'll find yourself saying things like "No, Vanyel, don't - it'll just make things worse!" and "Dammit, 'Lendel, snap out of it!" and "Finally, Savil, I thought you'd never figure it all out!" etc. - the book draws the reader in because the characters experience realistic situations (okay, yes, there are talking "horses" and a good deal of magic, too, but you know what I mean), and Lackey did a great job of making it all tug at the heartstrings, as they say. Read this book! It's great, and the other two are no disappointment, either. ;)
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This story is amazing! Some parts are so depressing I actually cried during them, others are very funny and others are so intense! Lackey is an excellent author that brings her characters to life with very vivid descriptions and characterizations.
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