Rating: 
Summary: Great book for the beginning series
Review: I bought this book because I recognized the name, and was on a buying binge. I started reading it later and couldn't put it down. This book got me hooked on Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books. I have managed to read all 20 something books about Valdemar. I'm waiting for the next one. Lackey's descriptions and world is entriguing. I wish some other books of the Mage Wars time were published. I have now read The Black Gryphon over 15 times. I love the was it progresses. My only problem with the book was it didn't describe gryphons or any of the magical created species well. Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the illustrations. They made it easier to identify the characters, without lengthy descriptions. For a long time this has been my favorite book.
Rating: 
Summary: Gryphons!
Review: The first Mercedes Lackey book I ever read(which does give me sort of a strange perspective on the timeline...); it got me hooked. I'm sure you've got better things to do than read the 64th rehash of the plot, so I'll simply say that the back- and inside-cover-summaries never explain things very well with Mercedes Lackey. It's probably one of the three greatest gryphon books of all time (the other two are 'Dark Lord of Derkholm' and 'Year of the Griffin', by Diana Wynne Jones-- another awesome author; check her stuff out!) and you should read it. Yes.
Rating: 
Summary: Days of Our Lives!!
Review: I just don't get it! The whole book doesn't make sense. This is a boring book revolving around some weird [adult] fantasy the authors have about therapists/clients and they try and get the reader involved with it. It rambles from one position to another and revolves around life in a camp. The camp life became so boring I was hoping there was a printing fault and all the pages slowly became blank. This book is about relationships FULL STOP! The fantasy part involves some flying bird things and it has no bad guy of any consequence. It's more like Days of Our Lives with a little magic thrown. If you buy it second hand for 99cents then you have paid 99cents plus postage too much. If I had got this book from the library instead of paying for it, I would not have bothered finishing it. There are only two books that I have paid for and not finished reading Wheel of Time (Book 1) and Althalus. Honestly this book is horrendous.
Rating:
Summary: A whole other world
Review: I usually hate reading fantasy series because the beginnings and ends of them are so hard to find, and so the only books of Mercedes Lackey I had read before the Black Gryphon were not part of a series.But that was in the past. The Black Gryphon was the captivating story of one of the best and strongest Gryphons created and his exploits. The characters were vibrant and three-dimensional, and the plot had some interesting turns. Lackey's writing brings to life a whole race and the thinking behind their creater, weaving a tale of love, trust, magic, and humor. One of the only problems I had with the book was how it switched back and forth from one character to another. Usually I like that, but somehow in this book it just didn't work. If you're a fan of fantasy or Mercedes Lackey, you'll enjoy this book very much.
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Summary: The first book in what will become the world of Valdemar
Review: This is without a doubt her best book, and it explains the many mysteries surrounding on of the most evil and most resurrected character(s) in her books. We first meet him in this book as Ma'ar, you will know him then again best as Mornlithe Falconsbane. Ever does he hate Urtho's children and all he protected! So much so that he spreads his seed wide and reincarnates himself in the body of a child of his seed when he calls fire for the first time. To understand exactly how the other books in his series entertwine with the rest read this book and the two that follow. (White Gryphon & Silver Gryphon) These three books make us understand the Shin'a'nin, Kaladin, Heratsi, and Gryphons and allow us to understand the special relationships the races once had with eachother and begin to have again in the last book before the second cataclysm (Storm breaking) I tell all my friends who need a new fantasy book to read to start with this book as it introduces the mind to a wonderful fantasy world full of triumph, greed, war, peace at any cost, love, and friendships made and broken. One thing Mercedes Lackey books never fail to do is to let us know that no matter how great the hero or the feats he/she performs they too make mistakes and have emotions.
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Summary: what a waste of time.....
