New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mercedes Lackey presents three exciting short urban fantasy novels featuring three r...
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Feb 08, 2011
Julia
rated it: 
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
Mercedes Lackey is an author responsible for a number of my firsts. Diana Tregarde was probably the first the urban fantasy series I ever read, and she mixed magic with police interceptors much to my delight. I also know for a fact that Jennifer Talldeer, in SACRED GROUND, was the first character I ever read who used a condom in a love scene (a realistic, compelling, touch). Both Diana and Jennie have new stories in TRIO OF SORCERY, as w More...
Mercedes Lackey is an author responsible for a number of my firsts. Diana Tregarde was probably the first the urban fantasy series I ever read, and she mixed magic with police interceptors much to my delight. I also know for a fact that Jennifer Talldeer, in SACRED GROUND, was the first character I ever read who used a condom in a love scene (a realistic, compelling, touch). Both Diana and Jennie have new stories in TRIO OF SORCERY, as w More...
May 05, 2011
Amber
rated it: 
I used to read a lot of Mercedes Lackey, particularly her Valdemar series. I got away from reading her because I just wasn't finding her writing exciting any more. But when I heard about this book, I immediately put it on my request list from the library. Trio of Sorcery brought back one of my favorite non-Valdemar characters, Diana Tregarde. Di is a Guardian of magic, charged with making sure that those who have been wronged by magic have a champion on their side. And she does this while b
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Jun 22, 2011
Book Chick City
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Reviewed by Jo for Book Chick City.
Containing three novellas, two of which feature established characters of Lackey’s.
Arcanum 101 – Featuring Diana Tregarde
Having never read the Diana Tregarde series, I was worried I would have to know all the details but I was happy to see this was a prequel, and it’s a good introduction to the series. Set in 1970 at Harvard, Diana helps to investigate a kidnapping, which involves a ‘psychic’ who is hindering the case, rather than More...
Containing three novellas, two of which feature established characters of Lackey’s.
Arcanum 101 – Featuring Diana Tregarde
Having never read the Diana Tregarde series, I was worried I would have to know all the details but I was happy to see this was a prequel, and it’s a good introduction to the series. Set in 1970 at Harvard, Diana helps to investigate a kidnapping, which involves a ‘psychic’ who is hindering the case, rather than More...
Mar 09, 2011
Shells
rated it:
Trio of Sorcery three new tales by Mercedes Lackey. Two of the stories brings back two characters, Diana Tregarde from the Diana Tregarde series in Arcanum 101 and Jennifer Talldeer from Sacred Ground in Drums. Plus there is a new story called Ghost in the Machine.
The first story Arcanum 101, brings back witch and guardian, Diana Tregarde, in the 70's Harvard days. Diana discovers her life as a college student and guardian can be rough and at times lonely. She comes across a cop who se More...
The first story Arcanum 101, brings back witch and guardian, Diana Tregarde, in the 70's Harvard days. Diana discovers her life as a college student and guardian can be rough and at times lonely. She comes across a cop who se More...
Oct 05, 2011
Bronwyn
rated it:
Trio of sorcery consists of three stories, the first is a story, Arcanum 101 is about Diana Tregarde, a guardian. I was a little disappointed as I was expecting a story that follows on from the series I have read about Diana, instead, this is the story of freshly independent Diana, starting studying at Harvard, meeting the neighbours in the apartment block, and solving the disappearance of a missing girl. Lucky for her, the guys upstairs are willing to believe in the paranormal when confronted
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Nov 16, 2010
Sheila
rated it:
This book contains three supernatural-mystery novellas, all of them excellent. The first, "Arcanum 101," features Guardian of the Earth Diana Tregarde, who was first introduced about 20 years ago in the dark-fantasy novels Children of the Night, Burning Water and Jinx High. This short novel is a prequel, set in 1970 at Harvard, where Diana is a freshman and must track down an evil psychic, who may or may not be the real thing.
The second, "Drums," set in 1995, featur More...
The second, "Drums," set in 1995, featur More...
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Jan 17, 2011
M—
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The stories where Lackey dusted off some of her old characters were fun, but the single original tale in this book was barely worth reading.
