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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.
330 pages, Hardcover
First published October 2, 2012
221 people are currently reading
2553 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
441 books9,527 followersMercedes 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 writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"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 writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 391 reviews
November 25, 2012
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.)
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.)
February 21, 2013
*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.
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.
December 4, 2013
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 the King's Own is enthralling. He never seems to keep up with his classwork though, and it seems like he never will - the closer he gets to being caught up, the more trouble he gets into.
Once again, this was not the end of the chronicles. There didn't seem to be much meatiness to the plot - this book and the third could have easily been combined to give me a more satisfying read. I did finish this novel off in one sitting, but there was hardly anything there to read, so it was more a reflection of the short length than grippable qualities.
Large sections of the novel are of Mags nightmares - but these aren't new, it's basically a rehash of the second and third books. The stuff about the shop, which would normally be a highlight for me, was not included in enough detail. It wasn't really clear why they needed to rush Mags into Whites either - if he doesn't know enough, shouldn't he be doing what he does best at a slower rate?
I'd love to have seen more of Amily's recovery and that whole section that happened between the third and fourth books. Instead we get Bear's showdown with his fatehr - which is actually pretty good, and almost worth all the other wading through of poor scenes.
Lackey seems to be taking pleasure in using Mags' language quirks to avoid writing meaningful dialogue. The same goes for the kirball action and the handy foray into Karse. Some of that space about dreams could have been sued to write about the Karse countryside, which would have been super interesting for me - I could never get enough of this in the short stories about Karse.
The romance between Amily and Mags is also pathetic. Sure, Mags doesn't know how to act around girls, but to go to the point he's going to ask actors about it? Surely Amily has a bit more spine in her and could be induced to make the first moves instead of Mags. The work they do together at the wedding is nice, but not that exciting.
I didn't feel any unhappiness or worry when Mags was kidnapped. To me it was obvious that he would escape one way or the other. It wasn't like he was going to starve in Karse. The constant reminders that he hadn't gotten that far in his classes at the Collegium were annoying and not really helpful. If he was really doing so badly, he wouldn't have found so much food that was there! And the nice convenient seasons too...
I let this review sit for a bit to see if my rather strong negative feeling would abate. They didn't - I still felt cheated, and like I would have rather this was a well-cut trilogy rather than a drawn out set of Chronicles that I don't even know when they will end! So bad that I would consider just reading a summary of the next one if it's not the final one and the Amazon reviews say it is still bad.
I think I found myself very disappointed in Redoubt. I was hoping for more depth, more substance, more everything. If the next book published is not the last one in the series, I think I'll just wait until they are all out before reading it to avoid another disappointment. I felt like nothing happened! At least I only borrowed it from the library, although I will eventually buy it in paperback for the completeness of my collection.
I will probably read something else I know I love from Lackey to reassure myself that she's still my favourite author - although at this point it looks like she might be bumped for someone who has been more consistant (although just as annoying with her way of releasing novels - Isobelle Carmody). I have 'Home By the Sea' waiting for me to read it as well, but I've seen some negative reviews of it as well and I'm afraid!
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 the King's Own is enthralling. He never seems to keep up with his classwork though, and it seems like he never will - the closer he gets to being caught up, the more trouble he gets into.
Once again, this was not the end of the chronicles. There didn't seem to be much meatiness to the plot - this book and the third could have easily been combined to give me a more satisfying read. I did finish this novel off in one sitting, but there was hardly anything there to read, so it was more a reflection of the short length than grippable qualities.
Large sections of the novel are of Mags nightmares - but these aren't new, it's basically a rehash of the second and third books. The stuff about the shop, which would normally be a highlight for me, was not included in enough detail. It wasn't really clear why they needed to rush Mags into Whites either - if he doesn't know enough, shouldn't he be doing what he does best at a slower rate?
I'd love to have seen more of Amily's recovery and that whole section that happened between the third and fourth books. Instead we get Bear's showdown with his fatehr - which is actually pretty good, and almost worth all the other wading through of poor scenes.
Lackey seems to be taking pleasure in using Mags' language quirks to avoid writing meaningful dialogue. The same goes for the kirball action and the handy foray into Karse. Some of that space about dreams could have been sued to write about the Karse countryside, which would have been super interesting for me - I could never get enough of this in the short stories about Karse.
The romance between Amily and Mags is also pathetic. Sure, Mags doesn't know how to act around girls, but to go to the point he's going to ask actors about it? Surely Amily has a bit more spine in her and could be induced to make the first moves instead of Mags. The work they do together at the wedding is nice, but not that exciting.
I didn't feel any unhappiness or worry when Mags was kidnapped. To me it was obvious that he would escape one way or the other. It wasn't like he was going to starve in Karse. The constant reminders that he hadn't gotten that far in his classes at the Collegium were annoying and not really helpful. If he was really doing so badly, he wouldn't have found so much food that was there! And the nice convenient seasons too...
