Winds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey fantasy book reviewsWinds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey fantasy book reviewsWinds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey

Winds of Fate (1991) is the first book in Mercedes Lackey’s MAGE WINDS trilogy which is, in terms of internal chronology, an early trilogy in her VALDEMAR series. The VALDEMAR universe currently contains dozens of novels and short stories. So far I have read only six of them, but I own several more which I’m planning to review for our readers here at FanLit.

The VALDEMAR books are best suited for readers who enjoy classic high fantasy. They’re filled with mages, orphans, princesses, magic swords, animal familiars, and flashy magic spells. In my middle-age, and with decades of fantasy reading behind me, I’m a little tired of these elements, so please keep that in mind when reading my reviews. It’s pretty hard for stories like these to surprise me with something new, but when I find one that’s beautifully written or contains characters that I fall in love with, I will certainly enjoy the book.

As you’ve probably already guessed by my rating, Winds of Fate didn’t impress me too much, but it is an average fantasy read that will probably appeal to readers who either haven’t read a lot of speculative fiction, who are less demanding than I am, or who perhaps can identify with its characters.

There are two main storylines in Winds of Fate. One follows Elspeth, a plucky princess of Valdemar who is also a Herald. Concerned that magic has been lost in Valdemar, while the country’s enemies do have magic capabilities, Elspeth goes on a quest to find a mage who can either come help her country, or teach her how to be a mage. As a protector, she takes along a Herald named Skif who happens to be in love with Elspeth. She also takes possession of a magic sword that has an interesting history and a mind (and even a quest) of its own.

MAGE WINDS trilogy

The second storyline follows a Tayledras named Darkwind whose clan has been suffering since the breaking of their hearthstone and the accidental exile of half the clan to an unknown location. Darkwind, who used to be somewhat of a mage, feels responsible for this tragedy and has given up his magic. An additional heartbreak for Darkwind is that his father, one of the clan’s elders, has become greedy for power and their relationship has been severely damaged. Darkwind’s best friends now are a pair of griffins. Meanwhile, an evil wizard who lives somewhere near the Tayledras lands hopes to use any means possible to gain more power and is trying to infiltrate the Tayledras clan.

It will come as no surprise that eventually these storylines converge as Elspeth escapes the confines of her family’s castle, travels around for a while, and finally ends up with Darkwind’s clan. Presumably the next book, Winds of Change, will show Elspeth being taught to be a mage and I feel certain, due to some pretty obvious foreshadowing, that there will be at least one new romance introduced.

Fans of VALDEMAR will be happy to learn more about the Heralds and Companions, the Tayledras and their related clans, as well as how magic works in Lackey’s world. I suspect that many will agree with me that Skif’s tragic little crush on Elspeth, and the protective way he starts treating her, will not ring quite true. I felt like Skif’s and Elspeth’s (and perhaps other characters’) personalities and motives shifted throughout the story just to generate some tension and give Elspeth an excuse to lecture about feminism.

Other criticisms are that the sadistic villain is hilariously clichéd and that, as often happens in epic fantasy, it’s too easy for people to be healed with magic. One last thing is that there was, what seems to me, an easy and safe way to dispatch the evil villain, but they rigged up a dangerous complicated plot instead. (If you’ve read the book and you’re interested in reading my simple solution, highlight the following text: The evil mage was hunting for the magic sword. The magic sword contains the consciousness of a woman who hates men and wants to protect women by killing evil men. So, how about leaving the sword somewhere where the mage or his minions will find it and then the sword, which has the ability to take over the body of its wielder, could kill the mage without any of the good guys having to come near him.)

I listened to the audio book version of Winds of Fate which was published by Audible Studios and is 18.5 hours long. Karen White has a pretty voice, but I have a feeling that fans of the VALDEMAR books will not be happy with some of the decisions she made for voicing each character. She used different reginal accents from our world to distinguish them (I really dislike this technique) with seemingly little regard for their age or personalities. I thought her voice for Skif was particularly off. Because of her performance, I had imagined him as kind of a skinny little street urchin, but later found out that he is older and fairly large and muscular. There were other characters who I had misjudged based on White’s voices, but later realized it when Lackey’s narrative made the character more clear. Also, White’s pace was too slow and I had to speed it up significantly.

Published in 1991. New York Times bestselling author Mercedes Lackey has enchanted readers since the publication of her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. Now she takes readers on another thrilling journey with the first novel in her Mage Winds series… High magic had been lost to Valdemar when he gave his life to save his kingdom from destruction by the dark sorceries. Now it falls to Elspeth Herald, heir to the throne, to take up the challenge and seek a mentor who will awaken her mage abilities.

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  • Kat Hooper

    KAT HOOPER, who started this site in June 2007, earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University (Bloomington) and now teaches and conducts brain research at the University of North Florida. When she reads fiction, she wants to encounter new ideas and lots of imagination. She wants to view the world in a different way. She wants to have her mind blown. She loves beautiful language and has no patience for dull prose, vapid romance, or cheesy dialogue. She prefers complex characterization, intriguing plots, and plenty of action. Favorite authors are Jack Vance, Robin Hobb, Kage Baker, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Richard Matheson, and C.S. Lewis.