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Valdemar: Mage Wars #2
The White Gryphon
The White Gryphon is Skandranon, the former Black Gryphon, who has returned to his natural plumage now that the time of war is at an end. He has taken his people, gryphons and human allies alike, to the coast where they have built an eyrie city in the cliffside. But though the troubles from without have pretty much ceased, wherever there are communities of people, there will be mavericks and rogues with agendas of their own. In exiling one such, a doctor using his patients for his own ends, Skandranon and White Gryphon's ruling council begin a sequence of events that threatens the future of their entire city.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1995
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
473 books9,095 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
December 12, 2023
This felt like a classic fantasy cartoon that you'd watch when you were 8 years old.
It's aware of its cliches and has fun with it, comforting and funny.
It's aware of its cliches and has fun with it, comforting and funny.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
June 24, 2018Can not develop any interest in it. Not the book‘s fault. DNF after 17 pages and 11 years of languishing on my bookshelf.
November 24, 2021
Second in the Mage Wars subseries and taking place in BF 990 (Before Founding) in the Valdemar universe, ten years after
The Black Gryphon
, Mage Wars 1. It revolves around Skandranon and Amberdrake as envoys to the Haighlei.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website.
My Take
I love that the magical creatures and people of White Gryphon planned their city against an unknown future. How very practical!
I gotta wonder if the kestra'chern who went through the Gate in The Black Gryphon with human noncombatants OR if the other Kaled'a'in Clans who split off to different refuges became the Shin'a'in. It's certain, at least, that all those who fled the plain were scattered far and wide. Lackey does note that Kaled’a’in scouts use bondbirds who can Mindspeak with their human companions. So maybe they evolved into the Hawkbrothers? The k’Leshya Clan is happy that they might have found a market for their horses . . . so may be they became the Shin'a'in. I have got to know!
Talk about confusing . . . Silver Veil tells Drake and Winterhart that the Haighlei abhor and adore change. Oy, how do you work with that? And everything about Skan and Drake is change.
That's gotta be sweet for Winterhart, being seen as a Power. It's only part of the king's interest.
I do love Skan. He's realistic about what he's capable of. He gets the jokes about his vanity . . . and has his own too-funny responses to them. He's also compassionate and understanding as to why he needs to be the leader of the White Gryphons.
It's a clever bit of planning and twisting and betrayal that kept me reading all night. And that ending . . . oh yeah!
The Story
Magic cannot be relied upon any more, and the peoples of White Gryphon have managed to build their city in spite of that handicap. Proud of their achievements, they are stunned when the Haighlei demand they leave their territory.
An embassy is hastily assembled to negotiate an alliance with the Haighlei, a people resistant to change with a hatred and fear of magic. There are many who oppose the idea of a treaty with such a strange culture of magical creatures.
It's an opportunity for the king's enemies to manipulate a betrayal of these intruders with murders.
The Characters
Skandranon "Skan" Rashkae is now the White Gryphon, for he no longer has to hide behind the black dye as they are no longer at war. Zhaneel, a gryfalcon, is Skan's mate. Kechara is their daughter and considered a misborn like her mother, with a very long-range Mindspeaking ability. Tadrith and Keenath are their twin sons. Cafri, a hertasi, is Kechara's best friend, playmate, and caretaker. The hertasi, Jewel and Corvi, will join Skan and his family on their journey to Khimbata. Healer Tamsin and his lover/co-worker, Lady Cinnabar, Skan's assigned healers, are a lifebonded pair. "Hawkwind" will become Skan's bodyguard.
White Gryphon is . . .
. . . the city of light, carved as it is from the white cliffs above the Western Sea. General Judeth, a commander of the Fifth, one of Urtho's companies, and a stonemason's daughter, insisted on the city being built on terraces carved out of the cliff face. Aubri (a gryphon), Tylar (a human), Rethan, and Vetch are members of the Silvers, the city's policing organization, formed from the remnants of the fighters and soldiers. Snowstar, a Kaled'a'in mage who had been trusted by Urtho, is on the council.
Chief Kestra'chern Amberdrake "Drake" is handling most of the common concerns for the city; he had been Skan's Trondi’irn and his best friend. Winterhart is his mate, and they have a two-year-old, Windsong. Gesten is Drake's snarky companion hertasi and the leader of all the hertasi.
Lionwind is the leader of the k’Leshya Clan, a.k.a. the Spirit Clan, of the Kaled’a’in who adopted Amberdrake. They followed Drake and Skan in their escape in The Black Gryphon . Summerhawk is a Kaled'a'in Trondi'irn and a strong Mindspeaker. Jessamine is a a highly qualified kesta'chern.
Handanelith is pretending to be a kestra'chern, yet he considers women tainted. His patients include Telica, Danielle, Suriya, Gaerazena, Bethtia, and Yonisse.
The Haighlei Emperors are . . .
. . . known as the Black Kings, of a land in the farthest south. Khimbata is the capital city. Shalaman is their king. The Silver Veil, a.k.a. Ke Arigat Osorna, is the king's Royal Companion . . . and Drake's former kestra'chern teacher. The king's other advisors include Truthsayer Leyuet and Speaker to the Gods Palisar. It is only during an Eclipse Ceremony that anything may change. Spears of the Law are a kind of Imperial Bodyguard, which appears to include two sons of King Sulemeth, the Emperor of Ghandai.
Makke is an old, stooped human assigned to clean and do laundry for Skan and his family. Kanshin is a master thief, who had apprenticed with Jacony. Lakshe and Poldarn were other master thieves. Noyoki is a mage who works blood magic. Lady Fanshane is a vulture. Lady Sherisse had been driven mad. Lady Linnay is another victim.
Gryphons, tervardi, hertasi , and kyree are the nonhumans. Kestra'chern are trained therapists of the body and the mind. Kaled'a'in Clan k'Leshya are the bulk of the humans. A Trondi’irn is a healer and trainer assigned to oversee gryphons. There is a Kmbata Empire. The Kaled’a’in were originally nomads from the land of Ka’venusho.
Urtho and Kiam ir Ma'ar were the two warring wizards whose deaths created the Cataclysm, which destroyed their world as they knew it ( The Black Gryphon ). Perchi are prostitutes. The Haighlei Lion Lilies are a symbol of courtship. Loriganalea is considered a sacred bond, a marriage made by the gods.
The Cover and Title
The cover is orange and white. The orange of the sky gradating down to pink then purple as a backdrop of the fanciful city skyline of Khimbata with its multicolored turrets and towers. In the middle ground is Skandranon, the White Gryphon flying with Amberdrake, his long black hair flying in the wind, wearing a black and white tufted robe open over his muscled chest and lime green pants. At the top are the authors' names with the title taking up two lines below it. Both are in white. Underneath that is the series info in a deep purple.
The title encompasses Skandranon and the newly built city of The White Gryphon.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Valdemar books on my website.
My Take
I love that the magical creatures and people of White Gryphon planned their city against an unknown future. How very practical!
I gotta wonder if the kestra'chern who went through the Gate in The Black Gryphon with human noncombatants OR if the other Kaled'a'in Clans who split off to different refuges became the Shin'a'in. It's certain, at least, that all those who fled the plain were scattered far and wide. Lackey does note that Kaled’a’in scouts use bondbirds who can Mindspeak with their human companions. So maybe they evolved into the Hawkbrothers? The k’Leshya Clan is happy that they might have found a market for their horses . . . so may be they became the Shin'a'in. I have got to know!
Talk about confusing . . . Silver Veil tells Drake and Winterhart that the Haighlei abhor and adore change. Oy, how do you work with that? And everything about Skan and Drake is change.
"Even murder has a certain protocol . . ."Change that would be anathema is social class. You will do what your parents do. You may not rise above it. Even a kestra'chern can't serve above or below an authorized rank. Even how much money you have is proscribed. Magic is scary and strictly controlled.
That's gotta be sweet for Winterhart, being seen as a Power. It's only part of the king's interest.
I do love Skan. He's realistic about what he's capable of. He gets the jokes about his vanity . . . and has his own too-funny responses to them. He's also compassionate and understanding as to why he needs to be the leader of the White Gryphons.
"We . . . count what is in someone's heart far more important that what caste one is born into."Lackey uses third person global subjective point-of-view from the perspectives of so many characters, so we know how a number of individuals perceive, feel, think, and experience. There are so many conflicts in The Silver Gryphon: banishment, change, and this unexpected courtship. Wait'll you get to the murders!
It's a clever bit of planning and twisting and betrayal that kept me reading all night. And that ending . . . oh yeah!
The Story
Magic cannot be relied upon any more, and the peoples of White Gryphon have managed to build their city in spite of that handicap. Proud of their achievements, they are stunned when the Haighlei demand they leave their territory.
