Storm Rising

Valdemar: Mage Storms #2

by Mercedes Lackey

Nothing is certain for the state of Valdemar or her neighbors. The normal rules no longer apply, for violent and unpredictable changes in the laws of magic have beset them all, enemies and allies alike.

Duke Tremane is landlocked in Hardorn, abandoned by his Emperor and with only surly and impatient troops to keep control of a town full of citizens under siege. In all the lands an early autumn is threatening a terrible winter of hardship, and Hardorn looks likely to suffer more than most. Tremane has the key to surviving the onslaught of magical storms, but using that key may endanger his stranded company even more…

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Adult

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

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

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

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

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

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

Also writes as Misty Lackey

Author's website

Reviews

[Cara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm cursed with the need to complete a series once I start it, even if I don't enjoy it. And so I continue to slog through Lackey's Mage Storm trilogy. The only interesting thing she does is to depict the struggles that Karal has to establish himself as a viable ambassador. And even though he doesn't succeed with everyone, he is--with the help of his friends--able to win over the previously bigoted, and absolutely unreasonable, new Shina'in ambassador. Again, Karal's too-wonderful-for-words qualities are shown by the fact that his previous antagonist becomes one of his staunchest supporters after a labored and implausible conversation with An'desha and then a brief conversation with Karal.

The biggest problem for Lackey is that she ignores the cardinal rule of showing, not telling. She wants to depict events or characters in a certain way but apparently lacks the skills to do so convincingly. So, instead of having scenes between Firesong and An'desha that show Firesong struggling to deal with the magically-improved Shina'in (one pep talk from Karal does the trick), we get An'desha's inner monologue that Firesong can't accept the new him. And then we get an absolutely bizarre characterization of Firesong. He was never a favorite character, but he is a Healing Adept who is supposed to be so attuned to others' pain that he's driven to help them. Instead, he repeatedly imagines killing Karal, almost kills his bondbird, and contemplates making wholly amoral choices so that he can get the relationship he's supposedly always wanted. And after Lackey assassinates his character, she comes up with an excuse for the behavior that's nothing more than a transparent attempt to get her and Firestorm out of the very grim corner she put him in.

[Rosu Aquabutts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely the weakest of the Valdemar books I've reread lately, this one is very much a second book. A collection of stuff happens but none of it is linked by one major theme. The only plotline that really worked start to finish was the Firesong's descent into madness plotline, which I think could have benefitted from being the main plot, because the rest of the novel really lacked focus. While I appreciate Lackey's attempt to do an ensemble cast rather than focus on one or two characters, I really do feel she's better served with a narrower focus!

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seemed like most of the story was catching the readers up on what had happened before. A good half of it, anyway, was checking in on the characters from earlier books and taking note of their situation, including emotional status. I was doing a lot of other things while reading it, which may have affected my interpretation. Firesong's mental stability was important, and his attitude toward the others in the story. The story is still focused on dealing with the magic storms and how to stop them from destroying the world again, but the solution is put off and put off while the other work is done. Will a truce be made with the Imperial troops trapped in the neighboring country? Should they even try? Is it immoral to negotiate with the people who ordered the assassination of good people trying to create an alliance with Valdemar? This one is more about emotional and mental storms. But they do work some big magic. It's a good read, but don't read it when you're distracted. I liked it.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will review at www.fantasyliterature.com.

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was almost finished with my review when I somehow erased it, so here I go again.

I read this multiple times and the recent maybe 5 years ago.

I liked the characters I liked the challenges of An'desha's and Firesong's relationship as well as the twists and turns of their paths in life.

Karal was his usual reliable self, doing far more than he thought he ever could.

And I loved Grand Duke Tremayne, I liked his parts of the book. Very interesting and understandable character.

I liked this book a lot and see no reason why I won't like the 3rd in the trilogy just as well, though I guess it depends on the ending.

I recommend this book to any fan of Mercedes Lackey/Valdemar. However, I feel that you should read some of her previous books first to get a richer reading experience, like the "Winds of..." series that features Elspeth, Firesong and Darkwind.

