What do you think?
Rate this book
Five Hundred Kingdoms #3
Fortune's Fool
The Barnes & Noble Review
New York Timesbestselling author Mercedes Lackey spins a variety of fairy tales -- think The Little Mermaid and old Russian folktales -- into a satisfying romantic fantasy in this third installment in her Five Hundred Kingdoms series.
Katya, the youngest daughter of the Sea King, is sent by her father on a spying expedition. It's a perfect assignment for one with the unique ability to transverse both land and water. Once on land, Katya encounters a spectacular battle between two mages, then meets Sasha. He is also of royal birth -- the seventh son -- destined to play the part of the Wise or Fortunate Fool and Songweaver. Their instant affinity and blooming romance is interrupted when Katya's father calls her back on business: Two magical maidens have gone missing from an island. Katya disguises herself and gets kidnapped by the Jinn who is keeping the others prisoner, but it will take all her cleverness and powers, as well as Sasha's magic, to get them out alive. Readers will admire Katya's spirit, and fans of the previous two books -- The Fairy Godmother and One Good Knight -- will welcome the return of the Little Humpback Horse. Ginger Curwen
New York Timesbestselling author Mercedes Lackey spins a variety of fairy tales -- think The Little Mermaid and old Russian folktales -- into a satisfying romantic fantasy in this third installment in her Five Hundred Kingdoms series.
Katya, the youngest daughter of the Sea King, is sent by her father on a spying expedition. It's a perfect assignment for one with the unique ability to transverse both land and water. Once on land, Katya encounters a spectacular battle between two mages, then meets Sasha. He is also of royal birth -- the seventh son -- destined to play the part of the Wise or Fortunate Fool and Songweaver. Their instant affinity and blooming romance is interrupted when Katya's father calls her back on business: Two magical maidens have gone missing from an island. Katya disguises herself and gets kidnapped by the Jinn who is keeping the others prisoner, but it will take all her cleverness and powers, as well as Sasha's magic, to get them out alive. Readers will admire Katya's spirit, and fans of the previous two books -- The Fairy Godmother and One Good Knight -- will welcome the return of the Little Humpback Horse. Ginger Curwen
368 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2007
115 people are currently reading
3528 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 384 reviews
April 8, 2007
I just finished this book today after... borrowing it from the library today. I'm rather depressed now that I'm finished with it. I enjoyed it so much!
Mercedes Lackey writes so that you end up loving the characters as they go on with their stories. This book is part of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, but you don't have to read it in order. They are all standalone novels bound together by a similar world and occasional visits from other characters. As a person who's followed the series from its inception (I admit, I love Mercedes Lackey's books), the cross-overs of characters is extremely nice. :D There are parts in this book that make me laugh out loud... or at least smile to myself. And that's what really matters.
A book ought to have action, adventure, comedy, and a happy ending. :D I'm such a sap.
Mercedes Lackey writes so that you end up loving the characters as they go on with their stories. This book is part of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, but you don't have to read it in order. They are all standalone novels bound together by a similar world and occasional visits from other characters. As a person who's followed the series from its inception (I admit, I love Mercedes Lackey's books), the cross-overs of characters is extremely nice. :D There are parts in this book that make me laugh out loud... or at least smile to myself. And that's what really matters.
A book ought to have action, adventure, comedy, and a happy ending. :D I'm such a sap.
September 24, 2007
Mercedes Lackey does a good job mixing romance and fantasy in this latest installment of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. The one thing I have been enjoying about the series, and this title is no exception, is that the heroines are strong and capable, without entering the dreaded "feisty" zone (veteran romance novel readers will know what I mean!). My only complaint is that there is never any real sense of danger/darkness - you just know nothing bad is really going to happen. Not necessarily a bad thing but makes the book a little fluffy and I know some people don't care for that (but me, I find it a refreshing change!)
September 9, 2024
Fun fairy-tale retelling for older teens as well as adults
Ekaterina, "Katya" for short, is the seventh daughter of the Sea King's fourteen children. Her father is a very wise man who has brought peace rather than endless war to his kingdom. He believes that all his children should have useful work to do based on their individual talents, rather than getting spoiled, lazy and causing trouble due to idleness. Katya can function equally well breathing air and walking on land and breathing water and swimming under the sea. Her father also gave her and all her royal siblings dragon's blood, which imparts the ability to everyone who drinks it to understand the speech of all animals, and to a special few, including Katya, the ability to speak and understand all human languages. Because of these things, her father offered Katya the job of being his eyes and ears on land. The peace of his realm is not threatened only by events under the sea. Wars of aggression on the land can easily spread underwater, and he is determined to nip in the bud the destructive acts of magical villains before they get out of hand.
Prince Sasha is the seventh son of the King of Belrus, a small kingdom very near the Sea King's domain. Sasha is known as a "Fortunate Fool." In public he plays the part of a grinning idiot whose gift of luck brings peace and plenty to his father's kingdom, but in private his family knows him for an intelligent, decent, caring young man.
In between missions for her father, Katya encounters Sasha, and it is instantly clear that both of these intrepid virgins (neither of them has ever been attracted to anyone else romantically before) are made for each other. But before they can fully cement their romance, Katya is kidnapped by an evil Jinn, and Sasha is determined to find her and do everything he can to aid her in the brave escape he is confident she is inevitably planning.
This is the third entry in the 500 Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey, originally published between 2004-2011 by Harlequin's LUNA fantasy line. I had not read any of her books before stumbling on this series. I wasn't expecting to enjoy these books as much as I have because I'd never before been a fan of traditional fantasy novels. For my own preferences, books in that genre tend to be over-long because of spending a great deal of time lovingly detailing the magical world at the expense of a central, character-based story. In contrast, LUNA books must inevitably be tightly written because that imprint has a standard word length of no more than 80,000 words. This requirement pushes participating authors to stick to the main storyline which, because this is Harlequin, is a paranormal romance, with a secondary action-adventure plot.
As a long-time fan of paranormal romance, this series provides a type of fantasy story I could definitely get interested in for the romance alone. But Lackey has provided me with several other major attractions. First, the series employs fairytale-retelling, which I've always enjoyed, and which is brilliantly done here. The concept of a world driven by a magical "Tradition," which forces the people of the 500 Kingdoms to live out familiar myths and fairytales, is an enthralling choice for magical world-building because it is rooted in a universal truth of ordinary, human existence--all too often major, life choices are forced on us seemingly irresistibly by our upbringing, conventions of our local and national society, and by the options available to us in the era of history in which we live.
I constantly marvel at Lackey's sheer creativity in the way that she mixes and matches elements from fairytales and folklore from around the world, resulting in comically incongruous fantasy mashups. In this book the emphasis is primarily on Russian fairytales, but we get a taste of other traditions, too, such as tales from Japan.
Speaking of comic incongruity, the second major thing I adore about the 500 Kingdom books is that Lackey is truly brilliant at subtle, witty, often laugh-out-loud humor in every entry in this series, including this one. I love comedy, and the intermix of fantastical creatures with both adventure and romance creates endless possibilities for humor.
