Book Two of the Collegium Chronicles (A Valdemar Novel)

Mags continues to Intrigue we readers. The foreigners introduced in "Foundation" are still lurking and seem to want to kill Mags. This book is very fast moving after the first chapters and Mags and his Companion Dallen grow a little wiser as they develop Mind Magic. Is Mags a Foreign Prince? we may find out in the third book, eagerly waited for.

The characters are well done and the situations flow as well as surprise with the inventive nature of the writing. I have this series in book form but still bought it in Kindle to read again while I travel.

The whole story feels like a competition brewing between Harry Potter and Valdemar. I can't imagine anyone who is a fan saying it is her best work.

Seriously, I could care less about reading a match of polo/football with Companions, horses and people on foot. If I wanted that, I would read sports books but since it is Fantasy -- I'm guessing and you would be guessing right that doesn't interest me.

Timeline is weird, feels rushed and not very laid out. I'm glad that I bought it on my Kindle and not the hardback (which is odd for a Misty book). I would love for her to revisit the Joust series than continue on with this series.

There are not enough Egyptian Fantasy books in my opinion and it was a refreshing change.

Foundation and Intrigues are time-line fillers, i.e., they fall between other series. Unfortunately, the plots are weak and the action minor. I have moved this from bu
y HC to maybe buy the third one paperback, soley because I have enjoyed other books in this series.

The reviews I saw gave this book a dismal score. I liked the story, I would rate it a little bit higher. One reason that the scores may be so low is that the story deals a lot more with emotion turmoil within the group and injuries of the people.

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon.com. Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

Mags seems to be finally settling down in the Collegium. He has his great friends, Lena and Bear to look after him, but suddenly they are both in danger of being snatched away.To top that off, Mags is being accused of injuring the king.

Much of 'Intrigues' is about Mags finding out his history, although it turns out to be something like he really was 'Bad Blood'. Mag's friends are being accused by their families, and it makes for an uncomfortable situation. When Dallen gets into an accident, Mags' world is thrown upside down, and he feels like there will never be light at the end of the tunnel.

In this novel, Mags is almost certainly suffering from depression. Because that is my own personal area of interest, it draws me to him. I found myself crying occasionally, because the situation just seemed so hopeless. I guess that's a mark of how much I empathized with him. His recovery though was swift and painless - he of course has a Companion, when the rest of us don't have a mythical horse to pull us out of the pit.

The settings are familiar to those who have read the other books. I agree with other reviewers that it seems very choppy, with some obvious errors in spelling and grammar. In other books, I have even noted where the publisher has changed a character's name to something else, such as an article of speech! It's still an ok novel, but it isn't the best she has even written. It feels a little like as Lackey has gotten older, her attempts of pushing books out onto the market quickly have destroyed the flow she had in the earlier novels.

Although it could be done, I wouldn't recommend reading 'Intrigues' without having first read 'Foundation'. It really is a trilogy - or I thought it was! Again, I didn't reread this book before reviewing it because I wanted to read the next one! Surprisingly, although this says it is a trilogy, the Mercedes Lackey website lists it as having a fourth book to come out. I find that a little disappointing - I love Mags, but I'd love to have a new character just as much!

I'd still recommend this book for teens and adults, although the themes are far darker than before. Blood, betrayal, fire and corruption - they're all here, but they are dealt with sensitively and not gratuitously.

This installment of the Collegium Chronicles feels like so much filler between the first and third beats. Don't get me wrong, I love me a school story and even I will take a leisurely 300 pages of character development and a lack of plot...if anything actually happens. This time around, there was little in the way of development and even less resolution of plot points introduced (and left hanging) in the first book.

Political intrigue (which I'm sure is what she intended the title to reference) carried only so far, and seemed obligatory rather than what she actually wanted to include in the story itself. Rather, we focus on the angst of travails of teenagerdom. Been there, done that, and oh yes, it's horrible, but it's been written better and with lighter hands than were applied here.

In one particular instance, something horrible happens and the reactions each of the major characters has are out of character and melodramatic. They just don't ring true to the story or to the way the characters had been portrayed up until that point.

I had returned to Valdemar after a long drought because it's a comfortable world to slip in and out of, but one of the reasons I left in the first place was the melodrama. Combine that with some seriously slopping writing (and sloppier editing), and my patience is wearing thin again.

Intrigues was all right, as stories go. It definitely feels like the breath between two larger arcs, which works against it and makes me sincerely hope that Misty picks it up in the next installment.

