With STORM WARNING, the first volume of the Mage Storms trilogy, best-selling author Mercedes Lackey returned readers to a Valdemar, where the dire threat of war with the powerful, sorcerous Eastern Empire had forced the kingdom of Valdemar into an uneasy coalition with its traditional enemy,...  more

With STORM WARNING, the first volume of the Mage Storms trilogy, best-selling author Mercedes Lackey returned readers to a Valdemar, where the dire threat of war with the powerful, sorcerous Eastern Empire had forced the kingdom of Valdemar into an uneasy coalition with its traditional enemy, the neighboring kingdom of Karse. Now, in STORM RISING, mysterious mage-storms are wreaking havoc on Valdemar, Karse, and all the kingdoms of the West, plaguing these lands not only with disastrous earthquakes, monsoons, and ice storms, but also with venomous magical constructs--terrifying creatures out of nightmare. Both Valdemar's Heralds and Karse's Sunpriests struggle to marshal their combined magical resources to protect their realms from these devastating, spell-fueled onslaughts. But as the situation becomes bleaker and bleaker, the still fragile alliance between these long-hostile lands begins to fray. And when Karal, the young Karsite envoy to the court of Valdemar, is wrongfully accused of collusion with the enemy, only the personal intervention of Solaris, the High Priestess and ruler of Karse, can defuse what is rapidly becoming a dangerously explosive situation. But Solaris also confirms the worst fears of the Heralds--that these storms do not come from the Eastern Empire, but from a completely unknown source. And unless Valdemar and Karse can locate and destroy the creator of the storms, they may see their entire world demolished in a final magical holocaust.

The Black Swan is a retelling of the classic ballet "Swan Lake" told from the viewpoint of the wronged daughter of an evil magician. A young prince spends his youth with his nose in a book and communing with nature. On one of his walks, he spies a flock of swans, and is amazed to see...  more

The Black Swan is a retelling of the classic ballet "Swan Lake" told from the viewpoint of the wronged daughter of an evil magician. A young prince spends his youth with his nose in a book and communing with nature. On one of his walks, he spies a flock of swans, and is amazed to see them transform into maidens as the sun sets. He returns every night, eventually falling in love with one of the stricken maidens. And so begins the legendary fable of magic, shapeshifting, and the power of love beyond appearances.    

TO CATCH A THIEF Skif was an orphan. For as long as he could remember he had worked as a drudge in his Uncle Londer's dreary inn in the slums of Haven.  Sleeping on a pile of rags under the stairs, wakened before dawn to do the lowliest and filthiest of tasks, Skif would have died...  more

TO CATCH A THIEF Skif was an orphan. For as long as he could remember he had worked as a drudge in his Uncle Londer's dreary inn in the slums of Haven.  Sleeping on a pile of rags under the stairs, wakened before dawn to do the lowliest and filthiest of tasks, Skif would have died from malnutrition and exposure if he had never met Deke. Deke was a pickpocket. The oldest member of a group of young boys who, with the guidance of their teacher and leader, a crippled man named Bazie, survived by their wits and their nimble fingers. But Bazie was more than just the head of a band of young thieves -- Bazie cared about the boys. Uncle Londer barely cared whether Skif was alive or dead. It was an easy decision for Skif to abandon his former life and throw in his lot with Bazie's crew. By the time Skif was twelve, he was an accomplished cat burglar and one of the leaders of Bazie's gang. Light on his feet, silent as a ghost, small enough to slide between protective window bars, his "take" had evolve from silk hankies slipped from laundries and pockets to gold and silver jewelry stolen from "hidden" cupboards in affluent houses. But it wasn't until Skif decided to steal a finely tacked-out white horse, which was, oddly enough, standing unattended in the street, that this young thief discovered that the tables could be turned on him...

Marina is the cherished daughter of the wealthy Saverson family, practioners of Elemental Magic. But all is not well in this elegant, aristocratic household. Evil portents have warned her father that Marina will be killed before her eighteenth birthday-by the hand of her own aunt. And no one is...  more

Marina is the cherished daughter of the wealthy Saverson family, practioners of Elemental Magic. But all is not well in this elegant, aristocratic household. Evil portents have warned her father that Marina will be killed before her eighteenth birthday-by the hand of her own aunt. And no one is sure if the family magic is powerful enough to overturn the prophesy.