Regardless of the genre of fiction I read, I always prefer character-driven stories, and Lackey's series is totally character driven. Since this book is written for the adult, romance genre, we get to experience the dual points of view of both Katya and Sasha throughout the book. But because this book is based on fairytales, Lackey also from time to time moves into omniscient, storytelling, narrator mode, which works really well since that is the standard voice in traditional fairytales and strongly summons for the reader the mood of fairytales. In addition to the protagonists, the many subcharacters, both human and nonhuman, are vividly drawn and contribute tremendously to the story, while never upstaging Katya or Sasha, who are always compelling, every time they appear on the page.
Katya is a strong, sympathetic heroine whose missions for her father involve lots of flexibility, cleverness, and the ability to involve other people and magical beings in a team effort to defeat terrible villains. Sasha functions much the same as Katya, being assigned by his father, a king, to help protect his kingdom. Both have drunk dragon blood. Both are equally kind-hearted, valiant, and willing to risk their lives to defend the weak and those they care about against evil, magical villains. Both have been trained to understand and deal with the problems caused by the Tradition and are skilled at nudging it toward happy endings rather than tragic ones.
Sasha is particularly gifted at maneuvering the Tradition in two ways. He frequently does favors for people and animals, and as part of Sasha's magical luck, the Tradition forces them to repay those favors, usually just when Sasha desperately needs help. Sasha also regularly engages in on-the-spot composition of songs that are easy for anyone to sing, which allows them to rapidly spread throughout his kingdom. The continual repetition of lyrics that communicate a desired outcome exerts a counter pressure on the Tradition, steering it into paths that keep Sasha's kingdom safe and prosperous. It is fascinating to see a romantic hero whose weapons against horrible villains are not alpha-male battle skills, but rather his wit, big heart, and his magical luck as a Fortunate Fool.
For those who are reading the series in order, this is the third book, and it is fun to re-encounter two lovable, and quite amusing, talking dragons which are central characters in book 2, One Good Knight. We also meet again an extremely funny subcharacter from book 1, The Fairy Godmother, a flying "humpback" horse who is very clever but quite homely. In this story, as in every one I've read so far in this series, unicorns appear. Male ones are attracted to female virgins, and female ones are attracted to male virgins. They are utterly gorgeous, but completely dumb, and every time they appear, the results are hilarious, as in this book when--prior to meeting Katya--Sasha is constantly bombarded with their fawning attentions.
As is typical in actual fairytales, all the main romantic protagonists in this series are quite young, ranging from 16 to, at most, 20--in this book both protagonists are 18. Because of that, if it weren't for several tasteful, loving, non-graphic sexual encounters between the romantic protagonists in this book--and similar scenes in most of the other books in this series--these books could easily qualify as Young Adult (YA) suitable for ages 12 and above. The author's voice and tone are ideal for that genre. As it is, these books are definitely appropriate for teens 16 and older.
The books in this series as of today's date are:
The Fairy Godmother
One Good Knight
Fortune's Fool
The Snow Queen
The Sleeping Beauty
Beauty and the Werewolf
A Tangled Web (a short story from a previous anthology)
I read a Kindle re-issue of this book which is well formatted and well edited.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Fantasy World-Building: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Action-Adventure Plot: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
9/6/24 Reread: I experienced this novel as an audiobook this time. The narration is well done. I enjoyed this terrific story just as much this time around, and I agree with all of my opinions listed above.
Ekaterina, "Katya" for short, is the seventh daughter of the Sea King's fourteen children. Her father is a very wise man who has brought peace rather than endless war to his kingdom. He believes that all his children should have useful work to do based on their individual talents, rather than getting spoiled, lazy and causing trouble due to idleness. Katya can function equally well breathing air and walking on land and breathing water and swimming under the sea. Her father also gave her and all her royal siblings dragon's blood, which imparts the ability to everyone who drinks it to understand the speech of all animals, and to a special few, including Katya, the ability to speak and understand all human languages. Because of these things, her father offered Katya the job of being his eyes and ears on land. The peace of his realm is not threatened only by events under the sea. Wars of aggression on the land can easily spread underwater, and he is determined to nip in the bud the destructive acts of magical villains before they get out of hand.
Prince Sasha is the seventh son of the King of Belrus, a small kingdom very near the Sea King's domain. Sasha is known as a "Fortunate Fool." In public he plays the part of a grinning idiot whose gift of luck brings peace and plenty to his father's kingdom, but in private his family knows him for an intelligent, decent, caring young man.
In between missions for her father, Katya encounters Sasha, and it is instantly clear that both of these intrepid virgins (neither of them has ever been attracted to anyone else romantically before) are made for each other. But before they can fully cement their romance, Katya is kidnapped by an evil Jinn, and Sasha is determined to find her and do everything he can to aid her in the brave escape he is confident she is inevitably planning.
This is the third entry in the 500 Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey, originally published between 2004-2011 by Harlequin's LUNA fantasy line. I had not read any of her books before stumbling on this series. I wasn't expecting to enjoy these books as much as I have because I'd never before been a fan of traditional fantasy novels. For my own preferences, books in that genre tend to be over-long because of spending a great deal of time lovingly detailing the magical world at the expense of a central, character-based story. In contrast, LUNA books must inevitably be tightly written because that imprint has a standard word length of no more than 80,000 words. This requirement pushes participating authors to stick to the main storyline which, because this is Harlequin, is a paranormal romance, with a secondary action-adventure plot.
As a long-time fan of paranormal romance, this series provides a type of fantasy story I could definitely get interested in for the romance alone. But Lackey has provided me with several other major attractions. First, the series employs fairytale-retelling, which I've always enjoyed, and which is brilliantly done here. The concept of a world driven by a magical "Tradition," which forces the people of the 500 Kingdoms to live out familiar myths and fairytales, is an enthralling choice for magical world-building because it is rooted in a universal truth of ordinary, human existence--all too often major, life choices are forced on us seemingly irresistibly by our upbringing, conventions of our local and national society, and by the options available to us in the era of history in which we live.
I constantly marvel at Lackey's sheer creativity in the way that she mixes and matches elements from fairytales and folklore from around the world, resulting in comically incongruous fantasy mashups. In this book the emphasis is primarily on Russian fairytales, but we get a taste of other traditions, too, such as tales from Japan.
Speaking of comic incongruity, the second major thing I adore about the 500 Kingdom books is that Lackey is truly brilliant at subtle, witty, often laugh-out-loud humor in every entry in this series, including this one. I love comedy, and the intermix of fantastical creatures with both adventure and romance creates endless possibilities for humor.
Regardless of the genre of fiction I read, I always prefer character-driven stories, and Lackey's series is totally character driven. Since this book is written for the adult, romance genre, we get to experience the dual points of view of both Katya and Sasha throughout the book. But because this book is based on fairytales, Lackey also from time to time moves into omniscient, storytelling, narrator mode, which works really well since that is the standard voice in traditional fairytales and strongly summons for the reader the mood of fairytales. In addition to the protagonists, the many subcharacters, both human and nonhuman, are vividly drawn and contribute tremendously to the story, while never upstaging Katya or Sasha, who are always compelling, every time they appear on the page.
