Redoubt (Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles, #4)

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Redoubt (Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles #4)

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 1,006 ratings · 171 reviews

Mags, a young Herald trainee in Haven, the capital city of the kingdom of Valdemar, has talents not commonly found in Herald trainees. Recognizing this, the King's Own Herald decides to train Mags as a spy in order to uncover the secrets of a mysterious new enemy who has taken an interest in Mags himself. Why is the even deeper mystery. The answers can only be found in the...more

Hardcover, 330 pages

Published October 2nd 2012 by DAW Hardcover

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Feb 21, 2013 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: utopian-fantasy, fantasy, reviewed

*happy sigh* This was the best new Valdemar novel in a long, long while. I am shocked & happy. I was so sure that I wasn't going to like this, after all the last two novels in the Collegium Chronicles were painfully bad and while the first one started out well it dropped off sharply as soon as Mags got to Haven. So I made sure I got my copy of Redoubt from Inter Library Loan rather than wasting good money on a sure to be disappointing book. And here I am giving it five stars! Those are five...more *happy sigh* This was the best new Valdemar novel in a long, long while. I am shocked & happy. I was so sure that I wasn't going to like this, after all the last two novels in the Collegium Chronicles were painfully bad and while the first one started out well it dropped off sharply as soon as Mags got to Haven. So I made sure I got my copy of Redoubt from Inter Library Loan rather than wasting good money on a sure to be disappointing book. And here I am giving it five stars! Those are five Mercedes Lackey stars, mind you, I grade her on a generous curve because she has given me so much pleasure in the past even if her books are not quite so good in the present. I LOVE Valdemar, I love her story telling ability and I love her daffy habit of giving us all the minute details of how everything is arranged. You never have to wonder where your next bath or meal is coming from in a Lackey novel, she will figure something out and tell you all about it no matter where the characters might be. The woman has been known to create hot bubble baths in the middle of primaeval forests. When she paused an action scene late in Redoubt to approvingly tell us all how clever the kidnappers were to hide their wagon with a net and some greenery I was bubbling over with affectionate laughter.

The last two Collegium Chronicles books were very lazy, dashed off without enough thought & editing going into them, but this one shows signs of some actual loving care having been paid to it. Lackey actually uses Mags' background as a foundling mine-slave and weaves it into the story, creating something new and interesting for us to read about while keeping the most annoying characters from earlier Collegium books in the background and also bringing in beloved aspects of earlier Valdemar series - there's a firecat! And we get to visit poor old Karse! And *of course* the whole thing is riddled with inconsistencies, Lackey never can seem to decide whether Mags was taken to the mine as an infant or as a three year old, and the structure of the book could have done with one more revision... And yet. This is the most life I've seen in Valdemar for yonks and I'm ready to stand up and cheer. If you are not a long standing fan of Valdemar, please whatever you do, don't read this book. Go and get one of the really *good* Valdemar series to read (I'd suggest Magic's Pawn or By The Sword as good places to start. Or Storm Warning or Owlsflight. It's a sprawling world, there are many doors). However if you, like me, have read all the old Valdemar books many times each do yourself a favor, try to forget how many times you have been burned by subpar Lackey books in the recent past & give this one a go. I know I'm going to buy myself a copy as soon as it comes out on Audible. (less)

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Nov 18, 2012 Rosemarie Herbert rated it 2 of 5 stars

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

Please note: someone has said this review contains spoilers. I have covered some major broad plot points in my review, but if you have read the other books in the series, these shouldn't be a problem.

Mags is still kirball-mad and looking for knowledge about his family history. He seems content with the life he has though, and the work he does for...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Erika rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1st-read-dec-2012, cheese, fantasy, collection-of-stories

I was happy to have Mags' story continued and that we got closer to the mystery of his past, but I think Lackey should slow down on her publishing schedule, invest in a storyboard software and reread the Valdemar Companion before writing more of the series.

