Reading order · 33 books · 1987 to 2023 · Set in Valdemar
Valdemar Books in Order
Valdemar is a kingdom protected by its Heralds, who are Chosen by Companions, magical white horses who look into their hearts. Mercedes Lackey has written dozens of books about it, from the time of its founding to the Mage Wars of the distant past.
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Series facts
- Books
- 33
- Published
- 1987 to 2023
- First book
- Arrows of the Queen
- Latest
- Valdemar (2023)
- Setting
- Set in Valdemar
The reading order
Every Valdemar book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
33 books · Set in Valdemar
- 1Arrows of the Queen1987With TaliaTalia, a girl from a strict, harsh family, runs away from home and is Chosen by a Companion, becoming the first trainee Herald in years to be named the Queen’s Own.Buy on Amazon
- 2Arrow's Flight1987With TaliaTalia, now a Herald, rides her first circuit through the kingdom, and must learn to control her powers.Buy on Amazon
- 3Arrow's Fall1988With TaliaTalia travels to a neighbouring kingdom, where a royal marriage proposal hides a deadly plot.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Oathbound1988With Tarma and KethryTarma, a swordswoman of the nomadic Shin’a’in, and Kethry, a sorceress, are bound together by a blood oath and set out to fight injustice.Buy on Amazon
- 5Magic's Pawn1989With Vanyel AshkevronVanyel Ashkevron, a sensitive young man who does not fit his father’s idea of a son, is sent to the capital to be trained by his aunt, a Herald-Mage, and finds love and great power.Buy on Amazon
- 6Oathbreakers1989With Tarma and KethrySwordswoman Tarma and sorceress Kethry, now officers of a mercenary company, go undercover in a neighbouring kingdom to find their missing captain.Buy on Amazon
- 7Magic's Promise1990With Vanyel AshkevronHerald-Mage Vanyel, worn out by years of service, is called to a border kingdom where a troubled young man is suspected of slaughtering his own family.Buy on Amazon
- 8Magic's Price1990With Vanyel AshkevronAs Valdemar’s king weakens, an unseen enemy begins killing the kingdom’s Herald-Mages, and Vanyel must stand against it with the help of the bard Stefen.Buy on Amazon
- 9By the Sword1991With KerowynKerowyn, the granddaughter of Kethry, becomes a mercenary captain, and her company is hired to fight for Valdemar.Buy on Amazon
- 10Winds of Fate1991With ElspethPrincess Elspeth, heir to the throne, sets out to find mages to protect Valdemar, while a young Hawkbrother scout faces trouble of his own.Buy on Amazon
- 11Winds of Change1992With Elspeth and Darkwind k'SheynaElspeth, heir to Valdemar, studies magic with the Hawkbrothers of the Pelagir Hills, as the dark adept Mornelithe Falconsbane threatens them all.Buy on Amazon
- 12Winds of Fury1993With ElspethElspeth and the Hawkbrother Darkwind return to Valdemar to help defend it against the ambitions of King Ancar of Hardorn.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Black Gryphon1994With SkandranonIn the distant past of the Mage Wars, Skandranon, a black gryphon, fights for his people.Buy on Amazon
- 14Storm Warning1994With KaralKaral, a young secretary, accompanies a priest from Valdemar’s old enemy, Karse, as the two countries try to make peace.Buy on Amazon
- 15Storm Rising1995With KaralViolent mage storms sweep the land, and Valdemar must make common cause with former enemies, including the young Karsite envoy Karal.Buy on Amazon
- 16The White Gryphon1995With SkandranonRefugees from the Mage Wars, led by the gryphon Skandranon and the healer Amberdrake, build the city of White Gryphon, only for new dangers to threaten their home.Buy on Amazon
- 17Storm Breaking1996With KaralAs the mage storms grow worse, an unlikely alliance races to find a way to stop them before they tear the world apart.Buy on Amazon
- 18The Silver Gryphon1996Tad and Blade, children of White Gryphon’s founders, are stranded in a hostile jungle when their mission goes wrong.Buy on Amazon
- 19Brightly Burning2000With Lan ChitwardLavan, a young boy with a deadly gift for fire, is Chosen by a Companion.Buy on Amazon
- 20Take a Thief2001With SkifSkif, a young thief on the streets of Haven, is Chosen when he tries to steal a Companion.Buy on Amazon
- 21Exile's Honor2002With AlberichAlberich, an officer of Valdemar’s enemy Karse, is Chosen by a Companion and must find his place in a strange land.Buy on Amazon
- 22Exile's Valor2003With AlberichAlberich, the Karsite-born Weaponsmaster of Valdemar, works to protect the young Queen Selenay as she takes the throne.Buy on Amazon