Katya is a strong, sympathetic heroine whose missions for her father involve lots of flexibility, cleverness, and the ability to involve other people and magical beings in a team effort to defeat terrible villains. Sasha functions much the same as Katya, being assigned by his father, a king, to help protect his kingdom. Both have drunk dragon blood. Both are equally kind-hearted, valiant, and willing to risk their lives to defend the weak and those they care about against evil, magical villains. Both have been trained to understand and deal with the problems caused by the Tradition and are skilled at nudging it toward happy endings rather than tragic ones.
Sasha is particularly gifted at maneuvering the Tradition in two ways. He frequently does favors for people and animals, and as part of Sasha's magical luck, the Tradition forces them to repay those favors, usually just when Sasha desperately needs help. Sasha also regularly engages in on-the-spot composition of songs that are easy for anyone to sing, which allows them to rapidly spread throughout his kingdom. The continual repetition of lyrics that communicate a desired outcome exerts a counter pressure on the Tradition, steering it into paths that keep Sasha's kingdom safe and prosperous. It is fascinating to see a romantic hero whose weapons against horrible villains are not alpha-male battle skills, but rather his wit, big heart, and his magical luck as a Fortunate Fool.
For those who are reading the series in order, this is the third book, and it is fun to re-encounter two lovable, and quite amusing, talking dragons which are central characters in book 2, One Good Knight. We also meet again an extremely funny subcharacter from book 1, The Fairy Godmother, a flying "humpback" horse who is very clever but quite homely. In this story, as in every one I've read so far in this series, unicorns appear. Male ones are attracted to female virgins, and female ones are attracted to male virgins. They are utterly gorgeous, but completely dumb, and every time they appear, the results are hilarious, as in this book when--prior to meeting Katya--Sasha is constantly bombarded with their fawning attentions.
As is typical in actual fairytales, all the main romantic protagonists in this series are quite young, ranging from 16 to, at most, 20--in this book both protagonists are 18. Because of that, if it weren't for several tasteful, loving, non-graphic sexual encounters between the romantic protagonists in this book--and similar scenes in most of the other books in this series--these books could easily qualify as Young Adult (YA) suitable for ages 12 and above. The author's voice and tone are ideal for that genre. As it is, these books are definitely appropriate for teens 16 and older.
The books in this series as of today's date are:
The Fairy Godmother
One Good Knight
Fortune's Fool
The Snow Queen
The Sleeping Beauty
Beauty and the Werewolf
A Tangled Web (a short story from a previous anthology)
I read a Kindle re-issue of this book which is well formatted and well edited.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Fantasy World-Building: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Action-Adventure Plot: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
9/6/24 Reread: I experienced this novel as an audiobook this time. The narration is well done. I enjoyed this terrific story just as much this time around, and I agree with all of my opinions listed above.
to-read-now
April 15, 2008There's nothing quite like recent-vintage Mercedes Lackey to get me through feeling ill. When the flu knocked me down a week ago, I knew just where to turn:
The seventh daughter of the Sea King, Ekaterina is more than a pampered princess--she's also the family spy.
Really, how could that be a better companion to chicken noodle soup, ice cream, and extra-fluffy pillows?
The seventh daughter of the Sea King, Ekaterina is more than a pampered princess--she's also the family spy.
Really, how could that be a better companion to chicken noodle soup, ice cream, and extra-fluffy pillows?
October 8, 2011
NOTE: Actual personal rating is 1.5 out of 5.
I have nothing against beach-reading. Most of what I read could probably be classified as 'escapist, wish-fulfillment fluff.' And I'm OK with that. However, I prefer my books to possess some sort of internal logic and cohesive world-building. In Fortune's Fool, I felt as though Lackey threw out anything resembling conflict because that would be *bad* and scary and perhaps give this morass of a story some sort of palatability.
I finished Fortune's Fool, so I feel bound to round up my rating to a 2/5. After all, I found it readable -- even if I did have to quell an urge to toss the book across the room every 20 minutes.
I have nothing against beach-reading. Most of what I read could probably be classified as 'escapist, wish-fulfillment fluff.' And I'm OK with that. However, I prefer my books to possess some sort of internal logic and cohesive world-building. In Fortune's Fool, I felt as though Lackey threw out anything resembling conflict because that would be *bad* and scary and perhaps give this morass of a story some sort of palatability.
I finished Fortune's Fool, so I feel bound to round up my rating to a 2/5. After all, I found it readable -- even if I did have to quell an urge to toss the book across the room every 20 minutes.
October 14, 2024
The third book in Mercedes Lackey’s Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, Fortune’s Fool is an enjoyable if eclectic remix of a number of fairy tales. Lackey takes a wide assortment of elements drawn from Russian, eastern and northern European, Japanese, and Middle Eastern folk and fairy tales, and mixes them up, higgledy-piggledy. In these pages you will encounter: a Seventh Son (who is also a wise or fortunate fool), a sea-king’s daughter (who is also a Clever Little Vixen), a brave kitsune, a bereginia, a willi, several Rusalkas, some swan maidens, a snow maiden, several shapeshifters, Baba Yaga, and the Little Humpback Horse. Add in the tale of the Queen of the Copper Mountain and a wholly-out-of-its-milieu djinn, and… well, you get the picture. Altogether, it’s a charmingly varied melange. That the book works at all is due to Lackey’s excellent storytelling skills and a pair of bright, clever, and sympathetic main characters—but it does work, and as a whole, the novel is delightful.
The story alternates between the points of view of the two main characters, Katya (Ekaterina), seventh daughter and fourteenth child of the Sea King, who serves as his secret agent in the Drylands, and Sascha, seventh son of the King of Led Belarus, who serves as his family’s and his country’s Fortunate Fool. The two have several adventures separately before meeting and falling in love. Alas, they are soon separated when Katya’s father sends her on another mission. When Katya allows herself to be captured in order to gather more information, Sascha sets out to find and rescue her, and (as always happens in a Fortunate Fool story), he gets a lot of help from those he aided or befriended earlier in the book. The dangers are significant, and the main adversary is formidable. But fear not, all ends well (as it does in all the best fairy tales), with evil routed, true love rewarded, and new friendships forged.
Can you read it as a standalone? Readers familiar with the first two books in the series, The Fairy Godmother and One Good Knight, will recognize some references and characters from those two books. (Keep your eyes out for a familiar pair of dragons, in particular!) But for the most part, the characters and situations in this book are new, and you don’t have to read the first two books to enjoy Fortune’s Fool… although it might help you get a jump on understanding the worldbuilding and magic system, which are not explained as thoroughly in this book as in The Fairy Godmother.
Rating: When I first read Fortune’s Fool, I gave it 3.5 stars because of the episodic nature of the story. Over 15 years later, I’m bumping that up to a solid 4 stars, because I keep on rereading it, and enjoy it as much or more than I did the first time I read it.