Intrigues is possibly the weakest of the Velgarth series. The story drags and lags, with interesting, sometimes exciting action interspersed between long expositions. The reader becomes afraid to skip anything, because of those great moments, but it becomes a chore to get from one to the next.

Like Foundation, the first book of the Collegium Chronicles trilogy, canon concepts regarding Heralds and Companions' relationships go out the window. Mags' Companion, Dallen, is entirely too open with clues to his previous existance as a Herald, too helpful, and too willing to simply feed Mags with all of the information he needs, just to make Mags' life easier. Grove Born Companion Rolan speaks directly to Mags on multiple occasions, and the tight communication between Rolan and Talia, established as unique and unheard of by Heralds in Talia's time, is duplicated in Mags and Dallen. As a "famous" pair of game players, their abilities would have been well-documented and easily found in heraldic records.

Mags' character is well drawn, but Lackey spends too much time in his head, in his self-doubt and teen drama. She takes Talia's suffering from Arrows of the Queen and Arrow's Flight, and in Mags, turns it into some kind of mental self-flagellation that tortures the reader as well as the character. Mags is also a blend of several of Lackey's most popular characters, easily identified as he goes through different parts of his training.

Even his friends, and his relationship with his friends, is a near-duplicate of the interactions between Talia, Dirk and Kris.

However, despite the weaknesses, I await the third installation of the trilogy. I want to know who Mags really is, where his parents came from. Intrigues provides more clues to his birth identity, but at the same time adds more mystery. I want to know what happens. But it will never be my favorite of the Velgarth series.

This installment of the Collegium Chronicles feels like so much filler between the first and third beats. Don't get me wrong, I love me a school story and even I will take a leisurely 300 pages of character development and a lack of plot...if anything actually happens. This time around, there was little in the way of development and even less resolution of plot points introduced (and left hanging) in the first book.

Political intrigue (which I'm sure is what she intended the title to reference) carried only so far, and seemed obligatory rather than what she actually wanted to include in the story itself. Rather, we focus on the angst of travails of teenagerdom. Been there, done that, and oh yes, it's horrible, but it's been written better and with lighter hands than were applied here.

In one particular instance, something horrible happens and the reactions each of the major characters has are out of character and melodramatic. They just don't ring true to the story or to the way the characters had been portrayed up until that point.

I had returned to Valdemar after a long drought because it's a comfortable world to slip in and out of, but one of the reasons I left in the first place was the melodrama. Combine that with some seriously slopping writing (and sloppier editing), and my patience is wearing thin again.

Intrigues was all right, as stories go. It definitely feels like the breath between two larger arcs, which works against it and makes me sincerely hope that Misty picks it up in the next installment.

Intrigues is possibly the weakest of the Velgarth series. The story drags and lags, with interesting, sometimes exciting action interspersed between long expositions. The reader becomes afraid to skip anything, because of those great moments, but it becomes a chore to get from one to the next.

Like Foundation, the first book of the Collegium Chronicles trilogy, canon concepts regarding Heralds and Companions' relationships go out the window. Mags' Companion, Dallen, is entirely too open with clues to his previous existance as a Herald, too helpful, and too willing to simply feed Mags with all of the information he needs, just to make Mags' life easier. Grove Born Companion Rolan speaks directly to Mags on multiple occasions, and the tight communication between Rolan and Talia, established as unique and unheard of by Heralds in Talia's time, is duplicated in Mags and Dallen. As a "famous" pair of game players, their abilities would have been well-documented and easily found in heraldic records.

Mags' character is well drawn, but Lackey spends too much time in his head, in his self-doubt and teen drama. She takes Talia's suffering from Arrows of the Queen and Arrow's Flight, and in Mags, turns it into some kind of mental self-flagellation that tortures the reader as well as the character. Mags is also a blend of several of Lackey's most popular characters, easily identified as he goes through different parts of his training.

Even his friends, and his relationship with his friends, is a near-duplicate of the interactions between Talia, Dirk and Kris.

However, despite the weaknesses, I await the third installation of the trilogy. I want to know who Mags really is, where his parents came from. Intrigues provides more clues to his birth identity, but at the same time adds more mystery. I want to know what happens. But it will never be my favorite of the Velgarth series.