Like many of my fellow reviewers, I felt that the first half seemed like fluff and directionless free writing that could have been edited out or shortened down. The second half is almost close to her old stuff, but the ending is rushed and doe...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Rena McGee rated it 2 of 5 stars

Redoubt, book four of The Collegium Chronicles has a slow beginning and does not do very much to clear up the mysteries surrounding Mags’ parentage even though a great deal of the plot was centered on it. A great deal of the book is focused on variations of kirball, Mags’ apprenticeship as an undercover agent and his friends’ romantic difficulties and family problems. Then we get some foreshadowing in the form of someone telling Mags that the severe abuse Mags suffered as a child toughened him u...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Kaylan rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm not going to lie; this grouping of books has disappointed me overall. It started off pretty strong with Foundation, and then it feels like things are just being stretched out for no reason at this point. The plot creeps forward at a minuscule pace, and there DEFINITELY will be another book coming after this one. But 5 isn't a good number for a set of books, so I imagine we're actually in for a 6th as well.

I feel as if this book was unfinished. Like she was writing and went, "oops! We wanted...more

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Jan 12, 2013 WillowBe rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-big-secret-hovers-in-the-backgrou

This was more of a stepping stone book than a fully-developed story contributing to the arc. Mags makes one important emotional discovery and one emotional resolution. The first third is simply filler. The rest is just like other ML books where we are privy to the minutia of the character"s thoughts. You live their life with them. While I like Mags, he's a character of rather simple thoughts and wants. He is irrevocably marked by his time as a slavey, at least for now. He has complex emotions bu...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Kathy Davie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Fourth in the Collegium Chronicles, a sub-series in the overall Valdemar series for young adults. This particular subset revolves around the Herald-Trainee Mags and his Companion Dallen.

My Take
Oooh, we delve a bit further into Mags' mysterious background! I must say, Lackey had me worried toward the end of Changes .

Story-wise, the first half was more of a day-in-the-life of Mags and his friends. It's actually more interesting than I've made it sound as it includes Bear and Lena's new adventures...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Kathy Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This fourth book of the Collegium Chronicles starts out as one sort of book and then turns into something else. When the story begins, Mags and the rest of Haven are preparing for the wedding of Crown Prince Sedric and his bride Lydia. So the story begins with a romance that turns other characters' thoughts to romance too. Mags questions the consequences of his feelings for his mentor's daughter Amily and Bear and Lena run off to get married which solves some major problems for both of them that...more This fourth book of the Collegium Chronicles starts out as one sort of book and then turns into something else. When the story begins, Mags and the rest of Haven are preparing for the wedding of Crown Prince Sedric and his bride Lydia. So the story begins with a romance that turns other characters' thoughts to romance too. Mags questions the consequences of his feelings for his mentor's daughter Amily and Bear and Lena run off to get married which solves some major problems for both of them that were begun in earlier books in this series. It was a good story about growing up and forming adult relationships. But there was more...

We also get to see Mags playing his beloved game of Kirball and learning in every situation not excluding watching rope walkers entertain at the wedding. Mags is constantly observing everything which is a large part of why he is being trained by the King's Own to be a spy. But the one thing that he is willing to overlook is the mystery of his own beginnings. He has done some research and learned that his parents where well-dressed foreigners who died when he was two or three. He has come to a dead end in his search to learn more.

It looks like they mystery is coming to him when he is kidnapped, drugged and dragged into Karse by the same assassins who have been attempting to kill or kidnap other Valdemarans and who have attempted to kidnap him before.

The sections of the story where he is experiencing drugged hallucinations about the terrible time he spent as a small child in the mines were very moving. (As was the description of his life there that he was finally able to share with his mentor Nikolas and a Healer.) Gradually, he gains control of his mind and manages to escape his captors in a raging thunderstorm.

Then we have a survival story of a young man who isn't trained in wilderness survival and has few assets but who has a strong will and desire to survive and return home. After being attacked by demons, Mags is rescued by a hermit Karsite priest and his suncat. He learns that life isn't good for anyone is Karse because of the abuse of the black robed priests who control the demons. He is recaptured, drugged again by the assassins, and gets some information about his past that he will still need to sort out since it came as a series of drug-induced visions.

