BEYOND | Mercedes Lackey

I went into this one totally blind – I have never in my life read a Mercedes Lackey book (until now); all I knew was that the people who love her books, like, really love her books. This book showed me exactly why.

Beyond is a prequel to, to my understanding, all of Lackey’s series, which consists of over ten series, all set in the kingdom of Valdemar. Would this book be richer if I had read the other books? Probably! Was this book still a great read? Absolutely! Beyond tells the story of the founding of Valdemar, the city where the rest of her series takes place. It follows the Duke of Valdemar, Kordas, and the plot that he and his family concoct to escape the reign of a sinister emperor. It is equal parts funny and sad, and I am now so invested in these people and their lives that I have added all the other books in the series to my ever-expanding TBR list.

The point of view switches between Kordas and Delia, who is the sister of Kordas’ wife. For most of the book, Kordas is placed in the Emperor’s Court, removed from the plan he has spent his whole life working towards. Delia, her sister, and the others situated at Valdemar are attempting the plan without their figurehead by their sides – a tricky undertaking.

I really enjoyed the community of Valdemar, and how much they were all working together to escape the encroaching crush of the Emperor. It is hard to raise the stakes in a book written as a prequel for an already existing series (since we all know how it’s going to end), but Lackey has done an excellent job at endearing the reader to all the characters and creating a storyline which is easy to get invested in. Kordas is a traditional hero, righteous and honourable, and while the characters may be simplistic for some, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the way all characters worked in tandem to create a book rich with lore.

There’s an amazing fantasy element to it, too, with Lackey’s magic system allowing for teleportation via Gates, as well as an incredible array of Elemental beings (some of whom I am now awfully fond of).

One thing that I would like to note is that this book is tagged with LGBT+. This tag does not pertain to any of the main characters – the two characters in question are side characters who get very little page time, so just be aware of that going in.

This book was an excellent primer for what I understand is an even more excellent series. I can’t wait to read more books set in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin/DAW Publishers for an ARC of this book.