The Last Herald-Mage (Deluxe Hardcover)

The groundbreaking trilogy that established Mercedes Lackey as a master of the fantasy genre is now available in a first-of-its-kind deluxe omnibus edition featuring sprayed edges, premium cover effects, and a new introduction from the author.

Welcome to Valdemar. This is a land where magic thrives, where kings and queens are just and Heralds are true. It is a land at peace—for now.

Vanyel Ashkevron, the eldest of his brothers, is an utter disappointment to his father. Unlike the rest of the Ashkevron sons and cousins, he has no interest in any of the skills that are vital for a Border estate, such as horse breeding, estate management, or, most crucially, combat. The only thing he has any interest in at all is music: he wants to become a Bard. His father wants the estate Weaponsmaster to beat that nonsense out of him—literally, if necessary. And when the all-too-inevitable broken bones occur, in desperation he sends the youngster to his Aunt Savil at the Heralds’ Collegium at the palace of Valdemar itself, hoping that she can “cure” him.

Instead tragedy awakens his latent magic, and by the time his powers, raw and unmastered, are released on the world, it may already be too late to avoid calamity on a truly devastating scale. 

This is Vanyel’s story: a boy who dreams of making music, he will grow into Valdemar’s greatest-ever Herald-Mage. Along the way Vanyel will confront war and grief, dark magic, and the heaviest loss of all—the loss of his one true love. He must reconcile with his destiny, with his heart, and with his very soul. For the fate of the world lies on Vanyel’s shoulders, and if he falters, both he and Valdemar will pay the ultimate price.

Featuring one of the genre’s first gay male protagonists, this deluxe edition is the perfect gift for readers eager to delve into a foundational piece of fantasy history.