Beyond is a good book about the early days of Valamar. I recommend it to all readers. It is a stand alone so if you have missed the earlier books you still understand,

Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite fantasy authors! I love Arrow of the Queen. Therefore, I was excited to return to the Valdemar series again! This novel was everything I wanted it to be! The novel has action and romance! The story is written in a fairytale feel! Thus, this was high fantasy at its best! The characters were very interesting and complex. Thus, this was a highly entertaining tale! I recommend this for fans of Alex Liddell, Tamora Pierce, and Rachel Hartman!

To preface this review, I confess I have not been avidly following the “Valdemar” series, and also I have a minor prejudice in favor of stand-alone volumes within a series. The high-wire act of furnishing enough context and backstory to make a new reader feel at home while not boring established fans with repetition is a challenge for any writer. In Beyond, Lackey pulls it off in grand style. No previous knowledge of Valdemar and its characters is necessary to enjoy this book!

“Wait, what?” you may ask. If this is the story of the founding of Valdemar, shouldn’t we know something about the final result? Nope, not a whit. Focus instead on this tale of how the leader of a small, militarily vulnerable realm manages to navigate the treacherous court of a power-mad emperor while remaining true to his highest ethics. And horses, of course. Wonderful horses.

The aforementioned emperor has been in the habit of holding the sons of his nobles hostage, brutalizing them as children while indoctrinating them into a cutthroat, competitive mindset. Kordas, Duke of Valdemar, has survived such an ordeal, in no small part due to having a fiercely loyal protector. Now he’s managed to keep his own children hidden from the Emperor’s clutches while convincing everyone he’s a simple, bumbling horse farmer. Meanwhile, he’s been carrying on a plan devised by his grandfather to magically transport the inhabitants of Valdemar to a safe haven far, far away. Much of the story centers around the Duke’s unfolding strategy, and for much of the story, nothing much else happens. Things go right, he finds allies, and the Emperor never suspects what he’s up to.

I found myself wondering why, when the plot felt so sedate (until near the end, when the action does indeed turn up the heat) and the book is quite long, I was turning page after page. I suspect several factors: the simple joy of running away to Valdemar for many pages; smart characters who think things through and communicate well with one another; and horses. Wonderful horses. I said that already, didn’t I?

Intriguing Beginning

The long-awaited founding of Valdemar comes to life in this new series from a New York Times bestselling author and beloved fantasist.

Within the Eastern Empire, Duke Kordas Valdemar rules a tiny, bucolic Duchy that focuses mostly on horse breeding. Anticipating the day when the Empire’s exploitative and militant leaders would not be content to leave them alone, Korda’s father set out to gather magicians in the hopes of one day finding a way to escape and protect the people of the Duchy from tyranny.

Kordas has lived his life looking over his shoulder. The signs in the Empire are increasingly dire. Under the direction of the Emperor, mages have begun to harness the power of dark magics, including blood magic, the powers of the Abyssal Planes, and the binding and "milking" of Elemental creatures. 

But then one of the Duchy’s mages has a breakthrough. There is a way to place a Gate at a distance so far from the Empire that it is unlikely the Emperor can find or follow them as they evacuate everyone that is willing to leave.

But time is running out, and Kordas has been summoned to the Emperor's Court.

Can his reputation as a country bumpkin and his acting skills buy him and his people the time they need to flee?  Or will the Emperor lose patience, invade to strip Valdemar of everything of worth, and send its conscripted people into the front lines of the Imperial wars?

If like me, you are a longtime fan of the Valdemar series, this is a book you’ve likely anticipated for a long time. This is the book of the founding of Valdemar, of the very beginnings of the whole world that Lackey has created and many fans have asked for it for years. The question is, does it live up to those expectations?  For me, it was everything I wanted and yet, nothing like what I expected but in a good way, because it had so many surprises that tell readers more about the world and give us such an intriguing beginning to a whole new series. 

