Choices

In the latest collection of fantasy short stories set in the land of Valdemar (after Tales of Valdemar), fantasist Lackey and others create heroic stories of men and women using their magical gifts to help others. Most feature heralds with horselike companions who communicate through Mindspeak; others showcase healers and bards. In “Moving On” by Diana L. Paxton, Selaine uses her Fetching gift to pull an illness out of her mother, but when she tries to get a stolen coin back, she pulls the thief back, too. “Cloud Born” by Michele Lang shows that blind Cloudbrother can be a powerful herald who saves entire towns. In the moving final story by Lackey, “Woman’s Need Calls Me,” a sword that can only be wielded by women is called to a trans woman and magically gives her the body she longs for. This book may be hard to follow for readers unfamiliar with Valdemar and the Magewars, but the tales will be well received by longtime fans. [em]Agent: Russ Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary. (Nov.) [/em]