An embassy is hastily assembled to negotiate an alliance with the Haighlei, a people resistant to change with a hatred and fear of magic. There are many who oppose the idea of a treaty with such a strange culture of magical creatures.
It's an opportunity for the king's enemies to manipulate a betrayal of these intruders with murders.
The Characters
Skandranon "Skan" Rashkae is now the White Gryphon, for he no longer has to hide behind the black dye as they are no longer at war. Zhaneel, a gryfalcon, is Skan's mate. Kechara is their daughter and considered a misborn like her mother, with a very long-range Mindspeaking ability. Tadrith and Keenath are their twin sons. Cafri, a hertasi, is Kechara's best friend, playmate, and caretaker. The hertasi, Jewel and Corvi, will join Skan and his family on their journey to Khimbata. Healer Tamsin and his lover/co-worker, Lady Cinnabar, Skan's assigned healers, are a lifebonded pair. "Hawkwind" will become Skan's bodyguard.
White Gryphon is . . .
. . . the city of light, carved as it is from the white cliffs above the Western Sea. General Judeth, a commander of the Fifth, one of Urtho's companies, and a stonemason's daughter, insisted on the city being built on terraces carved out of the cliff face. Aubri (a gryphon), Tylar (a human), Rethan, and Vetch are members of the Silvers, the city's policing organization, formed from the remnants of the fighters and soldiers. Snowstar, a Kaled'a'in mage who had been trusted by Urtho, is on the council.
Chief Kestra'chern Amberdrake "Drake" is handling most of the common concerns for the city; he had been Skan's Trondi’irn and his best friend. Winterhart is his mate, and they have a two-year-old, Windsong. Gesten is Drake's snarky companion hertasi and the leader of all the hertasi.
Lionwind is the leader of the k’Leshya Clan, a.k.a. the Spirit Clan, of the Kaled’a’in who adopted Amberdrake. They followed Drake and Skan in their escape in The Black Gryphon . Summerhawk is a Kaled'a'in Trondi'irn and a strong Mindspeaker. Jessamine is a a highly qualified kesta'chern.
Handanelith is pretending to be a kestra'chern, yet he considers women tainted. His patients include Telica, Danielle, Suriya, Gaerazena, Bethtia, and Yonisse.
The Haighlei Emperors are . . .
. . . known as the Black Kings, of a land in the farthest south. Khimbata is the capital city. Shalaman is their king. The Silver Veil, a.k.a. Ke Arigat Osorna, is the king's Royal Companion . . . and Drake's former kestra'chern teacher. The king's other advisors include Truthsayer Leyuet and Speaker to the Gods Palisar. It is only during an Eclipse Ceremony that anything may change. Spears of the Law are a kind of Imperial Bodyguard, which appears to include two sons of King Sulemeth, the Emperor of Ghandai.
Makke is an old, stooped human assigned to clean and do laundry for Skan and his family. Kanshin is a master thief, who had apprenticed with Jacony. Lakshe and Poldarn were other master thieves. Noyoki is a mage who works blood magic. Lady Fanshane is a vulture. Lady Sherisse had been driven mad. Lady Linnay is another victim.
Gryphons, tervardi, hertasi , and kyree are the nonhumans. Kestra'chern are trained therapists of the body and the mind. Kaled'a'in Clan k'Leshya are the bulk of the humans. A Trondi’irn is a healer and trainer assigned to oversee gryphons. There is a Kmbata Empire. The Kaled’a’in were originally nomads from the land of Ka’venusho.
Urtho and Kiam ir Ma'ar were the two warring wizards whose deaths created the Cataclysm, which destroyed their world as they knew it ( The Black Gryphon ). Perchi are prostitutes. The Haighlei Lion Lilies are a symbol of courtship. Loriganalea is considered a sacred bond, a marriage made by the gods.
The Cover and Title
The cover is orange and white. The orange of the sky gradating down to pink then purple as a backdrop of the fanciful city skyline of Khimbata with its multicolored turrets and towers. In the middle ground is Skandranon, the White Gryphon flying with Amberdrake, his long black hair flying in the wind, wearing a black and white tufted robe open over his muscled chest and lime green pants. At the top are the authors' names with the title taking up two lines below it. Both are in white. Underneath that is the series info in a deep purple.
The title encompasses Skandranon and the newly built city of The White Gryphon.
May 30, 2019
The second book in this trilogy is a huge deviation from the first. It’s much more of a mystery with lots of political maneuvering then it’s more action-packed predecessor. Skan and Drake are back, 10 years after the events in the black gryphon and their lives are now complicated by the need to lead the city they’ve founded. That complication increases when they discover that the land they have claimed is at the edge of an empire and they must travel to negotiate with the emperor.
It was interesting to see these characters grow and get a sense of their capacity for political maneuvering but their growth is at the expense of other characters. Their respective partners, some of my favorite characters from the previous book, are pretty too-dimensional here. This is also a much more slow-paced Book with most of the action happening at the end. I would have appreciated more moments of tension throughout the book.
It was interesting to see these characters grow and get a sense of their capacity for political maneuvering but their growth is at the expense of other characters. Their respective partners, some of my favorite characters from the previous book, are pretty too-dimensional here. This is also a much more slow-paced Book with most of the action happening at the end. I would have appreciated more moments of tension throughout the book.
December 15, 2023
Had lots of fun throughout. I wish we had more character arcs however.
September 20, 2019
Skandranon I do so adore you, you arrogant bird. This is such a different story from the first. The first book in this series is all about the war and how they were all going to survive the total destruction Ma'ar wanted. Now it's 10 years later and the Kaled'a'in Clan k'Leysha and those who escaped with them have established a new city on the coast far south of the land they fled. While construction of the city isn't complete they are starting to finally find a balance evil with magic being completely unreliable with the mage storms still throwing everything into chaos. Everything seems to be going well except Skan is BORED (not that he recognizes it ;)), right up until a ship sails into their harbor and declares they've cultivated territory that doesn't belong to them.
I really enjoyed Amberdrake and Skan's travails as they tiptoed their way through the Haighlei Emperors court. They had to figure out a new way to deal with things and of course nothing can go smoothly. Of course now they have to outwit a murderer who is making it appear they themselves are causing the crime.
These characters are so great that they just take over for me. I get lost in the story and it just makes me happy. I really loved this story and how they're all finding a new balance. Skan made me smile many times in this story as the White Gryphon found his way back to who he was and the great Black Gryphon returned.
I really enjoyed Amberdrake and Skan's travails as they tiptoed their way through the Haighlei Emperors court. They had to figure out a new way to deal with things and of course nothing can go smoothly. Of course now they have to outwit a murderer who is making it appear they themselves are causing the crime.
These characters are so great that they just take over for me. I get lost in the story and it just makes me happy. I really loved this story and how they're all finding a new balance. Skan made me smile many times in this story as the White Gryphon found his way back to who he was and the great Black Gryphon returned.
September 8, 2017
Loveable characters are back Thoroughly enjoyable and an easy read, I was cheering for the main characters at the end and I loved how Lackey wrote Kechara <3
I actually think it is the strongest book of the three. It also helped that it was more mystery and suspense, which is one of my favourite genres. Also really quite fun/funny in some parts.
A nice take on civilisations meeting.
It is written for teens so keep that it mind. (The bad guys are bad, the good guys are good! Can do no wrong/right).
I actually think it is the strongest book of the three. It also helped that it was more mystery and suspense, which is one of my favourite genres. Also really quite fun/funny in some parts.
A nice take on civilisations meeting.
It is written for teens so keep that it mind. (The bad guys are bad, the good guys are good! Can do no wrong/right).
February 6, 2024
After the tragic events of the first part our heroes have created their new home and are trying to adapt to the conditions. But at some point, territorial disputes arise with a neighboring empire, which is rather hostile but does not refuse dialogue, so a negotiating team is quickly sent to reach a compromise. But cultural differences and the designs of a section of people who have an interest in sabotaging any approach make things particularly difficult. So our heroes are called upon to mature more mentally to be able to understand what is going on in this complex story which lends depth to this second book, which may have less action but is just as interesting.
