Storm Breaking

I loved this book. Many people said there were too many characters and plots that didn't tie in together. Were they reading the same book? Every single part of this story, the history of the first cataclism, to the tower, Grand Duke/King Tremane's ascension to the Hardornean throne which brings Iftel into the open and gives our heroes ideas of how to protect the land, even the Emperor of the East and his plot to destroy everything plays a part. I don't want to give it away but if you know the books...this one ties it all together!! We find out history and learn the why's of things. Without all the plotlines and character development we wouldn't understand how our heroes succeed at their near impossible task! Loved it!

In Storm Breaking the final book in the Mage Storms trilogy Karal and his friends must find a way to stop the final mage-storm which threatans to destroy all life. The situation is worstened by Emperor Chaslis's decision to choose a new heir to the throne. In Storm Breaking Mercedes Lackey has yet again created a wonderfull world of fantasy that keeps her readers breathlessly waiting for the next book.

Unfortunately for me I read the Mage Storms before the others, but now that I finished I understand how all of the other books are connected and eventually lead up to this series. After reading all the others, this one is the best of them all, and I will read it again and again!

I thought this book was fantastic. I couldn't put it down. I happen to be a hopeless romantic, and the interaction between Natoli and Karal made for a very touching side story. I liked the ending and for those of you who have read it you'll know when i say that Altra is wonderfully faithful to Karal. If you haven't read this, read it! You need to read the first two before this but they are all excellent books. In fact, I think this is the best of her Valdemar series. If anyone wants to talk about Lackey or Anne McCaffrey or Star Trek, please email me. Thanks!

Storm Breaking quite nicely rounds out the Mage Storm series. It answers a lot of questions that have been lingering throughout many of the Valdemar books. It also does what the previous Wind Series did not do: it is an actual conclusion to this particular 3-book series. While there are still many open questions to be answered and some rather interesting possible storylines, it does not leave you hanging (and feeling rather cheated) like the final book in the Wind series, Winds of Fury, did. The cataclysm is over. The characters who have been present in the previous two books (Elspeth, Darkwind, Firesong, Karal, An'desha, Grand Duke Tremaine, et al) are there. You also get to meet two characters frequently discussed, but never met: the Emperor Charlis, a marvelously twisted character, and Tremaine's main rival for the Empire's Throne, Melles, a very practical, if rather chilling, man. And what I considered two of the high points of the book, the gryphons in the far north of Valdemar and the question of Iftel are finally explained. The answer sent me running back to the Black Gryphon to see if I had missed something: so far it doesn't look like I did. This story is somewhat darker than the previous two books in this series, nor does not it move at as fast a pace as the first two did. This is a book that resolves the problems that arose in the previous two books. The book is eminently readable and satisfying. While there are still many unanswered questions concerning this time line in Valdemar, I hope that Ms. Lackey will do a book about the founding of Valdemar before she goes any further. There are so many little tidbits dropped surrounding Baron Valdemar and the flight of his people, but the real reason that they fled the Empire is never given, just a rather vague comment about the abuse of power by Baron Valdemar's overlord. Of course, I have noticed that Ms. Lackey does books about Valdemar in the order in which they are needed to further flesh out the Valdemar story, and to provide information that will be needed in the next set of books or stories. I look forward with a great deal of anticipation to the next Valdemar book, whatever it may be.