The White Gryphon (1995) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 5 stars

“Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series provides one of the cornerstones of my reading past. After discovering her when quite young, I still follow new additions to the series - nearly twenty years later! I read and re-read these books over and over again throughout my youth, but I haven't re-read this series in its entirety in a long time - and never as an adult. There are some new books added to the series since the last time I read them, so this re-reading project is pretty exciting for me since it will include these new volumes, and will be in a new order. These books really just remind me of being young, reading them in the back seat of the car on family road trips... I think I was in 4th or 5th grade when I first started reading them, and they've always been a pleasure to re-read - and I am sure this will continue to be the case! The Valdemar series is broken up into (for the most part) separate trilogies. In my re-reading project, I am going to try to read them chronologically - not by publication date, but by their timeline within the series.

This brings me to the second book in the Mage Wars trilogy, the follow-up to The Black Gryphon. I don't know why I remembered this one as being my least favorite of the trilogy! It is so exciting! And Lackey blends in a more murder mystery format with her epic fantasy background making this a fun and quite intriguing read! While many of Lackey’s characters are dear to me, Kechara in particular plays a lovely role here. She really is one of Lackey’s finer character-creations. And while this one surprised me in how enjoyable it is, I think I still prefer the first book in the series. Though I am looking forward to the last one in the trilogy, The Silver Gryphon. I remember its plot perhaps the best of all of them - and it revolves all around the next generation (with both Skan and Drake’s children). All in all, this is a fun trilogy and definitely an interesting take on gryphons!”

• Rated 4 stars

“I picked up Black Gryphon because I was looking for a good book involving gryphons (more difficult than it sounds). I was unsure how Urtho's friends and followers would cope with times of peace. Needless to say, White Gryphon was not boring at all. I agree it was predictable in parts, but that did not detract from the story.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Pretty Good..predictable @ least with the crazy man. Interesting look @ "African" cultures, change and the role of eclipses.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Another great read. Love this whole series.”

• Rated 3 stars

“it was ok, a little boring and over dramatic in parts, characters would talk to themselves for a very long and boring time which made it hard to focus, but it had good characters and its overall plot was well written and the end was full of action”

• Rated 5 stars

“What made me a Mercedes Lackey fan!

And, this is my favorite book by her. ”

• Rated 2 stars

“The story takes place around all the action but it kinda bugs me that it never gets involved in the action. It was the same way with the previous book 'the Black Gryphon' but that one had enough sexual tension to make up for it. this one was completely unremembered. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“This book isn't quite as strong as the first one, but it's still a solid story. The survivors of the Mage Wars are trying to build a life for themselves in the aftermath of the cataclysm, only to discover that their very existence depends on the whim of a foreign ruler.
The company travels to the distant court to legitimize their claims on the land they now call their own and find themselves tangled up in strange foreign politics.
There are conspiracies, plots and lies, and our great heroes must find ways to overcome it all.

A good story, but somewhat bogged down in the middle by overwrought plot devices. Still a great read, though! ”

• Rated 2 stars

“A little slow, but I managed to read through it.”

• Rated 0 stars

“It's good, but not as tight and well put together as BG.”