Μετά από τα τραγικά γεγονότα του πρώτου μέρους οι ήρωες μας έχουν δημιουργήσει το νέο τους σπίτι και προσπαθούν να προσαρμοστούν στις συνθήκες. Κάποια στιγμή όμως προκύπτουν εδαφικές διαφορές με μία γειτονική αυτοκρατορία, η οποία έχει μάλλον εχθρικές διαθέσεις αλλά δεν αρνείται το διάλογο, οπότε γρήγορα αποστέλλεται μία διαπραγματευτική ομάδα για να μπορέσει να πετύχει κάποιον συμβιβασμό. Πολιτιστικές διαφορές όμως και τα σχέδια μιας μερίδας ανθρώπων που έχουν συμφέρον να σαμποτάρουν οποιαδήποτε προσέγγιση κάνουν τα πράγματα ιδιαίτερα δύσκολα. Έτσι οι ήρωες μας καλούνται να ωριμάσουν περισσότερο πνευματικά για να μπορέσουν να καταλάβουν τι γίνεται σε αυτή την περίπλοκη ιστορία η οποία προσδίδει βάθος σε αυτό το δεύτερο βιβλίο, το οποίο μπορεί να έχει λιγότερη δράση αλλά έχει εξίσου μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον.
Μετά από τα τραγικά γεγονότα του πρώτου μέρους οι ήρωες μας έχουν δημιουργήσει το νέο τους σπίτι και προσπαθούν να προσαρμοστούν στις συνθήκες. Κάποια στιγμή όμως προκύπτουν εδαφικές διαφορές με μία γειτονική αυτοκρατορία, η οποία έχει μάλλον εχθρικές διαθέσεις αλλά δεν αρνείται το διάλογο, οπότε γρήγορα αποστέλλεται μία διαπραγματευτική ομάδα για να μπορέσει να πετύχει κάποιον συμβιβασμό. Πολιτιστικές διαφορές όμως και τα σχέδια μιας μερίδας ανθρώπων που έχουν συμφέρον να σαμποτάρουν οποιαδήποτε προσέγγιση κάνουν τα πράγματα ιδιαίτερα δύσκολα. Έτσι οι ήρωες μας καλούνται να ωριμάσουν περισσότερο πνευματικά για να μπορέσουν να καταλάβουν τι γίνεται σε αυτή την περίπλοκη ιστορία η οποία προσδίδει βάθος σε αυτό το δεύτερο βιβλίο, το οποίο μπορεί να έχει λιγότερη δράση αλλά έχει εξίσου μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον.
July 4, 2023
3.5
This is the second book in The Mage Wars series. I read all three years ago and this second is still my least favorite. I am not saying it is a bad book in any way. I just don't like political tropes and this one is about the court of the Black Kings. It is a great country with interesting beliefs but it's just not what I love in fantasy.
That being said there are great characters in this book, especially the truth finder. He has the ability to know when someone is speaking the truth.
The absolute best part of this book is Skan the Gryphon. I adore his character and his friendship with Drake. I could read their dialogue all day.
Highly recommend this writer and the wonderful world she has created.
This is the second book in The Mage Wars series. I read all three years ago and this second is still my least favorite. I am not saying it is a bad book in any way. I just don't like political tropes and this one is about the court of the Black Kings. It is a great country with interesting beliefs but it's just not what I love in fantasy.
That being said there are great characters in this book, especially the truth finder. He has the ability to know when someone is speaking the truth.
The absolute best part of this book is Skan the Gryphon. I adore his character and his friendship with Drake. I could read their dialogue all day.
Highly recommend this writer and the wonderful world she has created.
March 12, 2020
Beware, there are spoilers for The Black Gryphon in this review.
The war with the evil mage Ma’ar is over and Urtho is dead, but his people have survived. Spread as far across the world as they can, the Shin’a’in tribes must build new homes after theirs was destroyed in a huge magic explosion. We catch up with the gryphon Skandranon, whose feathers are now white after being bleached by the magic gate he crossed to escape the cataclysm in The Black Gryphon.
In The White Gryphon, we begin ten years after the cataclysm. Dubbed king of their new city, the white gryphon sets aside battle and glory for resolving minor conflicts and meetings. He’s not pleased. Skandranon and his human friend Amberdrake both have children now. They’re out of shape. They are bureaucrats. Ew. That is when a strange ship approaches their city, a ship filled with men and women with black skin claiming the new city is on the very outer edge of their nation. It’s so far away from the people in the nation and took ten years to build, so Skan and Drake are not about to back down. Instead, they go with the foreign people to their nation called Haighlei, ruled by a king. Tradition is key; Haighlei only allows change once every twenty years during an eclipse, so the people can seem backward to the more progressive Shin’a’in.
Shortly after the arrival of Skan’s and Drake’s families, there is a murder in the Haighlei palace. Then another. And another. There weren’t murders before these newcomers, and surely magic was involved, perhaps a kind of magic the Haighlei don’t understand. That’s not possible, though, as the cataclysm still produces aftershocks called mage storms that destroy all spells and make it impossible to use magic. Still, accusations ensue, and Skan and Drake must be careful about ruining their chances of an alliance and maintaining peace.
In my review of The Black Gryphon I complained that I couldn’t tell the cultures of various people apart. Because Ma’ar was conquering loads of land, varied people huddled near Urtho’s tower, suggesting they would not all have the same culture. In The White Gryphon I was pleased to see comparisons between the Shin’a’in and Haighlei — their dress, customs, caste system, ruling class, etc. A servant named Makke, who is more suited to caring for children but was labeled a cleaning woman, is a good example of how Haighlei might need to update their society. Makke can be punished fiercely for losing a single item of laundry, but her closeness to Skan’s family means she provides valuable information for the story.
Although Lackey and Dixon tend to keep their villains in the realm of mustache twisting and mua-ha-ha-ing, this time she gave us someone who scared me. When he had a victim under his control, I never knew if he would talk until help arrived or if he was going to carve someone to pieces. I hadn’t been that worried about the villain since The Last Herald-Mage trilogy, when someone was killing off my favorite characters.
While Makke and the villain stood out, once again the main characters seemed stock. Amberdrake could be any one of the previous Shin’a’in we’ve met in the Valdemar books, and his partner, Winterhart, seems like a standard pretty white lady with good manners. Here, Lackey and Dixon have missed an opportunity. Drake is supposed to play any role that soothes his clients. If they need a friend, lover, good listener, a slap of reality, sternness — he should be able to act, like a character in a play. He’s completely a home base guy, not militaristic, so he should always appear weak physically, to some degree, and perhaps more pacifistic.
Winterhart was very good at playing a role in The Black Gryphon. She hid the fact that she was born a court lady and pretended to be a rough-and-tough gryphon healer. Although she was miserable in her false identity, she was convincing. In The White Gryphon, it’s assumed the Drake and Skan are the leaders of their new city, making them and their families royalty. I would assume Winterhart would revel in delight in her private quarters with Amberdrake, or at least compare her two lives. Instead, she seems like most other female leads in the Valdemar books.
The authors’ writing is redeemed when Amberdrake has to do something rash and brave and he complains the whole time. THAT was what I was looking for! This guy should be so focused on his job as a therapist/masseur/empath that all the murders and political drama should send him running for a hidey hole.
And that is my beef with Valdemar books lately. I see potential. It’s everywhere, and it doesn’t even know it’s potential. You may wonder why I keep reading the Valdemar books. Surely, I can ditch the readalong and convince Jackie to try another series with me. But I don’t want to. Much like rooting for a favorite team that seems to lose too often, Valdemar books fill me with hope. For every shot the characters take and miss, I have a moment of almost jumping up to whoop and cheer!
The biggest disappointment? The numerous painful typos, such as calling Skan “Skin.” What do I look forward to with the conclusion of The Mage Wars trilogy? Well, I have no clue who the “silver gryphon” of The Silver Gryphon is. A new character? Another Skan transformation? We’ll find out.
This review was originally posted at Grab the Lapels.
The war with the evil mage Ma’ar is over and Urtho is dead, but his people have survived. Spread as far across the world as they can, the Shin’a’in tribes must build new homes after theirs was destroyed in a huge magic explosion. We catch up with the gryphon Skandranon, whose feathers are now white after being bleached by the magic gate he crossed to escape the cataclysm in The Black Gryphon.
In The White Gryphon, we begin ten years after the cataclysm. Dubbed king of their new city, the white gryphon sets aside battle and glory for resolving minor conflicts and meetings. He’s not pleased. Skandranon and his human friend Amberdrake both have children now. They’re out of shape. They are bureaucrats. Ew. That is when a strange ship approaches their city, a ship filled with men and women with black skin claiming the new city is on the very outer edge of their nation. It’s so far away from the people in the nation and took ten years to build, so Skan and Drake are not about to back down. Instead, they go with the foreign people to their nation called Haighlei, ruled by a king. Tradition is key; Haighlei only allows change once every twenty years during an eclipse, so the people can seem backward to the more progressive Shin’a’in.