Yes, this is another Valdemar story. Yes, it follows the same format of the other triple novels. And Yes, it is just as enjoyable and just as entrancing as the first of the Valdemar books.
Mercedes Lackey has created a world called Velgarth and a kingdom on Velgarth called Valdemar. The kingdom is as interesting now as it was when I first started reading her works so many years ago. In Valdemar, she has created as totally captivating a place and people as Conan Doyle's London and Sherlock Holmes.
Mags' story is her usual one of a rise from poverty and exploitation to the exalted rank of Herald via the Choosing of a Companion. Mags is interesting, to be sure. The people around him make the story, though. She takes you into his mind and lets you look through his eyes as he struggles his way from Trainee to Herald while the great Collegium is being built on the castle grounds. This is the time of change; the old way of a Herald taking an apprentice and making a Herald out of him is fading while the new way of institutional training from Trainee to Herald is beginning to take hold. People remember Stephan and Vanyel as something other than legends, and the Kingdom is smaller than it is in Arrows or in the Storms series. This is the Kingdom's first evolution, and is as fascinating as it is in later series. Here, we see Valdemar as it was in its young maturity.
It's a winner, and its message is as always one of coping and hope. That's what makes her Valdemar series so enjoyable, and what will keep people coming back.
Huzzah, Misty!

Mags, the wretched orphan rescued from mine work by being Chosen by the Companion Dallen in the previous volume (FOUNDATIONS), is progressing well at the new Collegium being built, but he still remains a solitary character with only a few strong friends: Bear, gifted with knowledge of herbs; Lena, a Bardic student desperately trying to do something outstanding so her talented by narcissistic father will notice her; and Amily, the handicapped daughter of the King's Own Herald, Nikolas. He is trusted enough to do little spying missions for Nikolas--until a group of Farseers have a vision of what seems to be an assassination attempt on the King with a "foreigner" involved, and Mags is the only "foreigner" in residence. And it's then that Mags' solitary life starts to work against him, as he is suspected by fellow students and courtiers alike, despite the fact he has become a star player in a new game invented to help the Heralds simulate battle situations.

I have been reading books about Valdemar since the first, ARROWS OF THE QUEEN, was published. Mags' story still feels a bit like Talia's with some changes in it (if you remember, students bullied Talia as well, and even tried to drown her). This time everything conspires against our hero; even his best friends (granted, under great duress) desert him. Mags' situation just becomes worse and worse until he is driven to rock bottom; it is not an easy story to read (nor should it be, since he is under such stress, but it is a hard slog). Plus there is entirely too much time taken up with the Kirball games, which, as other critics have pointed out, bear a remarkable resemblance to Quidditch on horseback. Mags being good at the game makes him a few more real friends, ones who appreciate him for himself, not just his playing, but the descriptions of it get tedious fast, like reading an old-fashioned boys' sports book. I am assuming that the training at Kirball will serve Mags and his companions in good stead in the concluding book of the trilogy, but right now the play-by-play is a tad tedious.

I would wait for the paperback on this one.

A wonderful second book and great story telling. I love Mags character and his relationship with his Companion but I could not forgive his friends as easily as Mags. It was the only point in the book that I did not feel was believable. His best friends are complete monsters to him and he just gets over it and even apologizes to them. I know Mags is desperately awkward but I just could not like his "friends" at the end of this book. It's a testament to great story telling that Mags could forgive his friends, but I could not. I was so invested in his wellbeing that I am still indignant on his behalf!

In "Intrigues," author Mercedes Lackey returns to the world of Mags and his friends, set at the time of the founding of the Herald's Collegium. As with many of Lackey's other characters, Mags is a spunky, hard-working character from a disadvantaged background, who has settled in and (hopefully) proven himself in Foundation: Book One of the Collegium Chronicles: A Valdemar Novel.

However (spoilers ahead), in "Intrigues," very little happens. The mysterious, menancing foreigners are lurking about, being mysterious and menacing. The Collegium is ablaze with an, um, "rather derivative" training game, that strongly resembles another game from a highly successful fantasy writer. Magic is somewhat of a MacGuffin in the story, resulting in Mags being friendless, depressed and so on, while he (and his excruciating accent) soldier on. In addition, a totally un-Valdemarean strand of xenophobia surfaces, which really clashes with the stated ethos of the country from the beginning. The ending was, as others have mentioned, very quick and somewhat unrealistics. Honestly, it really felt as though, having rescued Mags from the mines and safely settled him at Haven, Ms. Lackey had no idea what to do with him. Perhaps a duology might be an option in the future?