Review originally published on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
The story alternates between the points of view of the two main characters, Katya (Ekaterina), seventh daughter and fourteenth child of the Sea King, who serves as his secret agent in the Drylands, and Sascha, seventh son of the King of Led Belarus, who serves as his family’s and his country’s Fortunate Fool. The two have several adventures separately before meeting and falling in love. Alas, they are soon separated when Katya’s father sends her on another mission. When Katya allows herself to be captured in order to gather more information, Sascha sets out to find and rescue her, and (as always happens in a Fortunate Fool story), he gets a lot of help from those he aided or befriended earlier in the book. The dangers are significant, and the main adversary is formidable. But fear not, all ends well (as it does in all the best fairy tales), with evil routed, true love rewarded, and new friendships forged.
Can you read it as a standalone? Readers familiar with the first two books in the series, The Fairy Godmother and One Good Knight, will recognize some references and characters from those two books. (Keep your eyes out for a familiar pair of dragons, in particular!) But for the most part, the characters and situations in this book are new, and you don’t have to read the first two books to enjoy Fortune’s Fool… although it might help you get a jump on understanding the worldbuilding and magic system, which are not explained as thoroughly in this book as in The Fairy Godmother.
Rating: When I first read Fortune’s Fool, I gave it 3.5 stars because of the episodic nature of the story. Over 15 years later, I’m bumping that up to a solid 4 stars, because I keep on rereading it, and enjoy it as much or more than I did the first time I read it.
Review originally published on my blog, The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
December 30, 2009
One more, favourite genre. I very liked Katya. However, I have another list of naming gripes, this one even longer: Nippon is another name for Japan. Please be slightly less obvious that you're copying countries straight out of Earth, or else own it all the way. Belarus is a country. You make Japan a tiny distance away at Nippon, but you can't even come up with something that isn't currently a country for blatantly-russian-place? Adding Led to the front doesn't make it original. The Kitsune was surprising and I probably would have liked it if you weren't BLATANTLY RIPPING OFF JAPAN AND NOT BOTHERING TO HIDE IT. Again the romance wasn't very well-developed. They've known each other for a few days and are madly in love and will travel to the ends of the earth for each other symdrome. Ew. Oh, and I forgot to mention in the others, even though it doesn't come into play much in this one: The Tradition is HELLA heteronormative, and though this could be explained away by the fact that fairy tales are.... The author has characters break The Tradition for lots of things. But none of those things include being anything but straight and cis. She even makes a point several times about "The Tradition makes girls fall in love with their rescuer! Oh, but we tricked it and made the rescuer a GURL! They wouldn't fall in love with a GURL! Foiled again!" And I harp on this despite it not being in this book because it's a pattern in literature and it's a shit one. People who aren't straight do exist, Mercedes Lackey. It's nice that you made the merpeople casual about sex and all, but it doesn't make up for it.
April 3, 2012
Fortunes' Fool is based off of some Russian fairytale that I had no idea even existed, so I wasn't really anticipating much when I cracked it open.
Imagine my surprise when this turned out to be one of my favorites from her Five Hundred Kingdoms' series. Moral of the story: Don't judge a book based on the fairytale...or something.
My reason for liking the book may be based on the fact that, unlike in some of Lackey's other books, the hero in this one isn't a total douchebag. I found it refreshing to root for someone that I actually liked for a change. I'm funny that way, I guess.
The heroine was also quite likable. Being the capable young woman that she was, she didn't actually need him to come save the day...but it was a nice gesture on his part when he showed up to help her out.
I'm slowly working my way through Lackey's stuff, and so far I'm like her writing style. Well, aside from her apparent need to make most of the men repugnant.
If you're thinking about giving her stuff a try, Fortune's Fool is (my opinion) a good jumping off point.
Imagine my surprise when this turned out to be one of my favorites from her Five Hundred Kingdoms' series. Moral of the story: Don't judge a book based on the fairytale...or something.
My reason for liking the book may be based on the fact that, unlike in some of Lackey's other books, the hero in this one isn't a total douchebag. I found it refreshing to root for someone that I actually liked for a change. I'm funny that way, I guess.
The heroine was also quite likable. Being the capable young woman that she was, she didn't actually need him to come save the day...but it was a nice gesture on his part when he showed up to help her out.
I'm slowly working my way through Lackey's stuff, and so far I'm like her writing style. Well, aside from her apparent need to make most of the men repugnant.
If you're thinking about giving her stuff a try, Fortune's Fool is (my opinion) a good jumping off point.
July 18, 2025
I love Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms series because the books are light-hearted, fluffy fun - the Fantasy equivalent of a beach read, which is exactly what I need this Summer.
That said, this was my least favourite installment so far, despite the underwater setting. Mixing Japanese (a magical paper crane!) and Russian (Baba Yagas - yes, more than one!) elements, Katya is the youngest daughter and secret spy for the Sea King. On land, Sasha is the seventh-son and thus Fortunate Fool of small but prosperous kingdom Belarus - but no one knows that it stays that way thanks to the songs he writes and sings along his travels. He also wears two faces: a bumbling comedian that is the black sheep bane of his family in public and beloved son in private.
When their paths cross, Katya and Sasha are pulled by the Tradition into another twisted tale that could doom both their families forever. They fall so fast in love it's ridiculous and you know there will be a Happily Ever After - it's the getting there that takes the time. But because they meet and fall in love so quickly only to be forced apart for most of the story, their relationship doesn't have the emotional impact it should. Enjoyable but slight of plot.
That said, this was my least favourite installment so far, despite the underwater setting. Mixing Japanese (a magical paper crane!) and Russian (Baba Yagas - yes, more than one!) elements, Katya is the youngest daughter and secret spy for the Sea King. On land, Sasha is the seventh-son and thus Fortunate Fool of small but prosperous kingdom Belarus - but no one knows that it stays that way thanks to the songs he writes and sings along his travels. He also wears two faces: a bumbling comedian that is the black sheep bane of his family in public and beloved son in private.
When their paths cross, Katya and Sasha are pulled by the Tradition into another twisted tale that could doom both their families forever. They fall so fast in love it's ridiculous and you know there will be a Happily Ever After - it's the getting there that takes the time. But because they meet and fall in love so quickly only to be forced apart for most of the story, their relationship doesn't have the emotional impact it should. Enjoyable but slight of plot.
March 12, 2022
This is a series I enjoy reading when I’m between books. I was entertained and interested in the adventure the characters go on, but underwhelmed by the romance. There was no real development, but then we’re supposed to believe that this bond they formed after only three days carries them through as they try to free themselves—in the case of Katya—and deal with Baba Yaga and resist another’s advances—in the case of Sasha. But I was able to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the adventure though. And I appreciated the appearance of a few old characters.
As usual, I enjoyed Gabra Zackman’s narration though I didn’t understand why Sasha didn’t have an accent when all of his family did.
As usual, I enjoyed Gabra Zackman’s narration though I didn’t understand why Sasha didn’t have an accent when all of his family did.
June 17, 2012
True rating: 4.5 stars.
