Foundation
core novel 2008 Valdemar
Record
| First published | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.07 (12,702 ratings, collected 2026-09-12) |
| Page count | 340 |
| First-edition ISBN | 978-0-7564-0524-3 |
| First-edition date | 2008-10 |
Synopsis
Foundation is the first novel in the Collegium Chronicles, set generations before the main Valdemar sequence, when Herald training is shifting from informal apprenticeship to a new, overcrowded formal school. It follows Mags, an orphan boy who survived years of forced labor in the gem mines run by Cole Pieters before a Companion chooses him and brings him to Haven. Wary and unused to kindness, Mags slowly builds friendships with fellow trainees, including Bear and Lena, while struggling to adapt to Collegium life. His unusual background draws the attention of Nikolas, the King's Own Herald, who recruits him to help watch a group of visiting foreign dignitaries whose presence is stirring unrest at court. What begins as simple observation grows more dangerous once one of the visitors turns out to have hidden magical abilities.
Where it sits
- Universe: Valdemar
- Series: Collegium Chronicles core; position 1 of 5 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Mercedes Lackey
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 Collegium Chronicles: position 1 of 5: next Intrigues (2010)
Sources
- Mercedes Lackey official site
- Valdemar Wiki (Fandom)
- https://www.isfdb.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Lackey
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