A welcome return to a world I hadn't realised I'd missed.

I remember reading Mercedes Lackey books in the '90s and knew I'd really liked them, so was really excited to be given the opportunity to receive an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Right from the start, I began to be reeled in to the world, and, while I couldn't remember anything about the world from my earlier readings, the story drew me in with vivid characters, rich world-building and the tense atmosphere of a distant, but oppressive regime, and the promise of escape.

When the narrative split to follow Kordas to the capital, I felt the pace slow, and, despite the fact that the capital drove the feeling of menace and built the need for urgency, I was much more interested in the events back with Isla and Delia. (I have read other reviews, where reader's felt precisely the opposite, so perhaps the split narrative ensures there's something for everyone?)

The characters were what made this book for me, especially the female characters, who were all capable without that being a huge noteworthy event, and there were elements of romantic interest without that ever driving, or derailing the plot. I definitely want to return to Valdemar now, and will have to go back and read the earlier books.

This was actually my first Mercedes Lackey novel, and I loved it! So for anyone out there who is wondering if you need to have read previously published works in this world, nope. Everything is explained really well, without info dumps. I felt neither bogged down nor confused, what I really felt was enthralled.

Lackey creates a beautifully descriptive and intriguing fantasy setting with unique/interesting worldbuilding. One thing I loved was the level of detail with crafts/animal husbandry. They're the kind of details I think a lot of writers gloss over (most likely because they don't have that real world knowledge or have not done their research). So it was a really nice touch to find it here.

Other things I loved were strong female voices and some LGBT+ characters (although they were side characters), I would definitely recommend this book and will be checking out more in the series as this was a real page turner.

This is the first book in the Founding of Valdemar series - forming a prequel to the Author's long running Valdemar series . Reading the other books is not necessary to fully enjoy this prequel .

Duke Kordas Valdemar has been able to run his Duchy with little interference from the Emperor -
an Emperor whose despotic ambitions are dragging the Empire to the edge of ruin
Playing the role of country bumkin has allowed him to keep a low profile and prepare his people for their exodus from the Empire .
However Emperor has unexpectedly called him to the Capital , to escort the horses he raises and trains - horses that everyone covets . He must leave his family and friends to carry out his wishes even at the cost of his own life - for the Empire is about to burst into flame ................ will they succeed ?, will he survive ?

A brilliant first book in what looks like being a new series into the formation of the country of Valdemar - far , far away from the Empire .

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I first came across Mercedes Lackey when she co-authored The Ship Who Searched with one of my favourite authors, Anne McCaffrey, back in 1992. At that point, she’s published about thirteen novels, and, following a pattern that I’ve followed all my life, I dove into the middle of a series. [I’ve no idea why I do that: it means I miss out on things and have to go back and read the other books afterwards, which makes no sense] If I remember correctly, the first of her novels I read was Magic’s Pawn, the sixth of her novels to be set in the land of Valdemar.

Magic’s Pawn and its sequels were a revelation. Yes, this was a fantastical realm with magical creatures and telepathic horses, but there was nothing soft and dreamy about it. The good guys didn’t always win - hell, they didn’t even always survive. There were proper real-life issues, and sometimes those issues couldn’t be solved.

Nearly thirty years later, she’s still writing – prolifically, I might add; she’s said to average more than five novels per year! – and she’s written the book I didn’t know I was waiting for, taking us right back to the origin story of Valdemar. No Collegium. No Heralds. No Companions. Just a small rural duchy in an abusive Empire, run by a man with a knack for breeding horses and a plan to escape the clutches of the cruel and vindictive Emperor.

Lackey has lost none of her touch for characterisation in the years since she first wrote of Valdemar. Her characters shine from the page, and I quickly became fully invested in their story. Knowing what is to come in Valdemar’s future, I was constantly on the lookout for anything that could be built on, so I have to assume the fact that Kordas breeds various high-quality lines of pure white horses might end up being relevant to the evolution on the Companions. I have some other ideas as well, but anything else will include spoilers. It’s fantastic to see

I do wish there wasn’t quite as much swearing in the story, not because I’m a prude but because it just didn’t seem to fit with the story and the series in general. Apart from that, I thought it was wonderful, and completely worthy of being the book that begins it all. I can’t wait for the next one.