Each book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series is similar: Engaging characters are moved deftly through a simple, yet interesting plot filled with heartwarming (but never cloying) and smile-inducing moments. Each tackles an aspect of the fairy tale Tradition – or perhaps it is better to say that each approaches the Tradition from a different angle, thereby keeping fresh the conceptual thread that runs through these novels. Another similarity is that I always think Ms. Lackey's work could have benefited from one more pass through the manuscript. There are no glaring errors or textual problems, but her prose has a tendency to sameness – words and phrases are often overused. (For one example: In Fortune’s Fool, every time a character is surprised, he or she ‘blinks’ in reaction.) But the liveliness of the characters and the general fluidity of the writing more than offset this repetitiveness.
If ever there was the fantasy equivalent of a ‘cozy’ mystery, this genial series is it. I never close a book without wishing for more, nor do I ever depart the Five Hundred Kingdoms with a less than merry spirit.
Each book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series is similar: Engaging characters are moved deftly through a simple, yet interesting plot filled with heartwarming (but never cloying) and smile-inducing moments. Each tackles an aspect of the fairy tale Tradition – or perhaps it is better to say that each approaches the Tradition from a different angle, thereby keeping fresh the conceptual thread that runs through these novels. Another similarity is that I always think Ms. Lackey's work could have benefited from one more pass through the manuscript. There are no glaring errors or textual problems, but her prose has a tendency to sameness – words and phrases are often overused. (For one example: In Fortune’s Fool, every time a character is surprised, he or she ‘blinks’ in reaction.) But the liveliness of the characters and the general fluidity of the writing more than offset this repetitiveness.
If ever there was the fantasy equivalent of a ‘cozy’ mystery, this genial series is it. I never close a book without wishing for more, nor do I ever depart the Five Hundred Kingdoms with a less than merry spirit.
May 22, 2017
An interesting setting and concept, but overall the writing was subpar. I liked the idea of fairy-tale figures being self-aware and being able to take advantage of their roles. I especially liked the character of Sasha. But it seemed as if I were being told a great deal, instead of being shown things. This made me feel rather detached to the characters and the plot. And certain elements just seem to have been 'thrown in there' not necessarily because they fit, but because the author thought they were neat ideas. This may be because this book is the third in a series, and some of these seemingly random things might be references to earlier books, but all the same, it was a little too much of "everything but the enchanted kitchen sink."
Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this book. It was worth finishing, but I have no plans to re-read it. It read like a fairly good fanfiction, and not the work of someone with a great deal of publishing credits to her name. I remember being far more impressed with the Gryphon series.
Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this book. It was worth finishing, but I have no plans to re-read it. It read like a fairly good fanfiction, and not the work of someone with a great deal of publishing credits to her name. I remember being far more impressed with the Gryphon series.
August 1, 2022
The heroine is the Sea King's daughter, who serves as his spy and assassin because she can breathe as well on land as in the sea. (The Sea King and his children are human shaped with legs, not mer-people with fins.) The hero is the Seventh Son of the king of a Russian-style kingdom, a Fortunate Fool. It takes Lackey a while to get the "real" story underway, because she first sends the heroine off on an adventure in a Japanese-ish kingdom. This adventure seems to have nothing to do with the main story, except that the heroine is given an origami bird which plays a small role later on. Then the heroine is sent to investigate why the Russian kingdom is so quiet, with no trouble for so long, and meets the hero and realizes he's the reason. They fall for each other, then she's sent off on a mission by her father, things go awry and the hero goes on a quest to rescue her. This is kind of a disjointed story, but it's still interesting.
February 11, 2018
3.25 stars
Katya is a sea princess, daughter of the Sea King. Sasha is the 7th son of the leader of a land kingdom; he is a fool and a songweaver. After a little romance between them, Katya is called away to save some kidnapped girls, and Sasha later comes to find Katya.
I mostly enjoyed this one, though I did lose interest at various intervals. I did like Katya – she is a strong character and a spy for her father. Parts of the book were from her point of view, while other parts were from Sasha’s. At the start, I enjoyed Katya’s POV more, but I was enjoying Sasha’s more in the second half of the book, as well.
Katya is a sea princess, daughter of the Sea King. Sasha is the 7th son of the leader of a land kingdom; he is a fool and a songweaver. After a little romance between them, Katya is called away to save some kidnapped girls, and Sasha later comes to find Katya.
I mostly enjoyed this one, though I did lose interest at various intervals. I did like Katya – she is a strong character and a spy for her father. Parts of the book were from her point of view, while other parts were from Sasha’s. At the start, I enjoyed Katya’s POV more, but I was enjoying Sasha’s more in the second half of the book, as well.
October 30, 2019
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this book more than the second book in this series but not as much as the first. I'm sensing a theme with Mercedes Lackey. I really enjoy her world-building and the way she integrates folklore and fairytales into her books. Her characters and writing are okay. Decent enough.
But yikes! Her romances are REALLY bad. This one is no exception. They go from being strangers to sleeping together and getting engaged in a single chapter. I like these characters separately, but that romance was so insta-lovey....
Still, I enjoyed the world-building very much and I will continue with this series.
I enjoyed this book more than the second book in this series but not as much as the first. I'm sensing a theme with Mercedes Lackey. I really enjoy her world-building and the way she integrates folklore and fairytales into her books. Her characters and writing are okay. Decent enough.
But yikes! Her romances are REALLY bad. This one is no exception. They go from being strangers to sleeping together and getting engaged in a single chapter. I like these characters separately, but that romance was so insta-lovey....
Still, I enjoyed the world-building very much and I will continue with this series.
June 17, 2009
Of the four Five Hundred Kingdoms books out, this is far and away my favorite one. It has wonderful characters, an exciting set of stories, and most notably, beautiful settings.
I don't know if it was Mercedes Lackey's vivid descriptions or my own personal hangups from a childhood spent watching The Little Mermaid every week, but I was instantly enchanted by the underwater kingdom the heroine of this story is from. I loved the idea of it and of the way things were run there, as well as the execution.
If that wasn't enough to draw me hook line and sinker, in came the Japanese legends, Russian fairy tales, and the Arabian myths. All of them were done so well and were written with very distinct atmosphere. I did think for a moment that Mercedes Lackey was reaching a bit for to cram as many fairy tales into one story to make it a success, but it all worked beautifully, and I declared myself utterly reeled in.
I don't know if it was Mercedes Lackey's vivid descriptions or my own personal hangups from a childhood spent watching The Little Mermaid every week, but I was instantly enchanted by the underwater kingdom the heroine of this story is from. I loved the idea of it and of the way things were run there, as well as the execution.
If that wasn't enough to draw me hook line and sinker, in came the Japanese legends, Russian fairy tales, and the Arabian myths. All of them were done so well and were written with very distinct atmosphere. I did think for a moment that Mercedes Lackey was reaching a bit for to cram as many fairy tales into one story to make it a success, but it all worked beautifully, and I declared myself utterly reeled in.
