Pol is one of the legendary Heralds of Valdemar, an organization of psychically Gifted men and women who protect their homeland from enemies, both internal and external, with the aid of their Companions, magically-gifted telepathic creatures who take the form of blue-eyed, pure white horses and bond with their Heralds for life.
Unlike the rest of the Heralds, Pol is uniquely talented, possessing a low level of talent in -all- of the various Gifts a Herald can possess. From precognition (ForeSight) to telepathy (MindSpeech) to Empathy, he can sense and utilize every single ability a fledging Herald might manifest. This makes him especially suited as a teacher, a job which keeps him at home at the Heraldic Collegium in Valdemar’s capital city, Haven, much of the time. As he’s not one for traveling, this pleases him. It keeps him near his Healer-trainee daughter, and away from trouble. That is, until he’s faced with a student unlike any he’s ever met before.
Lavan Chitward is the sixteen year old second son of a needleworker and a cloth merchant, both of whom have just achieved prominence in their Guilds, and been moved to Haven as a result. Unwilling to go into his parents’ Guilds, Lavan dreams of becoming a guard, or a soldier, or anything that will keep him outside and active. Ultimately, he’s sent to a private academy to learn something, any trade which will suit his parents and keep him out of trouble.
There’s a dark secret brewing in Academy. The oldest students run the school with iron fists, tyrannically bullying those younger and weaker than themselves. They rule through fear and intimidation, and Lavan is certainly not exempt from this terrorism. Now if only he wasn’t getting blinding headaches and fevers whenever he got angry….
One day, the world explodes in fire and pain, as Lavan’s Gift manifests itself, fueled by his rage and humiliation. Unconsciously striking back against his tormentors, Lavan doesn’t realize that he’s been placed on a path that will burn his place in history as a legend.
Herald Lavan Firestorm.
His story and fate are no stranger to the longtime readers of Mercedes Lackey’s Heralds of Valdemar series. From the very first book, Arrows of the Queen, we’ve been aware of Lavan Firestorm’s role as one of the Heralds’ great heroes, fallen in the line of duty. As cover copy says, though, this is the “legendary story of Herald Lavan Firestorm.”
Brightly Burning, then, is the story of who Lavan was, and how he went from 16-year-old youth to savior of the kingdom. With Pol as his mentor, and Pol’s daughter Elenor as a friend, Lavan learns to embrace his Gift, to control it rather than be controlled by it. He finds true friendship in the form of fellow Herald-trainee Tuck, and all-encompassing acceptance and support in the form of his Companion, Kalira. And when the antagonistic neighboring nation of Karse declares holy war on Valdemar, Lavan will find death and rage and the fulfillment of his destiny.
This book works on a lot of levels. Most of us remember what it was like to be a teenager, full of fire and energy and temper, lashing out at a world we can’t quite understand or keep our patience with. Lavan’s temper is just a lot more explosive than most. And how many of us have been on the wrong end of a bully or tyrant, unable to fight back, wishing someone would listen, or stand up on our behalf? Lavan goes through that same trouble. And how many of us have had to meet impossible expectations, and find out just what we’re really capable of when the chips are down?
Brightly Burning is a return to Valdemar in the same vein as the immensely popular Heralds of Valdemar and Last Herald-Mage trilogies which made Lackey a force to be reckoned with on the bookshelves. After the disappointing Owlflight trilogy, it was a relief, even a cause for rejoicing when this book was released. It was like coming home, even though the formula is evident third time around: teenager who’s different from his family/everyone else starts out as something of an outcast, ends up being Chosen by a Companion, becoming a Herald, and then having great adventures until they’re asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for their land. (Okay, the last is sort of a cheat since Talia of the original trilogy is still alive, as far as I know.) But though by now it’s a familiar pattern, it’s one that still works, and one I can’t get enough of. I’m a sucker for stories of growing up, learning, maturing, experiencing a rite of passage. I love the Heralds of Valdemar. Arrows of the Queen helped save my sanity in high school, and even though in recent years I’ve pulled away from Lackey’s books, I still have a very fond spot for her older work.
I truly enjoyed this book. I read it all in one day, unable to put it aside for very long. What’s more, my wife reports that she was the same way, unable to stop reading. For us, that’s rare. We tend to read books, put them aside, start other books, go back to the first ones….
Unfortunately, as good as Brightly Burning is, it’s not perfect by a long shot. While I’m glad that it is a stand-alone novel, this is one time where it really could have been expanded into a two-book set, or a trilogy. It spends a great amount of the story building up to a certain point, and then it’s like someone flipped a switch, and it’s a roller-coaster ride downhill to the end. It’s over too quickly. The pacing is definitely off on the story.
Nowhere near enough time is spent on Lavan’s time as a Herald-trainee, and the time spent on the Karse border before the climactic events is skimmed over like an afterthought. It feels as though Lackey realized she was running out of pages, and had to hurry towards the predetermined ending. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am, would you like a cigarette? In my opinion, Brightly Burning would have benefited from a sequel to properly pace out the latter half of the book, or the time spent with Karse. Even another fifty pages to properly explore the situation before giving us the big finish would have helped.
That said, this is easily one of Lackey’s best books in years. With exquisite cover art from Jody Lee (a staple for Lackey covers) and stunning interior art by Lackey’s husband and creative partner, Larry Dixon, this is like the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m now looking forward to seeing what she’ll come up with next. Despite the pacing problems, I highly recommend this book for anyone who’s a fan of the Heralds of Valdemar. Cost-conscious readers might want to wait until it’s in paperback, and those unfamiliar with the series in general are strongly encouraged to begin with Arrows of the Queen or Magic’s Pawn as introductions to the world of Valdemar.
And for longtime fans, there’s a surprise lurking in Brightly Burning, regarding the name of a certain Companion. I won’t say anything else, but let the speculations begin when you find it.