I received a free reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love origin stories and this was no exception, despite the fact that I haven’t read any books in the original and later set series for years. Enjoyed this so much, however, I’ll be seeking out the Valdemar novels for a reread

I was absolutely thrilled to be able to take a step back in time and revisit the world of Valdemar. After first discovering these books in the early 90's I was immediately a fan, though I haven't read any more for a good 20 or so years. It was wonderful to discover the writing was as pleasing as I remembered and I soon found myself falling back in love with this world.

The book wasn't perfect, but then no book ever is and you definitely can't please all of the people all of the time. The pace was a little too slow and meandering at times, but because I am a character driven reader it didn't spoil the story for me. What I would have really liked to see were flawed characters - this had an almost "Disney" feel where the good guys were all perfect and the bad guys were somewhat caricaturish and oft portrayed as stupid. Stupid people do not rise to positions of power. I've clearly grown up in those intervening years and I just wanted and needed a little more depth to my protagonists.

That said I'm still a big fan of this series and will definitely continue reading it!

Readers of the Valdemar series will know that the country of that name was founded by Baron Valdemar when he and many of his subjects fled from an oppressive Empire. Here for the first time is told the story of that flight. It's well up to the standard of Ms Lackey's work and if I had a criticism it would be that it lacks the sparkle and freshness of her earlier works but that perhaps is only to be expected. It's like slipping into a comfy pair of slippers and settling into a favourite armchair, familiar and welcome if not exciting.

My only experience of Mercedes Lackey's work have been a few of the entries in the Elemental Masters series, books that I really enjoyed as I love the way that she's able to mi interesting character development with intricate and accessible world-building. As such, when I saw Beyond: The Founding of Valdemar I was very excited to read more of her work, especially one in a purely fantasy setting, as I knew it would be something that she'd excel at. When I realised that this book was part of a much larger series, the 52nd story set in this particular world, I was a bit worried that I might not understand everything, that there would be some previous part of her work that I'd need to have read to understand and enjoy this. However, this being a prequel novel to much of those stories, and thanks to the accessible way Lackey writes, it was a brilliant experience to delve into this world.

The story begins in 'the Empire', an unnamed place where a cruel dictator rules over a vast empire where those who live there are constantly under the threat of their tyrannical leader coming in and taking everything away from them at a mere whim. With a war raging on the frontier, and magical beings and supplies being taken to the distant capital, those who have anything good are constantly afraid that they could lose whatever they have. It's in this world that we meet Kordas Valdemar, the Duke of a small region of the Empire, good for not much than the breeding of horses.

Thanks to the high quality of the horses that Valdemar produces the duchy has been left to do its own thing by the Empire, which has allowed Kordas to continue the daring plan put in place by his family before him. Having gathered as many mages and innovators as he can, hiding them away in secret chambers inside his manor, he's been trying to find a way to transport his people far away from the Empire, giving them the chance to live a life without fear. When one of the mages finds a way to open a teleportation gate to a distant land, one far beyond the reach of the Empire, Kordas believes the time has finally come to lead his people to freedom.

Unfortunately, this plan is suddenly put at risk when the Emperor summons Kordas to the capital shortly before the upcoming vast celebration that the people of Valdemar are planning to use as cover to escape. Forced to attend the Emperor, Kordas has to leave his people to tend to the plan without him, to establish a beachhead in their new home, and begin secretly transporting the population; but what he discovers in the capital will further complicate his plans, and he finds himself having to play the most dangerous game of his life.

I have to admit, I absolutely adored this book. Very quickly I found myself drawn into this story, of a persecuted and threatened population trying desperately to get out from under the heel of a despotic leader so that they could live in peace (I'm sure that there's nothing in the real world I can relate to this). Before I knew it the plight of Kordas and his people had hooked me, and for the first half of the book I was intrigued as to how the plan was going to unfold.

Mercedes Lackey did an amazing job at outlining the rules of the world, the way the society worked and how magic was a part of it, without it feeling like she was getting bogged down in the history or the details. As such, when the mages were discussing the science behind their magic, and how it was going to be used to escape the Empire it was something that made sense, that I was able to keep up with; and something that I found absolutely fascinating. The way that the plan was slowly revealed to the reader, seeing the people of Valdemar preparing to leave, keeping their movements and preparations secret, were great, and the exploration of their new home once they were able to establish a gateway was parts of the book that I'd have loved to have seen more of and gone into more detail.