“Beyond” features entirely new characters who exhibit some of the same traits that are much the reasons I’ve always loved Mercedes Lackey’s characters. They are kind, caring, and intelligent but not perfect, characters that are flawed and yet never give up, struggling to find ways to solve problems to help more than just themselves. With humor and wit, the main characters, Kordas, his wife, and the magicians aiding him, all come to life. And while the bulk of the story is Kordas, the other characters are not without their own impetus and importance, especially the slaves the Empire has created to serve them. 

Beyond the characters, the world building is impeccable. It is easy to envision how this earlier kingdom leads to the future that is Valdemar and the world we are first introduced to in The Arrows of the Queen. The tenets and beliefs of the characters within the Empire are shown as the root from what will become the world most fans know. And even though it is obvious that the story does not entirely answer all questions, the book does provide the beginnings of all the rest. The world is detailed and well thought out, including the excesses of the rich and dangerous magics that the Empire uses, all of which is reminiscent of the very powerful among our modern society. 

If I have a question, will we get more? To me, familiar with the construction of previous novels, I believe this is just the first book in a new series but for newer fans, they may feel that the story is incomplete. The ending does have a satisfactory conclusion but it does keep some things open ended to allow for the actual founding. This only shows us if Kordas escapes the Empire and how the Empire ends, which is not a spoiler for anyone familiar with the entire series.  It is the beginning and I can’t wait for more.

If you are a fan of the Valdemar series and Mercedes Lackey, this book is a must read. Newer fans may not be familiar with the entire series but won’t need to in order to enjoy the book. But if you are familiar, there are hints on how Valdemar begins after the Empire as well as clues to other secrets. Pay attention and you may have guesses for answers you didn’t think you’d ever get. I know I am incredibly excited about this series. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 Vrondi

I've read Mercedes Lackey's books for what must be close to a couple of decades. They are always a comfortable read, her writing style familiar and comforting. While Beyond is all of these things, with plenty of details pointing forward to my beloved Arrows of the Queen, there's an awful lot of back and forth discussion and it somehow ends on a bit of an anticlimax, despite a lot of action.

This will suit long-time readers like myself, but I'm not dying for the next one and I don't know how much appeal it would be to those unfamiliar with Lackey's Velgarth books.

I really enjoyed this venture back into the world of Valedmar, even though technically it's before Valedmar. The story is enticing and driven. Highly recommend.

I've been reading the Valdemar books since I was in middle school, so it was interesting to finally get the detailed origin story of Valdemar. It's been mentioned in passing plenty of times, but never with any real detail so it's nice to finally get an expanded history of Valdemar. Just a note if you're squeamish- the book starts with a fairly detailed horse birthing scene, which I wasn't expecting. Skim those pages and you'll get the gist of who the characters are.

Mercedes Lackey has begun the story that every fan of Valdemar has been wanting to read - the story of the beginning and founding of the world. Fans will love the character of Duke Valdemar. You can see in him the principles upon which he will build his society. This was an intense and fast-paced adventure that did an excellent job of foreshadowing the future stories to come.

Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar world has been going on for years – thankfully. Now fans are about to learn more about the early days, with the introduction of a new series: The Founding of Valdemar. And it all starts with Beyond.

Duke Kordas Valdemar has known for a long time now that the Empire's exploitative hand would eventually reach his Duchy – and beyond. He knows better than anyone all of the reasons why this would be a horrible fate for all.

His family knows the cost and risk as well, which is why Kordas' father heads out looking for magicians with a slim hope they'll find a solution. The solution is not an expected one, but with time running out, there isn't much time to consider the alternatives.

“And the Emperor’s dunderheaded idiot Knights of the Throne would refuse to ride a mare or a gelding. This made absolutely no sense at all, of course. If Kordas had been an enemy commander, one of his first moves would be to send a loose, wild mare in heat out onto the battlefield as soon as the Knights put in an appearance, but in the Empire, when masculine ego came into play, logic flew right out the window.”

Is it possible for the Founding of Valdemar to be both everything and nothing like what I expected it to be? I love that even after all of these years, Mercedes Lackey is still finding ways to surprise her readers.

