I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Gryphon in Light by Mercedes LackeyLarry DixonPublished by Astra Publishing House on July 25, 2023
Genres: Action & Adventure, Dragons & Mythical Creatures, Epic, fantasy, Fiction
Pages: 368
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley
Buy on Bookshop
Set in the beloved and New York Times bestselling world of Valdemar, this 1st book in a new trilogy returns to the tales of the majestic gryphons.
On the border between Valdemar and the deadly Pelagirs Forest, the gryphon hero Kelvren returns from a near-fatal self-sacrifice that won him the approval of Valdemar's ground troops, but caused a diplomatic crisis. Frustrated by his lack of a hero's welcome, Kelvren is talked into helping with an expedition by his old friend, Firesong.
Firesong struggles with his own age and mortality, and he intends to solve a vast mystery at the center of legendary Lake Evendim as his crowning achievement. Just getting the multicultural fleet underway is a challenge, but what awaits them is a situation none of them could expect.
Set in the beloved fantasy realm of Valdemar, Gryphon in Light is adventurous epic fantasy at its best.
There are Valdemar fans and then there are people who haven’t read a Valdemar book yet. I only recently decided to pick up this series which I somehow missed in the prolific reading in my childhood. And I can’t imagine that there is anyone out there who has read it and not enjoyed it. It’s a wide-ranging series that spans hundreds (thousands?) of years, so surely there’s something in it for everyone.
I started reading all the Valdemar books in chronological order over the winter, and while I haven’t quite binged all of them yet, I have gotten through quite a few. When this book popped up in my NetGalley feed, I had just finished reading the series with Tarma and Kethry and I was eager to see a gryphon in a story again. Yes, this means that I’ve now read some stuff out of order, but then I suppose that’s always a risk with a series this large.
This particular book is from Kelvren’s point of view, and as always the impulsive, extroverted personality of a gryphon is both exhilarating and exhausting. He’s a charming, if self-centered, narrator and watching him struggle with the consequences of his decisions and grow into the hero I know he’ll be is enjoyable.
I enjoy this series; it’s just plain fun. Clearly there’s a reason why there are still new books coming out. As I already said, there’s plenty for everyone to get excited about. Gryphons, magic, spies, intrigue, politics, war, mercenaries, horses (and not-horses), animal companions (birds!), urban settings, rural settings, forests and deserts and nomadic peoples roaming across the plains. This series’ many, many fans are not wrong is what I’m saying.
And also, I have a lot of catching up to do.
