Mercedes Lackey Books in Order

Rafi flees an arranged marriage and joins the Free Amazons, only to struggle with their training. When her companions are badly wounded, the skills she thought inadequate become essential to keeping them alive.

After her clan is destroyed, Tarma becomes a sworn warrior and hunts its killers. Her search brings her together with Kethry, a mage pursuing the same villains, in the beginning of their partnership.

Tarma and Kethry encounter different versions of heroism as they follow their calling to help others. In this short story, they must repair the harm caused by one supposed hero while assisting two others.

Newly qualified as a Herald, Talia sets out to patrol Valdemar and dispense justice. Unrest throughout the kingdom tests her judgment, while the danger of misusing her unusual powers threatens both her and the people she serves.

Runaway Talia is chosen by Rolan, a mysterious horse-like Companion, to train as a Herald. As she learns to control her mental gifts, a conspiracy threatens the queen, her young heir and Valdemar itself.

Talia investigates a marriage proposal for Valdemar's heir at Prince Ancar's court. Diplomatic intrigue gives way to a darker danger when she discovers ancient sorcery that could threaten her kingdom unless she can warn the queen.

Warrior Tarma seeks revenge for her murdered clan, while sorceress Kethry carries a magical sword that draws her toward women in danger. Bound by an oath, they join forces to fight evil together.

Vanyel wants to become a bard, but his untrained magical gifts make him dangerous to himself and others. Sent to his Herald-Mage aunt for guidance, he becomes caught in forces that threaten all Valdemar.

Warrior Tarma and mage Kethry search for their missing mercenary leader, Idra, in her home kingdom. A disputed succession and dark enchantment suggest that both their friend and the people of Rethwellan are in danger.

Valdemar faces war, a dying king and an approaching army commanded through forbidden magic. Its last Herald-Mage, Vanyel, must defend the kingdom while a prophetic dream warns of the terrible cost of failure.

Exhausted Herald-Mage Vanyel answers a desperate summons to a neighboring kingdom devastated by magic. He must determine whether an uncontrolled young prince caused the catastrophe or is being used by a more dangerous enemy.

This guide explores Valdemar through its history, peoples, magic, characters and places. Maps, interviews, essays and an original Lackey novella accompany a concordance that helps readers navigate the world of the Heralds and their Companions.

When attackers kill her father, wound her brother and abduct his bride, Kerowyn's hopes of returning to a quieter life collapse. The sorceress Kethry's granddaughter sets out on a rescue that begins a new path.

Darkover's Compact forbids weapons that reach beyond their user's arm, raising a difficult question about arrows. Tayksa challenges Varzil's interpretation while someone threatens his life, making her help more urgent than a theoretical debate.

Karsite army captain Alberich faces a death sentence when the Sunpriests condemn him for magecraft. This short story follows the danger surrounding him and the mysterious white horse called Silver before his life as a Herald.

Young fiddler Rune climbs Skull Hill to prove a boast by playing for its dangerous ghost. She wagers her soul that she can keep the spirit entertained until sunrise, turning musical ambition into a deadly bargain.

With Valdemar threatened by dark sorcery, Princess Elspeth leaves home to find someone who can teach her magic. Meanwhile, Tayledras scout Darkwind discovers a threat that may force him to use powers he has renounced.

A rebellious Kilrathi captain, a Firekkan pilot, a human fighter ace and a young would-be space traveler become unlikely allies. Their different loyalties and ambitions converge in a struggle to free a threatened world.

Princess Elspeth searches for a mentor who can teach her to wield her emerging magical powers. As Valdemar's ancient defenses weaken, she must prepare to help protect her homeland from Ancar of Hardorn's dark magic.

Robin, a traveling bard, and Kestrel, an unwilling heir, seek a life together on the road. A plot to silence music draws them toward Skull Hill, where they must recruit its dangerous ghost as an ally.

Ancar of Hardorn harnesses a Dark Adept's power for an unprecedented magical assault on Valdemar. As the kingdom's ancient protections fail, Elspeth and Queen Selenay must face sorcery their people do not know how to resist.

