Mercedes Lackey Books

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Mercedes Lackey, who also composes filk music and had a stint rehabilitating raptors, is a sexagenarian American author. She is famed for her many series and sub-series, trilogies, standalone books, short stories, and other co-authored literary work. Her most notable and much sought-after work is called the Valdemar series, especially the Heralds of Valdemar sub-series.

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Talia Sensedaughter is the featured protagonist in the “Heralds of Valdemar” sub-series of books authored by Mercedes Lackey. The first book portraying Talia Sensedaughter was published in mid-1987 titled Arrows of the Queen, and the sub-series of novels are shelved as speculative fiction genre (specifically fantasy literature).

For starters, Talia Sensedaughter is a Herald of the Valdemar’s queen. Incidentally, a Herald is a high-profile profession and Valdemar is the fictitious nation of planet Velgath; they form the basis of the books by Mercedes Lackey. The launch pad of the mini-series is Talia, who is an escapee and has now been offered a job relating to royal affairs.

The first book in the sub-series, Arrows of the Queen, starts by revisiting how Talia, a youthful escapee, saved a well-known Companion (a horse-like magical creature). Her commendable action earns her a job wherein she is made one of the Heralds.

By and by, Talia chances upon a coup plan and this sparks her quest for cushioning the queen. The ensuing plot will whet your appetite for more of her books, and made Mercedes Lackey one of the contestants for the Locus Poll Awards (1988) in the Best First Novel category.

Mercedes Lackey Awards

Mercedes Lackey has won prestigious awards and been nominated for other awards which transcend her literary work. In the years 1988, 1989, and 2005, Mercedes Lackey clinched the film music-centric Pegasus Award five times, thanks to her music career.

Closer home, the following the literary awards where she has been a nominee or won. In 1988, her 1987 book titled Arrows of the Queen was nominated for the Locus Award in the Best First Novel category. In 1989, her pro-LGBT 1989 novel titled Magic’s Pawn was a nominee for the Lambda Literary Awards in the LGBT Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror category; In 1990, Lackey’s 1990 novel named Magic’s Prince won this award.

In 1991, the novel titled The Elverbane won in the Book of the Year Award category of The Science Fiction Book Club (SFBC). In 1993, Winds of Change, a novel which she penned in 1992, was nominated for the Locus Award in the Best Fantasy Novel grouping. In 1994, Mercedes Lackey was nominated twice. First, her 1993 novel titled The Robin & the Kestrel was nominated for the Locus Award in the Best Fantasy Novel category. Secondly, her 1994 book named Storm Warning was nominated for the Lambda Literary Awards in the Science Fiction or Fantasy category. Similarly, her 1994 book titled The Black Gryphon was nominated for the SFBC (1994) award in the Book of the Year category.

Also nominated for the Locus Award (1995), in the Best Dark Fantasy/Horror Novel category, is the 1994 novel titled Sacred Ground and authored by Mercedes Lackey. Her 1995 novel titled The White Gryphon was nominated for the SFBC awards in 1995. Elvenblood, which she published in 1995, was nominated for the SFBC (1995) in the Book of the Year category. Storm Rising, produced in 1995, was nominated for the Locus Award (1996) in the Best Fantasy Novel group. Mercedes Lackey published a novel in 1996, called Firebird, and it was also nominated for the said award in 1996.

Best Mercedes Books

Many of the books authored by Mercedes Lackey are bestsellers by their own right. The following is a description of her best books by virtue of being nominated for or clinching coveted literary awards. Arguably, Storm Warning, which is the third in the Mage Storms series, is the best book. It is about the war-ravaged Valdemar kingdom in the run-up to a looming war with another kingdom, albeit one with magic superiority.

Hard on the heels of that best book by Mercedes Lackey is The Elvenbane, albeit co-authored. This book is the first one in the Halfblood Chronicles series. It revolves around Shana, a female crossbreed, who has been saved and reared by hitherto unknown dragons. Shana is a manifestation of a prophecy-come-true and makes the Elvenlord people jittery.

Other Book Series You May Like

Avid readers of books crafted by Mercedes Lackey also found the following books interesting. The first one Tanya Huff‘s series called Quarters. This is about Bannon and Vree, two siblings-cum-assassins, whose assassination mission is ill-fated. Their target is a master of magic and greatly inconveniences them when he mysteriously takes Bannon’s physical form, leaving them to share Vree’s body.

Another worthy series is called Sword and Sorceress, written by Marion Zimmer Bradley. This one is about courageous, gifted, and daring females with masterly knowledge of using swords and magic, and trumping in a world fraught with dangers.

When Does The Next Mercedes Lackey book come out?

The next book by Mercedes Lackey is Gryphon’s Valor and will be released on June, 25th 2024. It is the newest book in the Kelvren's Saga Series.

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