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 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!).

Beyond by Mercedes Lackey

I have loved Mercedes Lackey’s books for thirty years. As I said in my review of her last book, I still have the SFBC omnibus of the Last Herald Mage trilogy on my shelf and Ican’t tell you how many times I read it.

I haven’t read many of her Valdemar books in the last few years. I listened to the audiobooks of the Collegium Chronicles series, which was fun, but I felt it dragged on too long, with too many kidnappings, and Mags’s accent drove me bananas. I lost touch with the series when my library stopped buying the ebooks of the Herald Spy series after Closer to Home, and I was disappointed in Spy, Spy Again, the third volume in the series focusing on Mags’s kids.

Last year, when I reviewed that book, I said that I hoped that Mercedes Lackey kept on writing Valdemar books. Well, my hopes were answered! I just finished reading her newest novel, Beyond, the first part in a trilogy? series? about the founding of Valdemar. It was so much fun! (BTW, Thanks again to NetGalley and DAW for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

This book goes way back to before the founding of Valdemar the country, when the Duke of Valdemar the region of an evil soul crushing empire dreams of escaping with his people to a new land. In this book, the characters pop, the story flies, and the FUN is back. I loved seeing little tidbits that help connect the dots to the books we know and have loved for years. And this book is a lot less rapey than the last one. All I can say without spoiling things too much is Vrondi!!!!!

If you like the Valdemar books of old, you’ll enjoy this. Can’t wait for the next one!

Praise Ghu! After Lackey's simply dreadful EYE SPY with its carbon-copy instantly-recognizable avatar for a Certain Public Figure—a true plot cheat—I was afraid she'd forgotten how to write a good book.

If you, too, suffered through EYE SPY (or part of EYE SPY, as I did; I couldn't finish the awful thing), please note she has not forgotten how to write a great book. Here she gives fans of her Valdemar universe what we have wanted for years: the story of the Kingdom of Valdemar and its founder, Duke Kordas Valdemar. Kordas' duchy is a rural community of mostly yeoman farmers and livestock breeders; Kordas himself loves and breeds horses, including the stunning "Valdemar Gold." As the story opens, a new Gold filly is born and given as a gift to Delia, Kordas' sister-in-law (who harbors a secret crush on him after he saved her life).

Behind this bucolic facade, Kordas is a worried man. Like all his contemporaries, he was "fostered" (read: held hostage) at the court of the Emperor at a young age and then sent home expected to obey the avaricious and self-absorbed commands of his liege lord. But Kordas' father has taught him to expect that some day the Empire will try to invade Valdemar, lay waste to its beautiful lands, and take all that they need, including the beloved horses. So for years his father, and now Kordas, have gathered mages and made preparations for the population and the livestock of Valdemar to escape via magical Gates to lands far in the west where the Empire cannot encroach on them. Their plans are set to come to fruition during the upcoming annual Empire Regatta. Then Kordas is summoned to the Capital for a meeting of the heads of all the principalities, dukedoms, baronies, etc. Kordas goes, leaving his capable wife Isla, Delia, and his mages in charge, but what he finds at the Capital—including Air Elementals enslaved in scarecrow-like artificial bodies and "foster" children toed into line with obedience spells—so horrifies him that he finds he must help more than just the people of Valdemar.

A whopping great tale, with memorable characters, including "the Dolls" (whose secret will make you squirm), and a constantly moving plot. There are still avatars for Certain Public Figures (and their actions), but they are well disguised in the plot and not at all smack-in-the-face smirkingly obvious. Lackey hasn't written such a good adventure in several volumes. Definitely looking forward to the next two books and the definitive story of how the Companions came to be.

If I had one quibble, it's that we're told how special the Valdemar Golds are, but...why? Is it just their color? We almost learn more about the Chargers (including the two sent the Emperor who are "fake" Valdemar Golds), the Tow-Beasts, the Sweetfoots (riding horses), and the Fleetfoots (race horses) than we do about the Golds.