I let this review sit for a bit to see if my rather strong negative feeling would abate. They didn't - I still felt cheated, and like I would have rather this was a well-cut trilogy rather than a drawn out set of Chronicles that I don't even know when they will end! So bad that I would consider just reading a summary of the next one if it's not the final one and the Amazon reviews say it is still bad.
I think I found myself very disappointed in Redoubt. I was hoping for more depth, more substance, more everything. If the next book published is not the last one in the series, I think I'll just wait until they are all out before reading it to avoid another disappointment. I felt like nothing happened! At least I only borrowed it from the library, although I will eventually buy it in paperback for the completeness of my collection.
I will probably read something else I know I love from Lackey to reassure myself that she's still my favourite author - although at this point it looks like she might be bumped for someone who has been more consistant (although just as annoying with her way of releasing novels - Isobelle Carmody). I have 'Home By the Sea' waiting for me to read it as well, but I've seen some negative reviews of it as well and I'm afraid!
January 24, 2013
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 doesn't feel like a proper cliffhanger because
And to still call the series the "Collegium Chronicles" is misleading because the only things we get are that the high-born trainees should be taught chores and that the Dean's office was uncluttered because the renovations were finally finished. It should have gotten a different name, like Winds turning into Storms.
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 doesn't feel like a proper cliffhanger because
And to still call the series the "Collegium Chronicles" is misleading because the only things we get are that the high-born trainees should be taught chores and that the Dean's office was uncluttered because the renovations were finally finished. It should have gotten a different name, like Winds turning into Storms.
January 16, 2013
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 to do a book a year, guess I better stop here." instead of actually finishing the story being told in this book.
Compared to other books by Mercedes Lackey, this one really did just feel lazy. I want to shake her editors and say, "I know she's an amazing Author who has published a ton of books and she probably makes you guys a lot of money. BUT TELL HER WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG. Don't just let her start publishing shit because she's got a big name!"
I'm not sure I will be picking up the next one, which makes me sad because this is one of my favorite authors... but its just painful. I never read Robert Jordan, but I feel like I am beginning to understand the pain his fans went through of, "Isn't this just going to end... please?"
I feel as if this book was unfinished. Like she was writing and went, "oops! We wanted to do a book a year, guess I better stop here." instead of actually finishing the story being told in this book.
Compared to other books by Mercedes Lackey, this one really did just feel lazy. I want to shake her editors and say, "I know she's an amazing Author who has published a ton of books and she probably makes you guys a lot of money. BUT TELL HER WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG. Don't just let her start publishing shit because she's got a big name!"
I'm not sure I will be picking up the next one, which makes me sad because this is one of my favorite authors... but its just painful. I never read Robert Jordan, but I feel like I am beginning to understand the pain his fans went through of, "Isn't this just going to end... please?"
October 18, 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 it if you have read the first three Collegium Chronicles novels, is the second half of the book, in which Mags gets kidnapped by agents of his parents old country, who want to bring him back there.
This is the part of the book thats worth reading, and Lackey does add in another Companion like animal, who is a avatar in some ways for the Sunlord, to help Mags, when the going gets tough.
So, in general the second part of the book is worth reading, if you are still a fan of the series after having reac the first three books.
Half a good book to me is worth 2 stars.
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 it if you have read the first three Collegium Chronicles novels, is the second half of the book, in which Mags gets kidnapped by agents of his parents old country, who want to bring him back there.
This is the part of the book thats worth reading, and Lackey does add in another Companion like animal, who is a avatar in some ways for the Sunlord, to help Mags, when the going gets tough.
So, in general the second part of the book is worth reading, if you are still a fan of the series after having reac the first three books.
Half a good book to me is worth 2 stars.
October 11, 2012
And so I mourn the passing of decent Valdemar books. What once was so good is now reduced to this. Yuck. Does Mercedes Lackey even try and keep her story lines straight from her previous Valdemar books? Not even once! They have been going down hill for awhile and yet I know she can still write good books. She has written decent stuff in recent years but the Collegium Chronicles books have been so so disappointingly bad. This one may be the worst yet. NO PLOT AT ALL except for the very end and most of that doesn't even make sense or even move Mag's story along. Will I read the next one. Probably yes. Like an addict I just can't stay away. A little tiny drop of hope that the next book will return to the glory that the Valdemar books once were keeps me reading.
October 10, 2012
This book didn't further the story of Mags at all. I don't think anything new was learned. Also, there really wasn't an ending, just a stopping off point. I'm not sure Mags is interesting enough for 5 or more books.
The good... Mags has finally learned to speak properly. So much better to read.
Will i pick up book 5? I don't know. I think I'll check the reviews first, and if they say the series still isn't finished, I'll be forgetting about the series competely.
The good... Mags has finally learned to speak properly. So much better to read.
