8 Valdemar - The Valdemar Companion

John Helfers and Denise Little present The Valdemar Companion, an anthology of essays, interviews, maps, a concordance and one new novella focused on Mercedes Lackey's (Take a Thief) extensive Valdemar series. Michael Longcor discusses the "Balladeers, Buskers, and Bards" of Valdemar, and Kerrie Hughes offers a traveler's guide to Lackey's rich imaginary universe.

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Made with the active assistance of Mercedes Lackey, creator of the fantasy kingdom of Valdemar, and DAW editor Betsy Wollheim, this is about as official a companion as there could be. It is high time, too, since Valdemar is beginning to rival Darkover in the number of stories set there and in the multitude of its fans. The book's actual contents include an introduction and a new Valdemar novella by Lackey, a traveler's guide to Valdemar and environs apparently commissioned by the queen of the realm, a summary of all Valdemar novels, details on Valdemar's music and Web sites, maps of Valdemar, and a concordance of Valdemarian names and terms. Exceedingly well done, it helps keep readers unconfused while wandering the enormous fictional terrain the Valdemar oeuvre covers. It does, however, rather cry for a similar companion volume about the rest of the prolific Lackey's work. Roland Green
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