Owlknight by Mercedes Lackey

Reviewed by Holly White

Owlknight is the sequel to Owlflight and Owlsight, and the conclusion of the Darian's Tale Trilogy, part of Mercedes Lackey's ongoing series about the land of Valdemar. 

 At the beginning of Owlknight, Darian has fulfilled his dream of establishing a Valdemaran "Vale," a place similar to where the Hawkbrothers live, but in Valdemar near his home village.  Although the Valdemaran Vale was still a work in progress, it was already beginning to serve its intended purpose of allowing Valdemaran, Hawkbrother, and people of all cultures to meet to discuss disputes, trade, defense against mutual enemies, or anything of mutual interest.

In addition to the establishment of his Vale, Darian has passed his test to become a Master Mage and has been knighted.  While he had diffidently accepted these honors, doubts plagued him. He loved Keisha completely, but her insecurities made her fear that he would find someone else. She held herself aloof from him to protect herself from potential hurt.

Darian longed to search for his parents who were lost during the Mage Storms back when he was a child.  Then he lacked the maturity, the experience, and the autonomy to go looking for them.  Even though it seemed unlikely that they had survived, he wouldn’t be able to rest until he looked for them himself.

One problem was that there were no clues as to what happened to Darian's parents.  The ensuing years had only served to obscure any clues that might have explained what happened.  Darian had concluded that if they were alive, they must have gotten caught in one of the Change-Circles that occurred all over the world during the Mage Storms.  A Change Circle was a circle of ground a few yards in diameter that would get magically whisked off to another land, often far away, usually with completely different flora and fauna.  And the circle where one landed was simultaneously moved to yet another land.  The circles had always rearranged themselves with no rhyme or reason, so there was no way to examine one and determine what had happened with another.

As Darian’s search began, he found only bones.  But then by purest chance, he encountered a clue that not only gave him hope again, but sent him, Keisha, and a party of friends on a journey they would never forget.  They faced foes both natural and unnatural, against whom they were unsure if they could stand.

Will Darian and his party of travelers be able to defeat the incredible odds against them?  Will Darian find his parents, and will they both be living? Will Keisha learn to accept Darian's love and return her own freely?  Find out by reading Owlknight.

I have truly enjoyed this book, and I think you will, too, especially if you love fantasy, good vs. evil stories, or tales of magic.  I will be writing my next review on Brightly Burning, a stand-alone book in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series, about a young man with a talent for fire-starting.