Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Lackey signing autographs at CONvergence
Born	June 24, 1950 (1950-06-24) (age 61) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	novelist, short story writer
Nationality	American
Period	1987 to the present
Genres	fiction
Subjects	fantasy
Notable work(s)	Valdemar series
Spouse(s)	Larry Dixon
Influences Marion Zimmer Bradley C. J. Cherryh Andre Norton
mercedeslackey.com

Mercedes "Misty" Lackey (born June 24, 1950) is a best-selling American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar. Her Valdemar novels form a complex tapestry of interaction between human and non-human protagonists with many different cultures and social mores.

Her other main world is one much like our own; but it includes clandestine populations of elves, mages, vampires, and other mythical beings. The Bedlam's Bard books describe a young man with the power to work incredible magics through music; the SERRAted Edge books are about racecar-driving elves; and the Diana Tregarde thrillers center on a Wiccan who combats evil.

Biography

Lackey was born in Chicago, an event that prevented her father from being called to serve in the Korean War.^[1]

She places her meeting with science fiction at age 10 or 11, when she happened to pick up her father's copy of James H. Schmitz's Agent of Vega. She then read Andre Norton's Beast Master and Lord of Thunder and continued to read all of Norton's works—Lackey noted with chagrined amusement the difficulties of obtaining enough interesting books from the public library to sate her passion for reading. She wrote for herself but without real direction or purpose until she attended Purdue University. Lackey graduated from Purdue in 1972.

While at Purdue, she took a one-on-one class of English Literature Independent Studies with a professor who was a fellow sci-fi fan. He helped her analyze books she enjoyed and then use that knowledge. Lackey then encountered fan fiction, which further encouraged her writing. She began publishing work in fanzines and then discovered filk and had some filk lyrics published by Off Centaur Publications. She submitted a story to Sword and Sorceress, then sold the rewritten story to Fantasy Book Magazine. Her first sale was to Friends of Darkover.

She met C. J. Cherryh through filk, who mentored her during the writing of her 'Arrows' series. During this time, Marion Zimmer Bradley included her short stories in an anthology; and Cherryh helped Lackey through 17 rewrites of 'Arrows'. During this time, she claims to have been writing so much that she had no social life at all. She divorced Tony Lackey, and eventually married Larry Dixon.^[2]

Mercedes Lackey lives with her husband outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in an unusual house. She describes it as a "2½-story concrete dome with an octagonal wooden shell over it to make it look more like a normal house ... it's round with curved outer walls, which makes placement of furniture kind of awkward." (Valdemar Companion, 68)

Difficulties

Lackey declined to write further Diana Tregarde stories because of low sales. However, she was harassed about the decision by a small but determined number of fans who seemed to confuse fantasy with reality, believing that the occult-based story milieu was genuine and that various conspiracies were preventing her from publishing more of this series. Lackey claims that the trouble escalated to the point where she and her husband, Larry Dixon, received death threats and were temporarily forced to suspend their fandom activities.^[3] She resumed attending conventions by 2004.

Despite getting her own start as a fanfic author, she and her agent strongly forbade fanfiction based on her own books for many years, whether distributed offline or online. Lackey stated on her website^[4] that this was due to the 1992 Marion Zimmer Bradley fan fiction affair, when a fan accused Bradley of copying the fan's work, and demanded writing credit and remuneration.^[5] After several years, Lackey's policy permitted offline fanfic, but only if the author got a release form from Mercedes Lackey that said the author acknowledged that they were using characters that belong to Mercedes Lackey and that the author's work essentially became Mercedes Lackey's property to prevent "infringing on my right to make a living from my own imagination". As of 2009 this policy appears to have changed per the author's official website.

Other interests

She and her husband, Larry Dixon, have in the past worked in raptor rehabilitation. She often refers to her various parrots as her "feathered children". The afterwords to some of her books refer to rehabilitation and falconry, and it is clear that this interest has influenced and informed her writing. She also enjoys beadwork, costuming, and needlework. She claims, however, to be a "wretched housekeeper, and by and large an indifferent cook" (Valdemar Companion, p 64) Besides this, she does radar-reading during tornado season. She helps support the Alex Foundation.

