My life in books

I just can't resist Valdemar. So when I happened across the latest volume of Valdemar-themed short stories, No True Way - edited as always by Mercedes Lackey, who can be counted on to srlect the stories that most feel like they belong in Valdemat - I just had to get it, read it, and finish it as quickly as I could. And it made me feel happy, as good comfort reading, like comfort food, should.

As much as I love reading new tales of Valdemar, I must acknowledge that the quality of the stories is a bit uneven, but all are at the very least a pleasure to read for a fan of Valdemar, if not not equally well crafted.Some of my favourite stories in this collection are:

The Barest Gift, by Brenda Cooper, in which we learn that even the smallest of gifts can be useful when the heart is good, at least in Valdemar;

Old Loom, New Tapestry, by Dayle A. Dermatis, in which an unlikely Herald Trainee on her first circuit uncovers the tragic circumstances behind a murder;

Consequences Unforeseen by Elizabeth A. Vaughan, set in the early days of Queen Selenay's reign, in which the outland wife of a traitorous nobleman learns how to serve her people better than her late husband ever did;

Written in the Wind, by Jennifer Brozek, one of the most heart-breaking tales of Valdemar I've ever read, in which two young Chosen and their Companions give all they have... and fail;

A Brand from the Burning, by Rosemary Edghill and Rebecca Fox, in which we meet the young Solaris, future Son of the Sun in Karse; and

Vixen, Lackey's own contribution to the anthology, in which Herald Vanyel makes an appearance and a Healer finds the path to healing herself.