Trust me when I say: Valdemar fans are not going to want to skip this latest series. The world may not (yet) be the one we're familiar with, but it is so intriguing and compelling. Better yet, it was so much fun looking for the details that would eventually lead to the stories we know so well.

I loved the inclusion of court intrigue in this story. I know I'm a sucker for any combination of magic and politics, but I just can't help it! I love the way Lackey develops the character and the threats simultaneously.

I can't wait to see what will happen next! Add this series to one I'll be keeping up with (worth it!).

I received an advanced reading copy via from the publisher via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

I've been eagerly waiting to read this book since first hearing about it and was so excited when I was approved for a copy to read early. The wait was well worth it and being back in this world was such a treat.

This is a story about the founder of Valdemar named Kordas back when an Emperor rule the Empire and Valdemar was a duchy that was trying its best to stay under the radar of the Emperor (who is a terrible, selfish, petty person by the way) while trying to provide for his people, raise high quality horses that are highly sought after and figure out what to do when eventually his area becomes a target for the Emperor.

Kordas may come across as a country bumpkin to most of the people outside of his close knit duchy but that's because it's how he chooses to let the world see him and it seems to be working great for him for the most part.. until he summoned to the Emperor's castle along with several other people throughout the Empire while he's in the midst of secretly getting things together to get his family, friends and those in his care out of the area and transported to another part of the Empire through a series of magical gates.

It is left to his wife Isla, his sister-in-law Delia, a cache of magicians, trusted servants and other trusted people to keep this plans going whether or not Kordas makes it back in one piece from visiting the Emperor and the tricky world of court.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I loved how important the horses were to Kordas including often being there to help mares birth foals, trying to check up on horses that are sent to the Emperor and even towards the end when there's a lot of chaos going on, he makes it a point to save the horses. I also loved the magical aspects, how everyone who has a magical ability is important no matter how small it appears.

It was hard to read about the hardships that some people were going through, especially the creatures there were pressed into service by the Emperor's decree and all of the bullying that was going on including the school that Kordas happened to visit.

I'm so looking forward to reading the next book in this series and what new surprises may be in store. If you're a fan of the Valdemar series in any way, I highly recommend checking out this book which is full of adventure, the power of a community, family values, some humor and lots of surprises to be had.

Trigger warnings: some violence, slavery, oppression, bullying, death, burning of buildings and some people

The sort of easy, calming, delight of a story that you can always expect from Mercedes Lackey!

Good triumphs evil? Check;
Closure from all major plot points? Check;
The incorporation of both “doggo” and “pupper” in a single paragraph? ...Check!

Really enjoyed this book (as I have all Valdemar books) and would absolutely reread and recommend.

As a child I read Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series from its first book, "Arrows of the Queen," which still has a place in my heart for its fantasy world-building. I stuck with Valdemar through several more series, but ultimately stopped reading the more recent works (the lady is prolific!). But once I saw that "Beyond" was the beginning of a new trilogy to tell the founding of Valdemar, I felt I could enter the world again and not miss too many references.

"Beyond" follows Duke Kordas of Valdemar, who must try to enact "The Plan" to save everyone in Valdemar from the murderous and controlling emperor. This requires copious planning and lots of subterfuge. Cats, pigs and horses are even involved (but alas no Companions). The Plan's logistical aspects are fascinating and involves Lackey's penchant for research to get all of the pre-industrial touches just right.

For many fans, "Beyond" will meet expectations in that there's plenty of magic, colorful characters and the lives of a kingdom at stake. There's also a section of toxic courtly intrigue that creates a sense of urgency and showcases the emperor's cruelty that readers could find a lot of fun to hate. Kordas is a kind-hearted (some might say too much when he continues to try to save everybody) and rather quick-witted fellow that seems like a decent ruler. I feel if I lived under him though, I might find him insufferably perfect ha!

I'm not sure if it's my age or just having read so much by now, but I'm not sure that Lackey's narrative style appeals to me anymore. While I understand explaining some of the mechanics of making things are necessary for the world-building, I did find that everything was explained a bit too much - from the motivations of characters to how conversational dialogue play out. So much exposition everywhere. In some ways, this made me feel there was a uniformity to the way characters spoke, echoing the narrator. Maybe I'm the kind of person who enjoyed how explicit she was when I was younger but prefer more subtext these days.