I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first and have no reason to believe that I won't enjoy the last book in the trilogy just as much but then I guess it depends on the ending.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

//19-//2019 Re-read 4-4.5 stars

Misty is my 2nd fav author. Misty's Valdemar is one of my fav series. I read this book a very long time ago. This was my 1st Re-read of the book. I remember being shocked and excited during my 1st read. I loved meeting and learning about Firecats, which are like Companions. I adored seeing gryphons and kyree as well as the other races.
The Re-read was nice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spoilers:
Note to Self:
An'desha shena Jor'ethan(15yo,Sorcerer-Mage,half Shin'a'in,run away,former host to Ma'ar,pal)+ Firesong k'Treva(Tayledras envoy,Healing Adept,Vanyel's descendant) & Aya(Firebird, bondbird)
Karal Austreben(16yo,Karsite temple novice,now priest & envoy,channel,ex-protege, ex-secretary, son of chief stableman,ex-stable sweeper,pal)
Ulrich(Karsite envoy, Priest Adept-Mage Black Robe,master,Solaris aid & assistant,scholar,died, pal1)
Altra(Firecat,mage,Karal's advisor,ex-Sun of the Sun,god's avatar)
Florian(Companion,Mage,unpartnered,Karal's advisor)
Elspeth(Herald to Outlanders,ex-heir,Princess,Vanyel's descendant) & Gwena(Companion)+ Darkwind(Adept Mage,k'Sheyna Hawkbrother,ex-scout) & Vree (bondbird)
Skif (Herald,spy,assassin,mate) & Cymry(Companion ?)+Nyara(mate,carrier of Need,daughter of Ma'ar(An'desha daughter kinda)) & Need(mage,spirit-sword,sorceress)
Treyvan(Gryphon envoy,ambassador,mage,dad,pal1)+Hydona(Gryphon envoy,mage,mom)
Kerowyn(Kero,Herald, Capt.,ex-merc) & Sayvil(Companion?)
Alberich(Herald, Karsite,weaponsmaster)
Lady Talia(Queen's Own Herald,Empath,Holderkin,honorary Sunpriest)& Rolan(Companion)+ Dirk(Herald,mate)
Natoli(Rubrik's daughter,Blue, artificer,pal)
Rubrik(Herald,Valdemar escort,paralyzed,dad) & Laylan(Companion)
Rris(kyree,historian)
Queen Seleney(Herald,mom)+ Daren(Prince-Consort,Herald,step-dad,ex-Rethwellan Lord Martial)
Quenten(White Winds rep., freelance mage,Kero's pal)
Querna shena Tale'sedrin(Shin'a'in envoy,ambassador,killed)
Master Magister Henlin(craftsman,Blue)
Master Tam(she,Blue)
Master Levy(mathematician,Blue)
Master Norten(engineer,Blue)
Master Bret(teacher,Blue)
High Priest Solaris(Son of the Sun,Karsite,prophet,Black Robe Adept Mage) & Hansa(Firecat,ex-Sun of the Sun,god's avatar)
Vkandis(Karsite god,Sunlord)
Star-Eyed Kal'enel(Shin'a'in goddess)
Tre'valen(Shin'a'in avatar)
Dawnfire(Shin'a'in avatar)
Sigfrid(Red Robe Priest,Karse,pal1)
Lord Palinor(Seneschal of Valdemar)
Kyril(Seneschal's Herald)
Herald Teren(Dean of Collegium)
Griffon(Lord Marshal's Herald)
Arnod(Herald trainee,17yo)
Johen(Herald trainee)
Lysee(Herald trainee)
Semon(Blues trainee)

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two of the Mage Storms series once again follows Karal, Firesong and An'desha as well as a host of other characters as they try to stop the rising storms from creating more monstrous creatures and changing the land of Valdemar as they know it. It also has some great chapters featuring Tremane, the leader of the Imperial Forces in Hardorn. His flawed character is really excellent; he has had to make some tough decisions to see his men through, and has acted poorly on occasion from misinformation and fear. But he is still an excellent leader, and perhaps the best hope his men and the locals have of making it through.

We also see the crumbling of romantic relationships and the beginning of new ones. We kind of follow the trail of madness, and what might be. Through out it all, we have the Companions and the new Firecats as guides, but ultimately it is up to the characters themselves to win through.

Another excellent Valdemar book, I'll be moving on to book three next!

