Foundation: Book One of the Collegium Chronicles (A Valdemar Novel)

I'm pretty picky about what books I will and will not read. I found this book inside of a Little Library, and boy was it a nice surprise! The book is slow paced, but interesting. It's something what of a slice-of-life fantasy novel, where you follow the personality development of our main character, Mags, as he goes from orphaned mine worker to esteemed student of the Collegium and one of the King's Own. It's lovely.

As a fan of all things Valdemar, or Velgarth if I don't want to seem racist I was very happy to once again get something to ease the craving for talking spirit animals and a land that seems most ideal. My only complaint is that I have to wait for the next installment. I await it eagerly.

I loved this book! I can hardly wait until the next one becomes available. I enjoyed reading Mercedes Lackey's other books too, but the Valdemar series is really at the heart of her writing. I found the characters in this book to be just as interesting and enjoyable as those from the first three trilogies in the series. You can tell she was losing sight of the series with the "Owl Flight" trilogy, so I'm glad she took a break from writing in this world to find her focus. I think she has again created the type of characters and plot lines that made the series popular in the beginning. Of course, any die hard fan would be remiss to not include this book with their collection. And for those who have never read her books before this is a good one to start with. Since the premise behind the book is that Valdemar is only beginning to take the shape and form the later books take for granted, you don't have to be overly familiar with the mechanics of the series to enjoy the story.

Foundation: Book One of the Collegium Chronicles by Mercedes Lackey, the latest addition to the Heralds of Valdemar series, takes place during the first year of the newly created Heralds' Collegium. The newest Chosen, Mags, was an orphan forced to work in a mine finding "sparklies" along with other unwanted children when his Companion, Dallen, forces his way onto the mine owner's property, with the help another Herald and Companion, to claim him. From there, Mags begins his new life as a trainee, trying to find his place in an unfamiliar world. Unused to being shown kindness or having friends, he feels like an outsider among the many trainees (Herald, Bard, and Healer) crammed together in one building while two others are under construction. Mags becomes unlikely friends with two Bard and Healer trainees, children of famous parents, who live under the pressure of high expectations. He even inadvertently befriends a powerful councilman who decides to take an interest in Mags. Meanwhile, foreign princes have visited the city and have their guardsmen looking into Valdemar's weapons training. I have not read all of the Heralds of Valdemar series, but I know what to expect of a Valdemar book from the ones I have read. Foundation seemed incomplete to me. The climatic scene had little to do with the rest of the book, though I am sure it will be important in the books to come. Having said that, I did enjoy the novel. Mags is likable and sympathetic. His suffering and later loneliness due to the lack of family made me cry. It was also interesting to see the conflicts and issues related to the creation of the Heralds' Collegium. I am definitely looking forward to more of Mags and the continuation of his story. Maybe some of the questions left open at the end of Foundation will finally be answered.

I really enjoyed this read. There were a couple of places it slowed down a bit, but as a Valdemar fan that hasn't read any Valdemar/Herald books in awhile, I found it very entertaining and engaging!

It's possible that I loved this book because it had been so long since a Valdemar/Heraldic book had been published by Mercedes Lackey. While I love almost everything that she writes (I can't seem to wrap my head around the bardic books), my favorites have always been those that centered around Valdemar. Unlike many of the reviews I read regarding this book, I thought the plot was well played out. I've gotten tired of it always being such blatant abuse that the child has endured before his/her life was transformed by a magical savior. This sounds jaded and even cruel (I would NEVER dismiss the abuse of children or anyone else in real life), I was happy to see how someone in the situation itself would react and understand their own lives. Mags didn't even know his life was more difficult than most and he went through quite a journey to realize this and more to realize his own worth. I would think any die-hard Mercedes Lackey fan will snatch this book in an instant and absorb every bit of the Heraldic life they can. Quite honestly, I don't know if non-fans will like it or not...I'm not one of them! However, I still recommend this book. Please don't let negative reviewers sway you. Be transported to Valdemar yourself! I myself can't WAIT until the next installment. Write fast! :)