Magic's Pawn

Valdemar: The Last Herald Mage, Book 1

By: Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by: Gregory St. John

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In Magic's Pawn, an ancient age in the history of Valdemar comes to life - an age when the kingdom was ravaged by the ungoverned fury of bandit warlords, ferocious ice dragons, and the wild magic of wizards. A new addition to Lackey's Valdemar kingdom - and her most powerful series to date!

©1991 Mercedes R. Lackey (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Not one of her strongest, and poor performance

I've long held that Vanyel just was not a very relatable character, or at least not as likeable as many of Lackey's other protagonists. Very whiny, and a lot of the plot seems weirdly paced. But the performance was by far one of the weakest I've heard for her novels.

The narrator often puts weird emphasis on certain words, as if he is reading the sentences by seconds instead of in one long flow. several times, it's meant that I have to play catch up in my mind when his pronunciation of a sentence doesn't match what it's trying to get at. He also pronounces many of her names, foreign language words, and place names in what I would have thought to be the LEAST likely manner when I was reading it versus listening. maybe that's just me, but overall the performance was awkward, inconsistent, and distracting.

Solid read. :)

Would you listen to Magic's Pawn again? Why?

I would read it again before the next part.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The female teacher (aunt of the protagonist) is may favorite, because she was very likable. Almost like the aunt you wish you had.

One of my favorites!!

I have read it dozens of times, so it was nice to hear it. I also appreciate being able to hear the correct pronunciation of names.

Great book, annoying narrator

This book is almost a four. The only thing holding me back is the annoying narrator (I listened to it on Audible.com), really. I think reading the book is probably even more satisfying than the audiobook.

The development of the protagonist from unhappy boy to powerful mage is fraught with conflict and missteps, like any person at this age, no doubt, but so much more complex due to the family and societal values and norms forced upon him. It's fantasy but it's also a metaphor for life today for any young person who doesn't fit in with mainstream life. The underlying homosexual themes are important to the story but do not overwhelm it.

Unfortunately, the next two books in this series have the same narrator, so I will forego the audiobook option on those.

Wonderful protagonist!!

As a Christian I must follow the teachings of the Bible, but I sure wish that it made an exception and didn’t condemn homosexuality! This is a wonderful book, and in my heart, I do not understand how a merciful, omniscient God can condemn true love, no matter the form. I believe that love is different from sex. This is a really great book.
Another eye-opening book, although regrettably not on Audible yet, is, “Dark Water’s Embrace.”

interesting!

the narrative reading was good.
Enjoy able bleand well read and emotional. I would have bought it again

Simply one of my favorite coming of age stories!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was a great fantasy and by an author with real knowledge of psychic and magical abilities!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Vanyel. He was the main character and it is his story.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Vanyel is healed by the Tayledres.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Just beautifully written.

Reader Starts Off Bad

I've read this book several times. The reader, however, takes a while to actually get into the book. There is not enough emotion and the breaks do not time well with the sentences. I almost gave up on listening to the audiobook, but since I knew what happened, I decided to keep going.

Eventually, the reader does get better. Not enough to make up for the poor beginning, but at least it finally felt like he got into the swing of the book

Still GREAT!

I first read this book many, many years back and fell in love with the series as a whole. And, it is still just as amazing now as it was then. Yes, there are a couple of problematic phrasing found in it. But, understanding the characters, they tend to add to the story. highly recommend.

Great overall

last 2 chapters glitched and kept repeating sections 2 & 3 times very annoying