Beginning with romance and ending with heart-pounding danger, REDOUBT moves the story of Mags along. I look forward to more volumes so that more of the mysteries will be solved.
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Dec 22, 2012 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-series

This is the continuation of a series, and since I hadn't reread the previous Collegium books before picking up this one, I was a bit lost. Most of the plot points had enough background written in that made it OK to follow, but some of the more minor parts were confusing. (Mags plays a team game called Kirball. Early on in the book there is a big Kirball game, preceded by a team meeting to discuss strategy - this totally lost me - why is there both a ball and a flag? Who are the Foot? Who are the...more

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Nov 15, 2012 E. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

4 1/2 stars
This wonderful fantasy world has been one of my favorite places to ‘visit’ for quite a few years. I have enjoyed this particular series although I haven’t been mesmerized by the tales the way I was by some of the other Valdemar stories. I was delighted to discover that this particular tale was much more to my tastes even though it started a bit slow while it provided a comfortable and enjoyable insight into some of the rituals of Valdemar. There are minor developments that move the st...more 4 1/2 stars
This wonderful fantasy world has been one of my favorite places to ‘visit’ for quite a few years. I have enjoyed this particular series although I haven’t been mesmerized by the tales the way I was by some of the other Valdemar stories. I was delighted to discover that this particular tale was much more to my tastes even though it started a bit slow while it provided a comfortable and enjoyable insight into some of the rituals of Valdemar. There are minor developments that move the story along but the action really starts heating up about halfway into the book and it was a welcome development to encounter one of my favorite ‘foreign’ beings in the form of an entity named Reaylis. The horrific environment that helped shape Mags into the self-reliant person he became is described in chilling detail even as the mystery of his background is starting to be revealed in greater detail. This was a wonderful amalgam of fantasy and character study and, although it could be read as a stand-alone, it probably would be best to read the other volumes in the series.

“Redoubt” by Mercedes Lackey is book four of ‘The Collegium Chronicles’ series which continues to follow the adventures of Mags who is a Herald Trainee who continues to be guided by his Companion Dallen and juggles his studies with his obligations to his mentor, the King’s Own, Nikolas. Mags still is working through his feelings for Nikolas’ daughter, Amily, who is struggling to establish her own identity, especially after the results of the procedure that the Healer Trainee known as Bear changed her life so dramatically. Mags had a horrific childhood which taught him how to survive and, given his propensity for investigation and his unconventional training, he is going to need. Unexpected developments involving the Kingdom of Karse and Vkandis and one of his Suncats embroil Mags in a far greater struggle than he is quite prepared for and his history is going to be far more significant than he ever dreamed.

submitted to Night Owl Reviews(less)

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Nov 02, 2012 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars

As a longtime Valdemar fan and one who's enjoyed the Collegium Chronicles series, I picked up this book a month or so ago. I've also reread quite a few of the Valdemar series recently, including the Arrows, Winds, Storms, Owl, and Magics trilogies, so I've had a lot of refresher on canon lately.

While this book was enjoyable, and I liked how Mags is continuing to grow and learn especially with regards to his undercover work, the series has turned away from the "founding of the Collegium" goal tha...more

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Oct 06, 2012 yann Devraux rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fair warning first - this review will contain mild spoilers.