Will i pick up book 5? I don't know. I think I'll check the reviews first, and if they say the series still isn't finished, I'll be forgetting about the series competely.
October 10, 2012
Why is Misty dragging out Mags' story? I was surprised when I learned there was a 4th book in this series but I think I'm a little miffed that there is going to be another one! It just seems like she's purposefully making it longer than it should be.
November 14, 2012
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.
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.
January 28, 2024
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.
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.
October 25, 2020
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 that it started with and is another tale of a young Herald in training. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as all of the series have a central Herald character, but I was so excited to read a slightly larger focus series when I first read Intrigues that I'm now a little disappointed. There are some excellent scenarios addressed with some of the side characters, especially with Bear and Lena and their marriage, and I always appreciate the author's ability to insert such situations into her books.
If you like the Valdemar books you'll like this one, although if you're expecting a more grandiose "history of the Collegium" you'll be disappointed.
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 that it started with and is another tale of a young Herald in training. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as all of the series have a central Herald character, but I was so excited to read a slightly larger focus series when I first read Intrigues that I'm now a little disappointed. There are some excellent scenarios addressed with some of the side characters, especially with Bear and Lena and their marriage, and I always appreciate the author's ability to insert such situations into her books.
If you like the Valdemar books you'll like this one, although if you're expecting a more grandiose "history of the Collegium" you'll be disappointed.
September 30, 2013
Blarg! Really?! 3/4ths of this book was filler, and went almost nowhere. This so didn't need to be the 4th book. It could've been the 3rd book, or the 5th book and quit dragging the dratted story the heck out. Not one of her better clusters within the Valdemar world.
November 12, 2018
SO much better than the last book!! I loved the adventure in this one!! I get tired of reading about friend and relationship drama!! It was nice to be free of a lot of that in this book. I love reading about Mags and Dallen! Not so much Amily, Bear or Lena.
October 11, 2012
Boring. I miss the days of Vanyel and Talia -now those were some exciting motherfuckers with talking horses.
April 24, 2015
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 and Bear's father's trouncing (yes!!); the spying missions that Mags undertakes within the town; and, the Kirball games at which Mags excels. It's the second half that becomes a lot more "exciting" and dangerous. It's also furthers Mags (and our) discovery of a lot more about his past as well as back history on how the Karsite religion got so far out of whack.
Oh, wow...Bear makes the gravest pronouncement on his father. Totally fair, and utterly devastating.
I must say, I don't understand why Mags' kidnappers were so secretive. I would have thought providing him with some background would have achieved a great deal more. Although, there would have been less chance of our meeting Franse and Reaylis!
Good lessons in here for the kids (and adults!): independence, confidence, humility, the importance of not labeling someone, and a look at how the skills of others can be adapted to one's own interests---making lessons in seemingly silly subjects suddenly appear desirable. There's an incident in here about the importance of loyalty and keeping secrets and a great example of making mature decisions. I love the bit of charity Nikolas provides a woodworker. It's helping without rubbing the man's nose in it!
I certainly feel a strong desire to learn something about woodcraft and gathering food!
I like how Lackey handled the dream sequence and the very real feel she created with Mags waking up from the drugs with which the kidnappers plied him. There was a lovely bit of practical diplomatic philosophy on the part of Reaylis as well. It's a sweet dream to think our own politicians could ever embrace such a concept...
The Story
It opens with the unpretentious wedding of Prince Sedric and Lydia, Master Soren's niece. The Karsite assassins who tried to take Amily have forced the celebrations to remain local and the story remains local with everyday events for the first half.
Part of Mags' tasks is to go undercover as Harkon in the pawnshop for Willie the Weasel. It's on his way home that he feels the watcher. A mysterious presence that neither he nor Dallen can classify. One to which they'll wish they had paid more attention.
The Characters
Mags, a Herald Trainee, is a Kirball star and a secret spy for Nikolas; Dallen is his Companion. His Gift is Mindspeech, being able to speak to anyone at all mind-to-mind. Mags has come a long way from the scrubby miner's slave he was a short time ago. "Harkon" is his latest disguise under Nikolas' tutelage. Meric is yet another persona.
Bear Tyrall is in love with Lena Marchand. He's a Healer Trainee without a standard Gift other than that of working with herbs and she's a Bardic Trainee whose father is in huge disgrace. Healer Tyrall is Bear's truculent father, adamant that Bear return home and stop his nonsense. Father Poule runs a Temple of Rusal in Haven which helps the poor and Bear spends time there regularly helping to heal people.
Nikolas is the King's Own Herald---and Willie the Weasel---and Rolan is his Companion; Amily is his unGifted daughter about whom Mags is unsure. The operation Bear tried on her has worked! Gennie is the captain of the Kirball team Mags is on. Herald Caelen is the Dean of the Collegium and one of the very few who know about Mags' extracurricular activities for Nikolas. Finny is a trainee with a Gift for Fetching; Mags will put a word in for her.
