![Kindle app logo image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/app/kindle-app-logo._CB668847749_.png)
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the author
OK
The Hills Have Spies Mass Market Paperback – June 4, 2019
Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife, Amily, the King’s Own Herald, are happily married with three kids. The oldest, Peregrine, has the Gift of Animal Mindspeech—he can talk to animals and persuade them to act as he wishes. Perry's dream is to follow in his father's footsteps as a Herald Spy, but he has yet to be Chosen by a Companion.
Mags is more than happy to teach Perry all he knows. He regularly trains his children, including Perry, with tests and exercises, preparing them for the complicated and dangerous lives they will likely lead. Perry has already held positions in the Royal Palace as a runner and in the kitchen, useful places where he can learn to listen and collect information.
But there is growing rural unrest in a community on the border of Valdemar. A report filled with tales of strange disappearances and missing peddlers is sent to Haven by a Herald from the Pelagirs. To let Perry experience life away from home and out in the world, Mags proposes that his son accompany him on an expedition to discover what is really going on.
During their travels, Perry’s Animal Mindspeech allows him to communicate with the local wildlife of the Pelagirs, whose connection to the land aids in their investigation. But the details he gleans from the creatures only deepen the mystery. As Perry, Mags, and their animal companions draw closer to the heart of the danger, they must discover the truth behind the disappearances at the border—before those disappearances turn deadly.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDAW
- Publication dateJune 4, 2019
- Dimensions4.19 x 0.9 x 6.75 inches
- ISBN-100756413184
- ISBN-13978-0756413187
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
- Closer to the HeartMass Market Paperback
From the Publisher
![Explore the World of Valdemar](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media-library-service-media/994ca253-2978-4aad-8b6d-29e248552f2b.__CR0,0,970,300_PT0_SX970_V1___.png)
![Valdemar Universe Backlist](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media-library-service-media/9c835a90-c4f4-473a-80c2-b1769f27c7cc.__CR0,0,970,300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg)
![Valdemar Backlist 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media-library-service-media/3488a1aa-822f-4456-bd8f-2c6988cd230f.__CR0,0,970,300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg)
![Valdemar Backlist 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media-library-service-media/9f73458c-acf4-4501-b219-ec319bfdc863.__CR0,0,970,300_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg)
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Whether it’s the spellbinding world, the intrigue of the plot, or the simple yet remarkable narrative style – it is impossible to say which of these makes the story so good, but one thing is for sure: Closer to Home marks the beginning of another fantastic Lackey series." —RT Reviews
"With an unusually strong Gift that allows him to Mindspeak and Mindhear, Mags is perfectly suited for his role, and this sequel gives fans another opportunity to explore Lackey’s storied universe of Valdemar, one of the best-imagined fantasy universes in history." —Barnes & Noble Bookseller Picks
"Mags remains an engaging character, and makes a very capable spy/investigator...his adventures still make engrossing reading." —Locus
“Closer to the Heart has the two things that have always made me love these books: a richly detailed history of the world, and beautiful writing.” —The Arched Doorway
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Wham!
Perry’s captor slammed the door behind him, and the entire building quivered for several long moments with the force of the door crashing into place. Of course, Perry couldn’t actually see this; he had a bag over his head. He hadn’t expected the noise, and it made him jump and his heart pound frantically.
It wasn’t a very well-maintained or constructed building, given how much it shook, and Perry coughed a little as debris sifted down onto him from what was probably the disintegrating—or at least old—thatch roof above him. Fortunately, the bag over his head protected him from most of it. Calm down, he told his heart, sternly. He wasn’t going to be able to think with his heart pounding like a horse at the gallop . . .
He shut his eyes to clear his mind of distractions and concentrated on his surroundings.
He knew the roof was thatch despite the bag, because he heard and sensed mice and sparrows up there and got brief glimpses through their eyes, though he hadn’t yet put his mind to contacting them directly. And there were a couple pigeons as well, but they were on the rooftree, rather than in the thatch or on the rafters. While he slowly counted to a hundred, to make sure the man who had captured him was not coming back soon, he eased his way into one tiny mind after another, getting acquainted with them, getting them used to his presence in their heads.
He didn’t bother with the pigeons for now. Anything on the outside of the building wasn’t much use to him at the moment.
One by one, he coaxed the mice out of the thatch and had them line up on the central rafter, where the sparrows already were. He soon figured out that the mice were too nearsighted to do him much good, but the sparrows’ sharper vision gave him a clear view of the room where he was being held.
