Sword and Sorceress VIII - Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradley

This was the final book I read in 2014. I just didn't have time to get the review in before the new year began.

Sword And Sorceress VIII
Ed. Marion Zimmer Bradley
DAW Books
Copyright: 1991
978-0886774868

The back cover blurb:

Spells Cast And Swords Crossed
As the forces of evil reach out to conquer new realms, claiming the lives and treasures of unprotected innocents, there are always a valiant few ready to oppose these masters of darkness and destruction. Bold women warriors, wise women, sorceresses wielding the powers of light - all are ready to aid those in need with no thought to the perils they themselves will face.

Let some of today's finest fantasy writers - Mercedes Lackey, Jennifer Roberson, Diana Paxson, and their fellow visionaries - carry you off to the enchanted lands where stalwart heroines pit their skills against such terrors as: an ancient dragon that has long held a kingom hostage to its terrible hunger... a stealer of magics who seeks to drain the power from all who cross her path... a mortal so caught in evil's thrall that not even his own family is safe from harm... and all the other enemies that only those long-trained to battle with sword and spell can hope to overcome...

Well, the back blurb is definitely over the top in its descriptions, but there are some really good stories in this volume nonetheless. My favorites have to be Wings of Fire by Mercedes Lackey and Geese by Laurell K. Hamilton.

I always forget that Laurell K. Hamilton has written fantasy outside of her Merry Gentry and Anita Blake series, but Geese serves as a good reminder of that fact, and it was an amazing story.

Wings Of Fire is a story I've read at least a couple of times now. I think I may have read some of the stories from this anthology before, aside from this one (also available in Oathblood, where Mercedes Lackey has gathered together all of the Tarma and Kethry stories she wrote for the Sword and Sorceress series of anthologies).

The one other story that seemed familiar enough to make me wonder if I read Sword and Sorceress VII a while back was Marayd's Escape. Not completely familiar - I couldn't remember the story, just some of the plot points - but familiar nonetheless.

Also neat for fans of some of the books Mercedes Lackey has co-written is that there is a story in this anthology from Eluki bes Shahar, who has written books under the name Rosemary Edghill. A name that's familiar from the more recent books in the world of the SERRAted Edge series. Unfortunately I have to admit that the titles of those books escape me for the moment.

Overall, this is a volume that's full of moments of humor - even in the various author biography notes at the beginning of the stories.

"Waiting On" Wednesday - May 18

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick for the week is:

The Shadow Grail #2: Conspiracies
By Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
Tor Books
Release Date: July 5, 2011
978-0765328236

The amazon.com product description:

The second book in the Shadow Grail series by the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling authors Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
Spirit and her friends Burke, Loch, Muirin, and Addie have managed to defeat the evil force that has been killing students at Oakhurst Academy for the past forty years—or so they think. When a series of magical attacks disrupts the school, Doctor Ambrosius calls upon alumnus Mark Rider to secure the campus—and start training the students for war. The only student without magic, Spirit doesn’t trust Mark or his methods. She knows that Oakhurst isn’t safe. And if Spirit and her friends want to live long enough to graduate, they have to find out what is really going on—before it’s too late.

 I read the first book in The Shadow Grail series, Legacies last year and really enjoyed it - of course, I can't really think of any Mercedes Lackey books I haven't liked over the years. The concept is an intriguing one, being the typical reverse of the usual.

The Shadow Grail #1: Legacies - Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill

The Shadow Grail #1: Legacies
Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
Tor Books
Copyright Date: July 6, 2010
978-0765317612

The amazon.com product description:

Who—or what—is stalking the students at Oakhurst Academy?

In the wake of the accident that killed her family, Spirit White is spirited away to Oakhurst Academy, a combination school and orphanage in the middle of Montana. There she learns she is a legacy—not only to the school, which her parents also attended, but to magic.

All the students at Oakhurst have magical powers, and although Spirit’s hasn’t manifested itself yet, the administrators insist she has one. Spirit isn’t sure she cares. Devastated by the loss of her family, she finds comfort with a group of friends: Burke Hallows, Lachlann Spears, Muirin Shae, and Adelaide Lake.

But something strange is going on at Oakhurst. Students start disappearing under mysterious circumstances, and the school seems to be trying to cover it up. Spirit and her friends must find out what’s happening—before one of them becomes the next victim…

Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill have teamed up before to write some very good books in the same world as the SERRAted Edge series, so I knew this was likely to be a good story. It was, although a rather short one, I found. I bought the book yesterday afternoon and finished it last night.

It's an interesting story, but the more I think about it, the more uncomfortable the school at Oakhurst makes me in terms of the amount of control the school has over its students. And, it seems to me that the students probably aren't going to be that well prepared for life in the regular world. Still, it's a good story, and a promising start to a new series. I'm not sure where the series title, The Shadow Grail, comes from yet, but perhaps we'll find out in the next book when it comes out. According to the excerpt in the back of this one, it seems to pick up right where Legacies leaves off.

Legacies is definitely a teen oriented book, and would probably appeal to fans of the P.C. Cast House of Night series and similar books. Older readers will probably still like it too - I did, even though I don't generally like books set in high school - even fantasy high schools.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series, whatever it is going to be called, and whenever it's due out.