Subject: _Winds of Change_ by Mercedes Lackey (no spoilers)

From: [email-masked] (Sean Eric Fagan)
Date: 22 Sep 92 22:36:55 GMT

Let's be honest:  Mercedes Lackey's recent works have not been all that
good, especially the collaborations.  Even the stuff she wrote by herself,
that has been published in the last year, hasn't been all that great.
_Winds of Fate_, the first book in "The Mage Winds" trilogy, was, at the
time, one of the worst things I'd read by her (although, at the time, her
worst was still better than lots of other stuff I'd read).

WoC is better -- but not always.  The first three hundred pages or so are...
not her typical writing.  It is not engrossing at that point, and rather
lacking in action.  I want to say, however, that I *like* the concept, it's
just the actual doing that I'm not too happy with.  (Essentially, there is
no major singular challenge, just her characters getting on with
more-or-less normal lives.  Which is *good*, because almost all books and
stories only deal with the stressful times.  It's nice to know what calmer
times are like.  I just don't know that three-hundred-odd pages were
necessary to do it, and I'm not sure that how it was done was really
worthwhile.  To give you an idea, if/when I reread the book, I will probably
either skim or skip that entire section.)

After that, however, the tone of the book changes -- *drastically*.  It
reminded me a lot more of other Lackey books I enjoyed greatly.  And the
last sixty pages or so were so engrossing that I've stayed up until now to
finish the book.

Despite that, however, there are still more problems.  The ending of the
book is a bit sudden, and, of course, there is no real ending, just a
fadeoff into the next book (which isn't out yet, of course).  However, it
was not unexpected, since it's been known since _By the Sword_ that the
"Mage Winds" trilogy would be just that:  a trilogy.  So, with that in mind,
where and how the book ends comes quite a bit more easily, and is, actually,
probably a good ending for it.

There are some other, minor problems (one of the Hawkbrothers swearing,
"God!" was my favorite, since they worship a Goddess who takes a rather
personal interest in them), especially the drawings, which have some of the
characters pictured as a few years older than they should be (twenty,
thirty, in some cases, it seems 8-)).

It's good to see Mercedes Lackey writing *good* stuff again.  Even if it is
only the last third of the book.  And it is good, good enough that I will
reread it (I still haven't reread _Winds of Fate_, although I was tempted
to, having run out of new books to read; fortunately, a new shipment of
booksk came in at about the same time... 8-)).  Hopefully, the trend will
continue.

%A Mercedes Lackey
%T Winds of Change
%I Daw Books, Inc.
%C New York
%D 1992
%G ISBN 0-886-770534-5
%O hardcover, US$20.00
%P 446 pages

-- 
Sean Eric Fagan  | "You can't get lost in one room, no matter how
[email-masked]  |  little effort you make to learn your way around."
-----------------+    -- William E Davidsen ([email-masked])
Any opinions expressed are my own, and generally unpopular with others.