So, finally misty is getting back in the swing. This book, while certainly not her best work so far, is as good as, and better than some other velgarath/valdemar novels written.
We seem to have FINALLY, closed up the trite and annoying Bear/Lena subplot.
We learn Mags birth name which I'm in two minds about - on the one hand, I can't help feel satisfied that one of the mysteries has been solved, but on the other hand, the character does...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mags is back. Mags has survived the mines, assassination and kidnap attempts and is stronger for it. He has come a long way from the scrawny miner kid that Companion Dallen found. Between saving the Kings Own’s daughter Amily, being a kirball hero and his association with Healer Bear and of course working with the Kings Own Nikolas Mags is starting to find his place at the Collegium. But his past is still a mystery. Still things are going well for Mags when he is hit over the head and kidnapped....more

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Mar 12, 2013 Kira Yeversky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This was definitely better than the previous book in the series, but it still leaves things hanging in a way that makes me think there is a fifth book on the horizon. The conclusion is a little more satisfying and less rushed than in the previous book. I still wouldn't recommend anyone read this series unless they have read other work by this author first (By the Sword, Arrows of the Queen and its sequels, Winds of Fate and its sequels...there are plenty of trilogies set in this same world with...more This was definitely better than the previous book in the series, but it still leaves things hanging in a way that makes me think there is a fifth book on the horizon. The conclusion is a little more satisfying and less rushed than in the previous book. I still wouldn't recommend anyone read this series unless they have read other work by this author first (By the Sword, Arrows of the Queen and its sequels, Winds of Fate and its sequels...there are plenty of trilogies set in this same world with overlapping characters, and a number of other series like the Elemental Masters or Five Hundred Kingdoms, so take your pick). I feel bad telling people not to start with this one because I love Mags as a character, but the middle two books were pretty rough.

One of the things that I've seen unfortunately often in Lackey's recent books is a lack of refinement. I appreciate how fast her books come out (and how many different series she has), but I wouldn't mind waiting longer to read a more polished product. One of my biggest pet peeves (and I've complained about this before) is characters' names should be written consistently. There wasn't any blatant name-changing this time, (see my review of Home From the Sea for the Siarl/Niarl fiasco) but at this point in the series, someone besides me should be noticing when one of the main characters' names is written "Dalen" instead of "Dallen". In fact, I shouldn't be noticing because it should have been fixed before this was published. I don't think this is necessarily the author's fault, but since things like this keep happening in her books I am losing respect for her editor.

On a final critical note, the title of this book makes no sense. I looked it up, and "Redoubt" is a word for a fortification or defensive structure. It doesn't seem to connect to the book or the previous titles in the series, which don't have much to do with each other anyway but at least sounded all right together. Foundation, Intrigues, Changes, Redoubt...they just don't seem to fit.

With all of that off my chest, I did appreciate this book. It wrapped up some things (the Bear and Lena subplot was well done) and opened up some others. (view spoiler) I am looking forward to the next one (if there is going to be a next one) with much more enthusiasm than I had before I read this.

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Oct 18, 2012 Jeffrey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2012

Redoubt, Mercedes Lackey's 4th book in her Collegium Chronicles seems to me to be merely half a book, the second half.

True, there is a first half of the book, but it feels like a mixup of many other Valdemar books. Its got a little wedding ceremony, a mixed battle game, and a little intrigue, plus dining and a small confrontation with Bear and his father. Maybe you can eat this up, if you are a true Valdemar fan. Me, not so much. I skimmed.

The real substance of the story, and the reason to read...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

I am a HUGE Mercedes Lackey fan and am rereading most of the Valdemar series for the fourth of fifth time. This is my first time through the Collegium Chronicles since they are the newest.

Books 1 through 3 had promise. I got to this book and thought that Mercedes Lackey's statements about being a more prolific writer that Issac Asimov have been fulfilled in more ways than one: his books lack continuity through the book and are often left unfinished.

This book starts off as one thing, abruptly st...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Dorian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't like this installment of the series as much as I did "Foundation" or "Changes", but it definitely beat "Intrigues", which remains my least favourite volume by a long way.

In this one Mags gets to spend more time with Amily, being sweet (they really are a rather cute couple). Bear and Lena shock everyone, and Bear's father makes a drastic mistake. Mags also spends time down at the pawnshop...and it's when he's leaving there one night that things go a bit wrong.

I really didn't like how the...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Samy Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone

Recommended to Samy by: I was waiting for this book to come out.