Lackey is active in the ball-jointed doll community. She owns several dolls, many of which she has customized in the likenesses of her characters.

Historically, Lackey was active in the filking community. She was a major contributor to an early album of space filk, Minus Ten and Counting. She has won five Pegasus Awards, mostly for her songwriting.

She is also participating in the The Stellar Guild series published by Phoenix Pick. The series pairs bestselling authors like Lackey with lesser known authors in science fiction and fantasy to help provide additional visibility to them.

Favorite books

Her favorite book that she has written is By the Sword, and her easiest to write was anything about Tarma and Kethry.

Related writers

Mercedes Lackey was a protegée of Marion Zimmer Bradley, and got her start writing short stories in Bradley's story collections. Other mentors include writers C. J. Cherryh and Andre Norton, along with her editor, Elizabeth (Betsy) Wollheim of DAW Books.

Her earlier Velgarth novels are all solo projects, but later volumes in the Valdemar saga are illustrated by her husband Larry Dixon, and in many of her latest works he is also credited as co-author. Many of her other novels are collaborations. She has worked with fantasy authors Andre Norton, (such as the Halfblood Chronicles), Marion Zimmer Bradley, (such as Rediscovery and Tigers Burning Bright), Anne McCaffrey (such as The Ship Who Searched) and Piers Anthony (If I Pay Thee Not in Gold). She has most recently written The Obsidian Trilogy with historian James Mallory and an historical fantasy series about an "alternative" Elizabeth I with romance writer Roberta Gellis.^[2]

Collections

See also: Mercedes Lackey Collections

Valdemar universe

Some of the trilogies follow on chronologically from each other, while others are set a considerable number of years apart from the others - overall the books span some 3000 years of history.

Heralds of Valdemar

This set consists of the original trilogy, the very first Valdemar books published, and a prequel trilogy, the most recent.

"Arrows" trilogy

The first written and published of the Valdemar novels, these center on the character Talia, who from the moment of being Chosen by her Companion Rolan becomes the very special and hard-working Queen's Own Herald.

1. Arrows of the Queen (1987)
2. Arrow's Flight (1987)
3. Arrow's Fall (1988)

Prequels

These center on the Weaponsmaster Alberich (in the first two books) and the thief Skif (in the third book), telling the stories of their not-entirely-voluntary enrollments as Heralds. The order in which they were written differs from the internal chronology.

1. Exile's Honor (2002)
2. Exile's Valor (2003)
3. Take a Thief (2001)

The Mage Winds

These follow on from the original Heralds of Valdemar trilogy and center on Princess Elspeth completing her transformation from "the Brat" to a fully-fledged Herald. Secondary protagonists include Skif and a new character Darkwind.

The latter part of Kerowyn's Tale, By the Sword fills in the events that happen after Arrow's Fall but before Winds of Fate.

1. Winds of Fate (1991) ISBN 9780886775162
2. Winds of Change (1992) ISBN 9780886775636
3. Winds of Fury (1993) ISBN 9780886776121

The Mage Storms

This next trilogy follows on the Heralds of Valdemar story and centers around the characters Karal and An'desha as Velgarth is threatened by a repetition of the Cataclysm described in The Mage Wars trilogy. This trilogy also focuses on the threat posed to Valdemar by the vast Eastern Empire and the development of the newly formed Alliance between Valdemar and its surrounding nations.

1. Storm Warning (1994)
2. Storm Rising (1995)
3. Storm Breaking (1996)

Darian's Tale

The Owl trilogy takes place several years after the events of The Mage Storms and follows the character Darian. The story focuses on the repercussions of the mage storms on Valdemar's northern border and centers on new tensions between the Kingdom and invading barbarians from beyond the Ice Wall.

1. Owlflight (1997) ISBN 9780613181372
2. Owlsight (1998) ISBN 9780886778033
3. Owlknight (1999) ISBN 9780886779160

The Last Herald Mage

These occur some centuries before the Heralds of Valdemar books, telling the life story of Vanyel Ashkevron; by the time of the "later" books he has become legend, thus explaining some of the small inconsistencies. This series was also consistently nominated for the Lambda Literary Prize, with Magic's Price winning in 1990.^[6]

1. Magic's Pawn (1989) ISBN 9780140167511
2. Magic's Promise (1990) ISBN 9780886774011
3. Magic's Price (1991) ISBN 9780886774264

Vows and Honor

These precede the Heralds of Valdemar books and center around the characters Tarma and Kethry. These characters appeared first in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress series) and were revisited in subsequent short stories. Two of these short stories are woven into the Vows and Honor books as part of a longer narrative. The original Vows and Honor pair of books were linked together with By the Sword (published long before Oathblood) as a trilogy.

