Valdemar: Has some great moments

Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey

Valdemar (2023) is the third and final book in Mercedes Lackey’s FOUNDING OF VALDEMAR trilogy. This series is a great place to start if you’re new to Valdemar, but you’ll definitely want to read Beyond and Into the West first. Only mild spoilers for those books ahead.

It’s been ten years since Duke Kordas Valdemar led his people away from the Empire, and they’re still working to establish their new home. Life here is hard. They don’t have the luxuries they were used to, and while some former nobles brought their servants, many of those servants left along the way to start independent lives. Now, whether highborn or low, everyone is pitching in—building homes, establishing farms, and creating a functioning society.

Despite being raised in a feudal society, Kordas has a vision for a better, fairer system and resists the idea of a monarchy. However, the people of Valdemar insist on crowning him as king. He’s reluctant, but eventually, he accepts, with his wife as co-ruler rather than queen (because he’s just that progressive). Things seem to be going well—for now. But Kordas worries. He broods. He prays. A lot. He wonders what’s happening back in the Empire. Will the Empire come after the traitorous new citizens of Valdemar? And, perhaps even more urgently, who is the magician who seems to be threatening them from afar, and how can he protect his people? Kordas’s thoughts and prayers make the first half of the book feel like a slog sometimes.

Things finally pick up with the arrival of the Companions—the magical, horse-like beings who claim to be from the gods. This is the origin story for Valdemar’s Heralds. At first, the people don’t understand why they need Heralds, but the point soon becomes clear. Then we spend a lot of time learning about the reorganization of Valdemar’s societal structure to incorporate the Companions and Heralds. Much of this is already familiar to fans, but it’s fun to see it happen, especially since the story is finally gaining some momentum.

Another entertaining part of Valdemar is a subplot involving a pair of youngsters whom the Hawkbrothers send to Valdemar. They’ve been cursed to be life-bonded, which has made them (and everyone around them) miserable. The people of Valdemar take them in and try to help, including seeing if their magicians can break the curse. This storyline is often amusing and warmhearted, adding another source of lightness to the book.

Valdemar has some great moments—some poignant, some funny, some sweet—but it takes a while to get going. The pacing is uneven, and occasional modern phrases like “I know, right?” can be jarring. That said, this FOUNDING OF VALDEMAR trilogy has been a solid series for Valdemar fans who want to see how it all began.

The audio edition, produced by Tantor Audio and narrated by Paul Woodson, is very well done. I recommend it.