There he was, flour sack over his head, sitting on a simple wooden chair in the middle of an otherwise barren room with a rough plank floor. He’d been trussed up expertly, feet tied to the chair legs, hands tied behind the chair back. The chair was a pretty stout one: solid seat and back, thick legs. Heavy, or at least it looked like it. That was very smart of his captors; if they’d just left him tied up on the floor, he’d have been out of his bonds within a candlemark. The chair made things much more difficult. If he tried to tip it over backward, he’d probably break his wrists or hands, and if he tried to tip it over sideways, he’d surely break his wrist or forearm.
A very careful survey, as the sparrows peered around at his request, told him there was nothing in the otherwise bare room for him to use in any way.
Or so his captor probably thought.
The walls were also rough planks, but since there wasn’t any light coming through the cracks between the planks, they might be cob or plaster outside, or both. The windows were shuttered, and the shutters were barred in place on the inside, light leaking into the room from cracks between the boards of the shutters. Huh. This place looked stouter than he’d thought. Maybe the reason it had shaken when the door slammed was because of the strength of his kidnapper, not because the building was in bad repair.
There were two windows in the right-hand wall, two in the left, and a door at either end of the room. The one behind him was nailed shut with rough boards. The one in front of him was the one his captor had left by.
So, this is probably a one-room house with only one floor, unless that door leads to a staircase. It can’t be inside the Old Wall of Haven or the roof would be shingle or tile, not thatch. And he didn’t carry me far enough for this to be completely outside Haven.
Now Perry transferred his attention to the pigeons strutting up and down the roof outside. There was an advantage to using such stupid birds; they scarcely noticed he was in their heads, and it was easy to get them to do what he wanted. And what he wanted right now was a view of the entire building and the neighborhood it was in.
The first time he had entered the mind of a bird and made it fly, he’d thrown up afterward. It had been worse than when he’d taken that dare to spin around while Trey counted to five hundred. Now, though, he was used to it; his gut was finally convinced that it wasn’t his body jerking up and down and making those crazy gyrations. The pigeon he picked was perfectly happy to launch itself into the air and sail in a circle around the building while he looked things over.
It took him a while to identify the neighborhood; it was outside the old wall, but the building he was in was a very small one and quite old; it probably had been a storage building or a laborer’s cottage for a big farm back when this had been farmland. Cob walls much the worse for years but still weatherproof, shutters closed and barred from the inside, and a very thick thatch roof gray with age and green with moss; it was unusual only in that it was built on a slightly raised wooden platform so that you had to go up three rickety steps to the door. The street began practically at the bottom step, and it was closely surrounded by other one- and two-room buildings in a similar state of repair. They were all weatherproof and sound, but not one single thing had been done to them to take them beyond that point. It was as if a single landlord owned everything on this street and adhered to the absolute letter of a contract requiring his cottages to be “stout and livable.”
The street seemed oddly deserted . . .
And then the pigeon turned its head and looked beyond the immediate street, and Perry knew exactly where he was and why it looked deserted. Everyone here was at work in the bigger building, three floors tall, that squatted two streets over, like an enormous sow among her piglets. This was the neighborhood of the Bannerites.
The Bannerites were an odd but harmless sect comprised entirely of bachelors—unmarried men and widowers disinclined to wed again. The Bannerites gave men a trade, a place to live in one of the tiny houses surrounding their central building, and enough wages to keep them decently clothed and fed. In return, they made a heavy twilled sailcloth that was highly prized for its strength and durability; as well as sails, virtually any sort of clothing that needed to take rough wear could be made from it. Raw flax came in at one end of that building, and finished sailcloth exited out of the other. Everything that needed to be done to turn fiber into cloth was done within those four walls, from the retting of the flax, to the spinning of the fiber, to the weaving and finishing of the cloth, the finish depending on who ordered it. Three times a day all work stopped so that the men could pray to the “Banner Bearer,” though that was the only information anyone outside the group had about the being they worshiped. Every eight days, the Bannerites took half a day off for worship and instruction in the faith, and there were evening instruction and prayer sessions for those who wanted more. Work began at first light and ended at sunset, so the workdays were shorter in winter than in summer. If this was an untenanted Bannerite cottage—and it probably was—he could make all the noise he wanted to and no one would hear him until the sun went down. And by then—
It wouldn’t matter. By then I won’t be here.