The Church tightens its control over Alanda, hunting unauthorized magic and treating music as a threat. Driven from communities across the land, the Free Bards must decide whether to flee persecution or resist it.

Tayksa finds guarding King Varzil at court dull until a petitioner presents an unusual problem. This Darkover short story draws her into the effort to solve it, offering a new challenge to her routine duties.

Private investigator Jennifer Talldeer tracks stolen Native American artifacts while studying warrior magic. When shopping mall construction disturbs an ancient burial ground, sabotage implicates her former lover and a released evil threatens far more than the site.

Longtime enemies Karse and Valdemar form an uneasy alliance against the Eastern Empire. Its ruler's unfamiliar sorcery forces them to overcome mistrust, while the Companions may have to reveal secrets hidden even from their Heralds.

Gryphon Skandranon serves the sorcerer Urtho in a war against the evil mage Maar. When a vision reveals a terrifying new weapon among enemy soldiers, he crosses their lines to investigate the growing threat.

Magical storms devastate Valdemar, Karse and neighboring kingdoms with disasters and monstrous creatures. Their combined magical defenses struggle to hold, and the alliance between former enemies begins to unravel as they search for the storms' source.

Nightingale and the birdman T'fyrr investigate why Alanda's High King has withdrawn from his duties. With the Church exploiting the resulting power vacuum, their music and partnership become weapons against threats to bards and nonhuman peoples.

Scholar Rosalind Hawkins accepts a governess position with a mysterious employer who has no children. Asked to translate old manuscripts without meeting him, she unknowingly assists his search for a cure to a disastrous magical spell.

Skandranon and Amberdrake negotiate with the Black Kings to secure their exiled people's new home. A nobleman's murder exposes enemies willing to use blood magic to sabotage the alliance and threaten the city of White Gryphon.

Neglected prince's son Ilya encounters the magical Firebird and gains the ability to understand animals. Banished from home, he journeys through an enchanted Russia and faces dangerous obstacles to freeing the princess he comes to love.

Karal and his allies use an ancient magical arsenal to buy time against the devastating mage storms. Knowing the disturbances echo an earlier Cataclysm, they must find a lasting solution before another disaster destroys their world.

Young guards Tadrith and Silverblade set out for a remote post after years of training. When a strange force drains Tadrith's magic, they must survive alone and injured against creatures that can absorb magical power.

Constable Tal Rufen investigates murders whose killers immediately take their own lives. His superiors dismiss the deaths of poor women, but the repeated pattern and strange weapons convince him that a larger magical threat lies behind them.

Orphaned Darian struggles as a wizard's apprentice until attackers destroy his village. Fleeing into a mysterious forest, he meets the Hawkpeople and must grow beyond his rebellious habits to help save the people he left behind.

Seventeen stories explore the world of Valdemar, where Heralds bond with mysterious Companions and share the realm with Hawkpeople and gryphons. Different authors contribute adventures involving magic, intrigue and romance within Lackey's fantasy setting.

This story collection ranges from bardic fantasy to science fiction and horror. Its premises include genetically reconstructed dinosaurs, Lawrence of Arabia encountering an unknown power, a modern King Arthur and an alien interested in an old pickup.

This collection gathers Tarma and Kethry's short adventures and adds a novella about their school for warriors and mages. When two students are kidnapped, the sworn partners must combine their skills to confront the danger.

Four years after his village's destruction, Darian trains among the Hawkbrothers and discovers his calling as a Healing Adept. The approach of another barbarian tribe threatens that new life and forces him to prepare to fight.

Now a Master Mage with a home among the Hawkbrothers, Darian believes he has found security and love. Evidence that his missing parents may still live sends him north across dangerous territory to discover their fate.

Odette and other captive women are transformed into swans by a sorcerer seeking revenge against womankind. Able to resume human form only briefly, she must find allies and confront their captor to break his magical control.

Young healer Ariella befriends a wounded kelpie who emerges from the river near her father's estate. After her father's death, a coercive cousin plans to marry her, making that unlikely friendship essential to protecting her future.