All that said, I'm assuming this is just the beginning of the founding of Valdemar, and I am curious to see how the elements that I'm familiar with are introduced. It was a light and easy read even though my interest flagged a bit (all that explaining!). The way it ended, setting the story for the next chapter in the founding leaves me open to possibly picking up the next book. Or maybe I'll just go back and read the original series and check out the Mags spy series that I missed out on before.

This review is based on an ARC provided by Netgalley

Beyond is the origin story, the nitty gritty of the “how” and “why” Valdemar came to be as a country.

Full of the rich world building common in the author’s books, it is an entrancing read which fleshes out the story that long time fans of the Valdemar novels have waited and hoped would become part of the canon. Of course, there is also a flock of characters to love/hate, magic, derring-do, intrigue and the ultimate escape plan which introduces us to this new series.

I loved it and am eagerly awaiting the next instalment in the trilogy.

With thanks to Netgalley and DAW publications.

I really liked finding our about how Valdemar was founded. This starts back with the Duke was lived in the Eastern Empire and how he gathered together everything he could to move to where Valdemar came to be.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest reveiw.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a great fantasy book that has magic, court intrigue, and a quest to escape a cruel Emperors.

Duke Kordas rules a tiny Duchy best known for horse breeding. Thought to be a "country bumpkin" at Court, Kordas' feigned persona hides a cunning intellect and a quest dating back generations to break free from the suffocating empire and its litany of cruel Emperors. While most mages are forced to serve the Empire, Kordas' family has been secreting away mages in their land for generations. Their intention is to build a gateway far enough away from the Empire to move their entire Duchy before the Empire notices they're gone.

When the mages finally make a breakthrough and the plan is set into motion, Kordas is called to Court and must act as a decoy while the rest of his Counselors and Duchy get to work. But Kordas didn't count on finding others at Court that may also be in need of rescue.

I really enjoyed this book. For a fantasy book, the characters are surprisingly optimistic and most of their plans go according to plan. Sometimes the plans go too good, which is hard not to roll your eyes at. The main character Kordas is someone that can't sit still when he sees injustice, which only serves to complicate his life. He meets someone at Court that I really enjoyed reading about - I don't want to say more to avoid spoilers.

There is some mysterious "thing" about Kordas that is constantly eluded to in the book, but is never really explained. That is frustrating. There are only a few main characters in the book, and they are fairly well defined. Most of the side characters aren't well-developed, but they add texture to the story.

This isn't a typical dark and broody fantasy book. It's more fluffy and feel-good - which is weird to say about a fantasy. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the read, and although I thought it was a stand alone book because the ending is pretty satisfying, from the title and the few loose ends left dangling, I can see how this could be made into a series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and DAW. All opinions are my own.

Mercedes Lackey is one of my favourite authors, so I was thrilled, both to receive it and to read this book.

I love the Valdemar books. Interestingly, when I read them, I often did find myself wondering about the early beginnings of Valdemar, so I was very excited when I found out that Mercedes Lackey was writing an origin story.

One of the things I thought was great about this book is that it can appeal to anyone. Whether you are a die-hard Mercedes Lackey fan who has read all of the Valdemar books, or a newcomer to her books that has no idea what in the heck Valdemar is, you can enjoy this book.

As usual Mercedes Lackey presents engaging, fantastical world-building and a fast paced story. I really enjoyed Kordas’ character too. In an empire that is brutal and harsh, Kordas and his family are kind and treat their people with respect. I also appreciated how he played the role of a simple country lord – to fool the empire.

I really liked the magic system in the book too. I don’t want to spoil the plot too much, but if you enjoy fantasy stories where a heroic main character stands up to an evil empire and tries to save his people – then I think you will definitely enjoy this book. The only thing I will say is that sometimes the book was almost too fast paced. I enjoyed the characters and story so much that I wish it was even more detailed/given a bit more time to develop.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and definitely can’t wait to read the next instalment.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and DAW books for the advanced copy.

