![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Tanya Huff: The Demon’s Den
Dec. 5th, 2018 06:52 pmAs has been made clear, I love the secondary world of Valdemar created by Mercedes Lackey. I also, one may have noticed, love the writing of Tanya Huff. So you can imagine my delight when Tanya Huff released a collection of her Valdemarian stories featuring Herald Jors and his Companion Gervais, in The Demon’s Den and Other Tales of Valdemar.
The stories are told in a linear fashion, and begin with Jors as a young Herald, not long into his career, unsure of himself, his judgement, his abilities, but still, like any Herald, giving all that he can, the best that he can, relying on the unearthly wisdom of his Companion to find the best way. As his adventures continue, he becomes more comfortable with himself, his duties, and his place in the world. He makes mistakes. He learns about himself. He experiences successes, and failures to achieve everything he’d hoped to. He learns about love and heartbreak. And finally, he comes into his own, a Herald in his prime, confident and assured but aware of his limits and his needs.
I’d read these before, of course - they were all originally published in Lackey’s Valdemar anthologies - and enjoyed them, but there’s a deeper enjoyment to be found in seeing Jors growing and maturing as one reads these stories one after the other. I’m glad Huff had the idea to put them into a single collection, and that Lackey granted permission for her to publish a Valdemarian collection.
The stories are told in a linear fashion, and begin with Jors as a young Herald, not long into his career, unsure of himself, his judgement, his abilities, but still, like any Herald, giving all that he can, the best that he can, relying on the unearthly wisdom of his Companion to find the best way. As his adventures continue, he becomes more comfortable with himself, his duties, and his place in the world. He makes mistakes. He learns about himself. He experiences successes, and failures to achieve everything he’d hoped to. He learns about love and heartbreak. And finally, he comes into his own, a Herald in his prime, confident and assured but aware of his limits and his needs.
I’d read these before, of course - they were all originally published in Lackey’s Valdemar anthologies - and enjoyed them, but there’s a deeper enjoyment to be found in seeing Jors growing and maturing as one reads these stories one after the other. I’m glad Huff had the idea to put them into a single collection, and that Lackey granted permission for her to publish a Valdemarian collection.