Valdemar reading order

Valdemar is many trilogies across a long in-world history. Lackey wrote them as separate three-book jobs. The vocabulary — Heralds, Companions, Gifts — is taught in Arrows of the Queen. Later books assume it. Chronology starts with the Mage Wars, which Lackey wrote seventh, for people who already live in this country.

This page is a starter path. It is not the 40-title spreadsheet.

Heralds of Valdemar — the actual door

Read them in this order. There is no contested start inside these three.

Next, if you want the same generation

By the Sword (1991) is a bridging novel. Kerowyn. Useful before the Mage Winds if you want that name first. Not a new book one, and not required before you decide whether you like Heralds.

House path: Arrows trilogy. If you want more of that Valdemar, By the Sword then Mage Winds then Mage Storms. You can stop after Arrow’s Fall. The later trilogies are appetite, not a hidden book one.

Last Herald-Mage — famous prequel, not the door

This is the trilogy people mean when they say Lackey’s best Valdemar. It is darker than Talia’s books. Internal chronology puts it centuries before Arrows. House rule: after you already know what a Herald-Mage is supposed to be. Starting here is allowed in the sense that the three stand as a tragedy. It is a rough first impression of a world whose actual on-ramp is kinder.

What the chronological list is doing

Modern editions often print a timeline that begins with the Mage Wars (The Black Gryphon and sequels), then Founding, Collegium Chronicles (Foundation and sequels), Brightly Burning, Last Herald-Mage, and only then Talia.

That list is a map of history. It is not a reading order. Those earlier-set books were written for readers who already have the Companions in their bones.

House rule: do not start with The Black Gryphon, Foundation, Brightly Burning, or Magic’s Pawn because a chart numbered them 1. After the Arrows trilogy (and after Mage Winds/Storms if you stayed), pick one earlier trilogy as a reread-in-the-past. You do not owe the spreadsheet.

The Darian / Owlbooks, Herald Spy, Family Spies, and later Collegium books are further rooms. Same rule: after you like the house, not as preparation for Arrows of the Queen.

Common mistakes

• Opening the chronological contents page and starting a thousand years before Talia.
• Starting with Magic’s Pawn because it is the famous one, or because a TV announcement named Vanyel.
• Starting with Foundation because it says Collegium and looks like school-year book one.
• Treating By the Sword as Valdemar 0.

What to read next

1. Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin) — If you want another spare school-of-magic door whose later books are not a hidden prequel on-ramp.
2. Realm of the Elderlings (Robin Hobb) — If you want another long character-first fantasy whose assassin-apprentice door is actually book one.
3. Temeraire (Naomi Novik) — If you want another companion-bond series with a correct first novel.
4. Discworld — Witches (Terry Pratchett) — If you want another long fantasy street you enter by one job, not by a universe spreadsheet.
5. Stop after Arrow’s Fall. Talia’s three are a complete visit. Everything else is a second country.

FAQ

Where do I start Valdemar?
Arrows of the Queen. Not the chronological list.

Can I start with Last Herald-Mage?
You can. This house does not, for a first visit. It is darker, earlier, and assumes the Herald vocabulary.

Do I need the Mage Wars first?
No. They are set earliest and written later. After you already like Valdemar.

Is there one official order?
Lackey wrote trilogies. Publication of the Arrows three is the door. Chronology is a table of contents, not an on-ramp.

Sources

• Mercedes Lackey, Series — author grouping of the Arrows trilogy as the first published Valdemar three, with Last Herald-Mage as its own later-published set. Opened 2026-09-18.
• Mercedes Lackey bibliography on Wikipedia — publication years for the starter trilogies. Opened 2026-09-18.