xeni's review against another edition
3.0
Another year, another Valdemar short story collection to read. Reviews for individual stories:
Feathers in Need - Jennifer Brozek
A gryphon protagonist! Yes! There's not enough of those. And this seems to be right after the Mage Storms, which we never get enough glimpses of, imo. What does strike me as strange is how Hadara's recollections of being blinded seem to be during the first Kaled'a'in evacuation, and not from the second Mage Storms. How can she be a thousand years old? I wish the story had continued on after the confrontation. As always with these short stories I find them not enough!
The Highjorune Masque - Stephanie D. Shaver
I just love how creative these authors can be. Highjourne! We haven't visited Lineas since Vanyel's time, which for me was decades ago. And return to Wil's story. Oh I am glad to see he can be both herald and father! Also sad to say that Stefan's gift wasn't strong enough to last forever. But then he also didn't outlast the Mage Storm. I suppose that allowed a lot of corrupt bards to come into power. This short story is full of tension and dread! It's well written though a bit heavy handed with the villain bits.
---
Okay, I didn't do the rest of these 1 by 1:
Lost Song - Dylan Birtolo
Unresolved Consequences - Elizabeth A. Vaughan
Gifts of Rage and Despair - Ron Collins
A Bellowing of Bullfinches - Elisabeth Waters
She Chooses - Michele Lang
The Harvest - Kristin Schwengel
Before a River Runs Through It - Fiona Patton
Hertasi and Wyrsa and Magpies, Oh My! - Louisa Swann
A Fire in the Grass - Michael Z. Williamson and Jessica Schlenker
Never Alone - Dayle A. Dermatis
Down the Line - Brigid Collins
Ghosts of the Past - Angela Penrose
The Quiet Gift - Anthea Sharp
Healing Home - Kerrie L. Hughes
The Note - Phaedra Weldon
Vexed Vixen - Mercedes Lackey
Overall: Some of them were fairly annoying and simple stories, others were more interesting but still too simple for my tastes.
I prefer the stories that are continuing tales of previous Valdemar anthologies or the ones written by Lackey herself. I liked Vexed Vixen a lot because it featured a healer, one who has Animal Mindspeak. I always wish Lackey's books focused more on Healers or Bards so this is especially great. (And even better because it's also the second story we've had with Vixen so far!)
Feathers in Need - Jennifer Brozek
A gryphon protagonist! Yes! There's not enough of those. And this seems to be right after the Mage Storms, which we never get enough glimpses of, imo. What does strike me as strange is how Hadara's recollections of being blinded seem to be during the first Kaled'a'in evacuation, and not from the second Mage Storms. How can she be a thousand years old? I wish the story had continued on after the confrontation. As always with these short stories I find them not enough!
The Highjorune Masque - Stephanie D. Shaver
I just love how creative these authors can be. Highjourne! We haven't visited Lineas since Vanyel's time, which for me was decades ago. And return to Wil's story. Oh I am glad to see he can be both herald and father! Also sad to say that Stefan's gift wasn't strong enough to last forever. But then he also didn't outlast the Mage Storm. I suppose that allowed a lot of corrupt bards to come into power. This short story is full of tension and dread! It's well written though a bit heavy handed with the villain bits.
---
Okay, I didn't do the rest of these 1 by 1:
Lost Song - Dylan Birtolo
Unresolved Consequences - Elizabeth A. Vaughan
Gifts of Rage and Despair - Ron Collins
A Bellowing of Bullfinches - Elisabeth Waters
She Chooses - Michele Lang
The Harvest - Kristin Schwengel
Before a River Runs Through It - Fiona Patton
Hertasi and Wyrsa and Magpies, Oh My! - Louisa Swann
A Fire in the Grass - Michael Z. Williamson and Jessica Schlenker
Never Alone - Dayle A. Dermatis
Down the Line - Brigid Collins
Ghosts of the Past - Angela Penrose
The Quiet Gift - Anthea Sharp
Healing Home - Kerrie L. Hughes
The Note - Phaedra Weldon
Vexed Vixen - Mercedes Lackey
Overall: Some of them were fairly annoying and simple stories, others were more interesting but still too simple for my tastes.