Darian is apprentice to the Wizard Justyn in a small Valdemaran village. He is unwilling to hone his skill in magic as he believes it is quicker more efficient to achieve your ends by purely physical methods. When Errold Green is suddenly and devastatingly attacked by a force of men accompanied...  more

Darian is apprentice to the Wizard Justyn in a small Valdemaran village. He is unwilling to hone his skill in magic as he believes it is quicker more efficient to achieve your ends by purely physical methods. When Errold Green is suddenly and devastatingly attacked by a force of men accompanied by monstrous creatures of magic, Justyn makes a dramatic last stand, destroying the village in a cataclysmic spell that Darien witnesses. Escaping into the forest, Darien is chased down by three of the enemy only to be saved at the point of capture by the mysterious Hawkbrothers. It is the beginning of a new life where he will for the first time realize the worth of the magical talent he has always wanted to be rid of.

Granddaughter of the sorceress Kethry, daughter of a noble house, Kerowyn had been forced to run the family keep since her mother's untimely death. Yet now at last her brother was preparing to wed, and when his bride became the lady of the keep, Kerowyn could return to her true enjoyments -...  more

Granddaughter of the sorceress Kethry, daughter of a noble house, Kerowyn had been forced to run the family keep since her mother's untimely death. Yet now at last her brother was preparing to wed, and when his bride became the lady of the keep, Kerowyn could return to her true enjoyments - training horses and hunting. But all Kerowyn's hopes and plans were shattered when her anscestral home was attacked, her father slain, her brother wounded, and his fiancee kidnapped. Driven by desperation and the knowledge that a sorcerer had led the attack, Kerowyn set off on a journey which would prove but the first step on the road to the fulfillment of her destiny.

With the realm at risk, Elspeth, herald and heir to the throne, abandons her home to find a mentor who can awaken her untrained mage abilities.

In this dark and atmospheric rendition of the Cinderella fairy tale, an intelligent young Englishwoman is made into a virtual slave by her evil stepmother. Her only hope of rescue comes in the shape of a scarred World War I pilot of noble blood, whose own powers over the elements are about to be...  more

In this dark and atmospheric rendition of the Cinderella fairy tale, an intelligent young Englishwoman is made into a virtual slave by her evil stepmother. Her only hope of rescue comes in the shape of a scarred World War I pilot of noble blood, whose own powers over the elements are about to be needed more than ever.

Darian left his home at the edge of the Pelagiris Forest when barbarians attacked Errold's Grove and killed Wizard Justyn. Now, under the watchful eye of the Hawkbrothers, Darian is honing his craft and gaining new mage skills, not the least of which is an affinity for mind-speaking with his...  more

Darian left his home at the edge of the Pelagiris Forest when barbarians attacked Errold's Grove and killed Wizard Justyn. Now, under the watchful eye of the Hawkbrothers, Darian is honing his craft and gaining new mage skills, not the least of which is an affinity for mind-speaking with his closest companion, the Hawk Owl Kuari. Keisha, a nartural-born healer, is proving indispensible in Errold's Grove, but her destiny seems ordinary when compared with her sister Shandi, who is Chosen to be a Herald. But there is much more in store for Darian and Keisha: they have a task, the outcome of which will affect all of Valdemar - and their guide is to be the legendary hero of the Mage-Storms, Firesong himself.

Inspired by a classic fairy tale, Firebird is a marvelous coming-of-age fantasy novel with a most unusual setting: medieval Russia before the Tsars. Ilya is the son of a boyar, a Russian prince. The boyar's majestic cherry orchard is visited at midnight by the legendary Firebird -- a...  more

Inspired by a classic fairy tale, Firebird is a marvelous coming-of-age fantasy novel with a most unusual setting: medieval Russia before the Tsars. Ilya is the son of a boyar, a Russian prince. The boyar's majestic cherry orchard is visited at midnight by the legendary Firebird -- a gigantic, magnificent hawk whose wings seem to be made of flame. When Ilya attempts -- and fails -- to catch the Firebird, he is banished. The young man journeys through a fantastical Russia full of magical mazes, enchanted creatures, and untold dangers. Gifted with the ability to understand the speech of animals, Ilya saves the life of a fox, who becomes his most steadfast companion. As happens in the best fairy tales, Ilya falls in love with an enchanted princess. To free her, he must baffle an evil wizard and a powerful dragon. Magic swirls as Ilya uses his wits, his warrior's skills, and some very unusual allies to save the day and win true love.