Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: Mercedes Lackey – Brightly Burning

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Brightly Burning
Mercedes Lackey
Lavan is an unremarkable young man who doesn’t want to follow in his parents footsteps. Instead, his parents send him off to merchant school to see what can be made of him. Sadly, the bullying at the school is horrific, and poor Lavan can find himself getting angrier and angrier with no outlet. That anger has to find its own outlet somehow.
This novel (an old favourite) is everything that the Collegium Chronicles promised, but didn’t deliver. Lavan is fleshed out in great detail, you love hearing his perspective on things. The level of description is just right, and even if you’re familiar with the Valdemar series, you’ll appreciate the background that is thrown in.
One of the more skilful literary techniques in here is the foreshadowing. You hear very little from Herald Pol at the beginning, but that little bit is very important. A bit more between each of those characters, perhaps something from Elenor would be good, but overall I love this novel as much as the first time I read it.
I’m not sure the life bond between Lan and Kalira is that convincing and fits in with the other things in the series. Elsewhere it has been said that lifebonds only occur between those with a tendency to depression and the other partner who can save them. Lan just gets super angry, not depressed most of the time, although there are hints when his gift first begins to show.
This novel is just after the Herald Mage series and it’s obvious that Lackey has tried to tie it in as much as she can. So chronologically, it is between Magic’s Price and Oathblood. The cover on the left is not the one I have. I have one which fits in far better with the rest of my collection of the novels.
I’d probably say this one was suitable for older teens and adults. The ending is sort of depressing and uplifting at the same time.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – Elemental Magic

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Elemental Magic: All New Tales of the Elemental Masters
Mercedes Lackey
This is an anthology that fits into Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters series. There are 17 short stories, and I have given a quick review of each one.
A Song of the Sea – It fitted in well with the continuity of Lackey’s novels and it was good because of the historical references scattered throughout it (that I could actually recognise).
The Fire Within Him – This one was well written, but the concept was a little strange and I think it took the bounds of things outside Lackey’s range. I don’t think it belonged here.
Makana – I found the names in this one super strange, and it was a bit witch-doctor-y in nature. But it was good all the same.
War to the Knife – Really enjoyable, which is what I would expect from Rosemary Edghill. I did get a bit confused by the beginning because I’m not at all familiar with history, but the tale spinning itself was great.
Stones and Feathers – Oh this one was good! Very good! And it had so much more potential, and I would have loved to see it as a full length novel.
Fire’s Children – Also very enjoyable, and fitted in well with Lackey’s legacy. I think I’ll look out for more novels by Elizabeth Waters.
For the Sake of Clarity – I’m not entirely sure this was kosher with the other stories, but it was enjoyable all the same. It didn’t feel like it was too short either – it was set up, then continued very nicely. The language was a little iffy in parts, but I was able to gloss over it. This was more like the fairytales that one would expect.
To Ride the River Horse – This one went with the fairytale idea, and it was very good. I would have liked the ending to be a little clearer on what happened to the baddie though.
The Phoenix of Mulberry Street – This one I thought would be based on the fairytale of The Matchstick Girl, but wasn’t. It was really good anyway 🙂

Air of Mystery – This short story could have been made into a much longer novel, I would have loved even more from this. It had all the right notes for a short story, and a bit of research as well – brilliant.

A Flower Grows in Whitechapel – This one was obviously written by someone familiar with the series, but branched out from what we already knew of Sarah and Nan.

Tha Thu Ann – The name of this one was a bit strange, but the theme fitted in well with the short story that came right before. I really felt the characters for this one too.

The Collector – I don’t know enough about American history for this one. I’m guessing it’s accurate though, and I found that the intermingling of elemental magic was very neat.

Queen of the Mountain – Another good one, although I felt it could have been longer. A good use of irony for the reader here.