This collection follows a leopard shapeshifter pursued by an unnatural hunter, a telepathic ship's cat, and occult investigator Diana Tregarde. Other stories return to Valdemar or uncover sinister encounters hidden beneath apparently ordinary journeys.

Lavan Firestorm possesses an extraordinary ability to start fires, a talent that is both gift and curse. This Valdemar novel tells the story behind his enduring legend, centering on a young man burdened with dangerous power.

Orphaned Skif survives through the skills he learns from a pickpocket, becoming an accomplished young burglar. An attempt to steal an unattended white horse turns his life unexpectedly, drawing him toward a destiny far beyond the streets he knows.

Physician Maya Witherspoon flees India for Edwardian London after her parents' deaths suggest a magical threat. Her untrained powers may offer protection, but exile cannot keep her safe from the force that pursued her family.

Karsite officer Alberich hides a dangerous gift for foresight until religious authorities trap him. Rescued into enemy Valdemar by a mysterious white stallion, he struggles to preserve his honor while training people he once believed he should oppose.

Raised by artists and Elemental Masters in rural Cornwall, Marina knows little about her family's secrets. Her parents' sudden deaths bring a sinister aunt into her life, forcing her to uncover why she has been hidden for years.

Brothers Marco and Benito struggle to survive in a magical Renaissance Venice, unaware of their role in its defense. Demonic plots, political rivals, and religious conflict draw thieves, mages, and nobles together against a threat to the city.

Three fantasy romances explore love amid magical conflicts. Lackey's Counting Crows follows Lady Gwynhefar's choice between duty and her connection with warrior Sir Elloran, alongside Catherine Asaro's Moonglow and Rachel Lee's Drusila's Dream.

Former Karsite captain Alberich becomes a Herald of Valdemar and the protector of young Queen Selenay despite distrust surrounding his origins. Guarding her requires more than weapons training when her own romantic feelings threaten to expose her to danger.

A young slave dreams of joining the warriors who ride dragons in a land shaped by conquest. Secretly raising a dragon of his own offers a possible route to freedom, but also a dangerous challenge to his circumstances.

Thirteen stories explore Valdemar's Heralds, magical Gifts, and bonded Companions. The collection includes a new Lackey novella alongside tales of overcoming ancient enmity, learning through grief, and finding a Herald's courage without being Chosen.

Kellen, the Arch-Mage's son, discovers forbidden books that introduce him to Wild Magic and challenge his father's teachings. Looking beyond his city's rigid rules opens a larger world where humans and magical beings face rising danger.

Chernobog's alliance with Hungary brings a siege to Corfu, threatening Venice's control of the Adriatic. Cut off from the city's guardian magic, familiar heroes organize resistance while ancient powers on the island begin to awaken.

Dragonrider Vetch escapes to Alta, the occupied land where he was born. Hoping to turn his knowledge into freedom for his people, he sets out to teach them dragon training and build a force capable of liberation.

Eleanor's stepmother binds her into magical servitude after her father's death in the Great War. A traumatized pilot who has lost his elemental powers offers an unexpected connection as both struggle against the forces that shattered their lives.

Elena's expected Cinderella future collapses, leaving her vulnerable to the Tradition that shapes the Five Hundred Kingdoms. Apprenticeship to a fairy godmother offers another path, but guiding other people's destinies raises difficult questions about her own.

Captain Pausert's mission to stop a destructive nanite plague turns into a chase when authorities mistake him for a criminal. Stranded with the witches Goth and Leewit, he joins an interstellar circus to hide while pursuing the threat.

As the Demon Queen spreads war and division, Kellen grows into his role as a Knight-Mage among the Elves. Protecting allies is difficult enough, but persuading his former city's rulers of the danger may prove harder.

A stolen Norse relic threatens to unleash war unless it is recovered before Yuletide. While Manfred and Erik investigate, the skeptical servant Cair must defend Princess Signy against accusations of theft, witchcraft, and murder amid real supernatural dangers.