He let go of the pigeon’s mind and turned his attention back to the mice. This was going to be tricky. He was going to have to convince them that he was no threat and that the rope around his wrists was edible. It was a logical solution to getting free; mice could gnaw their way through rope in almost no time. Come on down, my little friends, he coaxed—but with feelings, not with words.
But no matter how hard he tried, he could not persuade them to come down out of the thatch. Evidently the Bannerites were pretty vigilant about chasing them off, and he couldn’t overcome their fear of human beings. Every time he got one to creep as far on the rafters as the wall with the door in it, the others panicked and scuttled back up into the thatch, and the one he had been coaxing panicked with them and retreated.
Dammit.
There weren’t any rats close by either, not even in the crawlspace under the building. A sharp, curious mind brushing briefly against his told him why. A cat.
And as he cast his mind farther afield, he sensed more and more cats, all of them sleek, semi-feral, but not starving. Clearly the Bannerites encouraged cats in the same way that farmers did, and for the same reasons. Which made sense—a little food and shelter bought you a great deal of pest control.
Well . . . all right. He brought his focus back into the building and hunted for one of the sparrows, eventually choosing a saucy little male. He wasn’t afraid of humans; probably the Bannerites put up with their occasional droppings because they hunted insects in the thatch and the buildings while the tenants were away. Perry had no trouble encouraging the little fellow to fly down and perch on his bound hands.
He couldn’t actually take over the bird’s body. All he could do was show it what he wanted it to do and encourage it to do so. That little beak wasn’t as sharp as mouse teeth, but it might be able to saw through the rope fibers, if he could get the bird to peck at the same place over and over.
He concentrated so hard on his task that sweat ran down his face inside the bag, his jaw muscles clenched until they ached, and then—
Peck. Tentative at first. Then peck, a little harder.
Wordlessly he flooded it with encouragement, and the bird exploded with energy, pecking and pulling at the fibers of the knot, scissoring its way through the first strand, then the second. The little fellow didn’t need any guidance at all now, and he could not have been more enthusiastic.
Even better, as soon as his fellows noticed him working away at the rope, after some puzzlement, they decided this was something that needed doing, so with some dim idea that they were going to get a reward out of it, three more crowded onto his wrists and hands to peck away alongside the first one.
Now he had another problem entirely. They didn’t always hit the rope, and those sharp little biting stabs hurt. He had to bite his lip to keep from wincing and crying out and frightening them up into the rafters again.
He kept up the tension on the rope by pulling his wrists apart, or rather trying to, and after what was probably a candlemark or two, but felt like a lot longer, he sensed the rope giving.
And when it finally parted and his hands came free, sparrows fluttering off to the ceiling, he nearly shouted for joy.
His first action was to pull the bag off his head, and the dust-laden air smelled impossibly sweet. His second was to untie his legs; he ignored the twinges and cramps as he was finally able to move. His wrists were raw from the rope, speckled with blood from dozens of badly aimed pecks, but it didn’t matter. He was free! And he was going to get out of there!
But before he did, there was one more thing he needed to do.
He unraveled the rope that had been around his wrists into hundreds of fiber bits and left them in a pile on the floor by the chair. That was what the sparrows had been after: good strong bits of material for their nests. The sparrows descended on the pile as if it had been grain and carried strands up to the thatch to add to their nests.
They deserved their reward.
And he couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Up or down? He looked up at the exposed thatch of the roof and saw what he had been hoping for: a trap door set into the roof to make it easy to get up there to repair the thatch.
Up.
* * * * *
Mags glanced at the time-candle as the light from his window was interrupted by something perching on the sill. He raised one eyebrow, smiled slightly, and turned to greet his eldest son.
“I expected you to take at least a candlemark longer,” he said, offering Perry a hand inside and noting the abrasions and tiny marks on the lad’s wrist. “Mice?”
“Sparrows,” said Perry, with a grin that also betrayed a touch of pain. “The mice were too scared.” Mags fished some soft bandages and a pot of ointment out of his desk and passed them wordlessly over; the boy deftly soothed and bandaged his wrists himself and handed the pot back.