I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing – Although this one was by Lackey, it lacked some of the pizzaz I expect of her. It wasn’t any better than some of the authors in this anthology, and I’m going to branch out for sure in future.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – Home from the Sea

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Home from the Sea
Mercedes Lackey
Nan and Sarah have been charged with a task now that they have returned from Africa – to find the brand new Water Master who has sprung up on the coast. Little do they know that this Water Master has a bit of a surprise in store for them – definitely not what Lord A was expecting either!
After reading some less than flattering reviews of this novel on Amazon, I wasn’t feeling all too positive about it, and I didn’t pick it up from the library the moment I knew it was out. I’ve had a couple of disappointments with Lackey’s work recently, which is sad.
Since I wasn’t expecting much, I wasn’t disappointed in this one! For the first parts of the novel, it really felt like nothing was happening, and I didn’t get a bigger picture of what could go wrong. Just not that great in my opinion.
Number 8 in the Elemental Masters series and I feel like it’s losing its momentum. There are only so many times that you can redo the theme, and relying heavily on fairytales (such as Mari’s three trials) is getting a bit stale for me, at least from Lackey.
I think Nan and Sarah’s characters were really flat. Completely flat. They had hardly any motivations, and half the time it just seemed like they were picnicking on the surf without a care in the world. Mari was a bit better, but even her insights into her father felt stilted. More could have been done with the seals too.

Some parts of the novel also felt repetitive within the novel, which could be a problem with the editing team, or something else, like them thinking the reader is too dumb to remember somethign that happened at the start of the book. Either way, I want them to expect more from me! I’m not a stupid reader, and I really want to get into a good book, not pick on it.

I didn’t really get a sense of threat from the Constable, and only a brief worry about the Selkie chief. The ending was a bit abrupt too. It’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, and I did find it difficult to put it down in the second half, but I think that may have been because I wanted to know what Mari was going to do next.For adults and teens alike this one. But I wouldn’t start with this novel if you’re a new reader of Lackey’s works. It’s not a good example of her brilliance.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – Redoubt

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Redoubt
Mercedes Lackey
Mags is still kirball-mad and looking for knowledge about his family history. He seems content with the life he has though, and the work he does for the King’s Own is enthralling. He never seems to keep up with his classwork though, and it seems like he never will – the closer he gets to being caught up, the more trouble he gets into.
Once again, this was not the end of the chronicles. There didn’t seem to be much meatiness to the plot – this book and the third could have easily been combined to give me a more satisfying read. I did finish this novel off in one sitting, but there was hardly anything there to read, so it was more a reflection of the short length than grippable qualities.
Large sections of the novel are of Mags nightmares – but these aren’t new, it’s basically a rehash of the second and third books. The stuff about the shop, which would normally be a highlight for me, was not included in enough detail. It wasn’t really clear why they needed to rush Mags into Whites either – if he doesn’t know enough, shouldn’t he be doing what he does best at a slower rate?
I’d love to have seen more of Amily’s recovery and that whole section that happened between the third and fourth books. Instead we get Bear’s showdown with his fatehr – which is actually pretty good, and almost worth all the other wading through of poor scenes.
Lackey seems to be taking pleasure in using Mags’ language quirks to avoid writing meaningful dialogue. The same goes for the kirball action and the handy foray into Karse. Some of that space about dreams could have been sued to write about the Karse countryside, which would have been super interesting for me – I could never get enough of this in the short stories about Karse.
The romance between Amily and Mags is also pathetic. Sure, Mags doesn’t know how to act around girls, but to go to the point he’s going to ask actors about it? Surely Amily has a bit more spine in her and could be induced to make the first moves instead of Mags. The work they do together at the wedding is nice, but not that exciting.
I didn’t feel any unhappiness or worry when Mags was kidnapped. To me it was obvious that he would escape one way or the other. It wasn’t like he was going to starve in Karse. The constant reminders that he hadn’t gotten that far in his classes at the Collegium were annoying and not really helpful. If he was really doing so badly, he wouldn’t have found so much food that was there! And the nice convenient seasons too…
I let this review sit for a bit to see if my rather strong negative feeling would abate. They didn’t – I still felt cheated, and like I would have rather this was a well-cut trilogy rather than a drawn out set of Chronicles that I don’t even know when they will end! So bad that I would consider just reading a summary of the next one if it’s not the final one and the Amazon reviews say it is still bad.
I think I found myself very disappointed in Redoubt. I was hoping for more depth, more substance, more everything. If the next book published is not the last one in the series, I think I’ll just wait until they are all out before reading it to avoid another disappointment. I felt like nothing happened! At least I only borrowed it from the library, although I will eventually buy it in paperback for the completeness of my collection.
I will probably read something else I know I love from Lackey to reassure myself that she’s still my favourite author – although at this point it looks like she might be bumped for someone who has been more consistant (although just as annoying with her way of releasing novels – Isobelle Carmody). I have ‘Home By the Sea’ waiting for me to read it as well, but I’ve seen some negative reviews of it as well and I’m afraid!