Shelves: outstanding

What a pleasure to read this book. The first half is more "homey," developing the individual characters. Then come the runs across the rooftops and the deaf-mute persona that Mags adopts to help Nicholas. Just as I enjoyed Lena and Bear finding a "solution" to their problems, seeing Bear become braver, and thought the book would go quietly on about character development, I am off following an action confusing and totally unexpected.

I finished the Kindle version today so I may well come back afte...more What a pleasure to read this book. The first half is more "homey," developing the individual characters. Then come the runs across the rooftops and the deaf-mute persona that Mags adopts to help Nicholas. Just as I enjoyed Lena and Bear finding a "solution" to their problems, seeing Bear become braver, and thought the book would go quietly on about character development, I am off following an action confusing and totally unexpected.

I finished the Kindle version today so I may well come back after thinking more. I was immensely happy to see the suncat - I remember his kind with great amusement from another series. After all, "he is a cat." I'm glad to see another one get onto the pages.

The author drags you back into the past as a drugging sees Mags relieve parts of his earlier and unhappy life. I remember reading those parts the first time and appreciate seeing them this time from the future, knowing Mags would survive.

Finally, at the risk of losing everything he is as he knows himself, Mags learns about his background. But what he learns answers only some questions while creating new challenges to learning about the people and culture he was born into.

Best of all, Lackey is back with pages of philosophy on religions going "bad," power-crazy and anything but good for the people. I marked a number of sections on this topic, as I am so very impressed with her explanations. They fit the religions of today so very well. Explaining how religions based on peaceful people have been turned into reasons for war and terrible evils. Thanks again to her for reminding me. I'm going to work it up in my mind a bit and quote her on my Facebook page, Twitter and in many emails to friends who do not have Facebook.

As usual, the writing is smooth, competent and flows easily from area to area. I especially liked suddenly finding myself trying to find out, along with Mags, how he was suddenly waking to being drugged and trussed up. Good job of creating a puzzle right there.

We learn why Karse is as it is, controled by priests using demons to terrorize people, and destroying anyone found with a talent, a gift.

What a special treat Mercedes Lackey books are.
:)
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Oct 13, 2012 Cris rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, valdemar

Eh. A quick and easy read as has become usual with Lackey. Reading Redoubt was fairly pleasant, but after finishing the book I don't satisfied. Nothing really happened. Lackey did manage some funny lines (view spoiler)

My biggest objection to the book is that The Collegium Chronicles takes place before many of Lackey's other Valdemar series. And Mags & Valdemar find ou...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Hilari Bell rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series—and most of her other series as well. And while this isn’t the best book she’s ever written, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It gets off to a bit of a slow start, with mostly “daily-life” stuff in the beginning. But this is common with Mercedes Lackey books, and her characters’ day to day struggles are interesting enough to keep me reading till the exciting part kicks in. And in Redoubt, the exciting part is plenty exciting! I also appreciate the fact that Mags...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Annette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

As did its predecessor in the "Collegium" series, "Redoubt" started off Very slowly, with pages and pages devoted to a royal wedding, a Kirball game, and other minutia. Finally, about half-way through, things start to happen when Mags is unexpectedly kidnapped and dragged all the way to Karse by his unintelligible captors. After some frightening flash-backs, a couple of daring escapes, help from a highly unexpected ally, and (finally) some real answers as to Mags' origin, and I finished the book...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

A quicker read than the previous 3 in the series. There was a brief mention of giving some of the chores to the students (as we see done in Talia's time), so that's been settled. The beginning was a trifle slow but picked up rapidly and Mags is much closer to learning where he came from as well as the assassins/kidnappers from the last book. Poor kid goes through enough and it puts Talia & Vanyel's lives to shame in a lot of ways!

Without giving anything away, I'm wondering where their land i...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Scott rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book is fairly evenly divided into halves. The first half rambles on for a while and doesn't really go anywhere. Yes, it resolves the whole Bear-and-his-parents situation in an amusing way. But it spends 3+ pages describing a tightrope walking act for no apparent reason. Stuff like that.