As he wrapped his wrists, Mags regarded his son thoughtfully. Peregrine would be thirteen in two weeks, and he looked like a larger, better-nourished version of his father at that age, at least, as far as Mags could determine. He hadn’t looked at himself in the mirror that often back then, but Perry looked like what he remembered: dark hair that never stayed tidy, dark eyes with more than a hint of mischief in them, narrow face, and wiry body. “I think we can call the exercise a complete success,” he said, allowing his pride in his son to show in his words. “What did you do to the men I had watching for your escape?”
“Left ’em trying to catch me. I made a pass up in the attic of the Bannerite workhouse; they didn’t dare follow me in, and I left in a shipment of sailcloth.” Perry grinned, very proud of himself. “If I hadn’t been able to do that, I figured to drop down among the boys hauling the flax around and leave at sunset.”
Mags grinned and reached out to hug his son. “Good lad. Your mama was going to hold dinner for you, but now she won’t have to. Go tell her yourself.”
With a whoop of joy, Perry dashed across Mags’ workroom and out the door into the large central room of the suite.
Product details
- Publisher : DAW (June 4, 2019)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0756413184
- ISBN-13 : 978-0756413187
- Item Weight : 6.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.19 x 0.9 x 6.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10,473 in Action & Adventure Fantasy (Books)
- #16,741 in Paranormal Fantasy Books
- #24,498 in Epic Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![Mercedes Lackey](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/omg923tf5sfq3lk2cnr6b7c99i._SY600_.jpg)
Mercedes Lackey is the acclaimed author of over 145 novels and many works of short fiction. In her "spare" time she is also a skilled needleworker, jewelry maker, and collector and costumer of asian ball-jointed dolls. Many of her works go to charity auctions for good causes. She has also been known to play City of Heroes MMORPG and D and D with a close group of friends. Mercedes lives in Oklahoma with her husband and frequent collaborator, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots. Over half of their parrots are rescues. Her website is www.mercedeslackey.com.
Photo by Mercedes Lackey (her own work)
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable to read. They enjoy the well-developed characters and the continuation of the series. Readers appreciate the animal mind-speaker and the creative writing style. The book is described as fun and lighthearted, with a great adventure.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it a fun, delightful tale that is well-written and a good use of their time. Readers also mention that the series is pretty good.
"...It was worth the wait, worth the read, and I look forward to the next chapter in both Valdemar and Family Spies." Read more
"This first book about the children of Mags, is a delight...." Read more
"...couple of years just because they really are, for the most part, very good...." Read more
"I love this author. You just love to read about grown up Mags. I was worried about kot being interested in anyone new but dont worry...." Read more
Customers enjoy the engaging story with exciting events and a grand adventure. They find the characters well-crafted and the plot complex. The book is described as an excellent coming-of-age tale that furthers the story of Mags and his offspring.
"...As far as the overall story and plot it was enjoyable...." Read more
"...This is Perry's first big adventure and an excellent coming of age story as Perry steps into his own future." Read more
"...I wrote above-- it had the potential to be an excellent and engaging tale, but fell short of Ms. Lackey's usual standard...." Read more
"...Valdemar timeline, The Hills Have Spies is more lighthearted and exploratory than the "mainline" stories set on Velgarth...." Read more
Customers enjoy the well-developed characters in this book. They find the characters engaging and well-written, with a nice resolution for an unexpected character. Readers also mention that Perry is clever and fun to read about.
"...The final resolution for an unexpected character was nice. I did enjoy meeting the King-Stag, Roya and learning more about the Dyhel...." Read more
"...I found this first book to be typical Lackey with well-crafted characters and a complex plot...." Read more
"...She is a storyteller of utmost talent and craft!" Read more
"...Mags adult life, get to know his oldest child and his gifts, and personality...." Read more
Customers enjoy the series development. They find the book a good continuation of the Valdemar series and consistent with the previous books about Mags. The book helps readers put the entire series in perspective.
"...I have everything, except for the fan fiction anthologies. It was worth the wait, worth the read, and I look forward to the next chapter in both..." Read more
"...All in all, a good part of the overarching series." Read more
"Another good addition to the Valdemar series - a nice, fast paced little adventure following roughly the same span of time as the last eight novels..." Read more
"This is my second time reading this book. It is a sequel series set in Valdemar, and about the Children of Mags and Amily." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's language. They find the animal mind-speak interesting and appreciate the animals who help humans. The book is described as spellbinding, with an ethical and philosophical stance. Readers also mention that it will resonate with parents who have had children go into dangerous situations.