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Review: Juliet Marillier – Wildwood Dancing

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Wildwood Dancing
Juliet Marillier
Jena’s father must leave behind his five daughters in a hope to become well and return. Jena is sure that she can keep things together, but with a big sister who won’t follow the rules.

This novel is really about how fate turns out, and how fate may be meddled with. How gifts may not be what they imagine, and that the time it takes to repair old ills could be forever. The power of true love, and the fragility of romance are also potent themes. Although we presume that the story must have a happy ending, at points you wonder how much damage will be done to Jena before that happens.

This is a sort of rewrite of the fairytale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, but in this case, it is only five sisters. As you read, I’m sure you will pick up another fairytale vibe – I won’t tell you, it would spoil the surprise and suspense. Read it!
For me, I find the idea of marrying cousins a little repugnant, but I know that in the time this was set it would be considered quite normal. Costi and Cezar fight over Jena without even knowing it.
This novel has some of the fantastic world-building I expect of Marillier, but lacks the historical detail I would have appreciated. I didn’t really feel the space of the castle, or the thickness of the woods, instead it was more about Jena and her character progression. Nothing wrong with that at all, I’m glad she didn’t stagnate like Cezar.
Cezar is the bad guy in all of this. Quite unfair really, but of course children can’t be expected to know what they want – or is that really true? Jena doesn’t get exactly what she wants either, but she apparently accepts her other gift happily. And Costi? Well, he got the hard end of the bargain.
I love all of the girls, but really wish I could have gotten to know all of them better. There is another novel set in the same world which gives more information about Paula, the scholarly sister I believe. It was on the shelf right next to this one, but I didn’t snaffle it! The ending for Tati – I wanted to know more! More!
This was guilty reading, as I already have two novels I need to be finishing for tours very soon. Very enjoyable guilty reading though, and I don’t regret snatching the chance to read it.
I love Juliet Marillier’s work, and this would be one of my first choices for showing teens the way into fantasy. It’s a nice simple read, it only took me a couple of hours to read despite its apparent bulk. There is a hint of adult themes, with the groping that is aborted, but Jena reacts in an entirely appropriate way.

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Review: Peter Koevari – Legends of Marithia: Prophecies Awakening

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Legends of Marithia: Prophecies Awakening
Peter Koevari
The prophesy is arising, and the dark witch is on the loose. Two opposing prophesies are at odds, and it is not yet clear whether the balance will tip in favour of the light or the darkness.
Although I was reading on a Kobo, and it’s purely black and white, I really enjoyed the pictures of the various characters that were interspersed in the text. It’s nice to get a view of how I should be imagining the characters in my mind, and it adds more reality to the read.
Dragons! It’s been far too long since I read a book with dragons in it. This novel has dragons. Several of them. In fact, they are invisible dragons most of the time, but they are still there! I think this is another story point that could have been made more of, coupled with more details on Varten’s training, and a bit more of Kassina’s history. Although the prologue covers that, I couldn’t really understand why Kassina had gone bad so quickly. I can understand how seeing her parents killed like that was traumatic, but not so bad that she feels the need to laugh manically at every human ideal and set fire to things after draining the blood of innocents.
This novel reminds me a fair bit of Mercedes Lackey’s Obsidian Mountain trilogy. The elves and their forest, the dark demons who feed from the living, and the man who must save them all against the odds. The notion of the special device is different though, and I wouldn’t say the styles of writing were at all the same.
This novel does sentences/paragraphs at the start of the novel in the right way. They add something to the story that you wouldn’t otherwise realise from the point of view. Often they highlight a character’s perspective that you don’t actually get in the rest of the text.
Ah! There was one point where I was sure they were about to be uncovered, and then bam! It was something else! Koevari really sprung it on me, and I was really unable to put the book down in anticipation. he does this cliff-hanger technique in such a sneaky way lots of times, and it really gets things going.