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many things are in a uproar throughout the alliance of Valdemar, Karse and the other countries. Plus many of the main characters such as Firesong, Andesa and Karal and having problems with each other and others.
Plus in this book, Mercedes Lackey bounces back and forth with the storyline of what's happening in Hardon with the people who live in Shonar and the Imperial army that has been cut off from the capital.
The point of view from the different people keeps you very invested and involved in the story. Can't wait to see where the next book takes it.

[Teleseparatist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Three and a half stars for Tremane (this plotline really delivers), four stars for Altra the cat (who is a cat), zero stars for the rest of the story (boring and annoying).

[Jackie B. - Death by Tsundoku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm Rising is, shockingly, the most highly character-driven novel of the Valdemar universe thus far. Why shockingly? Because I didn't think Lackey could get more focused on her characters! Unlike previous novels, Storm Rising has a long list of perspectives we get to read from, and unlike many authors, Lackey's breadth of perspective merely fleshes out how we view and understand the other narrators. I really enjoyed reading this book because I got to see so many sides of so many different characters.

My favorite character up to this point? Grand Duke Tremane. I can relate so hard to this man. He's been put in this situation as a test by someone else and everyone goes to hell in a handbasket. He has to keep up appearances no matter how difficult things get and just pray things work out. I love being in his head and being with him while he just makes up stuff everyone thinks is pure gold because he's the Guy in Charge. I feel for him. I've been there. So many times.

And, as terrible as it is, I LOVE what happened with Firesong. Sometimes, you gotta have a bad day, week, month, whatever. And yes, his "bad month" led him down some really dark paths. But this is real life, people! The only downside is that his descent into madness felt predictable. Good thing his redemption arc at the end rocked.

Characters aside, let's talk about this plot. While I was engaged the whole time, I never felt really connected to an overarching story. All the rest of Lackey's books have had a distinct Big Bad arc. Storm Rising did not. And that's okay-- but because I was expecting a Big Bad I merely waited for it the whole book. Was there a main plot? Yes: terminating the Mage Storms. But the novel lacked focus. Sometimes, I felt just as trapped as Karal in the Grand Council meeting.

And this ending! I re-read the last 3 pages four times to figure out if everyone survived. Did they? I still have no idea. It's implied everyone is okay, and as Valdemar books are like Cozy Fantasy, I expect they all survived. But we don't know… Honestly, I need to keep reading if only to figure out how this book ended!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

From what I understand and have read of other reviews most people think this is the worst of the trilogy. Some even say it's the worst of all of Mercedes Lackey's work. I respectfully disagree. Many people say that this book focuses on a large cast and while it does, it's main focus is on Karal. Yes we do occasionally see things from the view point of other character but I think that adds to the charm of the book. I really enjoyed this book, not to mention the art at each chapter. I could almost say that this is the best Valdemar book I've read. Well maybe not better than Vanyel.

[Rebecca Katus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly excellent book. The promise of Storm Warning is followed through, as characters change and develop. The very environment affects certain characters, and everyone is dealing with forces outside of their control. And with all this, people are still people. Some blow everything out of proportion, others buckle down and do what needs to be done, while yet more look for answers and find themselves where they least expected. An ancient secret is revealed, one that can save or doom all...

[Linda Malcor · Rating 5 out of 5]

How lucky you are that you no longer have to wait for the next book in the series to come out! I read these in less than two days after waiting months for them to be published.

*Well, just reread it. The story drops off in the middle of nowhere because it feeds right into the next book, Storm Breaking. I have clearly fused the two books together in my memory as well. I guess Misty's publisher didn't want us to try to hold a book of over 800 pages in our hands!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been re-reading all of my Valdemar books from Mercedes Lackey and am loving revisiting all my favorite characters. The Mage Storms trilogy ranked up there as one of my favorite Valdemar series with Karal, Firesong and a lot of the characters from previous series.

[Melanie Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storm Rising is the middle book Mercedes Lackey’s THE MAGE STORMS trilogy. We left off with the teen-age boy Karal from Karse in Valdemar to serve as secretary to his master, an envoy of Karse. Although a large alliance is going well among Valdemar and several nations, an assassin manages himself into the castle and murders a couple of them, including Karal’s master. Now he’s the envoy to Karse, but no one takes him seriously. But people from all nations will need to work together to solve the mystery of these “waves” that wash over the entire world, disrupting land, mutating animals into monsters, and destroying all magic spells.