Brother Franse is a Karsite Red-robe who rescued Mags. Reaylis is a Suncat, a holy creation of the Sunlord Vkandis.
Cole Pieters was the sadistic brute who abused and used toddlers on up to teens to mine jewels. Kan-li and Levor have been sent by the Shadao to retrieve something valuable that was lost. Only, they have a really stupid approach...
The Cover
The cover is consistent with the previous three in this sub-series. Diagonal streaks of a variety of golden suns and their rays are streaming across the deep, deep blue background. A solid, rounded-corner box above contains the necessary text of author, title, and tagline while the same size and shaped frame focus our attention on a lilac Dallen and a raggedy Mags, both crouched to avoid a hail of arrows.
I think the title refers to what Mags discovers, that his Redoubt is his friends and the love they all share, for it holds him strong.
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 and Bear's father's trouncing (yes!!); the spying missions that Mags undertakes within the town; and, the Kirball games at which Mags excels. It's the second half that becomes a lot more "exciting" and dangerous. It's also furthers Mags (and our) discovery of a lot more about his past as well as back history on how the Karsite religion got so far out of whack.
Oh, wow...Bear makes the gravest pronouncement on his father. Totally fair, and utterly devastating.
I must say, I don't understand why Mags' kidnappers were so secretive. I would have thought providing him with some background would have achieved a great deal more. Although, there would have been less chance of our meeting Franse and Reaylis!
Good lessons in here for the kids (and adults!): independence, confidence, humility, the importance of not labeling someone, and a look at how the skills of others can be adapted to one's own interests---making lessons in seemingly silly subjects suddenly appear desirable. There's an incident in here about the importance of loyalty and keeping secrets and a great example of making mature decisions. I love the bit of charity Nikolas provides a woodworker. It's helping without rubbing the man's nose in it!
I certainly feel a strong desire to learn something about woodcraft and gathering food!
I like how Lackey handled the dream sequence and the very real feel she created with Mags waking up from the drugs with which the kidnappers plied him. There was a lovely bit of practical diplomatic philosophy on the part of Reaylis as well. It's a sweet dream to think our own politicians could ever embrace such a concept...
The Story
It opens with the unpretentious wedding of Prince Sedric and Lydia, Master Soren's niece. The Karsite assassins who tried to take Amily have forced the celebrations to remain local and the story remains local with everyday events for the first half.
Part of Mags' tasks is to go undercover as Harkon in the pawnshop for Willie the Weasel. It's on his way home that he feels the watcher. A mysterious presence that neither he nor Dallen can classify. One to which they'll wish they had paid more attention.
The Characters
Mags, a Herald Trainee, is a Kirball star and a secret spy for Nikolas; Dallen is his Companion. His Gift is Mindspeech, being able to speak to anyone at all mind-to-mind. Mags has come a long way from the scrubby miner's slave he was a short time ago. "Harkon" is his latest disguise under Nikolas' tutelage. Meric is yet another persona.
Bear Tyrall is in love with Lena Marchand. He's a Healer Trainee without a standard Gift other than that of working with herbs and she's a Bardic Trainee whose father is in huge disgrace. Healer Tyrall is Bear's truculent father, adamant that Bear return home and stop his nonsense. Father Poule runs a Temple of Rusal in Haven which helps the poor and Bear spends time there regularly helping to heal people.
Nikolas is the King's Own Herald---and Willie the Weasel---and Rolan is his Companion; Amily is his unGifted daughter about whom Mags is unsure. The operation Bear tried on her has worked! Gennie is the captain of the Kirball team Mags is on. Herald Caelen is the Dean of the Collegium and one of the very few who know about Mags' extracurricular activities for Nikolas. Finny is a trainee with a Gift for Fetching; Mags will put a word in for her.
Brother Franse is a Karsite Red-robe who rescued Mags. Reaylis is a Suncat, a holy creation of the Sunlord Vkandis.
Cole Pieters was the sadistic brute who abused and used toddlers on up to teens to mine jewels. Kan-li and Levor have been sent by the Shadao to retrieve something valuable that was lost. Only, they have a really stupid approach...
The Cover
The cover is consistent with the previous three in this sub-series. Diagonal streaks of a variety of golden suns and their rays are streaming across the deep, deep blue background. A solid, rounded-corner box above contains the necessary text of author, title, and tagline while the same size and shaped frame focus our attention on a lilac Dallen and a raggedy Mags, both crouched to avoid a hail of arrows.
I think the title refers to what Mags discovers, that his Redoubt is his friends and the love they all share, for it holds him strong.
Read
February 18, 2013I 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.
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.
July 1, 2018
I give this book a rating of a weak 2 stars.