Arcanum 101 (a Diana Tregarde story) -- Flawed and sappy. Much ado re set in 1970s. Diana's interactions with the police and other adults strike me as ludicrous, as do her balance of 'work' with school.
Drums (a Jennifer Talldeer story) -- Quite interesting especially for the Native American folklore, which I love reading about whereve More...
Arcanum 101 (a Diana Tregarde story) -- Flawed and sappy. Much ado re set in 1970s. Diana's interactions with the police and other adults strike me as ludicrous, as do her balance of 'work' with school.
Drums (a Jennifer Talldeer story) -- Quite interesting especially for the Native American folklore, which I love reading about whereve More...
Jan 26, 2012
Maria
rated it: 
I love the Diane Tregarde series, but this first short story in the trio was hard work to read. It's a prequel to the Tregarde series and I was quite looking forward to it. Sadly, the heroine was whiny (Look, a lot of us weren't overflowing with dates in high school and it wasn't because we were Guardians or magic. In fact, most of us floundered along feeling like we didn't fit in. So we get that. Only need to say it once.) At any rate, the story/plot is decent enough, but could probably be ha
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Aug 22, 2011
Lindsay
rated it: 
Premise: Three urban fantasy novellas about magically talented women solving mysteries. Arcanum 101 is a Diana Tregarde prequel, featuring the witch and Guardian trying to find the connection between a fake psychic and a kidnapped girl, while simultaneously starting college. Drums is a sequel to the novel Sacred Ground, in which medicine woman Jennie Talldeer needs to stop an angry ghost from killing a young dancer. Finally, Ghost in the Machine follows techno-shaman Ellen McBride, who is called
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Nov 08, 2011
Laura
rated it:
I was so excited to see a book with new stories featuring Diana Tregarde, one of my favorite characters by Mercedes Lackey. To my somewhat disappointment, this was a short collection of three stories, and only the first included Ms. Tregarde. And it wasn't even the best story of the trio.
I wasn't very impressed with the Tregarde story, and almost put the book down, but I have a current dearth of good books, so I decided to continue on. Better to read some poor stories by a past favorit More...
I wasn't very impressed with the Tregarde story, and almost put the book down, but I have a current dearth of good books, so I decided to continue on. Better to read some poor stories by a past favorit More...
Sep 03, 2011
David
rated it:
It was good to see Diana Tregarde in action, even if it was a prequel novella. Though at times, it seemed that the author was focusing more about the time period of the story than the characters. However, it was the "modern" one about a techno-shaman that was actually the weakest of the bunch - perhaps because it was so technical, not that she was necessarily getting stuff wrong, it was just that it didn't seem very graceful or seamless.
It wasn't that these were bad stories, I lik More...
It wasn't that these were bad stories, I lik More...
Mar 10, 2011
Erin
rated it:
A sweet little trio of stories, much like a banana split. I enjoyed it, especially the first Diana Tregarde story out in twenty years (though I can't blame Lackey for leaving her on the shelf considering some of the crazy reactions she was getting from some sadly confused fans). She also returned to the protagonist of Sacred Ground, which I vaguely remember reading back when I was a teenager. Enjoyable, but I probably won't reread any time soon, or buy my own copy, since I'm trying to corral my
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May 06, 2011
Bibliotropic
rated it:
One book, three novellas, two of which deal with characters familiar to fans of Lackey's overall work. Diana Tregarde and Jennifer Talldeer make their comebacks, much to the delight of many.
Arcanum 101 was a prequel to the Diana Tregarde novels of so long ago, set during the 1970s. To younger readers, this must honestly seem like a different world, a world of partly-line phones, hippies, and a stunning lack of international familiarity. Combine that with an "X-Files meets Scooby More...
Arcanum 101 was a prequel to the Diana Tregarde novels of so long ago, set during the 1970s. To younger readers, this must honestly seem like a different world, a world of partly-line phones, hippies, and a stunning lack of international familiarity. Combine that with an "X-Files meets Scooby More...
