Beyond

core novel 2021 Valdemar

Record

First published	2021
Original language	EN
Work type	novel
Canon status	core
Reader rating	4.33 (5,096 ratings, collected 2026-09-12)
Page count	384
First-edition ISBN	978-0-7564-1733-8
First-edition date	2021-06-15

Synopsis

Beyond is the first book of the Founding of Valdemar series. It follows Kordas Valdemar, a pragmatic working duke and skilled horse breeder living under a vast, cruel empire, long before Heralds or Companions exist. Kordas has spent years quietly preparing a three-generation plan to escape the empire entirely, sheltering mages who perform no magic so as to avoid the notice of the Emperor's scryers, while stockpiling resources and secretly building a great magical Gate capable of carrying tens of thousands of people, along with their livestock and belongings, to unknown lands beyond the Emperor's reach. As the escape nears completion, Kordas is summoned to the capital by the Emperor himself, throwing his careful timeline into doubt and leaving him uncertain whether he will be allowed to leave with his people or be kept trapped at court.

Where it sits

• Universe: Valdemar
• Series: The Founding of Valdemar core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
• Author: Mercedes Lackey

Notes

• From the series record (The Founding of Valdemar): Internally the earliest era of Valdemar's history, Founding of the kingdom.

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.

• Publication order, within the series The Founding of Valdemar: position 1 of 3: next Into the West (2022)

Sources

• Mercedes Lackey official site
• Valdemar Wiki (Fandom)
• https://www.isfdb.org
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Lackey
• https://grabthelapels.com/2021/12/09/beyond/

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