1. The Oathbound (1988)
2. Oathbreakers (1989)
3. Oathblood (1998)

The third volume, Oathblood, is made up entirely of short stories in place of a longer narrative. With its publication, nearly all of the Tarma and Kethry stories were available together in a single compiled volume for the first time. The single missing story, A Dragon in Distress, was co-authored with Elisabeth Waters and was originally published in the Sword and Sorceress series, volume XII. The story is missing from the compilation novel Oathblood due to the setting of the story taking place in Elisabeth Waters's world, not Mercedes Lackey's Velgarth.

The contents of Oathblood are as follows:

1. Introduction (1998)—Originally published in Oathblood
2. Sword-sworn (1985)—Originally published in Sword and Sorceress III
3. Turnabout (1986)—Originally published in Oathbound
4. The Making of a Legend (1990)—Originally published in Sword and Sorceress VI
5. Keys (1988)—Originally published in Sword and Sorceress V
6. A Woman's Weapon (1992)—Originally published in Sword and Sorceress IX
7. The Talisman (1990)—Originally published in Sword and Sorceress VII
8. A Tale of Heroes (1987)—Originally published in Sword and Sorceress IV
9. Friendly Fire (1993)—Originally published in Sword and Sorceress X
10. Wings of Fire (1991)—Originally published in Sword and Sorceress VIII
11. Spring Plowing at Forst Reach (1998)—Originally published in Oathblood
12. Oathblood (1998)—Originally published in Oathblood

In the books and short stories, Tarma is a sword-wielding Shin'a'in clanswoman. Kethry is a magic-user who carries a sword with unusual properties. The nature of this sword, Need, is explored in later series set in Valdemar. At the time of the Vows and Honor books, all that is known is that it is magic, protects female bearers, and can pressure its owner into assisting other women. The overarching goal for the two women is to accumulate resources enough to regenerate Tarma's almost-destroyed clan. As the titles of the books suggest, emphasis is laid on the importance and consequences of oaths in at least one story from each book. The setting of the books is generally in the lands south of Valdemar such as Rethwellan, although there is a brief sojourn in Valdemar in Oathbreakers. Despite limited time in Valdemar, there were references in the first two Vows and Honor books to the Companions of Valdemar which laid early hints to their nature. The introduction of a fourfold deity (Tarma's Goddess) was something of a novel idea at the time of publication.

Kerowyn's Tale

This is a stand-alone novel which connects the Vows & Honor sub-series to the Heralds and other trilogies; it introduces the character Kerowyn who features therein. Kerowyn is the granddaughter of Kethry from the Vows and Honor sub-series.

• By the Sword (1991)

The Mage Wars

Co-written with Larry Dixon. These are set in pre-history, some 2000–3000 years earlier. They describe the events which set off The Mage Storms. It involves gryphons, creatures created by the mage Urtho (Mage of Silence). Co-protagonists are Skandranon Rashkae, a princely but proud ebony gryphon, and Amberdrake, a Healer of spirit and mind called a kestra'chern.

1. The Black Gryphon (1994)
2. The White Gryphon (1995)
3. The Silver Gryphon (1996)

Collegium Chronicles

This series marked Lackey's novel-length return to Valdemar after a 5-year hiatus. It covers the founding of the Heralds' Collegium.

1. Foundation (2008) ISBN 9780756405762
2. Intrigues (2010) ISBN 9780756406394
3. Changes (2011) ISBN 9780756406929

Brightly Burning

Brightly Burning ISBN 9780613630214 is a stand-alone novel, set somewhere between Collegium Chronicles and the Heralds books; it describes another legendary character briefly referred to in the latter, Lavan Firestorm. The book was published in May 2000.

Anthologies and other publications

Various anthologies were published from 1997 onwards featuring some short stories by Lackey and other authors she invited to write about the Valdemar universe. A companion book was also produced about the universe.

• Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar (1997)
• Sun in Glory and Other Tales of Valdemar (2003)
• Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar (2005)
• Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar (2008)
• Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar (2009)
• Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar (2010)
• Under the Vale and Other Tales of Valdemar (2011)
• The Valdemar Companion (2001)

Elves on the Road universe

This universe is set in warp-modern time featuring elves and magic.

Bedlam's Bard

Lackey wrote the first few in this series with Ellen Guon and the latter part with Rosemary Edghill.

• Knight of Ghosts and Shadows (1990) with Ellen Guon
• Summoned to Tourney (1992) with Ellen Guon

Bedlam's Bard (1998) - compilation of Knight of Ghosts and Shadows and Summoned to Tourney

• Bedlam Boyz (1993) by Ellen Guon - prequel to Knight of Ghosts and Shadows
• Beyond World's End (2001) with Rosemary Edghill
• Spirits White as Lightning (2001) with Rosemary Edghill
• Mad Maudlin (2003) with Rosemary Edghill
• Bedlam's Edge (2005) with Rosemary Edghill
• Music to My Sorrow (2005) with Rosemary Edghill

Bedlam's Edge is a collection of short stories, set in the same universe as the rest of the series but not involving any of the characters from the rest of the books. It includes two stories and an essay by Mercedes Lackey, one story each from Ellen Guon and Rosemary Edghill, and nine from a variety of other authors. When reading the series in chronological order, Music to My Sorrow follows directly from Mad Maudlin.

Diana Tregarde

The main character, Diana Tregarde, is an American witch, practicing a fantasy version of Wicca; by virtue of her position as a "Guardian" Diana has access to more magical power than many and she is required to give her help when someone asks it of her. Her magical abilities do not pay the bills, however, and so Diana makes her living by writing romance novels. In the stories, Diana must protect others from angry deities, vampires and a sorceress who intends to remain eternally young.

• Burning Water (1989)
• Children of the Night (1990)
• Jinx High (1991)

• Diana Tregard Investigates (2006) (omnibus edition of the above three novels)^[7]

• "Arcanum 101" (2010) is a novella included in Trio of Sorcery (2010)^[8]

The character Diana Tregarde first appeared in two short stories, "Satanic, Versus..." and "Nightside", which were originally written for inclusion in the Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic roleplaying game. The short stories were first published in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine:

• "Satanic, Versus ..." (1990) Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, Autumn 1990^[9]
• "Nightside" (1989) Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, Autumn 1989^[10]
• "Killer Byte" (1994) Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, Spring 1994^[11]

The books were published under Tor's horror imprint rather than its fantasy. At the time of publication, positive depictions of what Wiccans and, more generally, neopagans believed and did were rare. In the mid-nineties, Lackey's books generally were regularly cited as examples of pagan-friendly fiction.^[12] Lackey wrote that she had no plans for further books in the series because they did not sell well;^[3] nonetheless, she incorporated several elements of the Guardian mythos, including the apartment building where Diana lived, into later books in her Bedlam's Bard series.

In the collection "Bedlam's Edge" Lackey notes that she placed the Diana Tregarde world with her SERRAted Edge and Summoned to Tourney world with the intention of forcing anyone who believed Diana Tregarde and the Guardians were real^[3] to also have to believe in elves, dragons, and other patently fantastical things.

The SERRAted Edge

• Born To Run (1992) with Larry Dixon ISBN 9780671721107
• Wheels of Fire (1992) with Mark Shepherd ISBN 9780671721381
• When the Bough Breaks (1993) with Holly Lisle ISBN 9780671721541
• Chrome Circle (1994) with Larry Dixon ISBN 9780671876159
• Elvendude (1994) by Mark Shepherd ISBN 9780671876302
• Spiritride (1997) by Mark Shepherd ISBN 9780671877750
• Lazerwarz (1999) by Mark Shepherd ISBN 9780671578060
• Stoned Souls with Josepha Sherman (never published, as of March 2011)^[13][14]

• The Otherworld (1999) with Holly Lise and Mark Shepherd (omnibus edition, contains Wheels of Fire and When the Bough Breaks) ISBN 9780671578527
• The Chromeborne (1999) with Larry Dixon (omnibus edition, contains Born To Run and Chrome Circle) ISBN 9780671578343

The SERRAted Edge: Doubled Edge

The Doubled Edge series is set several hundred years earlier than the other SERRAted edge books. The storyline is historically based, surrounding Elizabeth I's parentage, birth, and rise to power. In the fictional series, the Light court elves try to bring Elizabeth safely to the throne, while the Dark court elves hope for the misery of religious persecution from her half-sister Mary. This Scepter'd Isle revolves around Henry VIII's illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, and the later three focus on Elizabeth.