Sixteen stories return to Valdemar's Heralds and Companions, including a new tale by Lackey. A grieving Herald, an empathetic soldier, and two protectors torn between love and duty explore what magical Gifts demand of their bearers.

Nan and Sarah attend a séance and discover that the apparent medium is not the person able to communicate with ghosts. This excerpt from The Wizard of London follows their encounter with powers hidden beneath the performance.

This essay collection examines Harry Potter's world through fantasy writers and specialists in religion, psychology, and science. Edited and contributed to by Mercedes Lackey, it explores the series through information available up to its sixth book.

Returning to Alta, dragonrider Vetch finds his homeland controlled by corrupt Priest-Kings. He gathers other riders at a desert sanctuary, seeking to build an army that can free the country from war and magical domination.

Sarah's arrival at a London school for unusual magical talents reveals her ability to communicate with the dead. When a powerful Elemental Master targets her, headmistress Isabelle must seek help from the man who once broke her heart.

Three fantasy novellas explore dangerous choices under lunar magic. Lackey's Moontide follows a woman torn between father and king, while Lee's warrior priestess faces a curse and Murphy's Jo Walker investigates ritual killings linked to a death omen.

Kiron builds a new community at an abandoned cliff city after uniting the dragon riders. Conflicts reveal a conspiracy reaching into his own family, as former magical rulers work to restore the control he fought to end.

A dragon's attacks prompt Acadia's queen to offer selected young women as sacrifices while waiting for a champion. When Princess Andromeda's name is drawn, her survival depends on questioning the fairy-tale expectations that govern her kingdom.

Kellen and his Elven allies need the human Mage Council's help, but its members still consider them enemies. As the Demon Queen prepares a devastating summoning, protecting refugees and overcoming that division become urgent struggles.

Sea princess and spy Ekaterina investigates a neighboring kingdom and becomes intrigued by Sasha, a prince dismissed as a fool. Kidnapped by a possessive Jinn, she must rely on her ingenuity and unexpected allies to seek freedom.

Dismissed from the Paris ballet, Ninette accepts a talking cat's plan to impersonate a Russian dancer in Blackpool. Her new opportunity conceals elemental magic and a dark spirit determined to destroy the woman whose identity she borrowed.

Tiercel's experiment with High Magic draws a dangerous mage's attention and launches a journey with his friend Harrier. As ancient powers return, the two encounter magical beings and responsibilities neither expected in their previously peaceful world.

Thirteen-year-old mine slave Magpie escapes when a magical Companion chooses him for Herald training. At the newly forming Collegium, he must discover unfamiliar talents and find his place in a world far beyond the mines.

Sixteen stories, including a new Lackey novella, revisit Valdemar's magical protectors and their Companions. Multiple authors follow Heralds drawn from different lives as they dispense justice, confront threats, and balance personal responsibilities with service to their kingdom.

Tiercel and Harrier confront the destruction caused by Wild Mage Bisochim's fanatical armies. Meanwhile, Shaiara leads her desert people toward a legendary oasis whose hidden power could either preserve the world's balance or deepen its danger.

Aleksia, Queen of the Northern Lights, is blamed for attacks committed by an impostor. A missing young warrior draws her across a winter realm, where uncovering the truth requires her magic and a mother's determination.

This anthology brings multiple fantasy writers into Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar setting. Their stories offer different perspectives on the magical kingdom and its inhabitants, expanding a shared world whose protectors must respond to threats and difficult personal choices.

Gwenhwyfar chooses a warrior's path over the magical vocation available to her. Royal duty eventually draws her into marriage with Arthur, where her strength and independence face the competing demands of politics, love, and treachery.

Harrier, Tiercel, and desert leader Shaiara protect fleeing nomads as Ahairan's magical forces pursue them. An alliance with Bisochim offers a chance to confront the evil he unleashed, but their journey through the desert remains dangerous.

After Darkover's magical wars end, Tayksa and her partner Deena attempt to unite the Sisterhood of the Sword with Avarra's priestesses. Establishing the Free Amazons' first Guildhouse still requires confronting resistance despite the land's new peace.