This book is almost entirely filler. As with every single one of the books in this series, when Kirball is going on, I skip over the whole bit of it. And it doesn't matter. That I skipped all that, sometimes entire chapters at a time because it's nothing but the kids playing Kirball, means nothing. I lose nothing of the story or the characters or anything else by saving myself time and flipping to a page in which there IS something useful happening.
Although, in this installment in the series, that didn't happen all that much, either.
Much of what goes on in this book is the sort of thing you see in some TV series where they devote a whole episode to "flashbacks". That's exactly what this whole thing felt like to me. Sometimes several pages are taken up by "flashbacks". In fact, I think at least one entire chapter was a flashback about Mags living in the mines. I won't mark that as "spoiler", because by now, if you haven't read the rest of the books in this series up to now, then you probably should have, because you won't really know what's happening unless you do.
The more exciting parts felt a LOT like one of the previous books where Mags gets "lost", in a manner of speaking. It just felt like a lot more of the same. He's stuck out away from home and having to scavenge and use his amazingly honed survival skills to keep himself alive.
Also, suddenly, he dropped that ridiculous "accent" of his and is speaking almost perfectly. I rolled my eyes immediately upon seeing that. Feels like a big cop out to me. I'm guessing changing his dialect happened for either (or maybe both) of two major reasons. Either the mental concentration necessary to stay focused on WRITING that sort of speech pattern was just too much to keep up for an entire 5 books, or the previous readers of this book, back when they were first released, had negative reactions to this irritating dialect and she decided that, all of a sudden, he was "cured" of his hillbilly drawl. Weak.
I'm now 4 books into this and, although there's a little more violence than there had been, this is STILL not up to snuff with ML books of the past. I've mentioned before that I might be spoiled by ML's work of the 1990's, but at any rate, I find these books to be, in my opinion, ML's attempt at doing Harry Potter*. They feel VERY much like YA, and that was not what I had expected in any way when I bought this entire series. And, to be honest, much as it pains me to say so, as I've loved ML's work since I was a teenager, I wish I hadn't wasted my money on these books.
Alas, I did, and I have 1 more to go, and dammit, I'm gonna get through it.
*Including how she used to do series of 3 most of the time, and this is a series of 5, which has become more typical in fantasy literature since the days of Harry Potter, even if that series was... what, 7? That feels like it was pressure by the publisher to put out more material than was necessary to pander to the kiddies that got used to that and to squeeze readers for more money. Boo!
This book is almost entirely filler. As with every single one of the books in this series, when Kirball is going on, I skip over the whole bit of it. And it doesn't matter. That I skipped all that, sometimes entire chapters at a time because it's nothing but the kids playing Kirball, means nothing. I lose nothing of the story or the characters or anything else by saving myself time and flipping to a page in which there IS something useful happening.
Although, in this installment in the series, that didn't happen all that much, either.
Much of what goes on in this book is the sort of thing you see in some TV series where they devote a whole episode to "flashbacks". That's exactly what this whole thing felt like to me. Sometimes several pages are taken up by "flashbacks". In fact, I think at least one entire chapter was a flashback about Mags living in the mines. I won't mark that as "spoiler", because by now, if you haven't read the rest of the books in this series up to now, then you probably should have, because you won't really know what's happening unless you do.
The more exciting parts felt a LOT like one of the previous books where Mags gets "lost", in a manner of speaking. It just felt like a lot more of the same. He's stuck out away from home and having to scavenge and use his amazingly honed survival skills to keep himself alive.
Also, suddenly, he dropped that ridiculous "accent" of his and is speaking almost perfectly. I rolled my eyes immediately upon seeing that. Feels like a big cop out to me. I'm guessing changing his dialect happened for either (or maybe both) of two major reasons. Either the mental concentration necessary to stay focused on WRITING that sort of speech pattern was just too much to keep up for an entire 5 books, or the previous readers of this book, back when they were first released, had negative reactions to this irritating dialect and she decided that, all of a sudden, he was "cured" of his hillbilly drawl. Weak.
I'm now 4 books into this and, although there's a little more violence than there had been, this is STILL not up to snuff with ML books of the past. I've mentioned before that I might be spoiled by ML's work of the 1990's, but at any rate, I find these books to be, in my opinion, ML's attempt at doing Harry Potter*. They feel VERY much like YA, and that was not what I had expected in any way when I bought this entire series. And, to be honest, much as it pains me to say so, as I've loved ML's work since I was a teenager, I wish I hadn't wasted my money on these books.
Alas, I did, and I have 1 more to go, and dammit, I'm gonna get through it.
*Including how she used to do series of 3 most of the time, and this is a series of 5, which has become more typical in fantasy literature since the days of Harry Potter, even if that series was... what, 7? That feels like it was pressure by the publisher to put out more material than was necessary to pander to the kiddies that got used to that and to squeeze readers for more money. Boo!
