03 January, 2006

Magic's Promise; and Brightly Burning (Mercedes Lackey)

Mercedes Lackey is a very prolific and very trashy fantasy author, whom I like to pick up occasionally for a junk-food read. These two books are set in her world of Valdemar, where love, honour and magic abound, and there are magical white horses called Companions who choose Heralds to ride around with. Get the idea? It's like a Girls/Boys Own adventure (complete with lots of horses) transplanted into your average medieval-style fantasy world.

These two novels are about two duly tormented characters who are comforted by the unlimited understanding of their magical Companions and who ride about being terribly brave and self-sacrificing for Valdemar, and its King or Queen, who is the most wonderfully royal person in all the world. Lackey doesn't overused exclamation marks, but she writes as if she does, if that makes sense. There are so many adjectives, so many passionate internal dialogues. It's all too much.

I wouldn't recommend these books to anyone except those who enjoy reading trashy fantasy while curled up in front of the TV.

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