Valdemar
#1674.13 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 42 books Status Ongoing 1987–present Reading commitment High Mercedes Lackey Last reviewed 2026-08-06
Overview
Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar (the world of Velgarth) is one of the largest single-author shared settings in the genre: 14 sub-series/trilogies plus bridge standalones spanning 1987-2023, telling stories across widely separated eras of the same kingdom's history. Larry Dixon co-authors three sub-series (the Gryphon trilogy, the Owl Mage trilogy, Kelvren's Saga); the remainder is Lackey solo.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (42 works) counts toward ranking
The Heralds of Valdemar (Arrows trilogy) Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Arrows of the Queen | 1987 | core | 4.13 (40,263 ratings) |
 | Arrow's Flight | 1987 | core | 4.13 (24,697 ratings) |
 | Arrow's Fall | 1988 | core | 4.19 (24,614 ratings) |
Lackey's debut trilogy; internally set centuries after the Founding era.
Vows and Honor Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Oathbound | 1988 | core | 4.09 (15,430 ratings) |
 | Oathbreakers | 1989 | core | 4.20 (16,334 ratings) |
 | Oathblood; Story collection; the official third volume of the trilogy. | 1998 | core | 4.08 (11,458 ratings) |
The Last Herald-Mage Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Magic's Pawn | 1989 | core | 4.20 (28,797 ratings) |
 | Magic's Promise; ISFDB discrepancy (manual pass, 2026-08-10): ISFDB's own title record lists 1989-01 as the date field, but its only linked publication record is dated 1990-01. This book's recorded first-edition date (1990-01) uses the publication-backed date, not the title record's date, per this project's standing practice of recording a discrepancy explicitly rather than silently picking one figure without saying why. | 1990 | core | 4.22 (22,512 ratings) |
 | Magic's Price; Sources split 1990/1991; most bibliographic listings give 1990. | 1990 | core | 4.26 (22,943 ratings) |
Internally set ~600 years before the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy (Valdemar Wiki timeline).
The Mage Winds Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Winds of Fate | 1991 | core | 4.09 (17,792 ratings) |
 | Winds of Change | 1992 | core | 4.09 (16,017 ratings) |
 | Winds of Fury | 1993 | core | 4.11 (14,643 ratings) |
The Mage Wars (Gryphon trilogy) Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Black Gryphon | 1994 | core | 4.09 (15,640 ratings) |
 | The White Gryphon | 1995 | core | 3.95 (12,742 ratings) |
 | The Silver Gryphon | 1996 | core | 3.87 (11,536 ratings) |
Co-authored throughout with Larry Dixon.
The Mage Storms Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Storm Warning | 1994 | core | 4.08 (13,661 ratings) |
 | Storm Rising | 1995 | core | 4.07 (12,947 ratings) |
 | Storm Breaking | 1996 | core | 4.11 (13,099 ratings) |
Darian's Tale (The Owl Mage Trilogy) Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Owlflight | 1997 | core | 4.04 (11,809 ratings) |
 | Owlsight | 1998 | core | 4.05 (10,759 ratings) |
 | Owlknight | 1999 | core | 4.04 (10,102 ratings) |
Co-authored throughout with Larry Dixon.
Alberich's Tale Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Exile's Honor | 2002 | core | 4.24 (12,910 ratings) |
 | Exile's Valor | 2003 | core | 4.22 (13,062 ratings) |
Collegium Chronicles Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Foundation | 2008 | core | 4.07 (12,673 ratings) |
 | Intrigues | 2010 | core | 4.04 (9,869 ratings) |
 | Changes | 2011 | core | 4.03 (8,544 ratings) |
 | Redoubt | 2012 | core | 4.05 (7,465 ratings) |
 | Bastion | 2013 | core | 4.09 (6,600 ratings) |
The Herald Spy Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Closer to Home | 2014 | core | 4.09 (5,737 ratings) |
 | Closer to the Heart | 2015 | core | 4.16 (4,572 ratings) |
 | Closer to the Chest | 2016 | core | 4.18 (4,069 ratings) |
Family Spies Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Hills Have Spies | 2018 | core | 4.05 (5,183 ratings) |
 | Eye Spy | 2019 | core | 4.18 (3,164 ratings) |
 | Spy, Spy Again | 2020 | core | 4.37 (2,717 ratings) |
The Founding of Valdemar Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Beyond | 2021 | core | 4.33 (5,071 ratings) |
 | Into the West | 2022 | core | 4.29 (3,773 ratings) |
 | Valdemar; Hardcover Dec 26, 2023; paperback Oct 2024. | 2023 | core | 4.40 (2,951 ratings) |
Internally the earliest era of Valdemar's history, Founding of the kingdom.
Kelvren's Saga Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Gryphon in Light | 2023 | core | 4.24 (1,553 ratings) |
 | Gryphon's Valor; Publication year unconfirmed. Historical context: retailer/catalog listings previously conflicted between 2024 and 2025 (2024 per Google Books; the Valdemar Wiki stated the release date moved from 6/26/2024 to 6/26/2025; some bookstore feeds showed clearly erroneous placeholder dates). A fresh Round 3 check (2026-08-10) found: no ISFDB entry exists for this title (0 search results -- too recent/uncatalogued); no listing on DAW/Penguin Random House's own catalog; and both the Valdemar Wiki (fandom.com) and the rating platform now independently show "2033" -- but the Valdemar Wiki explicitly states this is a generic "no real date" placeholder, not a genuine projected year, citing that a reader who contacted the publisher directly was told the release is indefinite/unscheduled. This means the release appears to have gone from a real scheduled date to fully indefinite at some later point, rather than simply being delayed again to 2025. Not committed to a hard year pending either a real publisher announcement or the placeholder resolving to an actual date. | None | core | 4.42 (24 ratings) |
Co-authored throughout with Larry Dixon.