• This Scepter'd Isle (2004) with Roberta Gellis ISBN 9780743498890
• Ill Met by Moonlight (2005) with Roberta Gellis
• By Slanderous Tongues (2007) with Roberta Gellis ISBN 9781416521075
• And Less Than Kind (2008) with Roberta Gellis ISBN 9781439132845

Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground (1995)

Sacred Ground is a non-series novel in contemporary milieu concerning Native American magic. The main character, Jennifer Talldeer, is a private investigator. She is also Kestral-Hunts-Alone, an apprentice shaman learning modified tribal magic from her grandfather. She is called in to investigate possible sabotage at a local construction site where Indian artifacts have been found. Initially a run-of-the-mill investigation, it quickly spirals into a mess involving an old flame, Medicine and Native spirits running amok and an ancient evil once defeated by Jennifer's ancestor that has come back seeking revenge.

Much like Diana Tregarde, Jennifer is an independent woman and a powerful magic worker who also has mundane problems.

In her short story After Midnight Lackey insinuates that the novel was an attempt to recover the spirit of the Diana Tregarde novels after the fiasco with a few fans believing the novels were based on real events ( http://www.mercedeslackey.com/features_laststraw.html ). However, Sacred Ground also did not sell well, and Lackey took a break from dark fantasy.

• "Drums" (2010) is a novella included in Trio of Sorcery (2010)^[8]

Heirs of Alexandria series

See also: Heirs of Alexandria series

(with Dave Freer and Eric Flint) Set in an alternate "Venetian Empire" in which magic thrives. (Note, a significant amount of text, and a couple of major characters in this work are adapted from stories written by Lackey in the Merovingen Nights shared universe series. That series was started by C. J. Cherryh in her novel Angel with the Sword.)

• The Shadow of the Lion, March 2002, Baen Books, 0-7434-3523-0
• This Rough Magic, December 2003, Baen Books, 0-7434-7149-0
• A Mankind Witch, July 2005, Baen Books, 0-7434-9913-1
• Much Fall of Blood, 2010, Baen Books, 978-1-4391-3351-4

Secret World Chronicle

• Book One: Invasion (2006) with Steve Libbey, Dennis Lee and Cody Martin
• Book Two: The Hunt (2007) with Steve Libbey, Dennis Lee and Cody Martin
• Book Three: World Well Lost (2009) with Dennis Lee and Cody Martin

The Secret World Chronicle is a series of "braided novels," based on characters and ideas created by Lackey and Libbey in an on-line role-playing environment, transposed into an entirely new setting. Although there are plans to set future works in different eras, Invasion is set in the present-day in a world where "metas" (short for metahumans, that setting's term for superheroes) first appeared during World War II and now play an important role in keeping the world safe. In Invasion, the world is invaded by a mysterious force of armored Nazi soldiers, some of whom are subsequently found not to be human.

While Secret World Chronicle is not set in the same world as the SERRAted Edge and Bedlam's Bard series, it does share certain elements in common with those books; one of Invasion's central characters, Victoria Victrix Nagy, is referred to as a Knight of Underhill.

The first book of The Secret World Chronicle began serialization in podcast form in September, 2006, read aloud by actors Adam Higgins and Laura Patterson. Beginning in 2007, the series continued to be read by voiceover artist Veronica Giguere. In Spring 2009, the series was sold to Baen Books with a publication date of 2010.^[15]

The Halfblood Chronicles with Andre Norton

Main article: The Halfblood Chronicles

See also: Andre Norton

This series of novels is set on a world where both elves and dragons arrived from dimensional portals onto a world where humans were native. The dragons remained hidden and elves subjugated the humans. The story follows the exploits of a group of half-blooded humans attempting to fight the elves.