The most engaging part of the book, however, was everything that happened once Kordas was to the capital. Suddenly those hints at how bad the Empire was, and how evil their leader is seemed to not be enough to describe what the reality was actually like. Kordas was thrust into a nest of vipers, having to play a very specific part, doing his best not just to survive, but to ensure that his people had the chance to play out the plan. To say it was tense would be an understatement. There were times I was expecting Kordas to be caught out, to be suddenly taken away to a prison cell. It was an engrossing read.

But we also got to discover so much once we reached the capital. It was a place that even Kordas was unfamiliar with, thanks to the changes that had taken place over the years, and we got to discover a lot of its wonder, and horrors, alongside him. The Capital also introduced what was, for myself, some of the best characters. The dolls. I won't go into detail about them so as not to spoil the book, but these magical servants created to run the Capital were so wonderfully intriguing, and developed so much over the course of the book that they're probably the thing I'm most excited to see more of in the book. I can't wait to see how they play out in what Lackey has set up for the next entry in the series, and how they'll further develop.

I really liked how Kordas was essentially a hero who doesn't think of himself as one. he doesn't see himself as standing up and doing the heroic deeds because he feels that doing so is simply his duty. It's not something brave to put the needs of his people first, it's simply the only decent and moral thing for him. He might be an outlier in regards to the other members of the leadership in the Empire, but to him, he's being the way everyone should be, the ideal that we should all strive towards. He doesn't look down on the people working the fields, he goes and talks to them to find out if there's anything that can be done to make things better for them; he doesn't expect others to do the dirty work for him, he goes and rolls his sleeves up and steps in to do it himself; and he doesn't persecute people for who they love, but tries to create a world where they're free and open to be themselves. He's a decent human being, and because of that he was a perfect lead character for this story; for this story of hope fighting against the worst of human nature.

This might have been my first experience reading a Valdemar novel, but it's definitely not going to be my last. After this one book I'm very much on board as a fan now. I'm going to be grabbing the next book as soon as i can, and I'll be going back to read the ones that came before. Mercedes Lackey created a world and characters that drew me in and enraptured me when I wasn't expecting it to. A perfect fantasy novel in every way.

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Beyond (Founding of Valdemar #1)
by Mercedes Lackey in exchange for an honest review.

Although I have been aware of the Valdemar books for many years, this was actually my first reading of one. Perhaps fitting that this is about Valdemar’s founding.

Some details about the plot: Duke Kordas Valdemar is the ruler of a small Duchy that is mainly focused on horse breeding. He is aware that at some point the Emperor will turn his predatory gaze towards Valdemar. Over the years Kordas’s father had quietly gathered magicians and tasked them with finding a way to free the people of the Duchy from this tyranny.

One of the Duchy’s mages finally has had a breakthrough and uncovers a way to put the Duchy, and its people, beyond the Emperor’s reach forever.

Yet before any plan can be put into action Kordas is summoned to the Emperor’s Court. Playing on his reputation as a country bumpkin he seeks to buy himself and his people the time they need to implement this plan.

This certainly proved to be a solidly plotted high fantasy with memorable characters and superb world-building. I felt that Mercedes Lackey’s style of storytelling was quite traditional without the cynicism or postmodern aspects found in some modern fantasy.

I enjoyed ‘Beyond’ very much and look forward to Book 2 in the trilogy due to be published in 2022. Also, after such a positive experience and this introduction, I plan to read more of her Valdemar novels in the very near future.

In addition, full marks to the design team at Titan Books for such a beautiful cover.

Valdemar was one of the first fantasy series I read back in the 80s and it's a very long series (last count was around 60s books).
This is good introduction to the series if you ever read it and a long expected story by the fan of Valdemar.
It's not the best in the series but it was a gripping and entertaining read as Ms Lackey can surely write and she's an excellent storyteller.
My only note is that the ending is a bit abrupt and I hope that the next book in this duology/trylogy will take this into account.
It was a pleasure to travel back to Valdemar world, I hope people will discover this series and love it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Destined to carry out a generations old plan to escape the corrupt and cruel empire Kordas, Duke of Valdemar must guide his people to safety while negotiating layers of courtly intrigue magical surveillance and espionage.

Add in a teenage sister in law, mages in hiding and a race of magical beings enslaved by the Empire and I was totally hooked.

I found the characters relatable and interesting but with the exception of Kordas, who I may now have a tiny bit of a crush on, slightly underdeveloped.

The true strength of this story lies in the world building and the fascinating exploration of the ways magic could be used to control and abuse.