Shortly after the arrival of Skan’s and Drake’s families, there is a murder in the Haighlei palace. Then another. And another. There weren’t murders before these newcomers, and surely magic was involved, perhaps a kind of magic the Haighlei don’t understand. That’s not possible, though, as the cataclysm still produces aftershocks called mage storms that destroy all spells and make it impossible to use magic. Still, accusations ensue, and Skan and Drake must be careful about ruining their chances of an alliance and maintaining peace.
In my review of The Black Gryphon I complained that I couldn’t tell the cultures of various people apart. Because Ma’ar was conquering loads of land, varied people huddled near Urtho’s tower, suggesting they would not all have the same culture. In The White Gryphon I was pleased to see comparisons between the Shin’a’in and Haighlei — their dress, customs, caste system, ruling class, etc. A servant named Makke, who is more suited to caring for children but was labeled a cleaning woman, is a good example of how Haighlei might need to update their society. Makke can be punished fiercely for losing a single item of laundry, but her closeness to Skan’s family means she provides valuable information for the story.
Although Lackey and Dixon tend to keep their villains in the realm of mustache twisting and mua-ha-ha-ing, this time she gave us someone who scared me. When he had a victim under his control, I never knew if he would talk until help arrived or if he was going to carve someone to pieces. I hadn’t been that worried about the villain since The Last Herald-Mage trilogy, when someone was killing off my favorite characters.
While Makke and the villain stood out, once again the main characters seemed stock. Amberdrake could be any one of the previous Shin’a’in we’ve met in the Valdemar books, and his partner, Winterhart, seems like a standard pretty white lady with good manners. Here, Lackey and Dixon have missed an opportunity. Drake is supposed to play any role that soothes his clients. If they need a friend, lover, good listener, a slap of reality, sternness — he should be able to act, like a character in a play. He’s completely a home base guy, not militaristic, so he should always appear weak physically, to some degree, and perhaps more pacifistic.
Winterhart was very good at playing a role in The Black Gryphon. She hid the fact that she was born a court lady and pretended to be a rough-and-tough gryphon healer. Although she was miserable in her false identity, she was convincing. In The White Gryphon, it’s assumed the Drake and Skan are the leaders of their new city, making them and their families royalty. I would assume Winterhart would revel in delight in her private quarters with Amberdrake, or at least compare her two lives. Instead, she seems like most other female leads in the Valdemar books.
The authors’ writing is redeemed when Amberdrake has to do something rash and brave and he complains the whole time. THAT was what I was looking for! This guy should be so focused on his job as a therapist/masseur/empath that all the murders and political drama should send him running for a hidey hole.
And that is my beef with Valdemar books lately. I see potential. It’s everywhere, and it doesn’t even know it’s potential. You may wonder why I keep reading the Valdemar books. Surely, I can ditch the readalong and convince Jackie to try another series with me. But I don’t want to. Much like rooting for a favorite team that seems to lose too often, Valdemar books fill me with hope. For every shot the characters take and miss, I have a moment of almost jumping up to whoop and cheer!
The biggest disappointment? The numerous painful typos, such as calling Skan “Skin.” What do I look forward to with the conclusion of The Mage Wars trilogy? Well, I have no clue who the “silver gryphon” of The Silver Gryphon is. A new character? Another Skan transformation? We’ll find out.
This review was originally posted at Grab the Lapels.
June 12, 2021
This book takes place 10 years after the first book, so it took a while to get into it all and see where things stood. I enjoyed the new characters and there culture was very interesting. It was a good story with regards to Scan and Amber Drake discovering who they wanted to be. I also enjoyed the mystery element.
November 17, 2020
Set ten years after The Black Gryphon, the k'Leshya and friends are building a new city of refuge in the aftermath of the Cataclysm. Unlike the first book, which was more of a war story (though not quite), this one ended up being more of a court intrigue story as the city of White Gryphon discovers their very powerful new neighbors.
This one was a relatively fun exploration of meeting new peoples with the added mystery of who's committing those murders at court...
Skandranon and Amberdrake are the main characters again in this book, and it's interesting to see what the years and circumstances have made of them. Even though a lot of the focus is on the fear and anticipation of change among the Haighlei Empire, it applies just as equally to Skan and Drake, and that is something I'll always love about this book.
The main flaw I had with this book was the "mystery" seemed rather limited (you find out who's doing it almost from the start).
This one was a relatively fun exploration of meeting new peoples with the added mystery of who's committing those murders at court...
Skandranon and Amberdrake are the main characters again in this book, and it's interesting to see what the years and circumstances have made of them. Even though a lot of the focus is on the fear and anticipation of change among the Haighlei Empire, it applies just as equally to Skan and Drake, and that is something I'll always love about this book.
The main flaw I had with this book was the "mystery" seemed rather limited (you find out who's doing it almost from the start).
July 12, 2018
I would have sworn that I'd already read this one. But I did not remember one iota. So weird.
Anyway! So. After the action of THE BLACK GRYPHON the first half of this book just felt slowwwwwww to me. I don't read the political-kings-posturing stories because I do not like them and that's what this was for a lot of it. It got better once the action picked up but I think it probably could have been better with a faster pace.
Also frustrating was Winterheart's character (or lack thereof). It seemed like all she was here to do in this book was serve as someone , which is frustrating because she's cooler than that. This book was lacking in female characters for sure.
So, yeah. I'm glad I read it to continue on the story of everybody but I might just skip it on my next Lackey re-read.
Anyway! So. After the action of THE BLACK GRYPHON the first half of this book just felt slowwwwwww to me. I don't read the political-kings-posturing stories because I do not like them and that's what this was for a lot of it. It got better once the action picked up but I think it probably could have been better with a faster pace.
Also frustrating was Winterheart's character (or lack thereof). It seemed like all she was here to do in this book was serve as someone , which is frustrating because she's cooler than that. This book was lacking in female characters for sure.
So, yeah. I'm glad I read it to continue on the story of everybody but I might just skip it on my next Lackey re-read.
February 24, 2017
This is probably one of my least favorite Mercedes Lackey books. Unlike the first book in this series, this one has almost no action and instead revolves around conversation- and mostly it's pretty boring. It goes something like this; "Hey how about we do this?" "Well, if we do that, then this will be affected, and then this person will be offended" "Well, what about this then?" and it goes on and on and nothing much actually gets done. There is plenty of thoughts, traditions and who is offending who, but not much actual story. I'm still going to read book three, because from memory it is much better than this one. Three stars!
July 16, 2019
I finally finished this! Once it finally got moving it was quite an enjoyable book. But this is one of my least favourite Lackey novels. It just took too long setting up and there wasn't enough going on to keep my interest for the first half or so. I love how different it feels from the first one though, with this being more political manoeuvring/mysteryesque rather than straight fantasy. Also love the character growth of the MCs from the first one. I do love Amberdrake, Skan and their bromance in particular.
Glad I read it and look forward to reading the final book of this trilogy as well as moving along with this world. This one just won't ever be a favourite.
Glad I read it and look forward to reading the final book of this trilogy as well as moving along with this world. This one just won't ever be a favourite.
April 16, 2021
I had picked this book up a long time ago, and I remember giving up on it. It just seemed to drone on and on and on. I couldn't take it anymore. The only thing that I really remember about it is how boring it was. I think at one point there's some character trying to decide whether to do something or not and he goes back and forth for over an entire chapter about making his decision. I almost want to give it another try except for the fact that I re-read the first and disliked more than the first go around.
August 25, 2021
The city of White Gryphon is prospering at last this many years after the Cataclysm that ended the Mage Wars. Then people come from the Black Kings of the south insisting they’ve settled in land that belongs to them. So Amberdrake & his wife, and Skandrannon the gryphon and his wife go to the court of the high king to negotiate. There are murders to solve and stuff. Good story.
February 16, 2009
Not great, but not bad. Just like in many of her other books Lackey goes a bit overboard with some of her descriptions—to the point of redundancy.
January 31, 2019
I didn't hate it or anything, but it's pretty thin on all accounts.
April 26, 2019
I am re-reading Valdemar from the beginning and looking forward to it! This is a big change in setting and tone from The Black Gryphon, but I still really enjoyed it.
January 8, 2023
Well, that was much more of a slog than the last one. I spent most of my reading time incredibly frustrated at both characters and the societies they inhabit. There's both a lot going on in The White Gryphon and a whole lot of nothing. I was not impressed at all by the "mystery" plot-line, though I guess it did a little something to break up what would otherwise have been an even more boring court-politics novel. The White Gryphon did nothing to really make me want to finish this trilogy or, if I hadn't already read a good chunk of them, the rest of the Valdemar series.