Lackey jumps among three main points of view: Karal; An’desha, whose body had been inhabited by the evil mage Mornelithe Falconsbane; and Grand Duke Tremane, who is vying to inherit the throne of the Eastern Empire by proving he can take over part of neighbor-nation Hardorn. While the results of each “wave” and the source of the problem kept me reading in Storm Warning, it was the challenges each of these three characters faced that affected my reading most in Storm Rising.

Karal’s problem is one familiar to young people today: without older age, he is not listened to. He’s too young-looking to garner support, and he’s surrounded by suspicion, as Karse used to be the sworn enemy of Valdemar. I’m reminded of the student activists from Florida fighting for gun control after their school was shot up — those young people spoke up, organized, and acted. Karal is the same way, or he wants to be, and tries. He creates alliances and connections between variant groups in Valdemar, but overall is under attack (sometimes physically) by other envoys and members of the court. Anxiety eats at his health, another familiar connection that made Karal more relatable than any other Lackey character I’ve read.

An’desha feels himself becoming, in the true bildungsroman sense of the word, and the awkward romantic and sexual relationship he developed with Firesong right after An’desha got his body back from Mornelithe Falconsbane, a relationship that honestly sicked me and felt inappropriate of Lackey to write, is falling apart. Firesong is used to being catered to, worshiped, chased by potential sexual partners — and An’desha is doing none of that now that he’s developing his independence with friends, projects to destroy the effects of the “waves,” and getting more magic education NOT from Firesong. Without a desire to be Firesong’s pet, how will the couple survive? Lackey creates a toxic relationship that suffers from misunderstanding and lack of communication, and I felt the realness of this, too.

Grand Duke Tremane is the most mediocre-seeming man, but he’s respectable to anyone under his charge, even natives of a town he’s invaded. Organizing various town guilds and his soldiers, Tremane realizes that without magic, and being so far from the Eastern Empire, he’s not hunkering down for one of the worst winters the planet has ever experienced: he’s preparing a new permanent home, one that protects them all against the monsters created out of innocent animals when the “waves” hit. Through his actions, I was won over by Tremane, even though he was the one who ordered the hit that killed the envoys in Storm Warning.

Storm Rising is character-driven compared the plot-driven first novel in this trilogy, and I was happy with that. Each of the three characters’ points of view are developed in an interesting way. Sprinkled among them are a few chapters from Firesong that really worried me (in a good way!). He’s considering how clever it was of Falconsbane to hide in the void when his body died, where he could wait for a suitable new body and kill the spirit of its owner. Not that Firesong would condone such a reprehensible action. . . right? But what if he could live many lifetimes? Would he find someone to love him the way he demands, especially since An’desha seems disinterested? Lackey took a really dark road with Firesong, and my heart was all twisty thinking about it!

The novel ends in a way that reminds me of those old episodes of Captain Planet: everyone’s powers have to combine to defeat the bad situation, and in a way that seems too convenient, but I was okay with that. In fantasy, unless something makes NO sense whatsoever, I tend to roll with it. Magic isn’t real, and while it has to stick to the rules the author develops in her world, there’s nothing that says more information about magic can’t be added later on to present an easy-peasy (lemon-squeezey!) solution.

A great read that dramatically shifted all the main characters and pushed the trilogy in a new direction that I can’t wait to follow in the third book.

This book was originally reviewed at Grab the Lapels.

[Ria Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you can see everything moving from bad to worse. The mage-storms are increasing in frequency and strength, and the solution put in place at the end of the previous book wasn’t meant to be anything more than a temporary measure to buy them all time. Firesong’s jealousy toward Karal and the way that An’desha is moving away from him threatens to turn to physical harm. Karal himself is struck ill from the sheer amount of stress he has to go through in trying to hold a position he doesn’t feel he suits, while other allies are openly hostile to him. In Hardorn, Tremane is all but snowed-in, and the terrifying creatures caused by the mage-storms aren’t making things any easier for him or the people in the town of Shonar. It seems like no matter where anybody turns, there’s another problem that needs solving.

Mercedes Lackey does a wonderful job of keeping the conflicts interesting while avoiding getting so bogged down in them that the story stops making sense. Whether you’re trying to figure out where Firesong’s good sense went or trying to come up with your own suggestions for things that might lessen or stop the mage-storms, there’s something to keep you turning the pages, something to make you want to keep reading so that you can find the resolution to what’s going on.