Sadly, I wasn’t at all convinced by the dialogue or scenery in this novel. The dialogue again felt a bit stilted to me (although I know that getting dialogue right is really very difficult) and I felt like occasionally the characters were having monologues. The scenery was often described in similes, and it was just too much detail. For example, the elven forest is guarded by faeries and special elven guards. And this is stated basically like that, with a bit more detail. I feel that a better way of doing it would have been to have the queen and her daughter enter the forest and come across each of these things. Perhaps it would have used up some more words, but I feel like it would have been really valuable. Another thing was the epithet of ‘hot spurting blood’, it just came up so many times!
I found it interesting to read, and I certainly wouldn’t say no if I won the second book in this series from Goodreads this time around. I likely wouldn’t buy it for myself though, simply because I don’t think it’s a reread, and also because I have so many other novels on my to-read list.

I’d recommend this novel for adults only due to the erotic mixed with horror content of Kassina’s rituals – a particular episode with a virgin still sticks in my mind uncomfortably. A decent read, quite compelling towards the end. I only had those minor complaints, and it certainly wasn’t a trial to read the novel – I enjoyed it. Probably three stars from me.

I received this ebook free after missing out on a hard copy through Goodreads: First Reads. This did not influence my opinion in any way.

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A note from the author…

It is impossible for me to choose a favourite character, race, or aspect to writing my books. However, one of the things I absolutely loved creating, were the concepts in the books that made them truly unique. The greatest example of this is the dragons and their abilities, including the dragon lore. There is so much to discover in Legends 1 and 2… and you will be introduced to many characters, species, locations, and concepts. I look forward to discovering what all the different readers out there find most enjoyable about my books, what characters are their favourites, and their reactions to the many surprises I have carefully wrapped inside the covers. Enjoy the journey into Marithia… it will be one that will surprise you.

Review: Mercedes Lackey – The Lark and the Wren

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The Lark and the Wren
Mercedes Lackey
Rune is a young woman who is excellent at fiddling. She is trapped in a deadend situation with a prostitute for a mother and no marriage prospects to speak of. But who said Rune wanted to get married? What she wants to do is become a professional musician, though she is unlikely to get there. Or is she? A poorly thought out bet later, and she’ll either be dead or on her way to glory.

The Lark and the Wren is the first book in the Bardic Voices/Choices series. I have also reviewed another book in this series The Eagle and the Nightingales. I read this particular copy online, as part of the Baen fiction online free books series. There are a number of Mercedes Lackey titles there, all relatively good ones. With the exception of one, I have read them all before. This book is one of my favourites, but to my disgust the other books in the series have not been republished for quite some time.

This novel was adapted from a short story in ‘Fiddler Fair’, which was a short story collection by Mercedes Lackey. That short story I didn’t read until after I had read the novel form. Of the two, I think I prefer the novel because it has more depth (naturally!).
This piece of fiction was a breath of fresh air after the last set of books that I reviewed. The storyline is engaging, and the characters fleshed out. The difference is that Lackey makes it seem as if the various climax points are part of the novel, not just random events thrown in.
Rune is a strong character who is relatively flexible. Something I want to complain about is that Lackey lapses into stereotypes with her relationship later. Rune couldn’t care less about getting married, yet she does anyway. Also, Talaysen is the one that gets special training, not Rune, when it was Rune that originally discovered the magic. The conversations she has with her partner are very detailed, and logically show their thought processes without chopping and changing the perspective of the novel, or engineering a situation where they can discuss it. And at the end, the very end, I feel that Rune is very unkind to her partner! I mean, I’m sure he will love being a dad, but to sneak it up on him in a couple of months time?
The perspective changes in this novel are lovely. In the copy I read, only the chapter markings were clear, and so I didn’t actually get an idea of when the character perspective changed. For the first two thirds of the novel it is purely from Rune’s perspective anyway. Certainly between the Lark (Rune) and the Wren (Talaysen) the changes while they are travelling are smooth, and I didn’t really notice it.
Something I love about this book is the theme of learning music. There are other things I love too, such as Rune narrowly escaping rape, and being very practical about most things, but that’s probably my favourite. As Rune learns her new instrument, she has to learn how to read music too. I cannot remember learning to read sheet music because i was a child, but I can imagine that it is more difficult as a late teen / adult. Lackey captures how most people feel after a new lesson quite well. It’s nice that Rune doesn’t take to a second instrument immediately because she is such a natural on her fiddle!
There are several storyline peaks in this novel, and to give you them all would spoil reading it. It’s pretty amazing how much trouble Rune can get into. Although it’s not all from one excitement to the next, Lackey certainly maintains your interest in the novel. And the transitions are so smooth! I can’t rave about those enough after the trash I have read lately.
I’d recommend this book for teens and adults alike. Although there are sexual themes, violence and prejudice they are not in a positive light and they actually teach something! The sexual themes are not particularly graphic either. This book is one of my favourites that I have read multiple times, and probably will read again.

