Author: Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory
Publisher: Tor
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: 2003

So, I was walking through the reading section of Super Walmart a couple of months ago when I came across this book. To be honest, my gift card was burning a hole in my pocket and the cover looked pretty. Normally, that’s not the best way to choose a book considering that covers tend to be deceiving. This time, I happened to get lucky.

Everybody knows who Mercedes Lackey is, and even if you havn’t I’m going to say you have just so I can avoid having to tell you who she is. Out of the dozens and dozens of books she’s written this happens to be the second book of hers that I’ve read. The first one was some weird tale about a flute playing weirdo and his talking horse/motorcycle thing. It sucked, let’s just say that. I really, really enjoyed this book.
It starts out slow; and it stays slow for quite some time. This isn’t bad writing, because you start to feel the main characters annoyance with his everyday life and you pretty much live it with him. By the end of the book you’ll probably jump online and IM your friends with things like “OMG” and “WTF” and “Mercedes Lackey is my daddy!” Why? Because the book takes a few different angles on the same stuff we see in every other fantasy novel out there. For instance, there are no dwarves, but we get elves and centaurs, but neither of them can use magic and there’s a talking unicorn but the horses can’t speak. It’s all very complicated and I’m sure there’s a college course on it somewhere.

As I was reading the book I actually starting feeling like the character was me, from the life he was having to live, to the way he deals with situations, to the feelings he has about his place in the world. He even comes to find out some things about himself on the level of revelations we all wish we could have about our part in it all. The action and character development are perfectly balanced out so that when there arn’t fights or running away from things you actually get to learn something about a character or two.

If you’re looking for a synopsis check out Amazon; I’m not good with summarizing. All in all it’s not the end all be all of fantasy but it’s quite above average and worth the $6. So head on down to Wally world and pick up a copy if you’re bored.

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Topics: James Mallory, Mercedes Lackey, Obsidian Trilogy, The Outstretched Shadow, Tor