We do get to see a fair bit of Lackey’s typical recaps in this book, too, usually in the retelling of backstory, but rarely did it get tedious to read, for which I’m glad. For those of us who did read the Winds trilogy, sitting through another retelling of the story of An’desha and Falconsbane could have very easily gotten annoying and could have been skipped, even if it did serve character development. But fortunately the recap pieces didn’t come along too often and weren’t very long, so they weren’t a chore to sit through.

What does make the book a little difficult is the fact that very little actually happens, and the ending is a repackaged version of the end of the first book. There’s a lot of council discussion about what to do about the storms, lots of artificers using a model to try different solution ideas, lots of character discussion. It’s a lot of people just trying to get through the days, really. There are some major events, such as the alliance between Tremane and Valdemar, the Kaled’a’in showing up, Solaris paying a visit to Haven, but for the most part, there’s very little action and tension here. At least until the end, when a group of people have to travel to Urtho’s ruined tower in the middle of the Dhorisha Plains and Karal once more has to act as a channel to set up yet another temporary solution to the storms. While the book was enjoyable, it felt like there was very little forward motion. It all needed to be done, of course, but it still took a lot of pages to accomplish them. Call it Second Book Syndrome, I guess.

Still, it did a good job of setting the stage for the third and final book of the trilogy, since everyone is a little bit closer to figuring out how to stop the storms entirely and new alliances have been made. And fortunately it’s been long enough since my last reading of the third book that I’ve no doubt forgotten a good deal, so seeing how it’ll all tie together in the end will no doubt be interesting. Classic Lackey!

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

One star less than the previous because I hoped for a little more progress after all the set up of the first one, but I still enjoyed it.

These books are a lot about personal development, and how people interact both in smaller personal ways and in bigger political ways.

The basic set up of the first book was: Giant Empire sets an army out to expand said giant empire. They invade an area populated by many smaller countries who all have a lot of differences, and are not particularly united (some having just been in grueling wars against each other.) These small countries look to unite in an alliance and you think there is going to be a big battle taking place with the obvious over powered conquerors and the smaller plucky underdog nations who have heart and benefit from diversity. This war, however, doesn't happen because a giant potentially cataclysmic magic storm starts disrupting the world, meaning they all have to worry about protecting themselves and can't even consider war. All of this however was done via examining smaller characters actions throughout, the ways they handle the stresses of the events.

Just like the first book very little actually "happens." A lot of the book is people interacting, people trying to solve problems, both personal and of course largely trying to solve the titular magic storms. I could see people not liking this if they are looking for action and adventure. There is a lot of thinking about your feelings, growing as a personal, and coming to peaceful resolutions. Honestly though, I like this. I could do with slightly more "happening" but I still like getting to know characters. Getting to know both how they think and WHY they think this way. Even Firesong who is a huge bag of dicks is interesting to read about.

I don't know if all the books in her larger series in this world take this path (assuming the events they talk about are ones that are covered in those books, perhaps not.) But I am enjoying this. I look forward to what I assume will be a resolution in the next book.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all of Mercedes Lackey books, this one was very character driven - in fact, I think there were more characters in this one, than any other I've read - so far!

The thing I love so much about her writing, is that she always gets to the heart of each person that she writes about and, despite their flaws - and, at times, because of their flaws - she can make even the most unsympathetic character likeable, in their own specific ways.

I think that two characters like this stood out for me - one was the Shin'a'in envoy, Jarim. This is someone so hidebound by tradition that he finds anything different anathema to him. He focuses so hard on poor Karal, the young Karsite envoy, that his life is made unbearable - and it's only when An'desha opens his eyes to Karal's true worth, that Jarim starts to evaluate his own actions.

The other character is Grand Duke Tremane. I was determined to see him as the baddy of the piece, but found that I couldn't sustain it, especially when seen through the eyes of all those reliant on his leadership, or by the way that Karal, once again, found the heart to forgive the man who ordered the death of his beloved Master, Ulrich.

Like all of us, Mercedes' characters have their flaws and, boy, some of them are really doozies! I had actually started worrying that Firesong was going to turn into another Falconsbane at one point! But even the worse of them, just like us all, have some redeeming feature, that shows their depth of spirit - even though it was sometimes harder to find that, than getting a winkle out of it's shell!