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 Or alternatively you can get an ereader copy from Baen Books.5star

Review: Tanya Huff – The Enchantment Emporium

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The Enchantment Emporium
Tanya Huff
Alysha, or Allie, is a third circle Gale. A little confused? I was too. Anyway, Allie is in deep, suddenly moving across country to find the cause of her Grandmother’s sudden appearance.

5552232Ok, so the magic in this world seems based on sex. They have everything going, the couples partner themselves up for the circle rituals, and then they have to have sex right away because they’re all horny. But it’s not expressed that way, and the sex isn’t explicit. Just that every time they hand out some magic, sex is required.

I have to confess I’ve never read or bought any of Tanya Huff’s novels before. I’m not really sure why. I’ve enjoyed several short stories she has written in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar anthologies and have certainly seen her name around.
The first, second and third circle things involving Gale girls were really confusing for me. As far as I could tell, aunties were in the first circle because they had already had multiple children, and perhaps had their husbands die? Anyway, they seem to be the most powerful but only if they are in a group. Second circle makes connections and are a bit wild. They also appear to be partnered. Third circle are those that aren’t partnered and have less power.
Some of the family connections were confusing. Michael seemed important, and I thought maybe he was part of Allie’s family, or whether it was something else. Her brother David, I couldn’t work out why they were so worried about him when Allie’s grandfather was normal.
Huff is very good at describing things. I got stuck into the story and I couldn’t put it down, particularly towards the end. So there were a couple of things that jolted me out of the story, which I’ve mentioned, but overall it was enjoyable and I’ll certainly go on to read more of Huff’s books.
Getting past all that, the plot is really quite complicated, and very enjoyable. There’s the Gran disappearing line, and then Allie’s developing complicated relationship with a sorcerer’s sidekick, and then the dragons and the spare dragons and everything!
I found the perspective changes at the beginning quite confusing. It was a bit of a mystery story for a while, even for the reader, which I found slightly frustrating. Things cleared up though and there was far more action going on.
 
The ending! Yes! Man, I never worked that out at all. I loved the way this book covered a range of genres – romance, mystery and a heavy helping of fantasy.
I’d love to see a sequel to this book. I feel like if only there was just that little bit more explanation for what the Gale girls actually are, and the abilities of the different people in the circle, or maybe even just some more background information on the Gale family, this would be an awesome book, not just a great one.
I’d recommend this book for adults only. Sex magic is a common theme, which is relatively spread throughout the book (no avoiding it, sorry). I didn’t find it uncomfortable to read, but some teenagers may object.

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I picked this up from Barnes and Noble while I was overseas!4star

Review: Mercedes Lackey – The Fire Rose

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The Fire Rose
Mercedes Lackey
As a scholar of ancient history Rose is a well studied young woman. Unfortunately, her father has left her with multiple debts and no way to pay them. A position found by her old teacher seems to be the answer to her problems, but all is not as it seems.

176881Rose is such an insightful character. If she wasn’t a scholar, I would probably call Lackey out for fancifully making a character too knowledgeable – but Rose is believable, if you think of her as the PhD student she almost was.

It seems at some times like the entirety of this book is based on irony! All the time Paul and Jason are at opposite ends of the spectrum, both thinking that they have the upper hand, when really it’s Rose who has the idea of what is going on! And other times it is Rose and Jason who don’t seem to be compatible.
As one of Lackey’s earlier works (the first in the Elemental Masters series) this is a great example of Lackey’s style before she started churning out lesser quality books recently. The characters are well developed, there are several minor plots going on, and the whole thing is seamless.
Paul is disgusting. I really don’t like him – and I’m not supposed to. His character alters this novel from being a simple Beauty and the Beast fairytale retelling into something with more depth. By rights this novel should have been part of my offerring for the Midsummer Night’s Giveaway, but I was overseas and away from my bookshelf.
I thought that Rose’s initial idea of suicide was reasonable, but the way that Lackey brought it back in later in the story seemed a little absurd, and really stuck out for me. There was no need to talk about it several times – Rose has enough going on as it is.
I’d recommend this book for adults and older teens. There are many hints of rape and torture and various other unsavoury practices, but none of them are actually described in real detail, other than the horrible little cribs.