Then, you turn a page and it's a different book entirely. Suddenly Mags is in the back of a wagon and it is entirely unclear as to why or how this happened. And we never hear from anyone at the Collegium ag...more

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May 07, 2013 Kathleen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, fantasy

Blah. Started slow, had a lot of pointless events, then hit us with a lot of Plot all at once. I might have liked it had the plot turned out to explain anything at all, but instead we just got more freaking questions.

EXPLAIN, LACKEY. EXPLAIN.

Still, Mags remains fun, even if I still want to punch him when he gets all holier-than-thou about having gone through shit and therefore everyone else's suffering is moot. Bear and Lena getting married and dealing with Bear's father was kind of the best thi...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Debbie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: comfort, fantasy, guilty_pleasure, 2013

I admit it - I read Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series even when I think she's just spinning her wheels. There's something about the world that draws me in. Lackey seems to be writing the same story over and over again (poor, abused child is rescued and made whole by magic animal), but, again, you know, it's like watching Bond movies or Star Trek - you know what to expect. I think that the past four books in the "Collegium Chronicles" could have been condensed into two without sacrificing much, i...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Owlcat Mountain added it

I don't use star ratings, so please read the review!

I’ve been reading the Valdemar novels since my college roommate shoved the first book at me and said “You have to read this because you’re Talia.” She was right—one of my husband’s friends even calls me “Talia” on occasion. I’ve kept up with the series ever since, but I have to admit that it’s not as well-written as it used to be. Redoubt is full of the little details that make Lackey’s Valdemar books enjoyable, but it suffers from a lack of pl...more I don't use star ratings, so please read the review!

I’ve been reading the Valdemar novels since my college roommate shoved the first book at me and said “You have to read this because you’re Talia.” She was right—one of my husband’s friends even calls me “Talia” on occasion. I’ve kept up with the series ever since, but I have to admit that it’s not as well-written as it used to be. Redoubt is full of the little details that make Lackey’s Valdemar books enjoyable, but it suffers from a lack of plot.

(Description nicked from B&N.com.)

“Mags, a young Herald trainee in Haven, the capital city of the kingdom of Valdemar, has talents not commonly found in Herald trainees. Recognizing this, the King's Own Herald decides to train Mags as a spy in order to uncover the secrets of a mysterious new enemy who has taken an interest in Mags himself. Why is the even deeper mystery. The answers can only be found in the most unexpected corners of Mags' past...assuming he can live long enough to find them.”

I have to thank Misty for one very important thing: the atrocious dialect that Mags spoke with during the first three novels has been almost completely removed. Only vestiges of it remain, and it’s nowhere near as difficult to read as before. That did a lot towards making the novel more readable from a technical standpoint.

Unfortunately, this novel—and the series in general—still suffers from an extreme lack of direction. In fact, you can get the almost the entire plot for the novel from reading the dust jacket. The book’s first half is taken up with following the characters as they practice diplomacy and Herald-like skills, resolve personal conflicts, and of course play Kirball (the made-up sport that bears a strong resemblance to Quidditch). There’s no real plot movement until halfway through the story, when Mags gets kidnapped. By the end of the book, you still have no idea why he’s been kidnapped or what his heritage actually is, and so the episode accomplishes nothing.

This series was billed as being about the time during which Heralds went from a one-on-one mentoring system to the classroom and circuit-riding based system that is seen in “present-day” Valdemar. This is true, the series is indeed set during this time; however, the story has nothing to do with that transition. What I always liked about previous installments in the Valdemar story was that the plots always had some wider impact on the country as a whole. I just don’t see that in this book or this particular series.

There are a few nice moments that hearken back to vintage Valdemar. The best of these involves Bear, the healer who defied his family to follow his passion for herbalism. He gets some nice revenge on his father during a heated confrontation. A book can’t ride on the strength of a couple of interesting bits, though, and so these scenes don’t do much to save this novel.