So, we start our story off a few years after The Black Gryphon ended, which is fine. We get to see where the characters we grew attached to are at this point in time; we're introduced to the main villain... who I will get to later; and finally, we're introduced to the inciting incident of the plot. The plot that involves us traveling to and learning about the Haighlei people and their culture. The Haighlei culture is... odd, in all honesty. Odd and incredibly frustrating. Amberdrake and Skandranon and the others are basically told it's really rigid and not to break any of the rules otherwise, you'll probably be put to death... and then nothing else, not even most of the rules. This frustrated me to no end, especially as there's one point during the book where Leyuet, The Truthsayer, sits and wonders if Amberdrake even knows of his rights under Haighlei law and whether or not Leyuet should apprise Amberdrake of this or not. Just... what the hell even?
On the subject of Haighlei law... the investigation into the murders taking place is a joke. Less than a joke. There's no actual investigation going on for the reader to see aside from the one or two times Skandranon is brought in as a consultant. He's told, in a most ridiculous and roundabout manner that he's basically allowed to investigate if he wants to, but not officially and not actually told at all. We as readers know this because, I think it was Leyuet, is thinking about it while Skandranon is being told this. Also, Skandranon's status as King... Pretty immediately upon meeting the Haighlei people, the White Gryphon Council basically agrees to pretend that Skandranon is their leader. He remains playing this part for the rest of the book and has many thoughts about his kingship, which he somehow forgets is fake, during the course of the book. Skan solidifies his Kingship among the Haighlei by basically getting completely fed up with the way the Haighlei King Shalaman is handling the murder investigation. Like, yes, Skan's not actually a King, but he and his people told you he was and ya'll decided NOT to treat him as one until he basically threw a tantrum at you? What. The. Hell. Nope. Haighlei society makes zero sense.
So, on to Mr. Hadanelith, Kanshin, and Noyoki. Noyoki was the worst set-up and backed up character in the entire narrative. He's basically lurking in the background and we learn absolutely nothing about him until the very end, and even that's just a "oh hey, that's the real identity of the antagonist." He wasn't even foreshadowed anywhere aside from the one time there's discussion on how mages work in Haighlei and that he's of high rank somewhere in the palace. Otherwise, nothing. Kanshin would have been interesting if he'd been in more than a few scenes and given more to do. But no, we have to focus on Hadanelith. Hadanelith is probably the most disgusting character I've read in the past year, and that included a dirty old man drunk on power in my dad's book (Granny Bael, available on Amazon if you're interested). Hadanelith is basically a misogynist with control issues and skill in manipulating people in a very exaggerated S&M-style manner... which, by the way, isn't how an actual S&M Domme would treat their Sub, for the record. He's just gross and I really hated every single moment spent in his POV. I guess that's kind of a good thing for an antagonist, but... *much shuddering ensues*
So anyway, the rest of The White Gryphon was really quite boring. A bit of court drama mixed with so much exposition of Haighlei culture, but only as it pertained to the people of White Gryphon. I'm really hoping The Silver Gryphon is more interesting. I really hate being so negative while ostensibly reading a series I quite like.
So, we start our story off a few years after The Black Gryphon ended, which is fine. We get to see where the characters we grew attached to are at this point in time; we're introduced to the main villain... who I will get to later; and finally, we're introduced to the inciting incident of the plot. The plot that involves us traveling to and learning about the Haighlei people and their culture. The Haighlei culture is... odd, in all honesty. Odd and incredibly frustrating. Amberdrake and Skandranon and the others are basically told it's really rigid and not to break any of the rules otherwise, you'll probably be put to death... and then nothing else, not even most of the rules. This frustrated me to no end, especially as there's one point during the book where Leyuet, The Truthsayer, sits and wonders if Amberdrake even knows of his rights under Haighlei law and whether or not Leyuet should apprise Amberdrake of this or not. Just... what the hell even?
On the subject of Haighlei law... the investigation into the murders taking place is a joke. Less than a joke. There's no actual investigation going on for the reader to see aside from the one or two times Skandranon is brought in as a consultant. He's told, in a most ridiculous and roundabout manner that he's basically allowed to investigate if he wants to, but not officially and not actually told at all. We as readers know this because, I think it was Leyuet, is thinking about it while Skandranon is being told this. Also, Skandranon's status as King... Pretty immediately upon meeting the Haighlei people, the White Gryphon Council basically agrees to pretend that Skandranon is their leader. He remains playing this part for the rest of the book and has many thoughts about his kingship, which he somehow forgets is fake, during the course of the book. Skan solidifies his Kingship among the Haighlei by basically getting completely fed up with the way the Haighlei King Shalaman is handling the murder investigation. Like, yes, Skan's not actually a King, but he and his people told you he was and ya'll decided NOT to treat him as one until he basically threw a tantrum at you? What. The. Hell. Nope. Haighlei society makes zero sense.
So, on to Mr. Hadanelith, Kanshin, and Noyoki. Noyoki was the worst set-up and backed up character in the entire narrative. He's basically lurking in the background and we learn absolutely nothing about him until the very end, and even that's just a "oh hey, that's the real identity of the antagonist." He wasn't even foreshadowed anywhere aside from the one time there's discussion on how mages work in Haighlei and that he's of high rank somewhere in the palace. Otherwise, nothing. Kanshin would have been interesting if he'd been in more than a few scenes and given more to do. But no, we have to focus on Hadanelith. Hadanelith is probably the most disgusting character I've read in the past year, and that included a dirty old man drunk on power in my dad's book (Granny Bael, available on Amazon if you're interested). Hadanelith is basically a misogynist with control issues and skill in manipulating people in a very exaggerated S&M-style manner... which, by the way, isn't how an actual S&M Domme would treat their Sub, for the record. He's just gross and I really hated every single moment spent in his POV. I guess that's kind of a good thing for an antagonist, but... *much shuddering ensues*
So anyway, the rest of The White Gryphon was really quite boring. A bit of court drama mixed with so much exposition of Haighlei culture, but only as it pertained to the people of White Gryphon. I'm really hoping The Silver Gryphon is more interesting. I really hate being so negative while ostensibly reading a series I quite like.
April 27, 2020
It’s been a while since I’ve done any work on the Great Valdemar Reread, but now I’m back at it. Can’t let these books languish, after all!
The White Gryphon is the second book of the Mage Wars trilogy, set back in Velgarth’s prehistory. The war itself has ended. Urtho and Ma’ar have been destroyed, and the Kaled’a’in have wandered far to find a new home. Finally they’ve found it, and built into cliff the city they would go on to call White Gryphon, in honour of Skandranon’s new magic-bleached colouring. That’s where this book begins.
It doesn’t stay there long. Most of the book takes place in the lands of the Haighlei, a race of very dark-skinned people from the south, who have a very rigid and intriguing culture. Change can only come when the gods will it, and the opportunity is always at the height of a solar eclipse. Which, coincidentally, is shortly after the White Gryphon envoys make their first appearance at the court of King Shalaman. But diplomatic relations aren’t the only thing they have to worry about. Soon after their arrival, a madman starts visiously murdering members of Shalaman’s court, casting suspicion on the newcomers.
A very typical point of politic intrigue in fantasy novels, but Lackey makes it interesting nevertheless, especially in the setting of a new and — to those from White Gryphon — bafflingly rigid culture.
The tale is told as Lackey tells many of her stories from the Valdemar series – with shifting viewpoints so that we get to see into the mind of nearly every major player in the story. While that does allow us access to information and insight into the characters, it does make it so that very little comes as a surprise, and unfortunately worked against the attempt to build tension. At first the reader isn’t sure who’s committing the murders. Then we’re told. Then the only issue becomes how and when is the murderer going to be caught. But even then, if you’ve read any of Lackey’s novels in the past, you can pretty much predict the ‘when’ of that, because of Lackey’s love of happy endings. I love a happy ending as much as the next person, and it can be nice to read things where you know everything will turn out all right in the end, but when you’re trying to build tension and mystery, that style doesn’t work quite so well.
My main beef with this story is the sheer amount of suspension of disbelief you have to use in order to make all the pieces fit. First, a madman is cast out of White Gryphon, left in the wilds with only a couple of weapons, and common sense dictates that he’s probably going to die, since the lands are warped and wild and he’s just barely equipped to try to handle them. But somehow he travels south in safety, ending in the very same city that Amberdrake and Skan and the rest eventually go. He has no reason to go there. Nobody knows that the Haighlei kingdoms even exist in that area until after he’s removed from the city. And he also has vowed revenge against Amberdrake and the other citizens of White Gryphon, which would have been better served by staying in the area. It’s an awful stretch of the imagination to think that they all ended up in the same place at the same time like that, and that thought nagged at me from the moment that he is revealed as the killer.
