This is the second book in The Founding of Valdemar series, and I’m really enjoying seeing where it all began. After decades of reading about this world that Mercedes Lackey created, it’s great to understand it from a whole new perspective. Much of this book takes place as the group journeys across the land in search of the place they will call home. I love seeing the Tayledras here, before they became largely figures of legend and myth to the Valdemarans, seeing the hand they played in the establishment of Haven and Valdemar as a whole.
I loved seeing behind the curtain, so to speak, of Kordas. For most of the saga, he’s portrayed at almost mythological levels, the epitome of perfection. But the reality is that he was far from perfect. He second-guessed himself, he worried he wasn’t up to the task, he struggled in his desire to be what his people needed. I liked seeing him flawed, seeing the man behind the legends.