1. The Elvenbane (1991)
2. Elvenblood (1995)
3. Elvenborn (2002)
4. Elvenbred (this has not yet been released and is in question due to the death of Andre Norton.)

The Elemental Masters

Main article: The Elemental Masters

Set in an earth where magic exists during the early 20th century, these stories follow magicians who control the powers of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. These stories are based loosely—sometimes very loosely—on various fairy tales. Although these books all take place in the same "world" and all include the same established system of Elemental Magick, the first book, The Fire Rose, can be distinguished in that the story takes place in the United States rather than in England, and the set of characters are not interrelated as are those in the following books. The Wizard of London can be considered a prequel to the other stories set in England and takes place during the Victorian Era.

1. The Fire Rose (1995, ISBN 0-671-87750-X) based on Beauty and the Beast
2. The Serpent's Shadow (2001, ISBN 0-7564-0061-9) based on Snow White
3. The Gates of Sleep (2002, ISBN 0-7564-0101-1) based on Sleeping Beauty
4. Phoenix And Ashes (2004, ISBN 0-7564-0272-7) based on Cinderella
5. The Wizard of London (October 2005, ISBN 0-7564-0174-7) based on The Snow Queen.
6. Reserved for the Cat (October 2007, ISBN 978-0-7564-0362-1) based on Puss in Boots.
7. Unnatural Issue (June 2011, ISBN 978-0-7564-0575-51)

Fairy Tale

1. The Black Swan (1999) based on Swan Lake
2. Firebird (1996) Based on a Russian Folk Tale

Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms

A fantasy series that deals with the more mature side of fairy tales. In the Five Hundred Kingdoms (almost certainly a literal name), the destiny of witches, knights, princesses and such are regulated by The Tradition, a magical force that is one of the primary sources of magic. Fairy Godmothers, Champions and Wizards are responsible for ensuring that The Tradition is upheld with a minimal loss of life. As with The Black Swan, place-names suggest that these books are set in a fantasized version of late-medieval Europe. The Five Hundred Kingdoms series is published as part of Harlequin's Luna imprint, targeted at female romance-science fiction/fantasy readers.

1. The Fairy Godmother (2004)
2. One Good Knight (2006)
3. Fortune's Fool (2007)
4. The Snow Queen (2008)
5. The Sleeping Beauty (2010)
6. Beauty and the Werewolf (June^[16] 2011)

Free Bards universe

Bardic Voices

1. The Lark and the Wren (1992)
2. The Robin & the Kestrel (1994)
3. The Eagle & the Nightingales (1996)
4. Four and Twenty Blackbirds (1997, ISBN 0-671-87853-0)

The Free Bards had their genesis in the story "Fiddler Fair," originally written for an Andre Norton shared-world anthology titled Magic in Ithkar. The Ithkar series did not continue after its second volume, so Lackey rewrote, changed, and expanded the story into a setting of its own in The Lark and the Wren. "Fiddler Fair" may be found in the Mercedes Lackey short-story collection that is also titled Fiddler Fair.

Bardic Choices

1. A Cast of Corbies (1994)

The Dragon Jousters

Main article: The Dragon Jousters

The books primarily follow the story of Vetch (or Kiron, from the second book onward), and centers initially around a war between the neighboring countries of Alta and Tia, both of which use Dragon Jousters as their most powerful weapons. The books are based on the predynastic period of Ancient Egypt and (very loosely) the myth of Atlantis. This series began with a short story entitled "Joust" which was published in The Dragon Quintet (ISBN 076531035X). This short story was later expanded into the following series with the first novel holding the same name as the short story that began the series.

1. Joust (2003)
2. Alta (2004)
3. Sanctuary (May 2005)
4. Aerie (Oct 2006)

Obsidian Trilogy

This series primarily follows the adventures of Kellen Tavadon during the third war between the races of light and the Endarkened.

1. The Outstretched Shadow with James Mallory (2003)
2. To Light a Candle with James Mallory (2004)
3. When Darkness Falls with James Mallory (2006)

Enduring Flame

New series, set 1000 years after the events in Obsidian Mountain (Obsidian 1-3); and following an entirely new cast of characters, with the exception of cameo appearances by major characters Jermayan and Idalia, and the continued presence of Ancaladar the Dragon.