But while that is an awfully big pill to swallow, some of it was made up for by the interesting culture that Lackey set up when she created the Haighlei. I’ve always said that one of Lackey’s strongest suits is world- and culture-building, and it shows quite well here. She’s written numerous stories with a fish-out-of-water element to them, but rarely is it on such a grand scale, and it was fun to read about everybody getting baffled by everybody else.
So while this book did have one major fault that I just can’t overlook, on the whole it was still written well, with the same smooth and engaging tone that I’ve come to expect whenever I read any of Lackey’s works. This isn’t particularly an essential book to the Velgarth/Valdemar books as a whole, since I believe the Haighlei get mentioned in maybe one or two other places besides this, and the Kaled’a’in disappear from history for centuries anyway, but essential or not, it was still a good read, and not one that I would voluntarily skip over.
The White Gryphon is the second book of the Mage Wars trilogy, set back in Velgarth’s prehistory. The war itself has ended. Urtho and Ma’ar have been destroyed, and the Kaled’a’in have wandered far to find a new home. Finally they’ve found it, and built into cliff the city they would go on to call White Gryphon, in honour of Skandranon’s new magic-bleached colouring. That’s where this book begins.
It doesn’t stay there long. Most of the book takes place in the lands of the Haighlei, a race of very dark-skinned people from the south, who have a very rigid and intriguing culture. Change can only come when the gods will it, and the opportunity is always at the height of a solar eclipse. Which, coincidentally, is shortly after the White Gryphon envoys make their first appearance at the court of King Shalaman. But diplomatic relations aren’t the only thing they have to worry about. Soon after their arrival, a madman starts visiously murdering members of Shalaman’s court, casting suspicion on the newcomers.
A very typical point of politic intrigue in fantasy novels, but Lackey makes it interesting nevertheless, especially in the setting of a new and — to those from White Gryphon — bafflingly rigid culture.
The tale is told as Lackey tells many of her stories from the Valdemar series – with shifting viewpoints so that we get to see into the mind of nearly every major player in the story. While that does allow us access to information and insight into the characters, it does make it so that very little comes as a surprise, and unfortunately worked against the attempt to build tension. At first the reader isn’t sure who’s committing the murders. Then we’re told. Then the only issue becomes how and when is the murderer going to be caught. But even then, if you’ve read any of Lackey’s novels in the past, you can pretty much predict the ‘when’ of that, because of Lackey’s love of happy endings. I love a happy ending as much as the next person, and it can be nice to read things where you know everything will turn out all right in the end, but when you’re trying to build tension and mystery, that style doesn’t work quite so well.
My main beef with this story is the sheer amount of suspension of disbelief you have to use in order to make all the pieces fit. First, a madman is cast out of White Gryphon, left in the wilds with only a couple of weapons, and common sense dictates that he’s probably going to die, since the lands are warped and wild and he’s just barely equipped to try to handle them. But somehow he travels south in safety, ending in the very same city that Amberdrake and Skan and the rest eventually go. He has no reason to go there. Nobody knows that the Haighlei kingdoms even exist in that area until after he’s removed from the city. And he also has vowed revenge against Amberdrake and the other citizens of White Gryphon, which would have been better served by staying in the area. It’s an awful stretch of the imagination to think that they all ended up in the same place at the same time like that, and that thought nagged at me from the moment that he is revealed as the killer.
But while that is an awfully big pill to swallow, some of it was made up for by the interesting culture that Lackey set up when she created the Haighlei. I’ve always said that one of Lackey’s strongest suits is world- and culture-building, and it shows quite well here. She’s written numerous stories with a fish-out-of-water element to them, but rarely is it on such a grand scale, and it was fun to read about everybody getting baffled by everybody else.
So while this book did have one major fault that I just can’t overlook, on the whole it was still written well, with the same smooth and engaging tone that I’ve come to expect whenever I read any of Lackey’s works. This isn’t particularly an essential book to the Velgarth/Valdemar books as a whole, since I believe the Haighlei get mentioned in maybe one or two other places besides this, and the Kaled’a’in disappear from history for centuries anyway, but essential or not, it was still a good read, and not one that I would voluntarily skip over.
November 4, 2020
The book begins ten years after the cataclysm that ended the life of Urtho and, possibly, Ma'ar.
Both Skandranon, and Amberdrake, along with their lifemates, Zhaneel and Winterheart, and also now with their children, have settled further west and south, from the site of the cataclysm, on the rocky coastline where they, and the other survivors who had escaped through their Gates, were slowly building a city on, and through, the chalky cliffs there.
Skandranon is Leader, with the help of a Council, consisting of Amberdrake, Winterheart, Zhaneel, the Kaled'a'in Mage, Snowstar, and the former Commander of Urtho's army, Judeth. They have named their cliff-hugging city, White Gryphon, in honour of Skandranon's heroic effort to kill Ma'ar, which left him trapped inside the Gate for a short time, which bleached all of his feathers white.
The book begins with the Council meeting, where they discuss the terrible Mage Storms, which have affected those with magic, since the cataclysm, by preventing them from using their gifts while the storms rage.
After the meeting, Skandranon and Amberdrake have to go with Judeth, to arrest a man, Hadanelith, whose most minor charge, was that of impersonating a kestra'chern, the same profession as Amberdrake - but it had been decided that banishment was to be his sentence, as he had been doing some very dark things tobcustomers, but had only been discovered when one of them found the courage to report him.
Just after his arrest, and banishment, a strange ship is spied, coming towards the city's dock, and so Amberdrake and Skandranon go to meet the people in the ship.
It turns out that the people were from the Kingdom of Haighlei, and White Gryphon had been built on the furthest reaches north of that country, and so representatives were being asked to go to meet their Emperor, in order to see whether they would be allowed to stay, or be forced to go.
From this moment on, the storyline follows how both of these very different peoples try to adjust to each other - but it takes a series of vicious murders, where the motives and methods point to both Skandranon, and Amberdrake, as the murderers, that begin to show them all that people are just people,with all the same wants and needs, and that cooperation is always the best way to overcome differences!
I really enjoyed this storyline, and loved the way that Mercedes Lackey has used these stories as a prequel, laying out the bones of her future works in these books. Once again, I couldn't remember any of the plot, do it was as if it was a first read.
I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series: The Silver Gryphon!
Both Skandranon, and Amberdrake, along with their lifemates, Zhaneel and Winterheart, and also now with their children, have settled further west and south, from the site of the cataclysm, on the rocky coastline where they, and the other survivors who had escaped through their Gates, were slowly building a city on, and through, the chalky cliffs there.
Skandranon is Leader, with the help of a Council, consisting of Amberdrake, Winterheart, Zhaneel, the Kaled'a'in Mage, Snowstar, and the former Commander of Urtho's army, Judeth. They have named their cliff-hugging city, White Gryphon, in honour of Skandranon's heroic effort to kill Ma'ar, which left him trapped inside the Gate for a short time, which bleached all of his feathers white.
The book begins with the Council meeting, where they discuss the terrible Mage Storms, which have affected those with magic, since the cataclysm, by preventing them from using their gifts while the storms rage.
After the meeting, Skandranon and Amberdrake have to go with Judeth, to arrest a man, Hadanelith, whose most minor charge, was that of impersonating a kestra'chern, the same profession as Amberdrake - but it had been decided that banishment was to be his sentence, as he had been doing some very dark things tobcustomers, but had only been discovered when one of them found the courage to report him.
Just after his arrest, and banishment, a strange ship is spied, coming towards the city's dock, and so Amberdrake and Skandranon go to meet the people in the ship.
It turns out that the people were from the Kingdom of Haighlei, and White Gryphon had been built on the furthest reaches north of that country, and so representatives were being asked to go to meet their Emperor, in order to see whether they would be allowed to stay, or be forced to go.
From this moment on, the storyline follows how both of these very different peoples try to adjust to each other - but it takes a series of vicious murders, where the motives and methods point to both Skandranon, and Amberdrake, as the murderers, that begin to show them all that people are just people,with all the same wants and needs, and that cooperation is always the best way to overcome differences!
I really enjoyed this storyline, and loved the way that Mercedes Lackey has used these stories as a prequel, laying out the bones of her future works in these books. Once again, I couldn't remember any of the plot, do it was as if it was a first read.
I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series: The Silver Gryphon!
April 2, 2021
This one is less of a reread for me. I attempted to read The White Gryphon directly after reading The Black Gryphon years ago but put it down at the 25% mark. I ran into the same issue that I’d had with The Black Gryphon—expectations of a certain story and timeframe were thwarted by the reality of the book.
The Black Gryphon ends with a bang, and the main characters are forced out of their homeland and into the unknown, with a magical cataclysm rocking the foundations of the universe and making magic go wild and unstable. It sounds like an exciting place to pick up, doesn’t it? Where will the cast go? What dangers will they face? How will this magic-dependant society make do? How long will it take them to get out of the blast zone? These were the questions that I was left with.
