Storm Rising (Mage Storms, No 2)

Karal, Sun Priest of Karse, has now become the Karsite envoy to Valdemar. He and the other representatives of the Alliance countries must figure out a way to keep their homes safe from the worsening Mage Storms. But Karal's youth and apparent inexperience make other older council members discredit him, and Karal's forgiving nature makes irrational council members dislike him. As Karal struggles to represent his homeland, it begins to take a toll on his health. Only his friends An'desha, Natoli, and the Firecat Altra keep him from becoming ill. However, as the Storms worsen, the temporary protections against them begin to wear away. Will Karal, with the help of Altra, An'desha, the Tayldras Adept Firesong, and the Companion Florian, be able to prevent the Storms from destroying his home forever?
"Storm Rising" is the second book in Mercedes Lackey's Mage Storms Trilogy. I really enjoyed it, though not quite as much as "Storm Warning."
It was slower paced than its predecessor and focused much more on the development of the characters. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing; I enjoy character development and tend to take my time reading books like that instead of rushing through them. Karal's relationships with his nonhuman friends Altra and Florian were filled out nicely, and I continue to enjoy the senses of humor that Lackey endows upon her characters. Firesong's spiral down into obsession and semi-depression was disturbingly real. Tremane came along marvelously. I liked him in "Warning," but the caring way in which he begins to rule Hardorn shows him to be an even more decent human being than I expected.
The climax is quite similar in basic structure to that in "Warning," but that is mostly due to Mage Storm problem that the Alliance is facing. However, it was different enough for me to appreciate what happened. My only complaint is that it came so close to the end of the book that there was no real denouement.
Bottom Line: A solid continuation of the trilogy that really lets you get to know the characters.

I love the Valdemar series, but this is definately not one of my favorite series in the bunch. The plotline is very good, I admit: The various countries must band together and all chip in to find some way to defend themselves against a larger enemy who is determined to rule them all. At the same time, ancient echoes of a tremendous amount of magic being released are striking on man again, making magic turn wild and rampant once again, threatening all that lives. The plot is good, but I found myself having trouble relating with the characters and finding my attention wandering. The best parts were those with Elspeth and Darkwind back in the story! But if you are a Heralds of Valdemar fan, then I would suggest you read it, but if not then I would start somewhere else.

Ok.... I read the Valdemar books alot.... I'm a big, huge fan.... Every one I read, I swear THAT one is the BEST.... so my review probably doesn't matter much... but if you're a fantasy fan... READ IT!

Old friend.

Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series provides one of the cornerstones of my reading history. 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.

I really like this follow up to [[ASIN:0886776619 Storm Warning (The Mage Storms, Book 1)]] more than its predecessor! It is a lot more exciting, and because I haven't re-read it as much as some of the earlier books in the series, the plot itself was more surprising to me. I really like the introduction into Solaris' character. I still can't believe how quickly this whole reading project has flown by! I am glad that I have some new books after the Owl trilogy - though chronologically speaking, they are set back before [[ASIN:0886779898 Brightly Burning]]. Either way, Lackey is a talented writer with a real knack for creating likable characters and entertaining plots.

Faced with more challenges that many people - including himself - think he can handle, Karal struggles to maintain the Karsite presence on what has turned into both a series of brainstorming sessions regarding the magestorms and a likely council of war against the threat in Hardon. Against all the various stresses, he continues to serve the Sunlord while still wishing to be anywhere but. His relationships with An'desha, Natoli, and Altra continue to grow and mature in what little time he has for them, but duties and questions pile up faster than he can deal with them.

My favorite of the books in the series, STORM RISING lets me ride along on Karal's shoulder again. Lackey deals with some very realistic issues, such as others' reactions to Karal's age in the political arena and the desire for revenge. Likewise, she showed how thinking beyond revenge can have positive consequences. The spirit of cooperation between the various countries involved is enviable in this day and age, where war seems to pop up everywhere.

This is the last book of this series where the plot and writing seem to be up to par. However, I still enjoy curling up with this one and losing myself in Haven, walking along with Karal to the tavern or listening in on the discussions with the mages and the envoys. The visit by Solaris was a definite treat, one that opened up a whole new range of possibilities and explored some of them. We understand even more of Tremane and it's relief to see him join up with the 'good' side.

This is one of the books I read and then wish my life had a little more of the magic she puts into her books.

There are three books in this series and they are a an interesting addition to the ongoing
Valdemar tale.

Love the book and I have most of the series wish she was writing more of this fantastic world.

Good book from a good series. Most of the authors are very good also

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