Magic's Pawn
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Magic's Pawn is a 1992 fantasy novel by Mercedes Lackey. The first in the The Last Herald Mage trilogy (followed by Magic's Promise and Magic's Price), it centers around a powerful Herald-Mage named Vanyel Ashkevron, in the kingdom of Valdemar; the planet is called Velgarth. Mages are those who can do magic. Heralds are people with extrasensory or psychic abilities who have devoted their lives to using their abilities to help others, specifically, the kingdom of Valdemar. A small number of Heralds have mage capabilities and are called Herald-Mages. Both sets of abilities are clearly and distinctly defined in the Valdemar universe.
[edit] Plot Summary
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Vanyel Ashkevron at sixteen, is the heir. He is slightly built compared to his hardy relatives but Withen, his father, enforces the same training as all his siblings. Vanyel enjoys dressing and impressing the courtiers and longs to become a Bard, which Withen misinterprets as disobedience and conceit. He tries to use more appropriate armor, moves and strategies in weapons, and challenges his arms master. He is hurt badly and accused of "cheating." His father, believing the arms master, dismisses Vanyel as a coward. Withen decides to send Vanyel away to school in Haven, the capital of Valdemar, under the supervision of his Aunt Savil.
Savil initially treats him as insignificant because he has no psychic or magic powers, but not shortsighted as Withen was, soon realizes Vanyel is not so arrogant. Vanyel finds schooling at Haven more suited to his physical and mental nature, but is told he doesn't have the Bardic gift, and cannot become a true Bard, and he drifts into depression.
Vanyel begins to have feelings for Tylendel, one of Savil's protegés. Van learns that Tylendel is shay'a'chern, or homosexual. Too frightened to admit he may be gay, Vanyel at first shuns Tylendel. Eventually, however, they become lovers and later find they are lifebonded.
Tylendel, who has a psychic link with his twin brother, Stevan, is driven nearly mad by the political assassination of his twin. Tylendel plots a scheme of vengeance using Vanyel's dormant "mage potential". The plan goes horribly wrong, and in the gruesome aftermath Gala (Tylendel's "Companion") and Tylendel both die and all the latent "channels" of psychic and magical ability in Vanyel's brain are blasted open.
Suffering from severe psychic and emotional damage, Vanyel is "chosen" by a Companion, Yfandes, who reassures him through mind-speaking of her love and friendship and his worth. His newly "opened" powers not in control or understood, he "hears" angry thoughts around him, and despairs, attempting suicide.
Realizing she cannot train Vanyel, who's new powers far exceed anyone else's, Savil takes Vanyel to the Tayledras, who are more advanced in Healing, Mind magic and Mage work[1]. Vanyel start healing and his education to use his psychic and mage gifts. Moondance, a Tayledras, also teaches him that his homosexuality is normal, reminding him that it occurs in nature.
Vanyel is still confused about "why" he needs to learn to "use" his magical and psychic abilities. Left alone Vanyel begins to feel that his teachers only want control of his powers, and do not care about him, so he runs away.
Alone reflecting, he mentally "hears" a cry for help. He follows the mental thread, and alone saves a farming settlement, ultimately killing a powerful queen cold drake. The cold drake's master shows up, Krebain, a blood-mage and again alone, with his barely controlled abilities, he defeats Krebain, using a power source beneath the Tayledras clan-hold that no one expected him to be able to draw from.
During these experiences, he realizes that his powers are important in what he can do with them for good, rather than what others can use him for.
[edit] Importance
Magic's Pawn is important in several respects:
It is an early novel in the Velgarth series of books and establishes the foundations for much of the magical early history of Valdemar. It, along with the remainder of the The Last Herald Mage trilogy, Magic's Promise and Magic's Price, establish the magical environment and explain the complete lack of mage-magic in the remainder of the novels set in Valdemar.
The book also contains one of the clearest explanations of the Valdemarian Heralds altruistic call to service where duty to Valdemar must come before all else.
Mercedes Lackey's writing style leads the reader inside the heads of each of the characters, and along with the rich and pervasive descriptions of the Velgarth-Valdemarian world, the element of "mind-speaking" fills in the characters inner-most thoughts in a simple and elegant way.
Lackey concentrates heavily on the morality of actions and the innate sense of right and wrong usually without directly naming the subject. The Herald's inner struggles of duty vs desire mirror the real world that the readers inhabit, and may serve as a model for ethical behavior in society. Many readers respond to the definition of ethical values as an important part of their reading experience.
Magic's Pawn is one of the earliest written Mercedes Lackey Velgarth novels and does contain some subtle inconsistencies with the later more mature stories about Valdemar and its Heralds.
[edit] Main Characters
Vanyel Ashkevron - Heir to the fief of Forst Reach, he is a sensitive young man who is gay, and has been physically and psychologically abused by his father. A terrible accident opens him to unusually strong psychic and magical powers. He hides low self-esteem with emotional distance and pride in his personal appearance. His self-absorption enables him to self-analyze and to care for others. Eventually he will become the legendary last of the Herald-Mages.
Savil Ashkevron - Vanyel's aunt, a Herald-Mage who lived for some time with the Tayledras; she runs the academy for young Heralds and Mages at Haven.
Tylendel Frelennye - A young Herald apprentice, Savil's protegé. He and Vanyel fall in love and become lifebonded. His psychic link with his twin brother leads to the events which open Vanyel's psychic and magical abilities.
Lissa Ashkevron - Vanyel's outspoken older sister. She takes his side in family disputes. She is a soldier.
Withen Ashkevron - Vanyel's father. He is Lord of Forst Reach, a large fiefdom in western Valdemar, known for raising horses. He detests Vanyel's sensitive nature and musical talent, regarding these as useless traits for a provincial administrator.
Treesa Ashkevron - Vanyel's mother, an intellectual lightweight, prone to hysterics. Her formal speech masks her lack of education. Her main preoccupation is with social and courtly activities.
Staven Frelennye - Tylendel's twin brother, who becomes involved in a deadly feud between clans.
Moondance - A Tayledras (human beings whose lives are imbued with magic, they devote themselves to protecting the land from harm). He is a Healer-Adept, a rare combination of Healer and Mage. He is lifebonded to Starwind, a Tayledras mage.
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