May 20, 2013
As a Lackey fan, this series has been pretty frustrating. I was excited she was returning to her Valdemar stuff, but this tetralogy has dragged on and on. There are PARTS of each book that are excellent and entertaining, but they're inundated with so much boring and pointless fluff that it's an ordeal to get to the good stuff.
This book was much the same way; the beginning was yet another run through the romantic and social lives of a bunch of characters I still have yet to care about. The reason this book has three stars is simple-- the second half is great. It's heart-pumping and entertaining, and we get to see some lore previously established in other books in the Valdemar universe. THIS is the stuff that made me enjoy the Valdemar experience in the first place; great world building, intriguing plots and characters, etcetera. But it's SO short-lived, and that's just saddening.
The ending itself was frustrating-- it made the previous ordeals seem pointless, brought us no closer to a real answer to what's going on, and simply seemed out of character. I'm not sure what exactly Lackey is trying to accomplish other than stretching far too little substance into a criminally long series. I'm not sure if the problem is with her or her editor, but this series needs to be tied up, because my interest has worn so thin I might not even continue.
Hardcore Lackey fans eager for more Valdemar might really enjoy it, and they probably do. But I can't help but compare this series to the others in the same universe, and it falls incredibly short.
This book was much the same way; the beginning was yet another run through the romantic and social lives of a bunch of characters I still have yet to care about. The reason this book has three stars is simple-- the second half is great. It's heart-pumping and entertaining, and we get to see some lore previously established in other books in the Valdemar universe. THIS is the stuff that made me enjoy the Valdemar experience in the first place; great world building, intriguing plots and characters, etcetera. But it's SO short-lived, and that's just saddening.
The ending itself was frustrating-- it made the previous ordeals seem pointless, brought us no closer to a real answer to what's going on, and simply seemed out of character. I'm not sure what exactly Lackey is trying to accomplish other than stretching far too little substance into a criminally long series. I'm not sure if the problem is with her or her editor, but this series needs to be tied up, because my interest has worn so thin I might not even continue.
Hardcore Lackey fans eager for more Valdemar might really enjoy it, and they probably do. But I can't help but compare this series to the others in the same universe, and it falls incredibly short.
November 26, 2013
Honestly... While half the book was genuinely great... (THE LATER 165 PAGES...) (meaning you have to read a terrible POINTLESS first 165 pages before you get to actually read something worth while...) This does not deserve 3 stars... I'm simply being generous because hell... This was the first book in this. .. series that actually mattered to the book verse that is Valdemar... that bore some of the charm and magic of what i thought i loved (and still do!!!) about Mercedes Lackey.
I simply cannot understand how Mercedes was allowed to get away with writing "books" 2 & 3 of the Collegium Chronicles. ..! THEY ARE TERRIBLE DRIBBLE.
Once Mags was kidnapped ftom Hogwarts the Gifted and Kirlballerly...rly... UGH... Once he was literally out of Valdemar Mags had a story worth telling. YAY. MAGS, YOU MATTER.
Kinda.
*breathes*
I blame the editors and publishers for the bulk of poorly handled responsibility. .. and gift then with my passionate dislike.
I need to redirect my "care" toward better things....
I simply cannot understand how Mercedes was allowed to get away with writing "books" 2 & 3 of the Collegium Chronicles. ..! THEY ARE TERRIBLE DRIBBLE.
Once Mags was kidnapped ftom Hogwarts the Gifted and Kirlballerly...rly... UGH... Once he was literally out of Valdemar Mags had a story worth telling. YAY. MAGS, YOU MATTER.
Kinda.
*breathes*
I blame the editors and publishers for the bulk of poorly handled responsibility. .. and gift then with my passionate dislike.
I need to redirect my "care" toward better things....
April 3, 2013
This book was such a disappointment. I have been a fan of Ms. Lackey's Valdemar series for years, and The Collegium Chronicles started out with so much promise. Yet after months of waiting for the fourth book of what was originally listed as a trilogy, and finding it to be a rambling synopsis of the first three books, with pages literally cut and pasted in, I felt a bit insulted. It is as if the author no longer has respect for her fans.
September 20, 2018
This was a good book, but it was another one where the author told a good story in a long and boring way. It could have been much shorter, but some parts were stretched out almost to the point of my losing interest. I skimmed through about a third of the book and still didn't miss anything.
April 29, 2021
I won't lie - I didn't pick up Redoubt with high expectations. At this point, I'm reading the Valdemar books because they are fun, mindless, and quick reads. Plus it's nice to be completely fluent in a literary universe! When Redoubt began with more of the same, I went with it. But by 60% I felt like I was reading a completely different book. So different, in fact, that by the end I had completely forgotten the first 60%. A very strange literary experience.
The first two-thirds of Redoubt is more of the same feeling as the first three books. Kirball! Weddings! Drama with Bear and Lena! More Kirball! More Weddings! Mags doubts his skills and worth! MORE Kirball! Sneaky pretending and buying information from thieves- to the point where when talking to Kim I accidentally called Mags Skif. Oops. Apparently these moments are so similar I confused the two characters.
