This is a Review of "Finding the Way: and Other Stories of Valdemar". Edited by Mercedes Lackey. This review is based on an ARC. "Finding the Way" was released in December. Chapters Canada has it listed at $9.99.
Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books are the reader's equivalent of coming home after a long day; putting on your pj's and eating cereal for dinner. It's simple and sometimes intensely comforting. As a reader, the structure of a Valdemar book is highly predictable and that is part of their appeal.
So, this book of short stories is a great way to shake things up. Mercedes Lackey has offered the world of Valdemar to a roster of terrific writers. The short story format means that the stories can't follow a typical Valdemar book arc. Instead the writers have picked peripheral characters from a variety of Valdemar books and used them as their story material. This really works. We get some fresh looks at the world of Valdemar and some great writing into the bargain.
A book like this is bound to introduce you to some authors that are new to you. In particular, I really enjoyed the story "Heart's Choice" by Kate Paulk. Who is, apparently, a very new author. I'm certainly going to keep an eye out for her in future.
I'm not sure how well these stories would work for someone who hasn't read the Valdemar series, since they do assume background knowledge. But if you like this world of Heralds and Companions, you are bound to enjoy this book.
Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar edited by Mercedes Lackey
# Paperback: 352 pages
# Publisher: DAW; Original edition (December 7, 2010)
# ISBN-10: 0756406331
# ISBN-13: 978-0756406332
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