"...Also, even allowing for having a very strong Gift of Animal Mindspeech, it was as if Ms. Lackey tossed out all her notes on all her previously..." Read more
"...Perry has the gift of Animal Mindspeech, and his gift is powerful. And he uses it such creative ways...." Read more
"...It going to really hit home with any parent who has had a child go into a dangerous occupation...." Read more
"...story revolves around Mags and Amily’s son, Perry, who is able to animal mind speak and ends up with a Kyree, Larral...." Read more
Customers appreciate the well-written and creative stories. They find the characterization great, the writing craft excellent, and the book fast-paced.
"...The kid is fairly well done, but the kyree doesn't really match the descriptions in her previous books, and as for the Herald!..." Read more
"...Great fanatsy writer...." Read more
"...GREAT job, Misty, and thank you very much...." Read more
"...She is a storyteller of utmost talent and craft!" Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it entertaining, with old friends and new ones interacting with different creatures. The story is described as lighthearted and exploratory, making readers laugh and cry.
"...in this part of the Valdemar timeline, The Hills Have Spies is more lighthearted and exploratory than the "mainline" stories set on Velgarth...." Read more
"...this first book of a series she has created a gem of a story that made me laugh, made me cry and gave me a fantastic ride with all the bells and..." Read more
"...so glad she's chosen to continue this story arc, it's fun to get to know the next generation...." Read more
"It was fun to revisit Mags and Amily as adults. The story is really around their son, Perry, who is more than you could wish...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find it fast-paced and intriguing, with well-crafted characters and relationships. The story is described as a grand adventure with amazing allies and enemies.
"...I found this first book to be typical Lackey with well-crafted characters and a complex plot...." Read more
"...Perry leads them into a grand adventure with some truly amazing allies and enemies. Can't wait for more!" Read more
"...Fact is, you just have to get into it a bit. It starts slow but then presents a great story...." Read more
"...A fast good read. Looking forward to the next 2" Read more
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2018I freely admit to being just a bit addicted to Valdemar. I also admit that there are characters and stories that I enjoy more than others. I have enjoyed traveling with Mags and Dallin since they were introduced. The original synopsis did not match the book at all. There is no Justyn, there is no troupe of performers, and while the Hawkbrothers are mentioned, they certainly never appear. There is some irony in having a book jacket that does not match the book. My daughter plans to be an author. I told her about the jacket and recommended that she personally approve all marketing materials for her books. It is disappointing to anticipate a story which is not delivered.
With that said, I very much enjoyed reading the book. There was good exploration of the struggles of parents and adolescents as they learn and grow together. The exploration of the feelings of a parent letting go and a child coming into their own is something to which every parent and child can relate. It may even help them understand or remember the other side of that experience. There was also a little bit of "don't tell your mother" that many parents can relate to. Mags has stayed true to character, becoming a more mature version of himself.
Perry is struggling with personally challenges and struggling to come into his own. He can be impetuous, but also learns from the consequences of his choices. This is balanced out by a logical side of him due to the training received from his father. He longs for the companionship that he sees between his father and Dallin but finds a friend and companion while on his journey.
As far as the overall story and plot it was enjoyable. However, I spent the last quarter of the book thinking that I would have to wait for the sequel for a resolution. (It should be noted I was working up to a tirade about being left in a cliffhanger.) But then, in just a few pages, everything came to a head and was resolved. The final resolution for an unexpected character was nice. I did enjoy meeting the King-Stag, Roya and learning more about the Dyhel. Larral is not as sardonic as some of the Kyree we have met in the past, but still is basically true to what we know; Perhaps he is just young.
I enjoy having this as my latest addition to my Valdemar collection. I have everything, except for the fan fiction anthologies. It was worth the wait, worth the read, and I look forward to the next chapter in both Valdemar and Family Spies.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022This first book about the children of Mags, is a delight. In Mercedes well developed nation of Valdemar where Companions that look like horses but are realms above them exist, and mind magic (psychic powers) has been developed to a fine art the story of Mags continues with this new addition about his children. His oldest son, Perry, seems set to become the kingdom's spy master after him. Mags gets a call from one of his agents about some missing people. Thinking it would not be a very dangerous trip Mags takes his son with him for some training. Things turn out to be more complicated and dangerous than they knew. This is Perry's first big adventure and an excellent coming of age story as Perry steps into his own future.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2018Okay, I waited until I read the whole book (twice) before deciding to put in a review. So.
