A Fantasy Book: 2019 Reading Challenge

The first book I read for the 2019 reading challenge was Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, fulfilling the fantasy category of my challenge. I typically find fantasy novels difficult because the entire world within the book is created out of the author's imagination, leaving me with few tangible details. This makes it harder for me to be able to visualize certain aspects of the novel and often I struggle to finish books in a timely manner or end up setting it aside for one of my preferred genres. What I do enjoy and find quite fascinating about fantasy books is the imagination and creativity of the authors. They create entire worlds sometimes with different laws of physics, social interactions, and the impossible: magic.

The first in The Owl Mage Series and a great book for young adult readers who want to explore a fantastic new world filled with magical creatures.

Owlflight focuses on a young boy, Darian, who is a unwilling, uncooperative, and begrudging apprentice to Errold's Grove's magician, Justyn, who believes Darian possesses "the mage-gift." In the world Lackey and Dixon have created, Darian’s village, one of many within the kingdom of Valdemar, is plagued with not only physical storms but mage-storms that transform regular animals into creatures called Changechildren. Darian’s parents were the only people brave enough to venture into the forest after the storms began, trapping the bizarre creatures created from the mage-storms and selling their fantastic hides. They vanished after one expedition into the Pelagiris forest, leaving Darian an orphan and in the hands of the village.

Grieving over his parent’s death and disinterested in learning magic, Darian flees from his responsibilities and hides among the trees in the forest, where no other villagers dare to go, scared by the creatures that dwell there. From his hiding spot he watches as an army of northern monsters and men destroy his village.

As he flees deeper into the forest in attempt to escape from the barbarians he encounters an old and magical race, the Hawkbrothers, who dwell in the forest. In Errold's Grove tales of their magic and ruthlessness are told to children to scare them into obeying their parents and masters, but the brothers are in fact allies with Valdemar.

A Hawkbrother by the name of Snowfire of the k'Vala clan is scouting and hunting in the Pelagiris forest with his bondbird Hweel. He saves Darian from the northern barbarians and brings the boy back to his camp. Here the k'Vala clan heals Darian, gives him food and shelter, and for the first time since his parents death, offers the boy a safe place to grieve.

The Hawkbrothers question Darian about the attack and the details of the army and his relationship with Justyn and the forest, which reveals how grief-ridden and broken Darian is. But under the protection of the k'Vala clan, the help and comfort of Nightwind, an Empath, and the mentorship of Snowfire, Darian is able to properly deal with his grief, establish a purpose in aiding the Hawkbrothers, and become something more than a "rotten lying coward," as he calls himself throughout the book.

I loved this book! The adventure, anticipation, little bit of romance (but not too much for young readers), and the optimistic view point during Darian’s third person point of view, allowed for an easy and enjoyable read. The creatures Lackey and Dixon create are beautifully intelligent and the creative license they take with more common mythical creatures create a new level of magic.

This is just the first book in The Owl Mage trilogy, and I can definitely say that I am interested in completing this trilogy as well as going back and reading the other books in the Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey. I look forward to reading more about Darian’s adventures, training, and what the future has in store for him. Although I am sad to put this book and its series aside as I move on to my next book in the 2019 reading challenge, I'm very excited to revisit the fantasy genre in the future.

~M