It’s weird, but I kind of liked the first half of the novel, where readers hang around the Collegium and Palace in familiar situations, better than the supposed plot section. I’ve found that I just don’t care about the plot, because it’s too thin and unsupported to hold my attention. But I’ve also found that any excuse to revisit the Heralds can be the literary equivalent of “comfort food”. It may not satisfy, but it’s warm and familiar.

Fans of the Heralds may find something to like in this novel—I certainly found pieces that I enjoyed—but overall, this series is not living up the author’s reputation as an entertaining and skilled writer. Redoubt is another lackluster entry into a series that adds nothing to the Valdemar mythos.

This review originally appeared on Owlcat Mountain on January 22, 2013.(less)

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Mar 08, 2013 Barbara rated it 2 of 5 stars

This series is just going down hill with every new book. Unfortunately it looks like Mercedes Lackey has finally succumbed to the temptation to sacrifice quality for quantity. This series should have ended with book 3. There just isn't enough material to stretch it out to (at least) 5 books. Normally I would just enjoy another trip to Valdamar, but after the first 2 books there was very little added that I hadn't seen before. Fortunately I am still enjoying some of her other series - I did like...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Ranting Dragon rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: janea

http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

Mercedes Lackey is one of the most prolific authors I know of, and I can’t think of anyone who comes even close to her publication schedule in the fantasy genre. She’s best known for her Heralds of Valdemar series, and Redoubt is her latest release for The Collegium Chronicles, set in Valdemar.

Warning: I’m assuming at this point that you’ve read at least one book set in Valdemar for the purposes of this review. If you haven’t, I would recommend that you go...more http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...

Mercedes Lackey is one of the most prolific authors I know of, and I can’t think of anyone who comes even close to her publication schedule in the fantasy genre. She’s best known for her Heralds of Valdemar series, and Redoubt is her latest release for The Collegium Chronicles, set in Valdemar.

Warning: I’m assuming at this point that you’ve read at least one book set in Valdemar for the purposes of this review. If you haven’t, I would recommend that you go read just about any other Valdemar book before this one, as there’s a lot of worldbuilding that Lackey assumes you’re already familiar with; she does not waste her time or yours rehashing it.

Where’s the plot?
I’m not even going to attempt to give you a plot summary for this book. I was a little confused when I read the publisher summary, as it was nothing but a review of the previous three books in The Collegium Chronicles. When I started writing this review, I realized that this may be the only way to introduce the book, because of how the book is set up.

The book opens with a lovely royal wedding and a reintroduction of Mags (the protagonist) and his friends and mentors. And then the book slumps almost immediately because there is no conflict directly involving Mags, only Lackey having fun in the world she loves best. Now, Valdemar happens to be one of my favorite made-up worlds, so I gamely read along. Right in the middle of the book, out of literally nowhere, suddenly Mags finds a conflict and the story picks up. But it’s now literally the middle of the book. So this tension and conflict has half the normal time to resolve, making Redoubt feel more like two stitched together novellas than a single, whole, cohesive novel. These pacing and plot issues really killed the book for me.

There were good things, I swear!
Redoubt does do a few things well. First, it’s not often than an author lets a protagonist step aside in such a believable manner for the secondary characters to really shine through. What little conflict there is in the first half of the novel revolves around one of Mags’ friends, the Healer Trainee Bear. Lackey is a master at characterization, so it’s nice to see her flex her muscles detailing characters that other authors would leave in broader brushstrokes. Lackey also takes us deeper into Mags’ head, particularly in dealing with his past before he was Chosen. Mags is the most abused and emotionally crippled character that Lackey has ever written—and considering some of her other characters, that’s saying something. I can do nothing but applaud Lackey’s skill as she believably guides Mags through the process of building himself out of nothing piece by piece.