This book left me gasping for breath, at times, especially at the ending, so I'm really anxious to get on to the final book of the trilogy, Storm Breaking, in order to find out if all of those who took part in the solution to the Mage Storms did survive. Although, Mercedes does tend to write a more 'feel-good' fantasy, she doesn't always allow the good people to survive!

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karal, An'Desha, and company continue their efforts to stop the mage storms as they grapple with various personal issues in Storm Rising. That company now firmly includes Grand Duke Tremane as one of the main characters, and we get to see if former enemies can come together to save everyone.

Overall, this is a fun, quick read, but it gets bogged down with re-explaining everything all the time. It also goes into more detail than I would like on Tremane'a logistical issues, like setting up barracks with heating systems. I wonder if the re-explaining part is to help readers who somehow read this book without reading the first book in the trilogy, which I can imagine might have been more common in the days before Goodreads and other book-tracking sites. Reading it in 2024 right after reading Storm Warning though, makes me glaze over recap paragraphs, which feels like a significant portion of early chapters.

Despite those writing flaws, I feel the heart in the characters. So many of them are just trying to do the right thing, and it's a welcome change of pace from grimdark/gritty/realistic fantasy. Considering when this was published, I wonder if grimdark fantasy started to gain popularity because it was a stark change compared to fantasy like the Valdemar books, but I don't know enough about the genre at the time to back up that conjecture.

[Lorelei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to take a long break from this one because I'd forgotten how stressful the first part of the book is for poor Karal, and the endless meetings that accomplish nothing while the shittiest people talk the loudest the whole time got Too Real for me. But once I got through that section, the back half of the book is almost pure competence porn.

I know a lot of people who don't enjoy these books complain that Karal is just too perfect, but I find I don't mind that. Sometimes I want to read about a character who is just a straightforwardly good person! Actually, the character I found too good to be true on this re-read was Tremane. Everyone is like, the Empire is a cesspit of lies and manipulation and cold power games, and somehow Tremane managed to become a front-runner for Emperor with his integrity intact? I don't think so. Non-monsters don't actually thrive in systems like that! Even if you have the best of intentions and could have been a great person under other circumstances, people just don't hold onto power in those circumstances without becoming compromised.

But also, I kind of don't care about that either. The idea that Tremane could exist is a fun fantasy that I would like to indulge in sometimes.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Count Tremaine. the commander of the invading forces into Hardorn, has been forced to stop his advance, call back his troops and prepare to hunker down in the face of the worsening Mage-driven winter storms. He’s worried about who and why this was happening, the situation back home and how to keep his men busy and warm. Whet he goes through and how he handles it reminds me of a well-organized leader in a dystopian end-of-the-world story.

With the death of Ulrich, Karal is now the sole Karse envoy, confirmed as Ambassador by High Priest Solaris herself. The Companion Florian has become his advisor on matters of protocol. I cried for this guy. He was trying the best he could in a job he wasn’t trained for. He has good friends though.

I skipped pages and pages of An’desha and Firesong emoting, moaning and worrying over what the other is thinking and if the still care. Boring.

Fave scenes: Tremaine getting all the stores through the portal, Tremaine’s meeting with the town leaders, An’desha confronting Jarim and channeling the power.

[Sparkle32 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I have to admit, the Mage–Storms didn't seem too dangerous in the previous book, but that changed when it started influencing people's minds. Specifically, the minds of Healing Adepts. More specifically, Firesong's mind. That influence was explained well too. It made him slow to reason, quick to anger, looking for a scapegoat besides himself to blame, and obsessed with finding a life-bond. After several hard sections from his point of view, finally, when he almost kills his bondbird, he snaps out of it. Well, with the help of some friends. This whole thing made the mage–storms seem more dangerous, because they could mess up a person's mind. I also liked the conflict between the Shin'a'in ambassador and Karal. It was resolved after An'desha helped the ambassador understand. I loved how that conveyed the distrust people have for Karal, the karsite ambassador (or envoy). This story was great.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a 3.5. There's a lot going on in this middle book. On the upside, Tremane's storyline and character development is strong; the "raid the depot" plot point is so good that I actually remember it from when I read this 30 years ago. Clerks, people! They run the world! Karal and An'desha also have good runs.