I started reading Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books when I was a horse obsessed young teenager three decades ago. Thinking back on it, of course I started reading them because of the pretty white horses on the covers, but I kept reading them because I loved the very human stories of her characters, and they were definitely formative in my adult beliefs of right and wrong, who is ‘worthy’ of living a valuable and productive life, and all around generally how to behave like a decent human being.

I can’t say I’ve read EVERY Valdemar book in the decades since I first picked up Magic’s Pawn and was astounded to read an openly gay main character in print, but I’ve read the vast majority of them. And like every other fan of Valdemar, I’ve wondered about the founding and the mysterious, long-ago Baron Valdemar who fled a cruel empire with his people and founded a magical kingdom. Well, Lackey has finally decided it’s time to deliver Valdemar’s beginnings.

Kordas Valdemar is known for breeding superb horses and not much else. The book actually opens on quite a confronting scene of Kordas assisting a mare in labour with a breech foal… I can definitely see anyone squeamish noping out here, so maybe consider that before you start reading.

A lot of Lackey’s Valdemar books would probably fall into the Middle Grade or YA Fantasy designation, with young protagonists chosen as Heralds and growing into maturity during the course of the series. And while Delia, Kordas’ young sister-in-law, gets quite a lot of POV page time here, it’s Kordas who gets the most page time. His age isn’t specified precisely but simple math tells me he’s got to be about 30 if not a little more, and the book is correspondingly adult. There’s a moderately gruesome murder, people use swear words a lot, not to mention the explicitly described horse birth scene. This is adult fantasy, even though there’s no sex in it.

Maybe Lackey’s aware that most Valdemar lovers have been adult for years, I don’t know… but if her target audience is adults, the moralizing is on the clunky and unsubtle side. Valdemar has always been super liberal, and I don’t see any of the long term fans picking this up not knowing that. Seriously, did we really need a page and a half of Kordas giving a speech about why he thinks enslaving non-human sentient beings is bad - to one of said non-human sentients??? I’m really not sure new adult fans would be won over by this clunkiness… and I think teenagers would be rolling their eyes, if not already put off by the gory horse birth!

Kordas spends a lot of time struggling with the immutable truth that he can’t save everyone, much though he feels the urge to try. Lackey has always been heavy on the minute detail of what everyone is up to and their motivations but after the third iteration of ‘oh no, this other marginalized group are in trouble, I need to save them, how am I going to manage this’ I started to feel like I wanted some actual action and the plot to move on a bit. It does feel like there’s a bit too much filler here, in parts.

I’ll pick up the rest of what I assume is going to be a trilogy because I’m a long-time fan and I want to know what happens. I don’t think I’d recommend this to readers who aren’t familiar with the world of Valdemar, however. It’s not Lackey’s best work. (I’d say start with the Arrows trilogy, if anyone was wondering). I’ll give it three stars.

"Beyond" is a fantasy novel. I've been reading the Valdemar novels since I was a teenager, and I felt like this was targeted at longtime fans (now adults) rather than teenagers. This also didn't follow the typical novel format and seemed more of a detailed explanation of how to escape an evil empire--which will interest longtime fans, but maybe is not the best story for people start off with.

Every time something seemed to go wrong, that just turned into an opportunity to more effectively escape rather than actually set back or threaten their escape plans. Add to that all of the details of how they made the Gate, the types of things they took, how they were going to survive on the other side in the wilderness, etc., and it wasn't very suspenseful until the very end. I was also disappointed that the author changed the air elementals. The "truth" is now simply a deeply held personal belief rather than a fact. In past books, they were used to determine if someone was telling the truth in a criminal case. Under the current definition, though, someone could deeply believe that putting poison in someone's food was not murder because the victim wasn't forced to eat that food. They could "truthfully" answer that they did not poison or murder someone as that person killed themselves. Anyway.