But the back third of this book? Awesome. We learn that being a Medium, speaking to spirits, is a Gift! I want to read a Valdemar mystery series where a Herald-Medium solves murder mysteries by speaking to spirits. Then Mags is thrust into a survival adventure experience reminiscent of Hatchet. Poor Mags had some idea how to survive, but not much. It was great. I loved his adventures - they kept me on the edge of my seat.
That said - I struggled with the transition between these two "parts" of Redoubt. Lackey takes an extreme turn in storytelling format which I found to be jarring. As I kept reading, the twists made more sense, but it definitely pulled me out of the story for a while. In retrospect, I love what she did, but it didn't work in the moment. And then we ended up with some strange memories which went on for far too long. I got the point. Let's get back to the adventure.
All in all, I think Redoubt might be my favorite of the Collegium Chronicles books. Sadly, that isn't saying much. I don't know why this series is a quintet. I really hope the story is wrapped up in a satisfying way in the next book… But I won't hold my breath.
The first two-thirds of Redoubt is more of the same feeling as the first three books. Kirball! Weddings! Drama with Bear and Lena! More Kirball! More Weddings! Mags doubts his skills and worth! MORE Kirball! Sneaky pretending and buying information from thieves- to the point where when talking to Kim I accidentally called Mags Skif. Oops. Apparently these moments are so similar I confused the two characters.
But the back third of this book? Awesome. We learn that being a Medium, speaking to spirits, is a Gift! I want to read a Valdemar mystery series where a Herald-Medium solves murder mysteries by speaking to spirits. Then Mags is thrust into a survival adventure experience reminiscent of Hatchet. Poor Mags had some idea how to survive, but not much. It was great. I loved his adventures - they kept me on the edge of my seat.
That said - I struggled with the transition between these two "parts" of Redoubt. Lackey takes an extreme turn in storytelling format which I found to be jarring. As I kept reading, the twists made more sense, but it definitely pulled me out of the story for a while. In retrospect, I love what she did, but it didn't work in the moment. And then we ended up with some strange memories which went on for far too long. I got the point. Let's get back to the adventure.
All in all, I think Redoubt might be my favorite of the Collegium Chronicles books. Sadly, that isn't saying much. I don't know why this series is a quintet. I really hope the story is wrapped up in a satisfying way in the next book… But I won't hold my breath.
November 14, 2024
*****4.5*****
This is definitely my favorite Collegium book so far. The beginning is like the others, with Mags at the Collegium and with his friends. We see developments in relationships, with kirball, and in general. However, the story switches towards the middle, and we have new scenery, new characters, and different cultures and customs, which I really appreciate. It seems like Lackey's world of Valdemar is so rich, yet most of the Collegium books so far have a very narrow scope. I like that this one broadens out quite a bit. I haven't read any other Valdemar books, so I'm not sure how much of these other characters, locations, and beliefs are described in more detail elsewhere, but reading this book definitely makes me more curious about Lackey's other Valdemar books! I'm glad there are so many, like Star Wars and Dragonlance, that I can eventually (hopefully) indulge in!
This is definitely my favorite Collegium book so far. The beginning is like the others, with Mags at the Collegium and with his friends. We see developments in relationships, with kirball, and in general. However, the story switches towards the middle, and we have new scenery, new characters, and different cultures and customs, which I really appreciate. It seems like Lackey's world of Valdemar is so rich, yet most of the Collegium books so far have a very narrow scope. I like that this one broadens out quite a bit. I haven't read any other Valdemar books, so I'm not sure how much of these other characters, locations, and beliefs are described in more detail elsewhere, but reading this book definitely makes me more curious about Lackey's other Valdemar books! I'm glad there are so many, like Star Wars and Dragonlance, that I can eventually (hopefully) indulge in!
June 23, 2020
I was reminded what I've loved about Valdemar since high school: Great story arc, well developed characters, and profound moments that relate to what is occurring now, and so much more. Thank you Mercedes for continuing to flush out the world of Valdemar and it's planet.
September 28, 2022
Very enjoyable. The sudden change at the midpoint injected lots of excitement into the story and universe.
November 16, 2012
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
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
September 27, 2013
I wasn't going to bother with this Valdemar installment (which is saying something because I re-read almost all of the earlier aspects of this series with appalling regularity) but then I read some of the positive reviews on here. I wish someone had included the caveat that it really only applied to the final quarter of the book!
Yes, I enjoyed the Bear & Lena story at the beginning, but I didn't care at all about the big spectacle of a wedding (which has been done several times in other Valdemar books)and didn't even remember the prince's character being all that important in the earlier books. And I have definitely had quite enough of kirball. Really, the sports as training exercise bit was done well enough in the Alberich books, but do we have to do it again, and again, and again here too? It was just too much.