Princess Rowena rejects suitors foolish enough to camp beside a dragon’s lair, but one prince kidnaps her anyway. Recovering her requires the dragon to seek Tarma and Kethry’s help, turning an unwanted courtship into a dangerous rescue mission.

Authors including Tanya Huff, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Fiona Patton, and Judith Tarr contribute stories set in Lackey's Valdemar. The collection extends the shared fantasy world through different characters and experiences within the kingdom's traditions of magic and service.

Three fantasy tales join myth, mystery, and danger. Lackey's A Tangled Web sends a prince after a mistakenly kidnapped goddess, while stories by Michelle Sagara and Cameron Haley follow a young fugitive and a threatened supernatural investigator.

Herald trainee Mags discovers his telepathic Gift while searching for clues to his unknown parents. When foreign spies appear to recognize him, suspicion threatens his place at court, forcing him to prove where his loyalties lie.

Orphaned Spirit White arrives at Oakhurst Academy, where every student supposedly has magical powers. While hers remain hidden, classmates begin disappearing, and she and her new friends must investigate the school's secrets before becoming victims themselves.

Prince Manfred and his bodyguard Erik escort a Mongol envoy into lands threatened by demonic forces. Their diplomatic mission becomes entangled in civil war and Prince Vlad's struggle to reclaim his homeland through dangerous ancient magic.

Herald Enna is sent back to the village she once escaped, where war orphans need help with trauma and emerging magical Gifts. The assignment also forces her to confront old memories and a bard she hoped to avoid.

Princess Rosamund faces a huntsman, hostile dwarves, and an impending invasion while magical Tradition pushes her toward familiar fairy-tale roles. Saving her kingdom requires more than choosing a prince, especially when her stepmother proposes a risky spell.

Three urban fantasy novellas follow witch Diana Tregarde, shaman and investigator Jennifer Talldeer, and technomancer Ellen McBride. Their cases bring modern problems into contact with ancient magic, supernatural threats, and mysteries that ordinary explanations cannot resolve.

Bella avoids the usual fairy-tale path until a wolf attack leaves her confined with a cursed nobleman. Drawn to his humor and inventions, she must navigate family obligations and dangerous magic while seeking a way to break the spell.

Mags trains as an undercover agent while urgently searching for his parents' identities. His friends Lena and Bear face their own family pressures, and all three must find confidence in the talents they hope to use for Valdemar.

Magical attacks at Oakhurst Academy bring an alumnus to campus to train students for war. Spirit distrusts his methods and, with her friends, investigates the school's new security regime before its hidden dangers overwhelm them.

Metahuman heroes accustomed to fighting ordinary crime face a worldwide assault by advanced Nazi war machines. Discovering that the invaders come from another world, they must adapt quickly to weapons that threaten even their extraordinary powers.

Zombies, vampires, and werewolves make useful spaceship crews because they can survive conditions deadly to humans. This science fiction story explores the unexpected complications of packing such different supernatural beings together in the confines of a vessel.

During the evacuation of Dunkirk, a Scottish metahuman answers his country's call to rescue Yankee Doodle and Dixie Belle. This Secret World Chronicles story places an unusual superhero mission amid the dangers of the wartime retreat.

Echo faces a public relations crisis, and its metahuman spokesman SpinDoctor devises a plan to restore support. Belladonna Blue becomes central to his strategy in this short story about superheroes dealing with a fickle public.

Edited by Mercedes Lackey, this anthology brings multiple writers into the world of Valdemar. Its original stories include contributions from Tanya Huff, Judith Tarr, and Rosemary Edghill, alongside a new novella by Lackey herself.

Earth magician Susanne Whitestone grows up apart from her reclusive father, learning from a forest fae. His obsession with resurrecting her dead mother becomes dangerous when he decides Susanne's body could serve as a vessel.

Jeanne Blanchette turns her childhood passion for airplanes into a career as a pilot. A confrontation with a German metahuman transforms her life, drawing the French aviator into the extraordinary wartime world of emerging superheroes.