I am completely new to the Valdemar universe and definitely want to explore it more after reading this prequel to the Heralds of Valdemar series.

Beyond by Mercedes Lackey is the latest book in the Valdemar series.  It's chronologically book 4, but is actually book 52 (!!!) set in the world.  Which means there's a little bit of background that you (and I!) might have missed.  For context, I have read the Heralds of Valdemar series, which were some of the earliest books written, and are 9 out of 13 in the series (this latest book is going to be the the second series out of 13).

So, when I realised what was going on, it made sense that there are some things that you are expected to know about - the Emperor being someone that the Duke of Valdemar is working against, being one of them.  If you can get over that, then this is an enjoyable fantasy, with wizards, people being underestimated, and secrets that change what you knew a moment ago.

For context on the book series, have a look at this Fandom page.

Beyond was published on 2nd November 2021, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Mercedes Lackey on Twitter, Facebook and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to Titan Books.

This is my first look into the Valdemar universe and l was not disappointed.Great characters like Duke Kordas Valdemar having a plan that has been waiting for generations to escape persecution from the Emperor. The plan is finally started by a breakthrough of Mages. Secrecy is paramount. The Duke is called to the Emperors court and finds much has changed he will have to expand his plan to cover all under the tyranny of the Emperor. This is my first look at Valdemar and it was a slow pace at first to take it all in. I really enjoyed the second half of the book which picks up the pace to much more excitement. I was very much in love with certain characters by the end especially Star and would love to follow other books in this series.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was genuinely overjoyed to find Mercedes Lackey’s newest book on NetGalley to request as these books have been a staple of my life since I was a pre-teen reading about Darian and his owls 🤩🦉

Beyond is a sort of prequel in that it fits into the early years of the Valdemar universe and is about the founding of the countries. For those familiar with the books that means no heralds and no companions yet (but I’m hopeful of that changing before the end of the series!). Like some of the other more recent additions to this world it doesn’t quite have the spark of the Vanyel and Elspeth books but it has a magic of its own and I really enjoyed reading it.

It is however a book 1 (I assume of 3) and you can tell, the overall story of The Grand Plan is well done but I want to know a whole lot more about a lot of characters and magical mechanics, and some of the people we’re introduced to felt a little hurried. Star, Rose, Clover and their friends were wonderful to read and they’re part in the story is the one that has me most intrigued and waiting impatiently for book 2!!

A solid book and addition to the excellent world that is Valdemar. If you’re a Lackey fan, go and read it. If you’ve never read this author before, go and read about Herald Elspeth and Herald Mage Vanyel.

As a long-time lover of all things Valdemar, I was thrilled when I heard that Mercedes Lackey had written a book about the founding of this marvellous place. I was a bit wary though as the last few novels haven’t been any where near as good as her earlier series. However, although this doesn’t have quite the emotional impact of the Vanyel or Talia series, it is a return to form for one of my favourite authors.
The story is set in the Eastern Empire which has become corrupt and static and a place where the rulers generally have no interest in their people. An exception to this is Duke Kordas of Valdemar who cares deeply for his duchy and is in the process of carrying out a plan devised by his father and Grandfather to escape the empire with as many of his people as he can take with him.
This book has strong links with the Mage Storms trilogy and Duke Kordas reminded me a lot of Duke Tremaine. It has a similar feel too in that the novel spends a lot of time detailing exactly how the people live. This can have the effect of slowing the story down but it also gives you a real feel for the society that Mercedes Lackey has created.
The story is told mainly from the viewpoint of Kordas and we learn a lot about his character. Parts of the story are also told from the view of his young sister in law, Delia. These are the only two characters that we get to know in depth and it would have been nice to have a deeper feel of more characters especially Korda’s wife, Isla.
I loved this book and enjoyed all of the links with the earlier series. This felt like a much more adult book than some of the more recent books which I felt was an improvement. I loved the concept of the dolls and knowing what they eventually become. The descriptions of the Empire and the court were a brilliant contrast to the life that Kordas wants for his people and Delia’s contrasting point of view is really important too.
If you have read the author’s previous Valdemar books, then I’m sure that you will love it too. However, if you are new to Valdemar, this might not be the best place to start and The Arrows or Last Herald Mage might be a better starting point.
For me, this is a five star read but new readers to Valdemar might not rate it so highly. I am really grateful to Net Galley and Titan publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book and to Mercedes Lackey for writing it!