I prefer the stories that are continuing tales of previous Valdemar anthologies or the ones written by Lackey herself. I liked Vexed Vixen a lot because it featured a healer, one who has Animal Mindspeak. I always wish Lackey's books focused more on Healers or Bards so this is especially great. (And even better because it's also the second story we've had with Vixen so far!)
felinity's review
3.0
It may be all-new tales of Valdemar, but for the most part I found myself in only a vaguely familiar landscape. I never managed to get into the Mage Storm books, which didn't help, and the dearth of familiar characters was another impediment; even a major inconsistency I spotted in a later story. I was halfway through before I found one that *felt* like a Valdemar story to me, albeit without Heralds.
So I didn't get on with it as a Valdemar extension, but otherwise the stories themselves were quite good. There were stories of healers and bards, of love and fear, of the trapped and the lost, of new twists on Gifts, of revolutions and rogues. So a variety, but not quite my cup of tea.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
So I didn't get on with it as a Valdemar extension, but otherwise the stories themselves were quite good. There were stories of healers and bards, of love and fear, of the trapped and the lost, of new twists on Gifts, of revolutions and rogues. So a variety, but not quite my cup of tea.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
samcarlin's review against another edition
2.0
I need to stop reading these anthologies. Most of the stories were not very interesting. A lot of them felt like character studies instead of an actual story.
mdfn's review against another edition
2.0
Though I love the Valdemar series and usually enjoy the anthologies, this one fell a little flat. We encountered fewer familiar characters and I just did not connect with many of the stories.
If you're a fan of the series, it's worth a read, but it's a bad place to start for someone unfamiliar with Lackey and the series.
If you're a fan of the series, it's worth a read, but it's a bad place to start for someone unfamiliar with Lackey and the series.
whisper88's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
inferiorwit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Vomit, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Animal death
triscuit807's review against another edition
3.0
Multiple author anthologies tend to be uneven in quality; this one is no different. There are a couple of amateurish stories and a couple novice level stories, a few average stories, and several really good ones. As is typical of a well edited anthology, the first and last stories (by Brozek and Lackey) are strong. My favorites were by Patton (one of her Haven Watch stories) and by Weldon. Those four alone are reason enough to read this anthology, but it is a must anyways for any fan of Valdemar and the blue-eyed Companions. I read this because I am one of those fans, but I also read it for my 2016 Reading Challenge "read a book of short stories" (PopSugar 2015).
morgandhu's review against another edition
3.0
I've been having a rather rotten time these past weeks, and so it was with some pleasure that I was able to get my electronic hands on a copy of Crucible, Mercedes Lackey's newest anthology of short stories set in Velgarth, the world where the Heralds of Valdemar and the Hawkbrothers and Shin'a'in and other such peoples live.
It's always enjoyable for me to revisit these places - there is, as I have often said, something about the universe Lackey created here that pushes my simple pleasure buttons.
As usual, Lackey's contribution "Vexed Vixen," was one of the ones I enjoyed the most. Others that stood out for me were Fiona Patton's "Before a River Runs through It," Jennifer Brozek's "Feathers in Need," Stephanie D. Shaver's "The Highjorune Masque," Elizabeth A. Vaughan's "Unresolved Consequences," and Dayle A. Dermatis' "Never Alone." But all of the stories were, in their own way, fun. Lackey knows what she wants in these anthologies, and she gets it from her contributors.
*Of the 18 short stories in this anthology, 15 were written by women, two by men, and one was a collaboration between a man and a woman.
It's always enjoyable for me to revisit these places - there is, as I have often said, something about the universe Lackey created here that pushes my simple pleasure buttons.
As usual, Lackey's contribution "Vexed Vixen," was one of the ones I enjoyed the most. Others that stood out for me were Fiona Patton's "Before a River Runs through It," Jennifer Brozek's "Feathers in Need," Stephanie D. Shaver's "The Highjorune Masque," Elizabeth A. Vaughan's "Unresolved Consequences," and Dayle A. Dermatis' "Never Alone." But all of the stories were, in their own way, fun. Lackey knows what she wants in these anthologies, and she gets it from her contributors.
*Of the 18 short stories in this anthology, 15 were written by women, two by men, and one was a collaboration between a man and a woman.
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