The downside, and it's a big one, is Firesong. I get the in-book explanation but it is very jarring for a fairly well established character to behave so thoroughly at odds with everything we know of his personality and stated calling--and then it's just sort of dropped after one heartfelt conversation. In rereading these I've noticed how good Lackey is at writing shitty teenagers, and it's like she made Firesong one for a while because the actual teen characters are such upstanding citizens.

That said the setup for the third book is great. Onward to the echo of the Cataclysm!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 alternates between the doings of the Alliance in Valdemar and those of Duke Tremane in Hardorn. The storms are getting worse, and the Imperials can't use their magic at all, so Tremane begins to plan for a long stay, building a permanent encampment and allying with the locals. He feels they have been abandoned by the Empire and focuses on keeping his men safe. In Valdemar, the artificers and mages finally discover something they think will work to at least quell the storms, but they must go to Urtho's ruined stronghold to see if any of his weapons are usable. Karal insists on going although he's not sure why. Since we know he is a channel, it seems obvious that's why he will be needed. It ends after they set off the weapon, but the results are in book #3, apparently!

[James]

In Storm Rising, mysterious mage-storms are wreaking havoc on Valdemar, Karse, and all the kingdoms of the West, plaguing these lands not only with disastrous earthquakes, monsoons, and ice storms, but also with venomous magical constructs - terrifying creatures out of nightmare. Both Valdemar's Heralds and Karse's Sunpriests struggle to marshal their combined magical resources to protect their realms from these devastating, spell-fueled onslaughts. But as the situation becomes bleaker and bleaker, the still fragile alliance between these long-hostile lands begins to fray. And unless Valdemar and Karse can locate and destroy the creator of the storms, they may see their entire world demolished in a final magical holocaust.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This carries on pretty much where the first book left off - the Mage storms are worsening and everyone had to come together in order to find a way to survive the ultimate cataclysm.

There's much of the same here - a mixture of divine intervention, magical history and clever engineers come up with different ways to combat the storms, while also bickering, falling ina nd out of love, discovering new things about each other and generally leaving it all to the last chapter to actually do something.

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, because I did, but feel that a bit more action and a bit less talking might have solved the problems a little earlier!

[Kevin James · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, essentially an interlude for better or worse

There are a lot of promising elements to this book from everyone trying to form alliances and overcome their distrust of each other to An'desha's continued spiritual healing but none of it ever quite comes together. The big issue is that the pacing in this book is really rough with the next biggest issue being that no one has any idea what's going on and far too much of the book is spent with characters trying to figure out other character's motivations that you, the reader, already know. There are bright spots, especially in An'desha and Firesong's relationship, but this one was a bit of a slog that barely advanced the main plot.

[Kim Otis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mercedes Lackey never disappoints, I can read her books over and over again. Ms. Lackey has given us the Kingdom of Valdemar, with its heralds and companions and mind magic it is a wondrous thing. This trilogy gives us a better understanding of the neighboring kingdoms of Karse, Hardorn, and the evil Eastern Empire. It also brings "real" magic back to Valdemar for the first time in centuries. IN addition this book brings together the magical storms building in the characters' physical world with the storms building in their personal lives and interactions, and the resolutions of several personal problems are key to developing a solution to the larger problem facing everyone.

[Jessika Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mercedes never disappoints

I know, that's kind of bias since this is the third time I have read the "Storm" series since I was 14. I just can't help it. Reading about the Herald's, the Companions and especially Karal makes me nostalgic. It takes me back to all the feels I had for these adventures when I was a kid. Mercedes does not dally in the adventures her characters take. She don't draw out situations just to fill the pages. She keeps the stories moving and fills your imagination with wonder. You won't be disappointed in starting and finishing this adventure.

[Bree Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I wish I could go back and write a review the FIRST time I read a book. Too bad Goodreads wasn't around in the 1990s. ;)

Storm Rising is the middle book in the Storm series within the Valdemar world. A book where very little action happens, it feels like a middle book between two exciting books.

Much like the first book, it's a LONG buildup to a fast conclusion of "OH YEAH... WE FIGURED IT OUT ALL OF A SUDDEN." Which is both frustrating and irritating for a very long book. A few side plots (with Firesong mostly) are out of place and unnecessary in the book.