Dec 04, 2010
Kathy
rated it:
These three novellas are about witches through the last 40 years. Lackey revisits Diana Tregarde as she begins Harvard in about 1970 and gets a case with a phony psychic and a child kidnapping. The second story revisits Jennifer Talldeer as she deals with a Native American ghost who is out for revenge. The final story is current and introduces a new character. This one is a techno-shaman who has to get an evil Ojibwe god out of the computer game he is inhabiting before he figures out how to get
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Nov 19, 2010
Karen
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This is a trio of long-ish short stories, two of which revisit lead characters we haven't seen for a while. It was fun to read about Diana Tregarde's college experience and Jennie Talldeer after Sacred Ground. The first story, Arcanum 101, suffered from far too much exposition as did the second and third to a somewhat lesser extent. Her stories have paled on me and my 14 year old daughter as the characters lack subtlety. Her good characters always choose to do the right thing, her evil is always
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Nov 18, 2011
Vanessa
rated it:
TRIO OF SORCERY contains three novellas by seasoned author Mercedes Lackey. She's known for strong heroines in her YA and Urban Fantasy novels, and the three main characters in TRIO are no exception. Each of the book's mysteries are shorter stories based on characters from Lackey's existing series—if you haven't read any of them, then this would be a good introduction; if you have, at the very least these are an entertaining addition. Lackey's writing overall is straightforward, with excellent p
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Apr 10, 2011
Anne
rated it:
3 short stories. The first is best and set in 1970 as a young Diana Tregarde figures out how to combine witchcraft and college. The second is set in 1995 and is about a Native American shaman/detective couple. The third is set in 2010 and is about a Wendigo trying to break into the real world from a role playing game (RPG).
It is interesting to watch the advance of technology and how it affects each story. I think the reason I like the first story the best is because those character More...
It is interesting to watch the advance of technology and how it affects each story. I think the reason I like the first story the best is because those character More...
Jan 30, 2011
Nicole
rated it:
ARCANUM 101 - A nice prequel tale to the Diana Tregarde Investigation series. Set some 30+ years back, it tells about Diana's transition to college life, while balancing a budding romance-writing career and a gift that requires her to help others. I loved the ending! If you like paranormal investigations, this series is for you.
DRUMS - Another paranormal investigator, Jenny Talldeer lives in Florida with her lover David Spotted Horse, and her grandfather. This story is set after " More...
DRUMS - Another paranormal investigator, Jenny Talldeer lives in Florida with her lover David Spotted Horse, and her grandfather. This story is set after " More...
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Jan 30, 2011
Jo
rated it:
Reviewed for Book Chick City
Containing three novellas, two of which feature established characters of Lackey’s.
Arcanum 101 – Featuring Diana Tregarde
Having never read the Diana Tregarde series, I was worried I would have to know all the details but I was happy to see this was a prequel, and it’s a good introduction to the series. Set in 1970 at Harvard, Diana helps to investigate a kidnapping, which involves a ‘psychic’ who is hindering the case, rather than h More...
Containing three novellas, two of which feature established characters of Lackey’s.
Arcanum 101 – Featuring Diana Tregarde
Having never read the Diana Tregarde series, I was worried I would have to know all the details but I was happy to see this was a prequel, and it’s a good introduction to the series. Set in 1970 at Harvard, Diana helps to investigate a kidnapping, which involves a ‘psychic’ who is hindering the case, rather than h More...
Jan 09, 2011
Snail in Danger (Sid)
rated it:
Sadly, I felt that these stories lacked ... richness and heft. The third story in particular suffered by comparison to Omnitopia Dawn. It's been ages since I read Sacred Ground, and the protagonist never really resonated with me. I was embarrassingly excited about the return of Di Tregarde, but she didn't really have the feistiness she did in the books. I was kinda sad that we didn't get the full-on Spook Squad wackiness and Larry on the roof of the math building. As Lackey put it, this was
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Nov 25, 2010
Anki
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This is a set of three urban fantasy novellas by Mercedes Lackey. The first (and longest) is the first new Diana Tregarde story in years, and it is set when Diana is just starting college. All three stories have introductions by Mercedes Lackey, giving a short rundown of certain world-chronology elements (mostly detailing the differences between the time frame of the story and the present day; there are quite a few!).