September 24, 2010
Ah, unadulterated chick-lit. Fantasy chick-lit even! Mercedes Lackey started a new "universe" series, all set in the Five Hundred Kingdoms. I think the first one, The Fairy Godmother, was the best. Basically all the novels tell the story of some mixed up fairy tale. This book dealt with more Russian folklore, which I don't know much about, so that was kinda fun. It also had a short bit where one of the characters travels to a distinctly Japanese island. Overall, the book was okay, but the plot dragged a bit. It also seemed like certain elements of the story were just repeated over, and over. Like the fact that the male lead is a Songweaver, or something, and it gets mentioned in, like, every chapter. The romance is cute, and it's nice to see mentions of characters from the previous books.
June 29, 2020
Overview:
Blurb: This is the third book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series; while it can be read as a stand-alone, it does make more sense if you have read The Fairy Godmother with certain characters that make an appearance. Katya, a daughter of the Sea King, is a spy for her father. She is sent ashore and meets a kitsune who she aids in defeating a demon. While on another mission, Katya meets the Seventh Son of the King of Led Belarus, another kingdom of the Five Hundred Kingdoms.
However, this kingdom has no Fairy Godmother, just the magic of Sasha, the Fortunate Fool and Seventh Son. Katya and Sasha fall in love, quite quickly, and end up separated when Katya is kidnapped by an evil Jinn. Katya and Sasha have separate adventures, including run-ins with Baba Yaga herself and the Queen of the Copper Mountain, as they strive to get back to one another.
Katya isn't the only one that has been kidnapped. Because of The Tradition forcing his hand, the Jinn has been taking women of magical abilities away and keeping them to drain of their powers. One of the Swan Sisters has been stolen away by the Jinn, another captive is an actual ghost who is earth-bound. A snow maiden and shapeshifter have also been taken.
As ever with a Five Hundred Kingdoms, they also help many others along the way. All in all, a nice, happily ever after sort of story, with magical beings and multiple folk tale characters abounding.
Trigger Warnings:
Bastardization of Mythology, Blood, Bullying, Death, Disabled Character (sort of), Food, Murder, Off Screen Sex, Poor Coping Mechanisms, Purple Prose, Sex, Toxic Masculinity (mentioned in passing), Unsafe Sex, Violence, Violent Imagery, War
Body Count: 2, technically? Does it count if they're already dead?
Overall review:
• Thoughts:
o What I liked: Katya and Sasha had their own arch separately even as their adventures and affections intertwined. Katya's adventure after being taken by the Jinn were interesting. I really liked the incorporation of Baba Yaga and the Queen of the Stone Mountain.
o What I didn't like: I didn't like that Sasha pretended to be a deaf-mute, but no actual disabled characters were mentioned in the story. Also, the absolute "happily ever after" that everyone found in the end was a bit saccharine. There was major conflict, but everything got resolved so...neatly. I wish there was a little more depth to it.
• Was it engaging?
o Yes
• Favorite Character:
o Sergi, the Humpbacked Horse
• Least Favorite Character:
o the Jinn
Rating out of five: 3.0 out of 5
To Read or Not To Read (Again):
Not to Read: Happily Donated for Someone Else to Read
The Technical Specs:
• Series
o Series Name: The Five Hundred Kingdoms
o Book Number: 3 of 7
• Genre
o Technical Genre: Gothic Romances, Mythology & Folk Tales, Fairy Tale Fantasy
o Theo Genre: Faerie Tales, High Fantasy, Romance with Plot, Magical Realism
• Page count: 400 pages
• POV: Limited 3rd
• Publication information:
o Publisher: Harlequin
o Language: English
o ISBN-13: 9781459296664
o ASIN: B01BSEZN3U
Representation, Morality, and Sexism in Media Tests:
• Bechdel–Wallace Test: Pass
o Do two female characters talk about something other than a male character?
• Deggan's Rule Test: Pass
o Are there at least two non-white human characters in the main cast in a story not primarily focused on race?
• DuVernay Test: Pass
o Are there fully actualized characters of color?
• Ellen Willis Test: Pass
o Would two related characters still work to carry the story if their genders were reversed?
• Hays Code: Pass
o Part One: outdated moral guidelines: Pass
Are there any outdated "moral content" rules gloriously kicked in the teeth by this story? Murder, happy queer characters, profanity, etc.
o Part Two: queer representation: Pass
Are there queer characters that get a happy ending?
Do the queer characters die?
o Part Three: age and agency: Pass
Is there an illegal or otherwise distasteful age gap between characters, queer or otherwise?
• Mako Mori Test: Pass
o Is there a female character that gets her own arc?
• Mary Sue/Gary Stu Test: Pass
o Is the main character completely flawless and persecuted by other characters needlessly?
o Take a Mary Sue test here!
• Sexy Lamp Test: Pass
o Would the plot fall apart if the female character was replaced by a sexy looking lamp?
o Post-It Note Caveat:
Would the character be able to be replaced by a Sexy Lamp with a sticky note on it for information conveyance?
• Tauriel Test: Pass
o Is there at least one woman in the story who is competent in her chosen occupation and not immediately shown up by a newcomer male character?
o If she has or develops a love interest during the story, either implied or explicitly stated, does she suddenly abandon her job and/or chosen path to support or pursue said love interest?
• Topside Test: Fail
o Are there two or more trans characters in the story that know each other and do they talk about anything other than medical transition procedures?
I acknowledge that most common media lacks decent trans representation.
• Vito Russo Test: Half Pass, as it is never stated the character is gay
o Is there a character on the LGBTQIAP+ spectrum who is a character beyond their orientation and do they actually affect the plot and are something beyond a punchline?
What does that stand for? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual/Biromantic/Bigender, Transgender, Queer/Genderqueer, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic/Agender, Pansexual/Panromantic
You can read more about the various Media Tests I employ in my reviews at GeekFeminism.wikia.org or by clicking the header on the individual test. Why include all these? Because I can, because representation matters, and because I’m neurotic.
Review format updated 14 April 2020
Blurb: This is the third book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series; while it can be read as a stand-alone, it does make more sense if you have read The Fairy Godmother with certain characters that make an appearance. Katya, a daughter of the Sea King, is a spy for her father. She is sent ashore and meets a kitsune who she aids in defeating a demon. While on another mission, Katya meets the Seventh Son of the King of Led Belarus, another kingdom of the Five Hundred Kingdoms.
However, this kingdom has no Fairy Godmother, just the magic of Sasha, the Fortunate Fool and Seventh Son. Katya and Sasha fall in love, quite quickly, and end up separated when Katya is kidnapped by an evil Jinn. Katya and Sasha have separate adventures, including run-ins with Baba Yaga herself and the Queen of the Copper Mountain, as they strive to get back to one another.
Katya isn't the only one that has been kidnapped. Because of The Tradition forcing his hand, the Jinn has been taking women of magical abilities away and keeping them to drain of their powers. One of the Swan Sisters has been stolen away by the Jinn, another captive is an actual ghost who is earth-bound. A snow maiden and shapeshifter have also been taken.
As ever with a Five Hundred Kingdoms, they also help many others along the way. All in all, a nice, happily ever after sort of story, with magical beings and multiple folk tale characters abounding.