The world building was obviously very in-depth. The characters were engaging, and Kordas was determined to save as many people as possible even if it meant sacrificing himself. Happily, he was also willing to listen to advice and so came up with better plans than his own. Frankly, I found the enslaved air elementals to be the most interesting characters even though I also felt that this story was not consistent with what was previously told about them. There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to long time fans of the series.

I went into this one totally blind – I have never in my life read a Mercedes Lackey book (until now); all I knew was that the people who love her books, like, really love her books. This book showed me exactly why.

Beyond is a prequel to, to my understanding, all of Lackey’s series, which consists of over ten series, all set in the kingdom of Valdemar. Would this book be richer if I had read the other books? Probably! Was this book still a great read? Absolutely! Beyond tells the story of the founding of Valdemar, the city where the rest of her series takes place. It follows the Duke of Valdemar, Kordas, and the plot that he and his family concoct to escape the reign of a sinister emperor. It is equal parts funny and sad, and I am now so invested in these people and their lives that I have added all the other books in the series to my ever-expanding TBR list.

The point of view switches between Kordas and Delia, who is the sister of Kordas’ wife. For most of the book, Kordas is placed in the Emperor’s Court, removed from the plan he has spent his whole life working towards. Delia, her sister, and the others situated at Valdemar are attempting the plan without their figurehead by their sides – a tricky undertaking.

I really enjoyed the community of Valdemar, and how much they were all working together to escape the encroaching crush of the Emperor. It is hard to raise the stakes in a book written as a prequel for an already existing series (since we all know how it’s going to end), but Lackey has done an excellent job at endearing the reader to all the characters and creating a storyline which is easy to get invested in. Kordas is a traditional hero, righteous and honourable, and while the characters may be simplistic for some, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the way all characters worked in tandem to create a book rich with lore.

There’s an amazing fantasy element to it, too, with Lackey’s magic system allowing for teleportation via Gates, as well as an incredible array of Elemental beings (some of whom I am now awfully fond of).

One thing that I would like to note is that this book is tagged with LGBT+. This tag does not pertain to any of the main characters – the two characters in question are side characters who get very little page time, so just be aware of that going in.

This book was an excellent primer for what I understand is an even more excellent series. I can’t wait to read more books set in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin/DAW Publishers for an ARC of this book.

Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books, specifically The Last Herald-Mage series and The Arrows of the Queen, were some of the first adult fantasy I ever read, and really got me into the genre. I haven't read any of the most recent Valdemar books, but I was so excited to see this prequel series about the founding of this fictional country I've come to know and love that I just had to pick it up.

Like some of the other more recent releases by Mercedes Lackey, this book seems to be missing a certain spark that her earlier books had. It was an enjoyable read, but I was aware that I was reading a book the entire time. It didn't pull me in and transport me into the story - like all of the pieces were there but it didn't have the breath of life in it that stories really need to come alive.

Still, this was a great read and I read it pretty much straight through, only putting it down to sleep. The book is written in the third person, alternating between following Kordas, the Duke of Valdemar, and Delia, his young sister-in-law. Both Kordas and Delia spend a fair amount of time in their own heads thinking Big Thoughts - like, PAGES of internal monologue. Each time was like slamming into a wall of thoughts that just pushed me entirely out of the story. Getting past their wordy internal monologues, I really loved the plot of this book. Valdemar is a duchy in an empire ruled by an evil Emperor, and there's plenty of subterfuge and spying and plots within plots here. I don't want to ruin anything, but what Kordas uncovers when he goes to the imperial palace is really intrigung, and I look forward to seeing how the new plot lines that are opened mid-story are resolved later in the series.

If you're new to the world of Valdemar, the concept of the mind magic (vs mage magic) isn't really well explained in this book, like there's some assumption you've read other books in the series and are already familiar, so that may be a bit of a stumbling block for new readers. Perhaps it will be better explained in the next book, as the "Gifts" only came into play a very small amount in this first book.

This is the first book in The Founding of Valdemar series. Some of the main plot lines wrap up nicely by the end of the book, so you could read it as a stand alone if you're not interested in continuing the series. I, however, and excited to see what new adventures book two will hold!