Shaykitteh's World of Books

From an abused slave to a Herald of Valdemar.

It's a wonderful thing to see Mercedes Lackey go back and fill in some of the "in-between" times in Velgarth's history. This story takes place after Vanyel and before the Arrows series. The number of new Heralds coming in is too large for the traditional mentor/apprentice relationship we saw in Vanyel's stories and also with Lavan Firestorm. Following the idea of the Bardic method of teaching their students, a Collegium is now being built to house and teach the influx of Heralds, Healers, and Bards.

Coming into this, you see Mags, a orphan boy who worked as a slave in a gemstone mine. For the first time in his life, he has a warm bed, a full stomach, a room to himself, and friends. However, after having been told all of his childhood that he was "Bad Blood" because he was found in a cave of raiders, while being abused and starved, he now has to find his own place in this world that is so different than anything he knows.

This novel is a great beginning of Mag's story, as well as a wonderful component of the rest of the Velgarth/Valdemar series. I read this when it first came out but didn't review at this time - since I am now re-reading the series since the newest novel has been released, I will be reviewing the novels as I read them again.