- 23Foundation2008With MagsMags, an orphan slaving in a gem mine, is Chosen, and arrives at the Heralds’ Collegium just as it is being built.Buy on Amazon
- 24Intrigues2010With MagsMags, a former mine slave now training as a Herald, finds that life at the Collegium brings dangers of its own.Buy on Amazon
- 25Changes2011With MagsAs foreign envoys arrive in Haven, Mags begins to uncover clues about his own mysterious origins.Buy on Amazon
- 26Redoubt2012With MagsMags learns more about his past as shadowy enemies close in on him.Buy on Amazon
- 27Bastion2013With MagsSent away from Haven for his own safety, Mags and his friends find that danger follows them, in the final book of the Collegium Chronicles.Buy on Amazon
- 28Closer to Home2014With AmilyHerald Mags and his love Amily find themselves at the centre of a feud between noble houses that threatens the peace of Haven.Buy on Amazon
- 29Closer to the Heart2015With AmilyAmily, newly King’s Own, and Mags investigate a ring preying on the vulnerable in Haven.Buy on Amazon
- 30Closer to the Chest2016With AmilyThreatening letters are sent to women across Haven, and Amily and Mags must find who is behind them.Buy on Amazon
- 31Beyond2021With Kordas ValdemarKordas Valdemar, a baron in a corrupt empire, plans to flee with all his people to a new land, the start of Valdemar.Buy on Amazon
- 32Into the West2022With Kordas ValdemarBaron Kordas Valdemar leads his people across unknown lands in search of a new home beyond the reach of a tyrannical emperor.Buy on Amazon
- 33Valdemar2023With Kordas ValdemarKordas Valdemar and his people work to build a new kingdom in the west, in the closing volume of the Founding of Valdemar.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Each trilogy stands alone. Arrows of the Queen is a good first read; many readers then read the Last Herald-Mage trilogy, beginning with Magic’s Pawn.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Mags | Elspeth | Amily | Talia | Vanyel Ashkevron | Karal | Kordas Valdemar | Alberich |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Arrows of the Queen | MMajor | LLead | ·Minor | |||||
| 2 Arrow's Flight | LLead | |||||||
| 3 Arrow's Fall | MMajor | LLead | ||||||
| 4 The Oathbound | ||||||||
| 5 Magic's Pawn | LLead | |||||||
| 6 Oathbreakers | ||||||||
| 7 Magic's Promise | LLead | |||||||
| 8 Magic's Price | LLead | |||||||
| 9 By the Sword | ||||||||
| 10 Winds of Fate | LLead | ·Minor | ||||||
| 11 Winds of Change | LLead | |||||||
| 12 Winds of Fury | LLead | |||||||
| 13 The Black Gryphon | ||||||||
| 14 Storm Warning | ·Minor | LLead | ||||||
| 15 Storm Rising | LLead | |||||||
| 16 The White Gryphon | ||||||||
| 17 Storm Breaking | LLead | |||||||
| 18 The Silver Gryphon | ||||||||
| 19 Brightly Burning | ||||||||
| 20 Take a Thief | ||||||||
| 21 Exile's Honor | LLead | |||||||
| 22 Exile's Valor | LLead | |||||||
| 23 Foundation | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 24 Intrigues | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 25 Changes | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||||
| 26 Redoubt | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 27 Bastion | LLead | MMajor | ||||||
| 28 Closer to Home | MMajor | LLead | ||||||
| 29 Closer to the Heart | MMajor | LLead | ||||||
| 30 Closer to the Chest | MMajor | LLead | ||||||
| 31 Beyond | LLead | |||||||
| 32 Into the West | LLead | |||||||
| 33 Valdemar | LLead |
Characters in the Valdemar books
15 characters from Mercedes Lackey’s chart, with the number of Valdemar books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| MagsFormer slave miner turned Herald and spy | 8 | Foundation 2008 |
| ElspethHeir to the throne | 6 | Arrows of the Queen 1987 |
| AmilyMags's partner, later King's Own | 6 | Changes 2011 |
| TaliaFarm girl chosen as the Queen's Own Herald | 4 | Arrows of the Queen 1987 |
| Vanyel AshkevronLast Herald-Mage | 3 | Magic's Pawn 1989 |
| KaralKarsite priest's secretary | 3 | Storm Warning 1994 |
| Kordas ValdemarBaron who leads his people to found Valdemar | 3 | Beyond 2021 |
| AlberichKarsite officer who becomes Weaponsmaster | 6 | Arrows of the Queen 1987 |
| Tarma and KethrySwordswoman and sorceress bound by oath | 3 | The Oathbound 1988 |
| SkandranonBlack gryphon | 3 | The Black Gryphon 1994 |
| SkifFormer thief turned Herald | 5 | Arrows of the Queen 1987 |
| KerowynMercenary captain, Kethry's granddaughter | 4 | By the Sword 1991 |
| Darkwind k'SheynaHawkbrother scout | 4 | Winds of Fate 1991 |
| Lan ChitwardBoy whose Gift is fire | 1 | Brightly Burning 2000 |
| DirkHerald and Talia's lifebonded love | 3 | Arrows of the Queen 1987 |