The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey

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Submitted by Karen 
(Oct 04, 2010)

I could not put down this series after starting it. The beginning was a little dry, though very descriptive. I didn't get captured into the book until after Kellen leaves Armethalieh. From then on, I could not stop reading. Reading this book was like creating a completely new world in my mind. Up until the ending of the third book, the story drew me into it's depth.

I found the ending to be somewhat lacking. The scenes that I felt should have been epic and grand were covered in much less detail than the rest of the series. It felt like the authors rushed the ending and cut out a lot of description to fit their page limit. Other than that, I had planned on spreading the series over a month, but ended up reading the entire series in less than a week.

I have to give kudos to Lackey and Mallory...When I first read The Obsidian Trilogy I was in awe after i had finished it...It is one of the most creative fantasy stories ever written...Its up the with such tales as The Lord Of The Rings...Since reading the trilogy through the first time i have read over it three or four times...I own the trilogy and it will probably be what i teach my children to teach with...A tale of a great adventure and of love and heroism...It definitely deserves a shot at a movie trilogy...

A young mage who desired anything but to be a mage caught my attention from the beginning, with his odd vocally silent and yet thought filled views upon the city. If the book seems a bit dry and overly detailed with the cliché events from the beginning don’t fret, for it picks up quickly. Once the story is set off, it is done so with a blast and those pages seem to move faster and faster as you continue through the book.
Kellen’s predictable characteristics shed off of him once he leaves the city and realizes that he can be himself with smaller consequences. One of the largest struggles for the young man is discovering who he truly is along with what he truly is. He suffers constant personal battles with himself and when he begins to grow and overcome his lack of faith the reader finds him or herself sighing with a sense of relief as well.
The cast of characters that builds during the duration of the story is expansive and unique all in their own. Sure you have a bit of mundane redundancy, but I believe such things are points that Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory made intentionally to show morals of imperfections in things seemingly perfect.
I will stray from going into any specific detail about this story for fear of revealing things that would be an added element to your enjoyment in this book. The smallest detail to me might be an added development in the story line for another reader that would make the book special in an entirely different way, and so just know that I enjoyed this book.
Though The Outstretched Shadow isn’t the best fantasy ever written, far from it actually, it is an incredible jewel and should be read by fantasy fans looking for a bit of a change.

When I first picked up these books I though it was going to be a typical tale of mages , mayhem and magick . The first 200 pages of the Outstreched Shadow had shattered those thoughts as Kellen set out on an adventure he thought impossible for a "high mage" . Focusing on the character development and events set into motion , thought provoking themes were generated by reading the series . The flavor of the book was also made more enjoyable by adding very real emotions and cultural beliefs such as racism , sexism , greed and lust . As the series continued the reader could feel the dramatic pull of the scenarios being encountered and created parallels between this world of fiction and our own such as the structure of the religion of the eternal light and christianity . By the end of the book series , not only the fictional characters discovered but the readers also that if the people of the world couldn't put aside their problems , differences and ideas to stand collected against the growing Evils that then nothing good of heart would ever exist again .

When I read these books, I was immidiatly enthralled. The detail was exceptional, especially when reguarding the Endarkened. Prince Zyperis's and Queen Savilla's torture chamber was of exquisite detail.
The bond between Jermayan and Ancalador by far surpassed those of other Dragon Rider books I've ever seen, and Jermayan's dedication to Wildmage Idalia was breathtaking.
Following Kellen through his new power and discoveries was exciting and I only wish that more books had been written in the series.