All in all a fast and enjoyable read.
All in all a fast and enjoyable read.
Apr 30, 2011
Deborah
rated it:
I really have missed reading ML's strong women. Once again, she reminds us not to bring a knife to a gunfight. You know, unless you've brought a gun, too. No spoilers, but think about how often in her books people who "dabble" in magic get their butts handed to them on a regular basis... she hasn't altered that philosophy.
I hope that writing these three shorts hasn't gotten the characters "out of her system" and that she revisits them again, someday.
I hope that writing these three shorts hasn't gotten the characters "out of her system" and that she revisits them again, someday.
Dec 30, 2010
KC
rated it:
This was a great set of novellas from one of my all-time favorite authors. I greatly enjoyed the "techno-shaman" aspect of the third story and would love to see more from these characters. The Jennifer Talldeer installment was probably my least favorite, but still good. And, in my opinion, the entire book was worth reading just for the Diana Tregarde story - I LOVE this character, and hope this means that we will be hearing more from her in the future!
Dec 19, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
Three unrelated novellas in one book = awesome! The first was a Diana Tregarde, who is a witch, the second dealt with Native American Medicine people (aka Native magick), and the third was a newer addition to urban fantasy: techno-magic involving a RPG game that sounded similar to games like WoW where a non-gamer character was not only AI but was actually a manifestation of a "real world" monster inside the code. All very entertaining stories.
Jun 01, 2011
Aspen
rated it:
A novella and two short stories, each dealing with one of Lackey's magical investigators. Diana Tregarde appears in a story about her first weeks at college, putting together her Spook Squad. Jennifer Talldeer solves a ghost mystery to the satisfaction of everyone involved, including the ghost. And a newer character, Ellen McBride, techno-shaman, discovers that it is possible to be too into video games.
Mar 27, 2011
Susan
rated it:
I suspect that the popularity of her books, though waning, is responsible for the poor editing in recent books.
The stories are fun, and quick reads, but the poor editing is jarring.
Also, the creative spelling and lack of research was disappointing. Even for people who DON'T live in NAZ, Tony Hillerman is easy to access. So, Navaho instead of Navajo, Dineh region instead of Dineh Tah, those can be overlooked. BUT having a "Navaho" help battle a ghost? NOT! More...
The stories are fun, and quick reads, but the poor editing is jarring.
Also, the creative spelling and lack of research was disappointing. Even for people who DON'T live in NAZ, Tony Hillerman is easy to access. So, Navaho instead of Navajo, Dineh region instead of Dineh Tah, those can be overlooked. BUT having a "Navaho" help battle a ghost? NOT! More...
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Jan 31, 2011
Peggy
rated it:
I really loved her Diana Tregarde books. They, along with comics, really instilled a sense of social responsibility in me. I remember being attracted to the idea of being a Guardian. So it was treat to get Di story for the first time in years. I wish she'd write more of them. The other two stories were interesting updates of what magic would look like in slightly more modern times.
Jan 14, 2011
Jana
rated it:
Perhaps what is most interesting about these stories is the time displacement of the details. Two of the stories are set in the past (where portable phones are huge brick-like things and college papers are hammered out on typewriters instead of computers), the third--my personal favorite--is a look at very contemporary gaming worlds from a magical perspective. And now I want to be a cyber-shaman, too!
Jan 07, 2011
Erin
rated it:
I love Mercedes Lackey. She is one of my favorite fantasy authors. This book contains three of her novellas. All the stories deal with ghosts although one is more focused on wiccans, one is based on Native American magic, and one is about programming code and the ghost that haunts the code. All are well written.
Aug 23, 2011
Teresa
rated it:
Interesting read for a Lackey fan. Three fantasy novellas. First is a prequel to the Diana Tregarde books. Second is a sequel to Sacred Ground. Third is all new characters as far as I can remember, dealing with a modern day fantasy MMO that has a rather strange bug with one of the boss characters.