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Personally I buy all my books from The Book Depository because shipping is cheaper to Australia.4star

Review: Mercedes Lackey – Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar

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Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar
Mercedes Lackey
Another collection of short stories edited by Mercedes Lackey. They encompass a wide range of topics, some tastefully sexy, some very sad. Overall a remarkably good collection that adds to the Valdemar world.
“Transmutation” by Larry Dixon is extremely well written and seamlessly fits in with the rest of the novels by Lackey (fitting since he’s her husband!). I’ve never liked the way griffins spoke; I find it hard to read. It’s a long story, and Dixon makes the most of it to tell his tale. Very good.
“The Feast of the Children” by Nancy Aspire goes along with the idea of the burnings of children in Karse. The God is able to act in small ways, particularly through his cats!
“Death in Keenspur House” by Richard Lee Byers is strange, I didn’t like it and I think it’s by the same author that I didn’t like in one of the other anthologies. The murder mystery type thing. It doesn’t fit in with the rest of the stories for me.
“Dawn of Sorrows” by Brenda Cooper is touchingly sad. The story takes place after the Storm Warning trilogy, and depicts what the back story is for those that are left behind after a Choosing.
“Horse of Air” by Rosemary Edghill is also rather sad. I didn’t get into the story (perhaps it was the use of first person), but I don’t think I was meant to either. It was a bit of a story within a story actually.
“A Change of Heart” by Sarah A. Hoyt and Kate Paulk concerns Ree and Jem. I’ve never really liked the style, although the idea of it is interesting. It does fit in with the Valdemar world convincingly enough, although I naturally would have liked to see more Heralds.
“All the Ages of Man” by Tanya Huff has the return of Herald Jors! Yay, Jors! This time he is required to act as a mentor, but it’s not working out for him because he feels that he isn’t old enough. The writing is engaging, and I’m always happy to hear more. I’m glad Huff stuck to expanding the same character throughout her short stories for these collections.
“War Cry” by Michael Longcor is touching. I guess a purpose of these stories is to dispel the myth that everyone who has Gifts will be chosen. Others have a different  role to play. This story fits in neatly with Exile’s Valor.
“Strength and Honor” by Ben Ohlander is the return of Tregaren and a part of Vkandis’ army in Karse from the first set of short stories. The perspective has changed slightly, but it’s just as good as the first one. Another bit of background on Solaris.
“The Blue Coat” by Fiona Patton is surprisingly good, I enjoyed the storyline, if not entirely the execution.
“Safe and Sound” by Stephanie D. Shaver is a story for twins. A young Bard is chasing a song, and is willing to do anything to get it. Written just as I would imagine Lackey would – very enjoyable.
“Song For Two Voices” by Janni Lee Simner is about a lifebonding in the Holderkin. It isn’t a surprise for me that this is the way the Holderkin live, and although I didn’t like the splitting of the two parts, I could understand why it was written that way.
“Finding Elvida” by Mickey Zucker Reichert is in the same style as The Legend of Nightfall, which means that I loved it! It’s a little hard to believe that a Herald has been sent out on circuit without proper training for all of her Gifts, but if this was occurring during the mage wars, it’s understandable.
“Darkwall’s Lady” by Judith Tarr is creeply sneaky. Well written, not technically about Heralds, although one plays a role. Interesting that that type of magic was able to survive in Valdemar after the advent of vrondi by Vanyel.
“Naught but Duty” by Michael Z. Williamson is a tricky one! Well written, and intentionally confusing at times. I keep thinking of Good Duke Arden from the Bardic Voices universe, but this is an entirely different kettle of fish.
“Landscape of the Imagination” by Mercedes Lackey fits in with the By The Sword collection of short stories about Tarma and Kethry. Just as good as I would have hoped.
My gripe for these stories is probably that for some of them it is hard to know where to place them in the Valdemar chronology. The thing that I like is that lots of them are about Karse, and the Sun Priests, which is something I have always wanted to know more about.
This is a good collection, I’d recommend it for both teens an adults. Anyone who enjoys the Valdemar world will appreciate having this set of short stories to read when there isn’t time for a longer novel.

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