The White Gryphon helpfully summarizes the answers, because it takes place a full 10 years later!
I think it’s fair to say that I was shocked and disappointed when I jumped into the book and discovered that we’d skipped through what I considered “the good stuff”. Not only that, but the focus of the story very quickly moves away from the new settlement of White Gryphon to an unknown place and culture.
So, 25% in, disappointed, disillusioned, I gave up. Then, several years later, I tried again.
This time I allowed the book to be what it was and enjoyed it more for that. I was shocked to find that it was a murder mystery, which veers wildly away from the war story that we got in The Black Gryphon. The Mage Wars as a whole defies definition or expectations at every turn.
The new characters that we got—Makke, Shalaman, Leyeut, Kanshin, Noyoki, and Hadanelith—were varied and, for the most part, interesting. Some of them I really liked, and one of them, I was sure had a secret that I had guessed early (I was wrong!). There’s a lot of different POVs in this installment, and I think the book benefits from them. It feels like we see and experience more as these different people than we did in The Black Gryphon.
Some of the conflict feels a bit contrived—especially the plot line that has a time crunch—but I was still curious enough about the specifics to stick with it.
It felt unique in a Lackey book to have such a variety of villains, and I really enjoyed the time spent in Kanshin’s POV! I think Lackey would benefit from having more villains like him, and less like Hadanelith.
While the books has its highs and lows, and while it’s worthwhile to read for a diehard Lackey fan looking to appreciate the worldbuilding of Velgarth, this is not a book I’ll be rereading very frequently or soon.
The Black Gryphon ends with a bang, and the main characters are forced out of their homeland and into the unknown, with a magical cataclysm rocking the foundations of the universe and making magic go wild and unstable. It sounds like an exciting place to pick up, doesn’t it? Where will the cast go? What dangers will they face? How will this magic-dependant society make do? How long will it take them to get out of the blast zone? These were the questions that I was left with.
The White Gryphon helpfully summarizes the answers, because it takes place a full 10 years later!
I think it’s fair to say that I was shocked and disappointed when I jumped into the book and discovered that we’d skipped through what I considered “the good stuff”. Not only that, but the focus of the story very quickly moves away from the new settlement of White Gryphon to an unknown place and culture.
So, 25% in, disappointed, disillusioned, I gave up. Then, several years later, I tried again.
This time I allowed the book to be what it was and enjoyed it more for that. I was shocked to find that it was a murder mystery, which veers wildly away from the war story that we got in The Black Gryphon. The Mage Wars as a whole defies definition or expectations at every turn.
The new characters that we got—Makke, Shalaman, Leyeut, Kanshin, Noyoki, and Hadanelith—were varied and, for the most part, interesting. Some of them I really liked, and one of them, I was sure had a secret that I had guessed early (I was wrong!). There’s a lot of different POVs in this installment, and I think the book benefits from them. It feels like we see and experience more as these different people than we did in The Black Gryphon.
Some of the conflict feels a bit contrived—especially the plot line that has a time crunch—but I was still curious enough about the specifics to stick with it.
It felt unique in a Lackey book to have such a variety of villains, and I really enjoyed the time spent in Kanshin’s POV! I think Lackey would benefit from having more villains like him, and less like Hadanelith.
While the books has its highs and lows, and while it’s worthwhile to read for a diehard Lackey fan looking to appreciate the worldbuilding of Velgarth, this is not a book I’ll be rereading very frequently or soon.
September 27, 2023
I plan to read the new book regarding Valdemar, but in order to understand the new book, I am working to read the three books that have to do with the Mage Wars. I finished listening to The Black Gryphon, and today finished listening to the White Gryphon. Next, I will start the Silver Gryphon. After those three, I will be ready for the new book, Gryphon in Light, Kelvren's Saga, Book One. All of these go way back to before Valdemar was formed.
The White Gryphon was a bit more confusing than the Black Gryphon. The survivors of the end of the war have been working on their new city, to be called the Silver Gryphon. They chose the name from a part of the complex built into the rock that resembles a gryphon, and the rock color adds to its name.
It has been ten years since the cataclysmic event that ended the war, and everyone, no matter their position, puts in the work of building, planting, harvesting, and governing. Things are becoming routine. Skandranon, formerly the Black Gryphon, feels that he is getting out of shape and is not enjoying his part in governing. Now problems just aren't the same as when they were at war.
However, all of the governing body is called together by Amberdrake, who has found a problem so upsetting that it will require them all to address it. When this is solved, everything seems to go back to the everyday.
Everyone has experienced the occurrence of getting comfortable with life only to get hit with something new. So it is for the citizens of Silver Gryphon. An unknown ship carrying well armed people completely unlike those of their city is seen approaching their shores. These visitors claim that the land is theirs. After much discussion, a delegation is sent to negotiate with the ruler of this unknown people. Chosen is Skandranon and Zhaneel and their two gryphlets; and Amberdrake and Winterhart and their daughter.
Soon, they are caught up in the palace activities, learning their ways, and looking toward negotiations. However, unknown to everyone, old and new, there is danger. That upsetting issue that began the story has relocated to this land as well. Impossible to explain murders are occurring, and since the delegation is new to this land, one of them must be the killer.
This was a book that combined magic, fantasy, and a murder mystery into one. I found it difficult to keep up with the topic and the names.
Now, on to The Silver Gryphon!
The White Gryphon was a bit more confusing than the Black Gryphon. The survivors of the end of the war have been working on their new city, to be called the Silver Gryphon. They chose the name from a part of the complex built into the rock that resembles a gryphon, and the rock color adds to its name.
It has been ten years since the cataclysmic event that ended the war, and everyone, no matter their position, puts in the work of building, planting, harvesting, and governing. Things are becoming routine. Skandranon, formerly the Black Gryphon, feels that he is getting out of shape and is not enjoying his part in governing. Now problems just aren't the same as when they were at war.
However, all of the governing body is called together by Amberdrake, who has found a problem so upsetting that it will require them all to address it. When this is solved, everything seems to go back to the everyday.
Everyone has experienced the occurrence of getting comfortable with life only to get hit with something new. So it is for the citizens of Silver Gryphon. An unknown ship carrying well armed people completely unlike those of their city is seen approaching their shores. These visitors claim that the land is theirs. After much discussion, a delegation is sent to negotiate with the ruler of this unknown people. Chosen is Skandranon and Zhaneel and their two gryphlets; and Amberdrake and Winterhart and their daughter.
Soon, they are caught up in the palace activities, learning their ways, and looking toward negotiations. However, unknown to everyone, old and new, there is danger. That upsetting issue that began the story has relocated to this land as well. Impossible to explain murders are occurring, and since the delegation is new to this land, one of them must be the killer.
This was a book that combined magic, fantasy, and a murder mystery into one. I found it difficult to keep up with the topic and the names.
Now, on to The Silver Gryphon!
March 10, 2020
The majority of The White Gryphon takes place in the Haighlei Empire. The Haighlei have a cast society and it was interesting unpacking all the elements of their society with the envoy from White Gryphon. Lackey and Dixon's exploration of these ideas helped me as a reader to better understand how to embrace something new. Pitting these two very different cultures against each other and the political dance they had to complete to become friends was fascinating to behold.
Alas, aside from this element, I found The White Gryphon to be an odd addition to Lackey's Valdemar universe. The characters were all… peculiar. Not just the new characters, but even our familiar faces! They were inconsistent; small events would happen and suddenly this character would act almost like an entirely new person! And the plot. Oy. The plot was so strange! It's like a bad murder mystery where the Scooby Gang decided to solve this without the police. Cue eye roll.
I don't know why we needed this book in the Valdemar universe. This book seems to have very little, if anything, to do with the Mage Wars. The wars seem to have ended in The Black Gryphon! It adds nothing to our characters other than to introduce blood magic, which we know from previous books, and introduces the Haighlei Empire. Will they even matter in the next book? Who knows.
I miss mind magic. I wonder if we will see the evolution of mind-magic being established in The Silver Gryphon? Probably not, as the Silver Gryphons are the name of the elite fighting force that defends the White Gryphon colony. While I like these characters a lot, I'm ready to move back into central Valdemar and the Heralds. I miss them.
Alas, aside from this element, I found The White Gryphon to be an odd addition to Lackey's Valdemar universe. The characters were all… peculiar. Not just the new characters, but even our familiar faces! They were inconsistent; small events would happen and suddenly this character would act almost like an entirely new person! And the plot. Oy. The plot was so strange! It's like a bad murder mystery where the Scooby Gang decided to solve this without the police. Cue eye roll.
