The Oathbound
core novel 1988 Valdemar
Record
| First published | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.09 (15,445 ratings, collected 2026-09-12) |
| Page count | 302 |
| First-edition ISBN | 0-88677-285-0 |
| First-edition date | 1988-07 |
Synopsis
The first book of the Vows and Honor trilogy introduces Tarma, a warrior of the nomadic Shin'a'in people who becomes one of the sword-sworn after her clan is destroyed by raiders, and Kethry, a sorceress trained in the White Winds school of magic who wields both spellcraft and mundane weapons. The two women are drawn together partly through the influence of a magical sword that seeks out those in need, and their meeting leads them into a shared oath binding their fates and their fight against wrongdoing. Tarma is driven by a need for justice against the brigands who slaughtered her people, while Kethry commits her magical skill to aiding those who cannot protect themselves. As sword-sister and sorceress, the pair begin a partnership of mercenary work and mutual protection that carries them into confrontations with dark forces threatening ordinary people across the land.
Where it sits
- Universe: Valdemar
- Series: Vows and Honor core; position 1 of 3 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 Vows and Honor: position 1 of 3: next Oathbreakers (1989)
Sources
- Mercedes Lackey official site
- Valdemar Wiki (Fandom)
- https://www.isfdb.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Lackey
- https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/331825/the-oathbound-by-mercedes-lackey/
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