1. The Phoenix Unchained with James Mallory (2007)
2. The Phoenix Endangered with James Mallory (2008)
3. The Phoenix Transformed with James Mallory (2009)

The universe of the Obsidian Trilogy and Enduring Flame Series contains many mythological creatures, and contains several types of magic, each with its own dynamics, strengths, and weakness. The High Magic and Wild Magic are used by the protagonists, while the Dark Magick is an old magic practiced by a race of demons called the Endarkened.

There are several types of mages featured:

Wildmage- A mage who was given the "Three books of Wild Magic". They can do a wide variety of things, however, each spell has two prices that depend on the size of the magick: A physical price, that usually gets the Wildmage tired but it can get him killed. And the MagePrice, that requires the people involved to do a deed as dictated by the gods of wild magic. Both prices can be shared by other people if they want.

Knight-Mage- A type of wild-mage which only appears during the direst of times. Most of their magic is in the ability to excel in the various forms of warfare. However, what comes naturally to a regular Wild Mage often comes with difficulty to a Knight-Mage, as a result of their martial focus.

High Mage- A mage who practices "High magic", also known as war magic. They must be trained to use their magic, otherwise the magic will kill them. High Magery involves decades of training of the Magegift to gain mastery, and differs from the Wild Magic in that it is heavily ritualized and requires vast amounts of supporting equipment for all but generally the simplest of spells (unless one has mastered High Magic).

Elvenmage- Litlle information is told about them, but they are similar to Wildmages

Dark Mage- A Wildmage or Elvenmage that has been tainted or shadow-touched. Many believed that they were in the right, while others were just greedy. Dark Mages serve the Endarkened.

The Endarkened- A race of demons who use a powerful magic which derives power from the suffering and death of others. They were originally Elves who were tainted by "He-Who-Is", the main antagonists in the Obsidian Trilogy. The Endarkened had immortality.

All kinds of mages, except the Endarkened, can bond themselves to dragons, creating a mind-link with them and having access to their almost unlimitated source of power. Usually both dragon and bonded have to accept the bond, however, Dark Mages use spells to force the bond, so, the dragons used to run away from them.

The Bard's Tale

Based on The Bard's Tale computer role playing game series.

1. Castle of Deception (1992) with Josepha Sherman
2. Fortress of Frost and Fire (1993) with Ru Emerson
3. Prison of Souls (1993) with Mark Shepherd

Collections of short stories

• Fiddler Fair (March 1, 1998), ISBN 0-671-87866-2
  • "How I Spent My Summer Vacation"
  • "Aliens Ate My Pickup"
  • "Small Print"
  • "Last Rights"
  • "Dumb Feast"
  • "Dance Track"
  • "Jihad"
  • "Balance"
  • "Dragon's Teeth"
  • "The Cup and the Caldron"
  • "Once and Future"
  • "Fiddler Fair"
  • "The Enemy of My Enemy"

• Werehunter (April 1, 1999), ISBN 0-671-57805-7
  • "Werehunter"
  • "SKitty"
  • "A Tail of Two SKitties"
  • "SCat"
  • "A Better Mousetrap"
  • "Last of the Season"
  • "Satanic, Versus"
  • "Nightside"
  • "Wet Wings"
  • "Stolen Silver"
  • "Roadkill"
  • "Operation Desert Fox"
  • "Grey"
  • "Grey's Ghost"

Sword and Sorceress series Short Stories

Main article: Sword and Sorceress series

All Mercedes Lackey stories written for the Sword and Sorceress series anthology involve Tarma & Kethry as the main characters. With the notable exception of A DRAGON IN DISTRESS, all of these short stories have subsequently been published in a compiled Tarma & Kethry novel called Oathblood (April 1998, ISBN 0-88677-773-9). The reason this story was left out of the compiled novel is due to the fact that the setting for A DRAGON IN DISTRESS takes place in Elisabeth Waters's world, not Mercedes Lackey's Velgarth.