I find it really hard to believe that this is the same author who brought us Vanyel, Diana Tregarde, or even Lavan Firestorm. She's a better author than this. I was disappointed and will not be buying any of her future books, without first getting them from the library.

I have been reading Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books since 1989, and I was sadly disappointed by this one. The plot is about a tragically misunderstood Herald trainee who feels like all his friends are turning on him one by one. Accidents befall him; occasionally he emerges almost heroically despite forgetting all weapons and mindspeech training. Herald trainee Mags has the basic willingness of a Herald to protect and defend others, but he lacks a certain depth of character, perseverance, conviction, and spunkiness that have endeared past Valdemar characters to me. His only strengths are riding, mindspeech, and acting as a spy. The ending left me unsatisfied, despite rereading the last couple chapters to see if I missed relevant details. I was puzzled by a number of references to characters and plots that originated in the first book which were unexplained in Intrigues; but not sure I want to dig Foundation out of storage. The speech dialogue of the main character was written in a slurred pigeon English that was painful to read. I really would have liked to see the main character grow and develop more depth; the events of Foundation and Intrigues occur during a 9 month period in a 12 or 13 year old's life. There was hardly any gap between the books for Mags to grow. I will probably buy Book Three anyway, but I really hope Mags learns to talk proper English (or Valdemaran!)

The kingdom's foreseers have visions that many translate as a "foreigner" will assassinate the King of Valdemar. And it comes to light, the trainee Mags, who was not rescued from being a mine-slave that long ago, is, at minimum, the son of foreigners; the rumor mills runs rampid with assumptions that it's Mags who is involved with the assassination of the King.

This book was not everything it could have been. I felt that since the Valdemar books are amongst Mercedes Lackey's most popular books Ms. Lackey felt the need to publish another book in the series. My first real issue with the book came in the form of the game, Kirball, it felt too much like Ms. Lackey was trying to invent her own version of Quiditch. My other concerns with the book is that I felt that some of the storyline was borrowed from other books in the Valdemar series, namely Arrows of the Queen (which I loved) and Take A Thief (which I dreaded). If you can get past these issues, it is a fine book.

I have managed to slog through this latest Valdemar book by Mercedes Lackey - but only just. It's a boring mess of a book, with one of the most unprepossessing main characters I've ever had the misfortune to encounter between the pages of a novel. Mags is a wimp, a whiner, and has a thick, syrupy hillbilly accent that would put Li'l Abner to shame. Deciphering his laborious colloquialisms is torture. Plus, the plot is a mishmash of elements that one has a hard time caring about. Wow, the telepathic horsies play polo (or is it an equine version of Quidditch?) A snooty bard is mean to his daughter and zzzzzzz...well, you get the picture. I'm sorry to say that Ms. Lackey's recent books have not come close to the initial enjoyment dispensed in her earlier works like Arrows of the Queen, By The Sword or The Fire Rose (Lackey's last really good book). I used to buy her books faithfully; lately, I check them out of the library rather than spend good money on what is all too likely to be a very disappointing read. Too bad.

Former mine slave and now trainee-herald, Mags, worries about being accepted by the other herald trainees, tries to keep up his friendship with Bear and Lena, spends a lot of time riding his 'companion' (mind-talking white horse) and gets drafted to be a player in a new game designed to prepare the herald-candidates for a war they all believe is coming although nobody knows where the attack will come from.

Mags hasn't really gotten over the last set of adventures he went through (see FOUNDATION). Although he foiled the plans of the foreign spy/assassins, the foreigners themselves escaped capture and are still at large. When Mags discovers one of the spies still in the city, and when foreseers begin seeing visions of a foreign threat, Mags (who happens to be the child of foreign parents) becomes both a suspect and the primary searcher for the enemy.

Author Mercedes Lackey has written some wonderful stories of Valdemar...I think this series contains her best work, combining emotional depth with plenty of action and a hint of romance. There was some of this in INTRIGUES but, frankly, not enough. Watching Mags learn to play Kirball (think Quidditch on horseback instead of brooms) was boring. His sudden decision to abandon Herald school and become a kitchen drudge didn't seem motivated, and the coincidence that, with all of the nation's police, military and magical heralds on the lookout, only Mags could ever find the enemy (and he did so several times) all seemed a stretch.

