Rereading old friends

[afuna]

I picked up By the Sword (Kerowyn's Tale) at the library because 4yo saw it on the free shelf and decided she really really wanted to get it, without any prompting from me. It was the exact same cover of the one that I used to own as a kid.

Set in the same world as the Valdemar series, it's one of the few that I think has really held up for me over time. I've read / reread this one over a dozen times. I know this story, can feel the story beats echo in my head half a page before they actually happen.

I don't know if I'd wholeheartedly recommend all Mercedes Lackey books still (lots of the tragic gay love story stuff feels a bit... limitations of the 90s (but you can take stefan and vanyel out of my cold dead hands thank you so very much)) (and there's a lot of sexual violence which in hindsight maybe I shouldn't have been reading at 10yo). But Kerowyn holds a special place in my heart both as an unsure teen and as a much more sure and competent adult.

ALSO, I had forgotten just how much Lackey goes for the internal monologue!

Comments

[azurelunatic]

Oh, I loved that book. I should re-read it.

[afuna]

It’s so good!!!

[afuna]

I’m almost done and it’s still as good as I remember :D

[wychwood]

That's my absolute favourite of the Valdemar books! I can still enjoy most of the series, with caveats, but I do think By the Sword is one of the strongest. And the whole sequence with her learning to be a fighter is just great.

[afuna]

Completely agree with the caveats on the rest of the series — interestingly I’ve been reminded her earlier non Valdemar books actually had fewer angsty teens.

I absolutely *love* Kero’s growth

[kareila]

I’m about to reread this too! The Tarma & Kethry books were my favorites.

[afuna]

It’s been way too long since I’ve read Oathbound and Oathbreakers. Maybe I should make that next on my list!

Do you know if the short stories ever ended up collected anywhere? I remember I used to read random short stories about them in Sword and Sorcery anthologies, but I don’t have access to those anymore.

[kareila]

There’s also a third book, Oathblood, that came out in 1998 or so. I think that all of the individual short stories were gathered in Oathbound and Oathblood.

[afuna]

Oh cool! I just looked and found an omnibus for all three books. Giving that a shot!

[kareila]

I found more details here: https://valdemar.fandom.com/wiki/The_Vows_and_Honor_series

That says all but two of the short stories are included in the 3 books.

[afuna]

Oh cool thank you! Do you want to join me in reading them all? :D

[kareila]

Absolutely :D