1. Sword and Sorceress III (July 1986, ISBN 0-88677-141-2), story SWORD SWORN
2. Sword and Sorceress IV (July 1987, ISBN 0-88677-210-9), story A TALE OF HEROES
3. Sword and Sorceress V (August 1988, ISBN 0-88677-288-5), story KEYS
4. Sword and Sorceress VI (June 1990, ISBN 0-88677-423-3), story THE MAKING OF A LEGEND
5. Sword and Sorceress VII (December 1990, ISBN 0-88677-457-8), story THE TALISMAN
6. Sword and Sorceress VIII (September 1991, ISBN 0-88677-486-1), story WINGS OF FIRE
7. Sword and Sorceress IX (April 1992, ISBN 0-88677-509-4), story A WOMAN'S WEAPON
8. Sword and Sorceress X (June 1993, ISBN 0-88677-552-3), story FRIENDLY FIRE
9. Sword and Sorceress XII (July 1995, ISBN 0-88677-657-0), story A DRAGON IN DISTRESS with Elisabeth Waters
10. Sword and Sorceress XXIII (November 2008, ISBN 1-93464-878-7), story SCAM ARTISTRY with Elisabeth Waters

Other works

• Reap the Whirlwind (1989) with C. J. Cherryh (book three of The Sword of Knowledge trilogy)
• The Ship Who Searched (1992) with Anne McCaffrey, Book 3 in The Brainship Series, ISBN 0-671-72129-1
• Freedom Flight (1992) with Ellen Guon, Book 1 in the Wing Commander universe, ISBN 0-671-72145-3
• Rediscovery (1993) (with Marion Zimmer Bradley), Book 20 in the Darkover series, ISBN 0-88677-529-9
• If I Pay Thee Not in Gold (1993) with Piers Anthony, ISBN 0-671-87623-6
• Tiger Burning Bright (1995) with Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton, ISBN 0-688-14360-1
• The River's Gift (1999) ISBN 0-451-45759-5
• The Wizard of Karres (2004) with Eric Flint and Dave Freer, ISBN 9780743488396
• Charmed Destinies Counting Crows with Drusilla's Dream and Moonglow with Rachel Lee and Catherine Asaro (Luna 2003)
• Contributions of short fiction to all seven of the Merovingen Nights shared world anthologies, some of which she recycled in "Heirs of Alexandria."
• Mercedes contributed a story arc to City of Heroes in 2010 using that game's Architect system. This arc features "Diane Tregarde" (Not "Diana" as referred to above, probably due to copyright issues) as a contact for a comic story about supernatural villain temp agencies.^[17]
• Mercedes also contributed a short story in 1993 to Dark Hours: The Blood of Ten Chiefs ElfQuest anthology, called "Riders of the Storm", set in Two-Spear's time, starring Willowgreen and Graywolf.

References

1. ^ Mercedes Lackey - Biography
2. ^ ^{a b} "Mercedes Lackey" Retrieved 11 Dec. 2010
3. ^ ^{a b c} Mercedes Lackey website, The Last Straw
4. ^ Mercedes Lackey Official Website, Ask Misty
5. ^ Fanworks, Marion Zimmer Bradley
6. ^ "Lambda Literary Awards 1990". LambdaLiterary.org. 13 July 1991. http://www.lambdaliterary.org/winners-finalists/07/13/lambda-literary-awards-1990/. Retrieved 4 April 2010. 
7. ^ Internet Science Fiction Database (ISFDB)
8. ^ ^{a b} ISFDB
9. ^ ISFDB
10. ^ ISFDB
11. ^ ISFDB
12. ^ CUUPS Recommended Reading
13. ^ "Stoned Souls Hardback". Firebird Arts & Music, 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
14. ^ "Stoned Souls never published", Firebird Arts & Music
15. ^ http://www.secretworldchronicle.com/
16. ^ "Beauty and the Werewolf." FantasticFiction.com.uk, 2011. Retrieved 14 Feb. 2011.
17. ^ GamePro - City of Heroes launches series 2 of guest-authored Mission Arcs

External links

• Official Website
• Baen Free Library free ebooks by Mercedes Lackey
• Letter about death threats received.

Persondata
Name	Lackey, Mercedes
Alternative names	Lackey, Misty (nickname)
Short description	Novelist, short story writer
Date of birth	June 24, 1950
Place of birth	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Date of death
Place of death