Brightly Burning

Written by Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by Daniel Thomas May

Lavan Chitward is a very unhappy young man; pulled away from his country home by his parents' ambitions and resettled in the big city of Haven, he is desperately lonely, bullied and beaten at school, ignored by his parents. It is not surprising that he falls ill-but his illness is the first manifestation of a terrible power, the Gift of the Firestorm, a power which can and does kill. If controlled, the Gift of the Firestorm can save Valdemar, but if it is uncontrolled, it will destroy the country-and him. Chosen by the Companion Kalira, brought into the ranks of the Heralds of Valdemar, Lavan finds acceptance and hope for the first time. But war with Karse threatens to engulf the Kingdom and only Lavan Firestorm stands between Valdemar and destruction-and only then if he can harness his dreadful power to his will.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781541439245

Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music. Also known as Misty Lackey.

Reviews for Brightly Burning

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lan is a merchant’s child savagely abused at the school his unsympathetic parents send him to; then during a bullying incident his Gift explodes with fatal fury. His Companion can control his fire, but there’s not much time for him to master his Gift because Karse is about to invade, and he’s their best hope of fighting them off. This one does have high stakes and a bunch of losses.

[johnfair_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lavan, the hero of this story, is a fairly typical Lackey hero in that he's the 'runt of the litter', ignored by his family as he doesn't want to go into the family trade but seems content to lay about the family home. With his mother as guikldmaster, though, this doesn't go down well with the parents and they arrange for him to start classes at a school set up to educate the offspring of the trademen. This school makes Nicholas Nickleby's Dootheboys Hall look like a holiday camp. Of course, Lavan is harbouring a singular Talent - firestarting, and when the bullying goes too far, he displays this Talent in all its horrifying glory. Accepted as a Herald Lavan finds a s/ort of peace but Valdemar is facing a particularly rampant Karse and only Lavan can stop the Karsites overwhelming Valdemar.In places this book comes out as quite viscious in ways that earlier Valdemar books haven't but as its also one of the later books in the series, written just after the 9/11 attacks on the US so Lackey was caught up in the fervour of the moment although the dedication is for those who missed the New Millennium celebrations as they watched computer systems handle the change over with barely a hitch :-)

[rbeene-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this author!

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In a way, a lot of the Valdemar books are boarding-school books. This is the only one that involves an actual school, though. The first third of the book is as much a bullying-revenge fantasy as anything, although I would very much not recommend it solely for that, as Lavan Firestorm is perhaps the most truly tragic character in a long line of tragic characters of Valdemar.

Beyond the actual arc, it's a charming book filled with Lackey's usual charming supporting cast. There's enough real drama to keep it moving - even the boarding school bullying is genuinely scary - and enough mundane detail to establish the characters involved. The last third is a war story, and it does an excellent job of establishing both the tragedy inherent in heroism and, perhaps surprisingly, of parenting.

I do get a little annoyed at books where the main character is a "poor little rich kid," tremendously privileged but with that privilege completely ignored in favor of the real but not all that critical disadvantages of, say, having wealthy, influential parents and living in the fashionable part of town. Lackey seems to trend in that direction (and when she goes the other way she goes a touch overboard) and it bugs me here more than it does when the privilege involved is that of feudal nobility, but that may be my personal peeve.

I read Brightly Burning before any other Valdemar book, and it was rather an odd introduction to the world - it's a standalone novel (perhaps moreso than any other,) but it's definitely aimed at the dedicated Valdemar reader and I liked it much better after having a better grip on the universe. It holds up tolerably well - it'd probably be better off classified as YA material, but it's solid YA material.

[puckrobin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Definitely not one of my favourite Heralds or one of my favourite tales of Valdemar. Due to the fact that I found it difficult to care about the lead character, I found it equally difficult to care what happened to him, although I think it was intended that the reader feel strongly for the boy on the basis of his having so little control over his life and his gift. Perhaps Lackey hoped that readers would sympathize with the character's choices and understand his attitude and frustrations, but mostly, I just found it off putting. That being said, I have kept the book and found it of interest in so far as providing some insight into the history of Valdemar.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If you've never read Lackey or her Valdemar books, this wouldn't be the place I'd start. The first published is the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy beginning with Arrows of the Queen, and the earliest chronologically, and in my opinion her best, is the Last Herald's Mage series beginning with Magic's Pawn. Chronologically, this book is set between those two trilogies, and fleshes out a mention of Lavan Firestorm in the first trilogy. The book starts out in a way typical for Lackey's books, with a young man misunderstood by his family who finds his destiny when he's "chosen" by a Companion (magical creature shaped like a horse) and thus enters the ranks of the Heralds. If you've read others of those Valdemar books and love them, you'll probably enjoy Brightly Burning, which certainly is eminently readable, well-paced, and as imaginative as any, but this book and the character of Lavan just didn't for me have the pull and ability to move me the way Talia and Vanyel of her first two sets of books set in Valdemar.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is probably the most depressing Valdemar story there is, and certainly the most depressing book that I actually enjoy. Lan suffers a lot, from a lot of directions - the bullies, his family, his own expectations of himself, what duty drives him to do, the emotions he has to call up to work his Gift - there's very little respite for him, and his bond to Kalira, while it relieves some of the pressures, has its own drawbacks. For all of Pol's hopes, it was probably the best ending he could have had - the dragon was getting stronger, I think. But I end the book in tears every single time. At the same time, it's an extremely rich story, it adds another layer to my understanding of Heralds, it shows yet another new level of Valdemar society (wealthy merchants and Guildmasters, this time), and I enjoy reading it despite the depressing situation. Very rich, and worth it.

[goldnyght · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my favorite Valdemar books. Lavan is a great character, and, as usual, Lackey did a wonderful job building the history of Valdemar

[booknutzz_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can never seem to put these down once I start and end up reading the whole series again. There like that Lays commercial - "You can't read just one". Mercedes Lackey captures you attention and keeps it. You want to find out more about her characters. They come alive and become friends who you want to know more about.

[jshillingford_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my favorite entries in the Valdemar Saga. I guess I'm just a sucker for tragedy and self-sacrifice. Lavan Firestorm is a Herald with a powerful, and dangerous talent. Many people are afraid of him. The Heralds aren't sure what to do with him. If he could control his power he would be a great asset, but he could also destroy the people he cares about. When a traitorous plot threatens the kingdom, Lavan may be the only hope. Lavan is a great characters, and the familiar world of Valdemar a comfortable back drop. Highly recommended!

[miss_blue664 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What do you say about this book? It was truely a wonderful read. The plot was a little slow on the get go, but once it started it was gone. I think everybody can connect with Lavan, that what makes the story so wonderful. You feel his pain and understand his situation. I adored Kalira's character as well as Lavans. Their growth as individuals and as a team was well written. Very much the book to re-read.

[zsms_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

One of her worst books.