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The Black Gryphon

The Black Gryphon

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This should have been published long before '95
Review: Lackey and Dixon form a fabulous and evocative world of war, treachery, danger, and love. Skandranon Rashkae...Black Gryphon, Master level Mage ... And Urtho's finest creation. Urtho, Mage of Silence, known by that name for his ability to create enchantments undetectable by other mages, is probably the best there ever was; he was at least the best of his time. And, while he was the creator of many other magical creatures, the Gryphons were his masterpiece, and the key to the war against Ma'ar. But can even the great Skandranon, fabled thorn-in-the- foot of Ma'ar, along with all the other Gryphons, hope to defeat Ma'ar's twisted Gryphon copies, the Makaar? When Skandranon falls in love with a female of a new species of Gryphon, that hope might be realized. But Ma'ar is slowly pushing Urtho's forces farther and farther back. Can the Father and Creator of the Gryphons, Urtho, hold out long enough for Skan to succeed? Find out for yourself!!! Let yourself become a part of this tantalizingly mystical world.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Valdemarian History Revealed!
Review: Mercedes Lackey has outdone herself. The Black Gryphon is a marvelous work answering reader's wonderings. The story line just does not stop. Every page is a thriller. Gryphons are explained in wonderful detail and with loving care. Ms. Lackey herself may be Urtho, the Mage of Silence!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A high-flying adventure with the "Right Stuff."
Review: The Black Griffon by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon is a powerful book filled with romance, adventure, suspense and mystery. The reader follows the lives of the Black Griffon, Skandranon, and his loyal friend Amberdrake, a human. They are caught in a wartorn world where they must beat Ma'ar, thier enemy. The book has a slow start, but by the third chapter it's too late and you find yourself engrossed in the book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A wonderful ride that you will enjoy.
Review: Black Gryphon is a lively, heart- stopping ride that does not end until deep secrets are uncovered. In this world where Gryphons have joined with other races, all must learn to cooperate or all will die.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Interesting premise, but poorly executed
Review: I had heard about this series for quite some time and decided to read it for myself. The author has definitely created an interesting world and I found some of the ideas rather fascinating. The varied species was definitely a strong point of the book.

Several things, however, bothered me. The story seems to stop and start constantly. The storyline jumps far too often from one character to another. Some more interesting points are temporarily abandoned to focus on another character before jumping back. For me, it ruins the flow of the storyline.

Also, there were many points in the book where it seemed that the author had to throw in a couple paragraphs to explain why the characters were saying or doing things a few paragraphs later. This style of writing was also a bit jarring and those explanatory paragraphs just glared at me. Granted, being able to work history smoothly into a story is difficult, but it just seemed too much to me.

Some characterization seemed a bit too cliche. Winterhart's treatment of Zhaneel was awkward and unrealistic. I felt like it was a scene I had experienced in a hundred different storylines before, and yet it wasn't a way a person would normally act. It was as if tension was needed and just thrown in.

I like the world and I like the characters, I just feel that they could have been written in a better fashion.

Rating: 1 stars
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: 1 stars
Summary: what a waste of time.....
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: 1 stars
Summary: An absolute disgrace to fantasy.
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!! ;)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A fun read for Valdemar fans
Review: Since the gathering of Ma'ar's evil forces drove away High King Leodhan, Urtho, the Mage of Silence, has been forced into becoming the leader of those opposed to Ma'ar. Among Urtho's subjects are the Kaled'a'in, including the kestra'chern Amberdrake, and the magnificent gryphons, most prominent of which is the Black Gryphon Skandranon.

As Ma'ar's power continues to grow, Urtho and his forces struggle to keep him from destroying all that is good in the world. Will Amberdrake and Skandranon be able to stop him before it is too late?

"The Black Gryphon" is the first book in Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's Mage Wars Trilogy. It was an interesting read that I really enjoyed. Dixon's influence on the style of the writing will be quite evident to those who are familiar with Lackey's other novels.

What I liked most about this book were, as with all the other Valdemar books, its characters and their sensitivity and perceptiveness. Amberdrake was simply wonderful, and I loved his interactions with the gryphons and hertasi. Skandranon was a lot of fun to read about. I particularly liked the pep talks he gave himself and the sarcastic conversations he had with Amberdrake and other gryphons. Also, Winterhart's growth was very rewarding to watch.

The descriptions of the area surrounding Urtho's Tower were very effective. I felt like I could really see Healer's Hill and the gryphon landing area. I enjoyed reading about the territory that was to become the Dhorisha Plains. I can't wait to read the descriptions of the new surroundings in "White Gryphon" and "Silver Gryphon."

My one complaint about this book (and this is a common one I have throughout the Valdemar books) is that the climax comes too close to the end of the story. Lackey and Dixon effectively tie up all the loose ends, but everything somehow feels rushed. Given the length of the book (460 pages), ten pages or so of denouement seems very abrupt, but perhaps this is mainly because it is only the first book in a trilogy.

Bottom Line: A solid start to a very promising trilogy, but you'll probably appreciate it more if you read the Mage Winds and Mage Storms trilogies first


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