science fiction

The Black Gryphon - Mage Wars 1 - Mercedes Lackey Book Review

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Review Summaries
"This book is listed as part of the Heralds of Valdemar series, but it actually takes place about 1000 years before Valdemar even existed. Ma'ar and Urtho, the Mage of Silence, are at war with one another. Skandranon, one of Urtho's gryphons, is a spectacular aerial fighter. Amberdrake, Skan's human friend, heals the minds, hearts, and, sometimes, bodies of many of the soldiers and healers, but even he sometimes needs a shoulder to lean on. Winterhart might be someone Amberdrake could come to depend on, but first she has to get past the secret about herself that she's buried and her belief that the nonhumans in Urtho's army are little more than somewhat intelligent animals. Zhaneel, another gryphon, has suffered because the humans around her believed that, but, with help from friends, her stunted self-esteem blossoms. In the end, they must all try to survive the consequences of the Mage Wars."
Melissa Cookson, Resident Mercedes Lackey Scholar

"The evil mage Maar has begun invading the lands of the mage Urtho causing a long war. Amberdrake helps those in need deal with their losses, even when worried about his friend, Skandranon the Black Gryphon, who often risks life and wing for the sake of others. Both Amberdrake and Skandranon meet their ideal mates, but all that is put in the back of their minds when Maar's forces drawn even closer."
Covarla, Resident Mercedes Lackey Scholar


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Overall Review
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%




FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Romance Yes
Political power play Yes
Political plotlets - saving govt/kingdom from external overthrow
Mental/magical powers focus Yes
magical powers: - clash between evenly matched magical power(s) (fantasy)
War or Invasion Yes
Major kinds of combat: - air battles - magical battles
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male - magical being
Profession/status: - doctor - warrior/knight
Age: - 20's-30's
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - mind reading - mind control - can fly - can cast many different spells - can read emotions
Eccentric: Yes - eccentric
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King - mage/magician
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - fire/thunder/weather cntrl - can cast all sorts of spells
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - almost none - an average amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Forests
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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