Magic's Price

This is one of my favourite fantasy novels. I re-read it every couple of years or so. I've read it now three times. I am reviewing it after all this time because I haven't done a review of it yet, and because it made our list of recommended, award-winning LGBTQ Speculative Fiction.

Mercedes Lackey (known fondly by her fans as "Misty") wrote this series with the conscious intend of featuring a gay hero. She wanted to prove that a protagonist could be not only be gay, but could have a lot of stereotypically "gay" behaviours and qualities (slight build, love of music, clothes' horse, some effeminate qualities) and still be an amazing and empathetic fantasy hero. In 1989 when "Magic's Pawn," the first book in this series was published, this was downright radical; overtly masculine "men's men" was the spec fic hero template of choice. And I think she succeeded admirably.

"The Last Herald-Mage of Valdemar" trilogy follows the story of Vanyel Ashkevron, born a mage and Chosen to become one of the Heralds of Valdemar, which is kind of a knightly order of psychics who form an empathic-telepathic bond with the Companions, a race of sentient horselike spiritual entities. In "Magic's Price" our hero must face a great threat -- a powerful evil mage who is killing off the herald-mages of Valdemar one by one in situations which might be bizarre accidents. I can't tell you any more about the plot without spoiling the whole book, but Vanyel and his Companion Yfandes must not only deal with this threat on their own, but they must establish a way to protect Valdemar once all the mages are gone, and they also face a greater injury, and greater vulnerability, than they might ever have faced before. Vanyel must directly face down a dark vision of his future that has plagued his dreams since he first became a Herald, which is now is some twenty years ago or more. And the results will make you both weep and cheer.

I am realistic enough to recognize its flaws, however. If you prefer books that are more about the action than the emotions, you will not enjoy Mercedes Lackey. Sometimes she doesn't describe the action at all and she leaves it in the background, because that's not the story she wants to tell. And she can be melodramatic in places. I am not an unmitigated fan of her work. I find many of the Valdemar books downright boring. But I love this one.

"Magic's Price" was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Men's Science Fiction and Fantasy in 1990. I am certain that if the climate was not still so anti-queer in 1990 I am certain it would have won many more awards. If you haven't read it yet, and if you're a fan at all of high fantasy, you really should.