Trigger Warnings:
Bastardization of Mythology, Blood, Bullying, Death, Disabled Character (sort of), Food, Murder, Off Screen Sex, Poor Coping Mechanisms, Purple Prose, Sex, Toxic Masculinity (mentioned in passing), Unsafe Sex, Violence, Violent Imagery, War
Body Count: 2, technically? Does it count if they're already dead?
Overall review:
• Thoughts:
o What I liked: Katya and Sasha had their own arch separately even as their adventures and affections intertwined. Katya's adventure after being taken by the Jinn were interesting. I really liked the incorporation of Baba Yaga and the Queen of the Stone Mountain.
o What I didn't like: I didn't like that Sasha pretended to be a deaf-mute, but no actual disabled characters were mentioned in the story. Also, the absolute "happily ever after" that everyone found in the end was a bit saccharine. There was major conflict, but everything got resolved so...neatly. I wish there was a little more depth to it.
• Was it engaging?
o Yes
• Favorite Character:
o Sergi, the Humpbacked Horse
• Least Favorite Character:
o the Jinn
Rating out of five: 3.0 out of 5
To Read or Not To Read (Again):
Not to Read: Happily Donated for Someone Else to Read
The Technical Specs:
• Series
o Series Name: The Five Hundred Kingdoms
o Book Number: 3 of 7
• Genre
o Technical Genre: Gothic Romances, Mythology & Folk Tales, Fairy Tale Fantasy
o Theo Genre: Faerie Tales, High Fantasy, Romance with Plot, Magical Realism
• Page count: 400 pages
• POV: Limited 3rd
• Publication information:
o Publisher: Harlequin
o Language: English
o ISBN-13: 9781459296664
o ASIN: B01BSEZN3U
Representation, Morality, and Sexism in Media Tests:
• Bechdel–Wallace Test: Pass
o Do two female characters talk about something other than a male character?
• Deggan's Rule Test: Pass
o Are there at least two non-white human characters in the main cast in a story not primarily focused on race?
• DuVernay Test: Pass
o Are there fully actualized characters of color?
• Ellen Willis Test: Pass
o Would two related characters still work to carry the story if their genders were reversed?
• Hays Code: Pass
o Part One: outdated moral guidelines: Pass
Are there any outdated "moral content" rules gloriously kicked in the teeth by this story? Murder, happy queer characters, profanity, etc.
o Part Two: queer representation: Pass
Are there queer characters that get a happy ending?
Do the queer characters die?
o Part Three: age and agency: Pass
Is there an illegal or otherwise distasteful age gap between characters, queer or otherwise?
• Mako Mori Test: Pass
o Is there a female character that gets her own arc?
• Mary Sue/Gary Stu Test: Pass
o Is the main character completely flawless and persecuted by other characters needlessly?
o Take a Mary Sue test here!
• Sexy Lamp Test: Pass
o Would the plot fall apart if the female character was replaced by a sexy looking lamp?
o Post-It Note Caveat:
Would the character be able to be replaced by a Sexy Lamp with a sticky note on it for information conveyance?
• Tauriel Test: Pass
o Is there at least one woman in the story who is competent in her chosen occupation and not immediately shown up by a newcomer male character?
o If she has or develops a love interest during the story, either implied or explicitly stated, does she suddenly abandon her job and/or chosen path to support or pursue said love interest?
• Topside Test: Fail
o Are there two or more trans characters in the story that know each other and do they talk about anything other than medical transition procedures?
I acknowledge that most common media lacks decent trans representation.
• Vito Russo Test: Half Pass, as it is never stated the character is gay
o Is there a character on the LGBTQIAP+ spectrum who is a character beyond their orientation and do they actually affect the plot and are something beyond a punchline?
What does that stand for? Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual/Biromantic/Bigender, Transgender, Queer/Genderqueer, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic/Agender, Pansexual/Panromantic
You can read more about the various Media Tests I employ in my reviews at GeekFeminism.wikia.org or by clicking the header on the individual test. Why include all these? Because I can, because representation matters, and because I’m neurotic.
Review format updated 14 April 2020
July 29, 2019
This wasn't my favourite of this series so far, because I felt the tradition was too easily sent in the direction the characters wanted, taking away some of the potential conflict and tension. Besides that I really enjoyed it though, and I do think it's a nice addition to the series, hence the good rating.
June 29, 2024
3.75 stars! Cosy fairytale fantasy this time set in Belarus interesting but trying to combine too much with baba yaga, jinni, mermaids and more!
November 14, 2025
I wanted a light, fairy-tale-like story to listen to each evening before bed, and this fit the bill. I enjoyed the creativity of the settings, characters, and creatures. Although there was a lot of telling and overuse of the words 'blinked' and others, I was listening to this narrated by Gabra Zackman, so it was less noticeable.
June 6, 2011
Continuing with my reading of the 500 Kingdoms series. This one was very good I thought, there was a lot of action, and more of a focus on the romance in this one as compared with the first two. This book tells the story of Katya, youngest daughter of the Sea King, and her love, Sasha, seventh son of the King of Led Belarus. Katya works for her father, being his eyes and ears both in the sea and on land. Sasha is a Fortunate Fool, as well as a Songweaver, and his job is to ensure peace and prosperity in his kingdom, using song to guide The Tradition. Well, during one of Sasha's trips around his kingdom, he meets Katya on the beach, and the two eventually fall in love. But the the Sea King needs Katya to go investigate the disappearance of a swan maiden, so the pair must part for now. However, in the course of her investigations, Katya herself is taken captive, and added to a menagerie of kidnapped girls in a big castle in the middle of a desert. The girls quickly become friends. Turns out their captor is a bad Jinn who was loosed, and his goal is to take over and turn everything into desert, using the girls as his source for building magic, because all the girls he's taken have abilities of their own. There's a swan maiden, a snow maiden, a Wolf-girl, a Bear-girl, a ghost, an apprentice magician, a Gypsy, and a few others. Well, The Tradition isn't familiar with Jinn in this part of the world, and has no path to force it into, making it harder than usual to defeat. Meanwhile, Sasha is on a quest to rescue his beloved. Along the way he meets a Baba Yaga who sets him to cleaning out her stables. If he fails, or displeases her in an way, he'll be killed, and his bones added to the fence of bones surrounding her crazy hut. In the stables are a Wise Wolf who is being held captive, as well as a magic Goat. Also, much to Sasha's surprise, Sergei the Little Humpback Horse is there, held under a spell. Sergei is familiar from The Fairy Godmother, so it was good seeing him again. Sasha, of course, being a Fortunate Fool, outsmarts Baba Yaga and makes his escape, freeing the other captives as well. Then he meets the Queen of the Copper Mountain, and his devotion to Katya moves her, because usually men are easily seduced by her wealth and beauty. So she frees him. At this point in the book, things are moving along pretty fast. Adamant and Gina from One Good Knight show up, and the plans begin on how to defeat the Jinn and rescue the girls. It's all very exciting, and I don't want to ruin it. Suffice to say everyone uses their smarts and individual talents, and of course the day is saved, happily ever after etc. This book was very, very good. I liked the characters, and Mercedes Lackey's world-building is excellent. I like the blends of different fairy-tales and legends from all over the world, it's fascinating, because some of the things I've never heard of before, so I learn something new. I'll be continuing this series as soon as I find a copy of The Snow Queen. They didn't have it when I went to Borders last time, so I need to find it!
