Magic's Pawn
core novel 1989 Valdemar
Record
| First published | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.20 (28,865 ratings, collected 2026-09-12) |
| Page count | 349 |
| First-edition ISBN | 0-88677-352-0 |
| First-edition date | 1989-06 |
Synopsis
The first book of the Last Herald-Mage trilogy introduces sixteen-year-old Vanyel Ashkevron, who is sent away from his family's estate to the capital, Haven, by a father who considers him insufficiently masculine and is placed under the mentorship of his aunt, the Herald-Mage Savil. At Haven, Vanyel initially believes he has neither the magical Gift nor the musical Bardic talent he once hoped for, until a close and secret romantic relationship with a fellow student, Tylendel, brings him genuine happiness. When Tylendel's twin brother is murdered, however, Tylendel is consumed by a need for revenge, and Vanyel, inexperienced and uncertain, becomes entangled in his lover's increasingly reckless plan to use forbidden magic against those responsible, a scheme whose escalation will force Vanyel to confront powers within himself that he never sought.
Where it sits
- Universe: Valdemar
- Series: The Last Herald-Mage core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Mercedes Lackey
Awards (verified)
- Lambda Literary Award (Gay Men's SF/Fantasy), 1990: nominated
Notes
- From the series record (The Last Herald-Mage): Internally set ~600 years before the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy (Valdemar Wiki timeline).
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 Last Herald-Mage: position 1 of 3: next Magic's Promise (1990)
Sources
- Mercedes Lackey official site
- Valdemar Wiki (Fandom)
- https://www.isfdb.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Lackey
- https://valdemar.fandom.com/wiki/Magic%27s_Pawn
- https://www.sfadb.com/Mercedes_Lackey
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