First off, as others have said, the dust jacket is horrible. Not only does the plot description not match the book's contents, but the cover art is awful and makes no sense. The kid is fairly well done, but the kyree doesn't really match the descriptions in her previous books, and as for the Herald! Ghastly, and not really pertinent to the story. It took a second read-through before it was clear that the Herald on the cover was NOT Mags-- which actually was a good thing to find out, because it was VERY off-putting to see an old man with Mags' son and absolutely didn't match the chronology of the Herald Spy books. I won't spoil things, but even "guestimating" ages, there is no way that Mags would match the age of the cover Herald.
Secondly, the story. It wasn't *bad*, but not as good as I had expected. And, as at least one other reviewer mentioned, the "Scooby-Doo" aspect was incredibly tacky and almost had me tossing the book into the "read only if desperate" pile. The first instance was a genuine "wth??" moment and enough to kick my mind right out of the story. I was truly aghast that Ms. Lackey would turn an interesting, intelligent, non-human species into a bad joke.
Thirdly. Perry is an "almost but not quite" believable character-- he didn't really have the depth and well-rounded personality of other characters she has created. Also, even allowing for having a very strong Gift of Animal Mindspeech, it was as if Ms. Lackey tossed out all her notes on all her previously created species from her earlier books and decided it would be easier to just make all of them, regardless of their intelligence and her previous characterizations, sound identical to humans (well, except for the dogs-- their thoughts were pretty much as one would expect a dog to think). It seemed as if fast publication was given priority over crafting the story.
The best writers are those who can make a reader suspend their disbelief and accept the book's world as "true" while they are reading the story, and for the most part, Ms. Lackey does that extremely well. I cannot give this book 5 stars for the reasons I wrote above-- it had the potential to be an excellent and engaging tale, but fell short of Ms. Lackey's usual standard. And of course, there is the cover. So, 4 stars is what it gets: not good enough for a 5 star rating and not bad enough to get only 3 stars.
I have enjoyed Ms. Lackey's books very much over the years-- I still have my original copy of "Arrows of the Queen" (paperback, March 1987, that I bought new)-- and I reread all her Valdemar books in chronological order every couple of years just because they really are, for the most part, very good. I truly hope the next book returns to the quality her readers have loved over the years.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2024Like the rest of the books written in this part of the Valdemar timeline, The Hills Have Spies is more lighthearted and exploratory than the "mainline" stories set on Velgarth. These books are more "young adult fiction" compared to the books set in earlier and later parts of the Valdemar timeline. Mostly light escapist fantasy, set in the familiar universe we all love.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2018I love this author. You just love to read about grown up Mags. I was worried about kot being interested in anyone new but dont worry. The blending of the old and the new is as natural as life and change. Great fanatsy writer. Theure talking about the Great Mage Urtho and gryphon lore and there are slytha and wyrsa and noone knows anything about it because theyre so old. The vrondi are back. Whats going on is real magic showing itself in Valdemar again? This story is so much fun and I cant wait to see where it actually ends up going.
Top reviews from other countries
- Sean TalbotReviewed in Canada on July 2, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Mags
Was very pleased with this novel as while it does deal with Mags he isn't the main focal point. I truly think this is one of her better novels of the last few years and it brought in a character that I think will make things easier and more entertaining.
- JennineReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars another brilliant series begins
Mercedes Lackey is definitely taking up the slack left by Anne McCaffrey's demise and doing it brilliantly with yet another series. The story, like other valdemar themed books, follows on from other series and is a very good read. I can't wait until book two comes out, I was enthralled by the storyline and the new charactersas well as how older characters have evolved.
- Belinda HaynesReviewed in Australia on June 9, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Quality Assured!
As the first in this series of us jam packed with magnificent plot twists and well formed characters. Yet another example of the excellence that is Mercedes Lackey.
- Kindle CustomerReviewed in Canada on January 9, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
This latest installment of the Valdemar saga certainly doesn't disappoint. It makes me want to go back and re-read the Vaniel trilogy. Also the Hawk Brothers books. Mercedes Lackey's talent is at its peak.
- JanetReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars More great characters and storyline in the continuing saga of early Valdemar.
I loved the story of a character who was not a herald but had all the characteristics of one and collected his own coterie of ‘companions’ along the way.
The only issue I had was where did the years go? I felt I had missed out on a huge chunk of Mag’s and Amily’s life and how they arrived at this stage on the journey. Please fill in the gap!