Mercedes Lackey is a talented author with a way of making us care about characters, involved in the plot and invested in the outcome. INTRIGUES showed flashes of this talent, but overall, there just wasn't enough story here to fill the 328 pages (hardback version). This sub-series started out badly with Foundation. I think I'll wait for her to launch another series and give up on Mags.

I stopped reading Mercedes Lackey in my early 20's but I loved her as a teen. I think if I was a teen again I would be blown away by the new series but as an adult I'm just engaged. I'm very happy to see Mercedes Lackey return to the Heralds (they have always been a favorite). I'd like to see a bit more depth to this story but I thought it dealt well with the who depression/I don't fit in concept although I don't think Rolan's little talk fixed everything.

I would also like to say that the large print cover is a real let down. I saw that edition at the library several times before realizing that it was part of the Valdemar Novels.

Looking forward to the next book.

I keep trying to dismiss these books as pandering to our most adolescent emotions. I don't care, pander away, I love it! I can't give them a 5, they have no more depth than adolescent angst, but how often do we want to lose ourselves in a good emotional wallow? Here I am, wallow, wallow. She has love, action, lovable heroes and heroines, all you could ask of a good story. Her pacing is immaculate, the dialogue engaging, the descriptions well timed and pithy. If ever a writer's stories could be called a good romp, hers could.

Intrigues is a sequel to Foundation, and I enjoyed Foundation. Unfortunately in this book, fewer characters from Foundation appear, even though you would expect them to be a part of this plot. In fact, there are only four characters that get any development at all - the rest are cardboard cutouts standing in for real characters. And with the exception of the Companion, the character drama is IDENTICAL to the character drama of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Abused orphan saved by School for Special People? Check. No rational adults in the entire book universe? Check. Orphan persecuted by all for crime he hasn't committed? Check. Orphan's only two friends in the whole world turn on him because everyone else has? Check. Orphan prevents true bad guy from accomplishing evil scheme and reveals him to the public, removing suspicion from himself? Check. No originality here. J. K. Rowling did a better job with that plot, in fact. Lackey's character Mags is apparently largely immune to the psychological fallout of (a) having been brutally abused for nearly his entire life, and (b) subsequently being betrayed by the very people who were supposed to be his new "family." And his sort-of legal guardian (nobody has actually bothered to adopt the poor orphan) pulls some very Dumbledore-like behavior, which I found completely jarring because the first book goes out of its way to establish him as a good father to his own daughter. In fact, that failure is replicated by every adult character that was introduced in Foundation, and with less explanation. I'm at a loss to explain why the worst parts of fiction written for adolescent children have cropped up in Lackey's writing, especially in a series meant for adults.

In short, if you like reading about Valdemar, skip this one, because it takes place in some alternate universe where characters behave like Harry Potter-verse characters rather than like any of the previous Valdemar books' characters.

I like Mercedes Lackey books, even though I know that I'm reading a formula when I pick them up. That's fine and I accept this, as her writing style and empathetic characters make up for it.

However, this book was highly disappointing. It was positioned in time to occur not long after Foundation, but there's an abrupt character shift in several of the main characters that seem completely illogical. Further, it seems like Ms. Lackey took the hot-button topic of how horrible bullying is, and made it a major character crisis, out of all proportions to the series. Further, it didn't end satisfactorily. I know that this is a set up to book 3, but still, I expect a decent sub-plot with a satisfying conclusion to the sub-plot.

If this book was stand-alone story, and had a satisfying conclusion, I would rate it much higher.

As an aside: it's not a wise idea to add an "accent" into the writing of a character a book in, when there's no good reason to do so. If a character's implied accent isn't present in the first book, don't arbitrarily add it into the second. The readers have already done so, and it's a jarring switch.

Mags grows up in this sequel to Foundation. He learns more about how friendships work and the true meaning of teamwork. For a former slave in a mine, learning how to fit in is difficult. I enjoyed the banter between Mags and Dallen (his companion). This book is darker than Foundation, with Mags having to deal with a lot of unpleasantness. My only quibble is that this book seems geared toward a younger audience, with most of the focus on young adults in the Collegium taking classes. I still really enjoyed it even though I'm not in that stage of life. Fans of Valdemar should definitely read Intrigues, but it's not anywhere near my favorite Mercedes Lackey novel.