I don't know why we needed this book in the Valdemar universe. This book seems to have very little, if anything, to do with the Mage Wars. The wars seem to have ended in The Black Gryphon! It adds nothing to our characters other than to introduce blood magic, which we know from previous books, and introduces the Haighlei Empire. Will they even matter in the next book? Who knows.
I miss mind magic. I wonder if we will see the evolution of mind-magic being established in The Silver Gryphon? Probably not, as the Silver Gryphons are the name of the elite fighting force that defends the White Gryphon colony. While I like these characters a lot, I'm ready to move back into central Valdemar and the Heralds. I miss them.
April 13, 2021
While the Mage Wars trilogy are not my favorite books in the series, it is a pleasant change to have non-human protagonists. It is a shame that non-humans do not get more than sidekick representation in the rest of the series given that there are so many species in the series with at least human intelligence.
That being said, this series is my favorite. Even though there are dozens of books in it, I have read and reread them over and over and have been engaged in all of them. The White Gryphon is no different. Skandranon the gryphon, the main character, has aged in the years since the cataclysm and assumed leadership of White Gryphon, the settlement named after him after the weary refugees of the mage wars founded it. A proud warrior, Skandranon is chafing at the sedentary nature of peace-time leadership. When a delegation arrives, claiming White Gryphon has been founded on territory owned by a powerful empire and telling the refugees to pack up and get out, Skandranon, his mate and children, and his best friend Amberdrake and his family become envoys to the Heileigh Empire to negotiate their ownership of White Gryphon.
When they arrive, they are almost immediately framed for a series of violent, grisly murders. Skandranon must use all of his wits to absolve his team and negotiate his community's right to remain in White Gryphon, all before a solar eclipse, an event that occurs once every 20 years which is the only time that the ultra-traditional Heileigh allow changes in their society.
That being said, this series is my favorite. Even though there are dozens of books in it, I have read and reread them over and over and have been engaged in all of them. The White Gryphon is no different. Skandranon the gryphon, the main character, has aged in the years since the cataclysm and assumed leadership of White Gryphon, the settlement named after him after the weary refugees of the mage wars founded it. A proud warrior, Skandranon is chafing at the sedentary nature of peace-time leadership. When a delegation arrives, claiming White Gryphon has been founded on territory owned by a powerful empire and telling the refugees to pack up and get out, Skandranon, his mate and children, and his best friend Amberdrake and his family become envoys to the Heileigh Empire to negotiate their ownership of White Gryphon.
When they arrive, they are almost immediately framed for a series of violent, grisly murders. Skandranon must use all of his wits to absolve his team and negotiate his community's right to remain in White Gryphon, all before a solar eclipse, an event that occurs once every 20 years which is the only time that the ultra-traditional Heileigh allow changes in their society.
February 19, 2022
It's been an age since I read The Black Gryphon. Or really, any Valdemar book. And although this definitely isn't as fantastic to me as the other Valdemar books, I'm glad I decided to dive back into this world. I love the world building and the action. The fact that there is always a focus on misfits and plenty of emotional tangles to unsnare.
Skan is still a hit of an overwhelming cocky character. A little less painful than in the first book, but still not my favourite of characters. His development did make me like him a whole lot more though. Having a pair of gryphlets alongside definitely helped me warm to him too.
I vaguely (hey, its been a while) remember thoroughly enjoying Amberdrake and Winterheart. There is something fantastically simple about this couple that, whilst it doesn't inspire fireworks, gives a feeling of comfort and truth. I love the acceptance that shines between them and how it carries throughout this entire story. The fact that they're the targets of a madman who will make you cringe... well, that makes it all better.
Probably one for the reasons I don't get as into this as the other Valdemar books is the lore and world building. I get seriously lost I all of the terminologies for the different clans and groups. Not to mention I feel like I'm constantly missing things from the history of the wars... which just inspires me to want to read this all over again.
Skan is still a hit of an overwhelming cocky character. A little less painful than in the first book, but still not my favourite of characters. His development did make me like him a whole lot more though. Having a pair of gryphlets alongside definitely helped me warm to him too.
I vaguely (hey, its been a while) remember thoroughly enjoying Amberdrake and Winterheart. There is something fantastically simple about this couple that, whilst it doesn't inspire fireworks, gives a feeling of comfort and truth. I love the acceptance that shines between them and how it carries throughout this entire story. The fact that they're the targets of a madman who will make you cringe... well, that makes it all better.
Probably one for the reasons I don't get as into this as the other Valdemar books is the lore and world building. I get seriously lost I all of the terminologies for the different clans and groups. Not to mention I feel like I'm constantly missing things from the history of the wars... which just inspires me to want to read this all over again.
April 23, 2023
I usually rate books on the strength of plot, worldbuilding and characters. This one gains five stars on the strength of those three.
The worldbuilding has been expanded in this second book of Valdemar. The city of White Gryphon is well conceived, although I would have enjoyed more details. The large complex palace of the Haighlei emperor king is interesting and plays a part in the scheming that goes on in that city.
The plot moves from magical machinations in the first book to political intrigue. Both sovereigns and their nations have methods of dealing with lawbreakers and, in the end, Lackey’s point is neither is optimal. One society is based in magic, one on religion … care is taken not to vilify either culture, but to help celebrate it.
The characters we met in The Black Gryphon have returned and most are in play here in The White Gryphon, along with a few more of King Salandran’s entourage. All of them continue to grow as people and we begin to appreciate their personalities and moralities.
I want to add that the writing style is one that I appreciate. It’s not flashy and showy, there are no moments of “Damn, that was a nice turn of phrase.” Instead, what we get is homey and comfortable, like you’re sitting at your kitchen table listening to a friend tell you a story over cups of coffee or glasses of beer. The words are never intrusive, but they bring you in effectively nonetheless
The worldbuilding has been expanded in this second book of Valdemar. The city of White Gryphon is well conceived, although I would have enjoyed more details. The large complex palace of the Haighlei emperor king is interesting and plays a part in the scheming that goes on in that city.
The plot moves from magical machinations in the first book to political intrigue. Both sovereigns and their nations have methods of dealing with lawbreakers and, in the end, Lackey’s point is neither is optimal. One society is based in magic, one on religion … care is taken not to vilify either culture, but to help celebrate it.
The characters we met in The Black Gryphon have returned and most are in play here in The White Gryphon, along with a few more of King Salandran’s entourage. All of them continue to grow as people and we begin to appreciate their personalities and moralities.
I want to add that the writing style is one that I appreciate. It’s not flashy and showy, there are no moments of “Damn, that was a nice turn of phrase.” Instead, what we get is homey and comfortable, like you’re sitting at your kitchen table listening to a friend tell you a story over cups of coffee or glasses of beer. The words are never intrusive, but they bring you in effectively nonetheless
August 18, 2021
3 stars, I liked it better than the previous book but not quite enough to give it a higher score
In the years since the end of the last book, Skandranon has grown old and fat and, worst of all, respectable. He longs for the days when he was a maverick and resents being a diplomatic leader which he feels isn't true to who he is. Luckily, an unseen enemy soon starts attacking the city of White Grypone which gives him the chance to relive some of his glory days as he helps defend the city. I will say that I found Skandranon to be a better character in this book. I didn't particularly care for him as a cock-of-the-walk bad boy that everyone adores but I am extremely here for over-the-hill Skandranon who can't believe where he's ended up in life. Unfortunately, that interesting character growth does get sidelined a bit and the book is a bit too abrupt in its pacing (this is one of the shortest books of the Valdemar books I've read and though I haven't counted absolute pages, I feel like it probably is the shortest) so it feels like everything just needed a bit more breathing room, especially when the plot resolves so quickly and neatly. I'm curious how this trilogy will wrap up now since each book has neatly resolved all lingering issues from the previous book more or less.
In the years since the end of the last book, Skandranon has grown old and fat and, worst of all, respectable. He longs for the days when he was a maverick and resents being a diplomatic leader which he feels isn't true to who he is. Luckily, an unseen enemy soon starts attacking the city of White Grypone which gives him the chance to relive some of his glory days as he helps defend the city. I will say that I found Skandranon to be a better character in this book. I didn't particularly care for him as a cock-of-the-walk bad boy that everyone adores but I am extremely here for over-the-hill Skandranon who can't believe where he's ended up in life. Unfortunately, that interesting character growth does get sidelined a bit and the book is a bit too abrupt in its pacing (this is one of the shortest books of the Valdemar books I've read and though I haven't counted absolute pages, I feel like it probably is the shortest) so it feels like everything just needed a bit more breathing room, especially when the plot resolves so quickly and neatly. I'm curious how this trilogy will wrap up now since each book has neatly resolved all lingering issues from the previous book more or less.
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