The Lambda Literary Award-winning trilogy that established Mercedes Lackey as a master of the fantasy genre is now available in a first-of-its-kind deluxe omnibus edition. Welcome to Valdemar. This is a land where magic thrives, where kings and queens are just and Heralds are true. It is a land at peace--for now. Young;Vanyel;is proving to be quite the disappointment.;Born with rare magical abilities, his future stretches out before him, glittering with potential; he has all the hallmarks of a legend in the making. Or he;should, if only he would train his powers, harness his talents, apply himself in service to the King or seek the warrior’s path. Much to his father’s dismay, however,;Vanyel;wants no part in such things. No, what he wants more than anything else is to become… a bard. But wishing away destiny is futile, and, as everyone will learn, there is danger in leaving magic like;Vanyel’s untrained. By the time his powers, raw and unmastered, are released on the world, it may already be too late to avoid tragedy on a truly devastating scale.; This is;Vanyel’s story: a boy who dreams of making music, he will grow into Valdemar’s greatest-ever Herald-Mage. Along the way;Vanyel;will confront war and grief, dark magic and the heaviest loss of all–the loss of his one true love. He must learn to reconcile with his destiny, with his heart, and with his very soul. For the fate of the world lies on;Vanyel’s shoulders, and if he falters, both he and Valdemar will pay the ultimate price. Featuring one of the genre’s first gay male protagonists, this deluxe edition of a classic tale is the perfect gift for returning fans and new readers eager to delve into a foundational piece of fantasy history.

Autorentext

Mercedes Lackey is a full-time writer and has published numerous novels and works of short fiction, including the bestselling Heralds Of Valdemar series. She is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots.

Klappentext

**This  first-of-its-kind deluxe edition collects all three novels in the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed trilogy that established Mercedes Lackey as a master of fantasy and featured one of the genre’s first openly gay male protagonists.

With an elegant new cover in a shimmering metallic finish, designed sprayed edges, a foil case stamp depicting the national crest of Valdemar, and the Vanyel novella "Uncivil Blood," The Last-Herald Mage is the perfect gift for returning fans and new readers eager to delve into a foundational piece of fantasy history.**

Vanyel Ashkevron, the eldest of his brothers, is an utter disappointment to his father. Unlike the rest of the Ashkevron sons and cousins, he has no interest in any of the skills that are vital for a Border estate, such as horse breeding, estate management, or, most crucially, combat. The only thing he has any interest in at all is music: he wants to become a Bard. His father wants the estate Weaponsmaster to beat that nonsense out of him—literally, if necessary. And when the all-too-inevitable broken bones occur, in desperation he sends the youngster to his Aunt Savil at the Heralds’ Collegium at the palace of Valdemar itself, hoping that she can “cure” him.

Instead tragedy awakens his latent magic, and by the time his powers, raw and unmastered, are released on the world, it may already be too late to avoid calamity on a truly devastating scale. 

This is Vanyel’s story: a boy who dreams of making music, he will grow into Valdemar’s greatest-ever Herald-Mage. Along the way Vanyel will confront war and grief, dark magic, and the heaviest loss of all—the loss of his one true love. He must reconcile with his destiny, with his heart, and with his very soul. For the fate of the world lies on Vanyel’s shoulders, and if he falters, both he and Valdemar will pay the ultimate price.

Featuring one of the genre’s first gay male protagonists, this deluxe edition is the perfect gift for readers eager to delve into a foundational piece of fantasy history.