I love reading all of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books. The new Collegium Chronicles gives me the world of Valdemar with an intriguing bit of mystery to whet my appetite for more.Intrigues: Book Two of the Collegium Chronicles (A Valdemar Novel)

recycled pieces of prior valdamar books, anyone who Arrows of the Queen and the Storm Rising books will recognize huge chunks of the plot.

I found it frustrating that items of culture and rules of behavior from prior books are casually ignored to enable what turned out to be a lame plot device, and an ending that broke more rules just to work out a certian way.

I saw a prior review that recommended waiting for the third before reading this one - based on this one I don't think it will be worth it.

Intrigues (2010) is the second Fantasy novel in the Collegium Chronicles subseries of the Valdemar sequence, following Foundation. The initial work in the sequence is Arrows of the Queen.

In the previous volume, the mercenary guards believed that a ghost was haunting their quarters and the fear spread to the palace servants. One guard was terrified and couldn't sleep. But Bear mixed some pills that calmed his fears.

A terrible storm hit and covered Haven with snow. The Collegium was very crowded with people in almost every room. Then Mags discovered that Bear had disappeared.

In this novel, Mags is a fourteen years old orphan Herald trainee. Dallen is his Companion. Mags is also working for the King's Own Herald as a spy and courier.

Dallen is a Companion, looking and -- mostly -- acting like a white horse with silver tail and hooves. Naturally, he really is not much like a regular horse, since his body is stronger and faster, his mind is more intelligent, and he can mindspeak with Mags and the other Companions.

Lena is a Bard Trainee. Her father is Tobias Marchand, a very famous Bard. Lena has been in his shadow for years and despairs of ever being allowed to just be herself. Lena is also desperately homesick.

Bear is a Healer Trainee, He does not have the Healing talent, but is quite skilled as a herbalist. He works in a greenhouse full of herbs and other plants. Master Healers visit him in his workroom to acquire healing potions and ointments.

Jakyr is a Valdemar Herald, dressed in white and riding a Companion. His talents are in negotiation and are greatly in demand. He also fears close relationships. He was the first Herald that Mags had met, escorting Mags and Dallen to the Collegium.

Caelen is a Herald. He is head of the new Herald's Collegium.

Setham is a Herald. He is a coach for the new game of Kirball.

Kiril is a Herald and the King of Valdemar. He strongly supports the new Herald trainee program.

In this story, the cold weather is still making live miserable for the Collegium residents. Even the Companions are irritated by the cold drafts. Mags spends as much time as possible in his warm room in the stable.

He also spends a lot a time grooming Dallen. Since Dallen has a sweet tooth, he often brings back a pocket pie from his meals. Dallen eats the pies so fast that Mags wonders how he even tastes them. After a visit with his Companion, Mags doesn't have even a crumb left in his pockets.

Leaving the stables, Mags encounters a full Herald holding a half-eaten pocket pie. He warns the Herald to avoid letting Dallen see the pie or his Companion may take it and his fingers too. The Herald recognizes that Dallen is Mags' companion.

The Herald asks Mags if his classes are going well and if there is anything troubling the trainees. Mags mentions that some trainees -- including himself -- could use extra help. Later Mags learns that the Herald is King Kiril.

Mags was being honest about the need for tutoring. He is catching up with the rest of his class in arithmetic, but trigonometry is more difficult. History is his worse class, mostly because it is just dates and names.

Herald Caelen calls Mags into his office. Naturally Mags wonders what he has done wrong. But Caelen just wants to talk about moving Mags to a room in the new Herald trainee building.

Mags convinces Caelen to leave him in the stable room. But Caelen also wants to discuss the new game of Kirball. Since Mags and Dallen are the best riding team, Caelen believes that they would do well on one of the teams.

Mags meets Lena's father outside the dining hall. Tobias wants Mags to deliver a note to the King's Own. But the Bard doesn't even recognize Lena, his own daughter.

Then Dallen arranges a meeting with Setham. After observing Mags and Dallen, Setham decides that he wants them on this team. He asks Mags and Dallen to help with the Kirball tryouts.

This tale has Lena taking over his tutoring and Bear developing a first aid packet for circuit riders. Mags follows a member of the King's Council who has aroused suspicions. Mags also recognizes a wanted man and follows him back to his companions. And Mags and Dallen play in the first Kirball game.

Mags begins to have more friends and admirers. The next installment in this series has not yet been announced. Yet it will almost certainly be worth the wait.

Highly recommended for Lackey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of the Kingdom of Valdemar, political intrigue, and Herald trainees. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin