Mercedes Lackey
Science Fiction Book Club Omnibus | Pages: 726 pages Rating: 4.41 | 6649 Users | 120 Reviews
Declare Books Supposing Queen's Own (Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #1–3)
| Original Title: | Queen's Own |
| ISBN: | 0739435248 (ISBN13: 9780739435243) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #1–3, Valdemar (Chronological) #27-29 |
Ilustration As Books Queen's Own (Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #1–3)
Recently, life has thrown me some curveballs, so I decided to re-read a character story that was similar to what I was going through. I found Arrows of the Queen early in life (either junior high or early high school) and loved the story then for almost the same reasons I wanted to read it again now. Also, DAW recently released the trilogy in a single paperback, which rekindled my desire to read the series. I want to be honest here; I usually skip Arrows Flight in my re-read because not much happens. As one of Mercedes Lackey’s earliest writing endeavors, this trilogy suffers in a couple ways. First, the middle book is almost dead space with most of what is described being too drawn out. This really could have been a beefier duology and been a bit better for it. Second, the pacing is just a little off at times. I like getting to know how Court and Collegium work, and I like getting to learn more about Talia’s friendships, but there aren’t quite enough pages devoted to the action sequences. They read as very abrupt. Readers who aren’t accustomed to older styles of writing in the fantasy genre may become frustrated or annoyed by the editing presented in the originals. And, I haven’t had the opportunity to examine the new release to see if the editing was updated at all. However, I think the story of acceptance, bullying, family, and adventure overcome these minor negatives. The reasons why I love this tale are tied to the main character, Talia. As a child, she was raised in a household that didn’t provide love or acceptance for who she was as a person. Then, when she traveled to the capital to become a Herald, she was met with bullies and court intrigue from early on, plus she had to work through her issues of trust, friendship, and communication. Mercedes Lackey shows a great deal of knowledge about the human psyche and emotions. Anyone who wants more LBGTQ, female empowerment, and diversity in their fantasy should check out any of Lackey’s works as she was one of the originals to feature positive reactions and acceptance of what was mostly considered normal (in the worldbuilding) relationships of that nature. Also, who doesn’t love horse gods :)Identify Based On Books Queen's Own (Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #1–3)
| Title | : | Queen's Own (Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #1–3) |
| Author | : | Mercedes Lackey |
| Book Format | : | Science Fiction Book Club Omnibus |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 726 pages |
| Published | : | 2003 by Guild America Books: SFBC (first published 1990) |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Fiction. Young Adult |
Rating Based On Books Queen's Own (Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #1–3)
Ratings: 4.41 From 6649 Users | 120 ReviewsAppraise Based On Books Queen's Own (Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar #1–3)
I am slightly at a loss as to how to rate this trilogy. It was published in 1987 so you have to take that into account and would probably be classed as classic or high fantasy. The first book was extremely twee and I began to wonder if it was young adult. The Good characters were Very Very Good as opposed to the Very Evil characters and this was the standard of characterisation. The plot development was what you would expect in that the Heroine Talia found her feet after trials and tribulations.The Queen's Own series was one of my favourite of Lackey's Valdemar work. I always adored her female characters. I like that some are strong, some are weak, some are sexual, some are not, some are straight, some are gay, and they are all treated as humans. They are treated the same as men are, but with more variation and that's the real appeal of Mercedes' work.
I love this story. It is an honest and at times very sharp coming of age story about a woman who is very familiar. In reading some of the negative reviews I'm struck at the similarity between the the negative reviewer comments and the bullies that torment Talia and the manipulators that try to destroy her professionally. The fact that she manages - mostly - to transcend the family that wants to force her to be a breeder against her will and interests, the bullies that just want to hurt her
These are great books--especially for girls. But I would NEVER let anyone younger then 15 read them. There are a few scenes that, while clean, suggest homosexuality is correct and sex before marriage is acceptable. I disagree wholeheartedly. Other than this, these books are worth the time!!
I must say that I rather enjoyed this book. While it isn't the normal genre that I read, I found myself completely sucked in to Talia's world. This book took me on a long journey through light and dark...or "Sun and Shadows", that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was devastated in book three by what happened to Kris and the horrific ordeal that Talia lived through. I had to walk away for a bit and collect myself before continuing the story. All in all, this was a fantastic book and I thank my best friend
Note: This is my review of the series on a whole, although I also reviewed all the books individually. Read in April of 2020.So, I've been reading the Valdemar series in (mostly, ish) chronological order. I started with the Last Herald-Mage, I'm reading Oath, and have finished the Exile duology and Take a Thief. So, by the time I got to Arrows - which are actually Lackey's first books - I was used to better pacing, characterization, balance in the story, and writing more generally. I wasn't
Valdemar Omnibus: Arrows of the Queen,Arrow's Flight,Arrow's Fall
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