By the Sword (1991) core · 4.28 (21,685 ratings); Bridges Vows and Honor into the Heralds of Valdemar continuity (Kerowyn's story).
Brightly Burning (2000) core · 4.11 (10,921 ratings)
Take a Thief (2001) core · 4.16 (14,233 ratings)
Library / Expanded (19 works)
Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar (1997) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
The Valdemar Companion (2001) ; Non-fiction companion/reference volume.
Sun in Glory and Other Tales of Valdemar (2003) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar (2005) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar (2008) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Changing the World (2009) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Finding the Way (2010) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Under the Vale (2011) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
No True Way (2014) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Crucible (2015) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Tempest (2016) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Pathways (2017) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Choices (2018) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Seasons (2019) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Passages (2020) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Boundaries (2021) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Shenanigans (2022) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Anything with Nothing (2023) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Feuds (2024) ; DAW Books anthology of Valdemar short fiction, edited by Mercedes Lackey.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Valdemar? Valdemar's Core Canon is 42 books, plus 19 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Valdemar? Publication order, starting with Arrows of the Queen. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Valdemar finished? Ongoing (1987–present).
- How much reading does Valdemar take? High reading commitment (estimated from 42 Core Canon books · ~15,582 pages).
- How is Valdemar ranked? #167 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 524,571 reader ratings across 42 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #167?
Ranked #167 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.13 across 42 core books.
- Backed by 525k reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.87 to 4.42.
- Less than 0.01 behind #166, Dragonriders of Pern (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 42 books · Ongoing · 525k ratings · Ranks #167 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (42 Core Canon books)
- Arrow's Flight (1987)
- Arrows of the Queen (1987)
- Arrow's Fall (1988)
- The Oathbound (1988)
- Magic's Pawn (1989)
- Oathbreakers (1989)
- Magic's Price (1990)
- Magic's Promise (1990)
- By the Sword (1991)
- Winds of Fate (1991)
- Winds of Change (1992)
- Winds of Fury (1993)
- Storm Warning (1994)
- The Black Gryphon (1994)
- Storm Rising (1995)
- The White Gryphon (1995)
- Storm Breaking (1996)
- The Silver Gryphon (1996)
- Owlflight (1997)
- Oathblood (1998)
- Owlsight (1998)
- Owlknight (1999)
- Brightly Burning (2000)
- Take a Thief (2001)
- Exile's Honor (2002)
- Exile's Valor (2003)
- Foundation (2008)
- Intrigues (2010)
- Changes (2011)
- Redoubt (2012)
- Bastion (2013)
- Closer to Home (2014)
- Closer to the Heart (2015)
- Closer to the Chest (2016)
- The Hills Have Spies (2018)
- Eye Spy (2019)
- Spy, Spy Again (2020)
- Beyond (2021)
- Into the West (2022)
- Gryphon in Light (2023)
- Valdemar (2023)
- Gryphon's Valor (year unconfirmed)
Awards (verified)
- Lambda Literary Award (Science Fiction/Fantasy), 1990: won: Magic's Price; Tied win.
- Lambda Literary Award (Gay Men's SF/Fantasy), 1990: nominated: Magic's Pawn
- Lambda Literary Award (Science Fiction/Fantasy), 1995: nominated: Storm Warning
- Locus Award (Best First Novel), 1988: finalist: Arrows of the Queen; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 6th.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1993: finalist: Winds of Change; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 6th.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1995: finalist: Storm Warning; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 8th.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1996: finalist: Storm Rising; Locus reader-poll placement, ranked 9th.
Related universes
- Same author The Halfblood Chronicles: Both created by Mercedes Lackey. The Halfblood Chronicles was confirmed a separate setting from Valdemar/Velgarth at its own admission, different world (elves/dragons dominate humans), no shared characters or geography.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Valdemar and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Malazan Epic fantasy / Grimdark · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.27
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- Forgotten Realms Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.20
- Riftwar Cycle Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.16
Official resources
- Mercedes Lackey official site: Official author site; series groupings, Halfblood Chronicles distinction.
- Valdemar Wiki (Fandom): Dedicated Valdemar fan wiki; timeline / chronological order pages.
- https://www.sfadb.com/Mercedes_Lackey
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.13 across 524,571 ratings on 42 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Valdemar Core Canon accepted 2026-08-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Mercedes Lackey official site Tier 1
- Valdemar Wiki (Fandom) Tier 2
- https://www.sfadb.com/Mercedes_Lackey
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-06
Rule: Core = 14 sub-series/trilogies (Heralds of Valdemar through Kelvren's Saga) plus 3 bridge standalones (By the Sword, Brightly Burning, Take a Thief) = 43 core novels/collections.