December 16, 2015
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.
In another tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Sasha and Katya are both seventh born children. The difference between them is that one belongs on the land and the other in the sea. Both have important roles for their kingdoms, but both are equally alone as well.
Sasha and Katya show very little character development. Sasha is the kind hearted soul he has always been, and Katya the strong willed woman who loves clothes! Their relationship also seems a little quick moving, but then again, the Tradition is behind it.
I like how this book has two climax points. The first is with Katya, which introduces her nicely, and the second is with the Jinn. The various adventures Sasha had didn't hold as much weight with me because I knew that as a Fortunate Fool he would come out of them ok every time.
Nippon. Anyone who has studied Japanese will see that Lackey has blatantly ripped off their language. I'm not sure I found it great - I wanted something new, not something I was familiar with. Granted, it was a bit like medieval Japan, but in a Fairytale book I felt there should be more.
Three Baba Yagas! How scary. This is a fairytale that everyone should be familiar with, the strange house that walks on two chicken legs. This book really makes an effort to draw in a number of Fairytales, which is excellent.
The ending is a little bit too clear cut for me. Or rather, not the ending itself, but the little epilogue that is at the end, in a years time. All too very convenient and unlikely, even with the Tradition. I was under the impression that the castle was further away from Sasha's kingdom that it appears, and it isn't near the water except by a stream.
I'd recommend this book for adults only, simply because it has explicit sex scenes in it. They aren't really necessary for the book, and they do feel a little gratuitous, but I guess Lackey doesn't get to explore that much in her other books.
In another tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Sasha and Katya are both seventh born children. The difference between them is that one belongs on the land and the other in the sea. Both have important roles for their kingdoms, but both are equally alone as well.
Sasha and Katya show very little character development. Sasha is the kind hearted soul he has always been, and Katya the strong willed woman who loves clothes! Their relationship also seems a little quick moving, but then again, the Tradition is behind it.
I like how this book has two climax points. The first is with Katya, which introduces her nicely, and the second is with the Jinn. The various adventures Sasha had didn't hold as much weight with me because I knew that as a Fortunate Fool he would come out of them ok every time.
Nippon. Anyone who has studied Japanese will see that Lackey has blatantly ripped off their language. I'm not sure I found it great - I wanted something new, not something I was familiar with. Granted, it was a bit like medieval Japan, but in a Fairytale book I felt there should be more.
Three Baba Yagas! How scary. This is a fairytale that everyone should be familiar with, the strange house that walks on two chicken legs. This book really makes an effort to draw in a number of Fairytales, which is excellent.
The ending is a little bit too clear cut for me. Or rather, not the ending itself, but the little epilogue that is at the end, in a years time. All too very convenient and unlikely, even with the Tradition. I was under the impression that the castle was further away from Sasha's kingdom that it appears, and it isn't near the water except by a stream.
I'd recommend this book for adults only, simply because it has explicit sex scenes in it. They aren't really necessary for the book, and they do feel a little gratuitous, but I guess Lackey doesn't get to explore that much in her other books.
January 28, 2022
3.5/5 stars. I liked the main characters a lot, the adventure storyline was good, and the Five Hundred Kingdoms M.O. (using The Tradition) continues to be very enjoyable.
I could have done without the shaming of the valuing of virginity. It seemed to me the author was likely pandering to her romance-novel audience, and it seemed ill-fitting to the rest of the story. In every other way the two main characters are earnest and purposeful, but about this they are either embarrassed or cavalier? It just smacked of philosophical agenda (like Regina’s mom in her track suit insisting she’s a “cool mom”) and took me out of the story. Let them be innocent if that’s what they are. It greatly adds to the love story if the heat builds gradually and naturally. You don’t have to launch right into detailed fondling of breasts and erections (yes that happened. Multiple times. ) Clearly this is billed as romance, though it has elements of a fairy tale adventure. I could do without the porn as well, but admittedly that’s not what I’m here for. I can see from other reviews that many people come specifically for that, so maybe I’m just in the wrong books.
I could have done without the shaming of the valuing of virginity. It seemed to me the author was likely pandering to her romance-novel audience, and it seemed ill-fitting to the rest of the story. In every other way the two main characters are earnest and purposeful, but about this they are either embarrassed or cavalier? It just smacked of philosophical agenda (like Regina’s mom in her track suit insisting she’s a “cool mom”) and took me out of the story. Let them be innocent if that’s what they are. It greatly adds to the love story if the heat builds gradually and naturally. You don’t have to launch right into detailed fondling of breasts and erections (yes that happened. Multiple times. ) Clearly this is billed as romance, though it has elements of a fairy tale adventure. I could do without the porn as well, but admittedly that’s not what I’m here for. I can see from other reviews that many people come specifically for that, so maybe I’m just in the wrong books.
July 21, 2014
It's cute, fantasy-romance fluff.
I like the way the author combines folk and fairy tales together in her fantasy world, and how there's always a twist on the familiar stories.
I noticed a few typos which always bothers me in non-indie printed format. There's no real excuse for that.
I'm weird about my fantasy. I have some friends who absolutely love the heavy epic type of fantasy, and I just cannot do that. I am always weary of the author spending too much time on world-building and descriptions that he/she slacks on the character-building and plot.
Another thing that will kill a book quickly for me is when the author has taken themselves too seriously and expects too much suspended disbelief out of the reader. For example: You keep having the old "deus ex machina" pop up and don't even acknowledge the cop out trope with a joke or something, and we're gone have a problem, specifically a book-tossing problem.
I guess that's what I like about this series. She doesn't get too serious. For what it is, it's good.
September 16, 2019
Getting a little workmanlike, but I plan to continue reading anyway. That is, at least until I can't put up with the weird way Lackey uses commas. They are sweet stories with adventures and with plenty of characters who have lots of different skills and strengths... lots of good role models.
This is at least as sexy as the first.. not that there's anything icky or dangerous about it, but unlike the second I'm not sure I'd recommend it to girls younger than 12. I def. would've been uncomfortable when I was a young teen.
This is at least as sexy as the first.. not that there's anything icky or dangerous about it, but unlike the second I'm not sure I'd recommend it to girls younger than 12. I def. would've been uncomfortable when I was a young teen.
February 20, 2014
This one didn't live up to the previous. I find it a little incredible that suddenly everyone is an expert in The Tradition, when, in the first book, it seemed like The Tradition was only revealed to a select few. And the character's in this book were a big let down. They were absolutely flat and lifeless, not personality to them what so ever. Not good, no.
March 3, 2016
Really cute fairytale love story! There is a sex scene that surprised me. Overall it was really cute!
June 11, 2020
I forget sometimes that when Lackey writes for this publisher, there is sex!
Read
November 1, 2021Categories
Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Romance
Miniseries
A Tale Of The Five Hundred Kingdoms (Book #3)
Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Romance
Miniseries
A Tale Of The Five Hundred Kingdoms (Book #3)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 384 reviews