Review: First of all,there's typically NO ACTION,NO SUSPENSE,no anything at all! The only action there is is in the FIRST AND LAST CHAPTERS!I mean come ON....all it does is talk about problems going on with the good guys,and all the while Skandranon {the supposed hero}does practically nothing but heal himself after the first chapter.And what about the evil guys? How about an ambush,or attack,or SOME KIND OF WAR?They treat the bad guys like no big deal,and live happily ever after....what a waste.....
Rating:
Summary: What are you looking for?
Review: This is a touching story about a band of fighters and their relationships with each other, for good and bad. The plot often drags, but overall the people and dialog (internal and external) are what give the story a purpose. I loved the humor and camaraderie in the relationships. I delighted in the struggles with inadequacies and triumph over internal demons and outside betrayal. I enjoyed the moral ponderings. These things are what I was looking for in this book - the things I have come to know and expect from the author. The fact that this trilogy is called "The Mage Wars" is highly misleading unless you consider it a definition of an era. The Black Gryphon, like many Lackey books, is definitely character driven. The war is a setting, not the plot. So for those looking for a great battle of might and magic, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. Other authors, other series, or even later on in the Velgarth books.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the War?
Review: I too, am perplexed by the rave reviews of this book. I read the second installment of the series, 'The White Gryphon,' and found it to be a very enjoyable book. Lackey and Dixon's writing style worked well in a tale of court intrigue and mystery. I thought I'd give the first book a try, seeing as how I enjoyed the fascinating portrayals of the Gryphon charachters. What a letdown! When reading the summary of this book, one would assume it is about a vast magical war, and the hardships the soldiers endure while fighting it. In reality, the war is put on the back burner in favor of examining the personal problems of the soldiers in a surprisingly relaxed and luxurious war camp, and focusing on the head of the camp's team of massage therapists/courtesans/empaths (yes, you read that right.) Charachters work their way through childhood trauma and relationships gone awry, despite the fact that they are participating in a MAGICAL WORLD WAR. When battles do occur, they are treated more like "away games." They also moralize a lot. A major plot point concerns how certain generals treat the nonhuman charachters like cannon fodder, and how they don't take the soldiers' feelings into account. Another big problem with this book is that many important charachters do not appear in person, or at least appear very little. The only reason we are given to like Urtho is that we're told he's such a nice guy, and Skan is good friends with him. Most of the baddies don't even appear in person until the book's final chapters. If any of the flaws presented seem terribly out of place in a book about magical war, then skip this book. If you want a book that tells a less touchy-feely story about conflict with great evil, try the 'Black Company' books, the 'Riftwar' saga, or the 'Aurian' saga.
Rating:
Summary: An absolute disgrace to fantasy.
Review: Allright,why does everybody like this book?It had character detail,sure,but it doesn't even get anywhere.No great battle between good and evil,no quest,practically no magic.That isn't what fantasy is supposed to be like!It is supposed to have amazing detail in magic,a wonderful conflict,and maybe something of a quest.
This book,you could say,was about a gryphon,sitting around,and gradually getting healed,and about fuzzy little relationships in a war camp.This lasts for about until the end of the book.Why?Why couldn't it get somewhere and become interesting?I could tell by Lackey's style that she has the capacity to do that.However,she writes quite well with Norton in Elvenbane,so don't turn away from those .And if you're somebody who likes books that get somewhere,try Shannara,Fionavar Tapestry,or Riftwar or something.Do not read this.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read - Avoid the Sequels
Review: This book was a lot of fun - it's a light read like all of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books, and it'll make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Good defeats evil and everyone learns to work together, etc. etc. The two follow-up Gryphon books are pretty shoddy, in my opinion - not nearly as well-written and interesting as The Black Gryphon. If you're familiar with Disney movies, I'll put it to you like this: the first movie is usually good (for what it is - if you're not into Disney, you're not into Disney), but the sequel comes immediately out on home video. It never sees the inside of a theater - and oy, it truly shouldn't. Same idea. If you like Lackey's Valdemar books, read The Black Gryphon ... but treat it as a self-contained book rather than the first of a trilogy!! ;)
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