Why you should read this book
I love The Heralds of Valdemar. It was one of the first fantasy series I ever read, and I’ve read every single book in the series at least once. That being said, I read Redoubt because of the series, not because there was anything special about it. After reading it, that’s about all I can still say. I’m hoping that in the future, The Collegium Chronicles will really pick up and become something special in and of itself, but I’m not convinced so far. If you also love Valdemar and are looking for a quick read, Redoubt fits the bill; but if you’re looking for Lackey at her best, I’m afraid you’ll have to content yourself with her earlier works.
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Oct 23, 2012 Elewood rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I adore anything Valdemar. The whole world Lackey created feels like a second home to me, I'm so glad she created it for us. This is the fourth in the Collegium Chronicles, again following trainee Mags. The story felt choppy, which is intended for parts of it, but I didn't feel the usual polish on the overall story with this one. The beginning of the book takes up pretty much where the last book left off, then about three quarters of the way through Mags is kidnapped and finds himself in Karse....more

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Nov 24, 2012 V. Briceland rated it 1 of 5 stars

I am afraid that in my less-than-enthusiastic review of Changes: Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles #3—the prequel to the volume Redoubt: Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles #4, I was sternly taken to task by a defender of Mercedes Lackey. The reader took umbrage at the fact that I compared Lackey's invented game of Kirball to the invented game of Quidditch in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Actually, in my ignorance, I called it a 'blatant Quidditch ripoff.'

Did I say taken to task? Nay! I was upbra...more I am afraid that in my less-than-enthusiastic review of Changes: Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles #3—the prequel to the volume Redoubt: Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles #4, I was sternly taken to task by a defender of Mercedes Lackey. The reader took umbrage at the fact that I compared Lackey's invented game of Kirball to the invented game of Quidditch in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Actually, in my ignorance, I called it a 'blatant Quidditch ripoff.'

Did I say taken to task? Nay! I was upbraided, chided, and roundly scolded for daring to compare the two!

It seemed to me that the endless Kirball passages that have been bloating the Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles series more and more had some definite parallels to the sport Rowling invented. A casual reader might understand my error. After all, the Harry Potter books are about an outcast teenaged youth discovering magical powers he never knew he had at a school for wizards, just as the Collegium Chronicles are about an outcast teenaged youth exploring his own newly-discovered magical capabilities at a school for mystics. Both series feature a violent and overcomplicated school sport involving balls and goals that take up entirely too many chapters across too many books. I would also posit that in both cases, nobody among the readership really gives a rip which house team wins any of these games, but that might be going a Snitch too far.

You can understand my confusion in assuming that Kirball, the later-on-arrival of the two, might have been inspired by Quidditch. Kind of in the same degree that hundreds of student papers appearing before college honor courts on plagiarism charges across the country have been 'inspired by' uncited Wikipedia articles.

But no. My chastiser laid my doubts to rest by pointing out that Kirball has a single goal and a single ball, while Quidditch has four balls and three goals. Obviously the two are nothing alike whatsoever.

Any gripes I had about the previous book—its sluggish pacing, its horrendous appropriation of bad dialect, and the endless and dull Kirball passages—are thus rendered moot by my ignorance. I stand corrected, and must beg any reader's pardon for putting them off reading Ms. Lackey's godawful prose through my egregious errors in comparative imaginary recreational exercises at training facilities for the fictionally occult-inclined. Mea culpa.

(P.S. As for this book, there are fifty pages of actual action at the end that in no way justify the two hundred pages of pure crap and Kirball I had to slog through to get there.)(less)

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About Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts &...more Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.

"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as `my job.' My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of `story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the `folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.

"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't `not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a `high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL [`There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the `evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.

"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:

"There's no such thing as `one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."

Also known as Misty Lackey.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/merced...(less)

More about Mercedes Lackey...

Books by Mercedes Lackey

Arrows of the Queen (Heralds of Valdemar, #1)

Magic's Pawn (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage, #1)

Magic's Price (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage, #3)

Magic's Promise (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage, #2)

More…

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Redoubt (Valdemar: Collegium Chronicles #4)

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