When the meat of the book finally did start (finally at 150 pages in!)I was thoroughly confused by the sudden rehashing of what had happened to Mags at the mine and how he had been chosen. I would have liked more characterization of the captors a bit sooner, or something to make that segment a little more engaging.
OR Lackey could have just written a book in which Mags spends all of his time with Franse and Reaylis who I think are great! Oh well. I just hope we get to see them again.
All in all, an entertaining final 60 pages that ultimately leave Mags in exactly the same position he is always in at the conclusion: having just barely survived a harrowing episode with mysterious villains that seem to be linked to him in some unspecified way and who leave perilously few coherent clues to his past.
I am finally genuinely intrigued by Mags' past though. Does anyone else suspect Tedrels? All that violence... I just wish there was ONE trilogy about the actual process of founding the collegium (yes, I am enough of a Valdemar geek that would interest me) and ONE trilogy about Mags.
Yes, I enjoyed the Bear & Lena story at the beginning, but I didn't care at all about the big spectacle of a wedding (which has been done several times in other Valdemar books)and didn't even remember the prince's character being all that important in the earlier books. And I have definitely had quite enough of kirball. Really, the sports as training exercise bit was done well enough in the Alberich books, but do we have to do it again, and again, and again here too? It was just too much.
When the meat of the book finally did start (finally at 150 pages in!)I was thoroughly confused by the sudden rehashing of what had happened to Mags at the mine and how he had been chosen. I would have liked more characterization of the captors a bit sooner, or something to make that segment a little more engaging.
OR Lackey could have just written a book in which Mags spends all of his time with Franse and Reaylis who I think are great! Oh well. I just hope we get to see them again.
All in all, an entertaining final 60 pages that ultimately leave Mags in exactly the same position he is always in at the conclusion: having just barely survived a harrowing episode with mysterious villains that seem to be linked to him in some unspecified way and who leave perilously few coherent clues to his past.
I am finally genuinely intrigued by Mags' past though. Does anyone else suspect Tedrels? All that violence... I just wish there was ONE trilogy about the actual process of founding the collegium (yes, I am enough of a Valdemar geek that would interest me) and ONE trilogy about Mags.
October 6, 2012
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 loose some of the interesting mystique.
Nikolas' character still seems a bit underdeveloped for the role in Mags' life he holds so that is a bit of a minus, but the fleshing out of Amily more than makes up for it.
The really serious minus is that Dallen is mostly relegated to tertiary place, and he was one of the main factors that kept me content with the week parts of the series so far.
The appearance of the firecat, however really makes me love this book. What can I say, I'm a cat person :D. But the speech he gives Mags about the nature of religion and what had happened to Karse mashes really well with what was learned in the storms trilogy.
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 loose some of the interesting mystique.
Nikolas' character still seems a bit underdeveloped for the role in Mags' life he holds so that is a bit of a minus, but the fleshing out of Amily more than makes up for it.
The really serious minus is that Dallen is mostly relegated to tertiary place, and he was one of the main factors that kept me content with the week parts of the series so far.
The appearance of the firecat, however really makes me love this book. What can I say, I'm a cat person :D. But the speech he gives Mags about the nature of religion and what had happened to Karse mashes really well with what was learned in the storms trilogy.
July 14, 2025
I really love everything Collegium Chronicles brings to the Valdemar universe. Even aside from the storyline itself, it gives such a comprehensive look into Haven and the world of the Heralds, of how it all works. For someone who is as big a fan as I am, this is wonderful.
And Mags is a character who has become one of my favorites. There is so much to love about his story as we travel with him through this series and watch him grow. I think what draws me to Mags so much is the way in which, while he grows, his fundamental self doesn’t. He stays honest and sweet, noble and kind, no matter what he goes through. There’s something moving about him, about seeing a child come from literally nothing and watching him come into his own.
While maybe this story isn’t as fast-paced as some of the others, I still enjoyed it just as much. It gave us some good insight as to Mags’ past, from before he even remembers. In essence, this is as much a survival story as a fantasy, which is in keeping with Mags’ history. He’s put in situations that no one and nothing could have prepared him for, and it is only his smarts and sheer determination that allow him to survive.
And Mags is a character who has become one of my favorites. There is so much to love about his story as we travel with him through this series and watch him grow. I think what draws me to Mags so much is the way in which, while he grows, his fundamental self doesn’t. He stays honest and sweet, noble and kind, no matter what he goes through. There’s something moving about him, about seeing a child come from literally nothing and watching him come into his own.
While maybe this story isn’t as fast-paced as some of the others, I still enjoyed it just as much. It gave us some good insight as to Mags’ past, from before he even remembers. In essence, this is as much a survival story as a fantasy, which is in keeping with Mags’ history. He’s put in situations that no one and nothing could have prepared him for, and it is only his smarts and sheer determination that allow him to survive.
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