Mark Shepherd

I discovered Mark Shepherd by reading books he had written either with Mercedes Lackey, or in a Mercedes Lackey universe. I have enjoyed all the books he has written or contributed to.

Books I've Read by Mark Shepherd

Standalone Books

THE HOUR OF CHOOSING IS AT HAND . . . . In Lammas Night a young weaver of spells is persuaded to bide a while in a small village, to make their village spells and keep the Dark at bay. As part of their persuasion, the villagers have given her the house of her predecessor. Not knowing that his spirit lingers there, she unwittingly breaks the spell that laid him. Now, a half-seen phantom courts her. He is either her lover for all time, the only one she will ever know--or a wicked spirits' seeming, the aim of which is to entrap her in a fate unspeakable. Will she call him to her or banish him forever? Now is the time of choosing, the Witching on Lammas Night. Magic Dark and Light are in perfect balance. She begins the casting of her spell . . . . (book description)

Bard's Tale Universe

1. Castle of Deception (Mass Market Paperback) (by Mercedes Lackey and Josepha Sherman)

   A YOUNG BARD FACES WEBS OF LIES AND DECEPTION IN A WORLD WHERE NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS--AND EVERYTHING IS A TRAP FOR THE UNWARY When young Kevin became a bard's apprentice, he thought that his new life would be filled with excitement and adventure; so when his new Master's first task for him is a perfectly ordinary manuscript copying errand to the castle of Count Volmar his disappointment knew no bounds. Why the Count was not even involved in Court politics! But when the Count's niece is kidnapped by elves and the Count asks for his help in recovering her, Kevin is convinced that the adventure he craves is at last at hand. What he cannot know is that the distressed damsel is not really Count Volmar's niece, that the abductors are not really elves--and that even the rescue is not what it appears to be! (book description)

2. Fortress of Frost and Fire (Paperback edition) (by Mercedes Lackey and Ru Emerson)

   ONCE A NECROMANCER ALWAYS A NECROMANCER At least that's what all the other elves are telling the young human Gawaine about his master, the Dark Elf Naitachal. Of course Gawaine doesn't believe them; Naitachal has always treated him well and honorably, explaining that though he once was a necromancing Dark Elf, and still has the ebon skin of the breed, he long ago forsook all things black in order to become the first Elven Bard. But though Naitachal means every word he says, and though Gawaine has known all along that things might get a little uncomfortable for a human with a Dark Elf master, neither has guessed what temptations the future might hold: for Gawaine to forsake his master, and for Naitachal to go back to his old necromancing ways. (book description)

3. Prison of Souls (Paperback edition) (by Mercedes Lackey and Mark Shepherd)

   THE HEROES The hero of the first Bard's Tale novel, Castle of Deception, is now a very old man, but his mentor, the Dark Elf Naitachal, is still going strong and training new apprentices. His latest: the King's own son, Alaire. THE MISSION Alair is an apt pupil, but before he has had a chance to master the secrets of Bardic power, he and Naitachal are sent by the King on a dangerous diplomatic mission. The kingdom on King Reynard's northern border, Suinomen, has banned magic for years, and now is making preparations for war. Their job: find out why their previously peaceful neighbor is making war noises, discover what's behind it, and stop it. THE CATCH They cannot use their innate Bardic magic. Unlicensed use of magic in Suinomen earns the wielder a sentence in the Prison of Souls, a punishment which not only takes the magic user off the streets, but which eats away at a magic user's very life force . . . . (book description)

4. The Chaos Gate (Paperback edition) (by Josepha Sherman)

   THE PRODIGAL'S UNWILLING RETURN The Dark Elf Naitachal, once a Necromancer who gained power by depriving others of their life forces, is now happy in the more peaceful role of Bard. But shadows from his past linger. Naitachal's Dark Elf clan sees him as the worst of traitors for daring to turn towards the Light. They mean to take revenge. They create a trap, the Chaos Gate, a sorcerous portal that is meant to draw him into their hands and into their power. Only Kevin, once Naitachal's apprentice, now a full Bard and Count in his own castle, stands between the Dark Elf and certain doom. But can even the powers of Bardic Magic be enough to vanquish the Darkness? (book description)

5. Escape From Roksamur (Paperback edition) (by Mark Shepherd)

   ONCE A PRINCE, ALWAYS A PRINCE Once again, instead of writing music, working spells, or training his apprentice, Bard Alaire is asked to turn his hand to diplomacy. Because he's the only man the king, his brother, can trust to investigate the death of the previous Ambassador, Alaire has been made Ambassador to the troubled kingdom of Suinomen. Once before Alaire was in Suinomen--and barely made it out alive from its Prison of Souls. Now he will face high seas, low magic, and kidnapping by giant spiders--and that's before he even gets there . . . . (book description)

Elves on the Road Universe

Bedlam's Bard (Reprint of Knight of Ghosts and Shadows and Summoned to Tourney) (by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon)

1. Knight of Ghosts and Shadows (by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon)
   Eric Banyon, musician, is out playing the blues on his flute one day, but he couldn't have known that the desperate sadness of his music would free a young elven noble from the magical prison he has been languishing in for centuries--nor does he believe it!
2. Summoned to Tourney (by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon) (out of print)
   Elves in L.A.? When things get too hot there, they move north to San Francisco. But in their futuristic world, San Francisco is doomed to drop into the ocean The only hope lies with the humanlord--who must summon the soul-devouring Nightflyers.

Diana Tregarde Investigations

1. Children of The Night (by Mercedes Lackey)
   Diana Tregarde finds unexpected danger in New York--a rock band of psi-vampires that feed on strong negative emotions--and soon this practicing witch allies herself with Andre LeBrel, a true vampire who intends to destroy this musical menace.
2. Jinx High (by Mercedes Lackey) (publisher out of stock)
3. Burning Water (by Mercedes Lackey)
   Something is stalking Dallas. First it attacked cattle, leaving bloody corpses. Now it is going after people. Detective Mark Valdez feels the evil surrounding the city and calls in a specialist, Diana Tregarde, a romance novelist and practicing witch. But will Diana be an avenging angel or a willing sacrifice?

The SERRAted Edge

• The Chrome Borne (Reprint of Born to Run and Chrome Circle) (by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon)
  • Born to Run (by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon)
    Hot cars, fast elves, and rock-n-roll. Good elves are intrigued by stock car racing, and bad elves run kiddie-porn and drug rings. Trapped in between are three runaways who are in serious trouble and about to get into more--unwitting pawns in a deadly game between good and evil.
  • Chrome Circle (by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon)
    There are mages out there . . . and some of them are kind of cute--like Tannim, a young human mage with a taste for hot Celtic rock, fast cars and dangerous women. Now he thinks he's found Ms. Right, but there are some small problems: Her father is a dragon; she's not human, though she's definitely a fox; and she wants to kill him!
• The OtherWorld (by Mercedes Lackey, Mark Shepherd and Holly Lisle) (a reprint of Wheels of Fire and When the Bough Breaks)
  • Wheels of Fire (by Mercedes Lackey and Mark Shepherd)
    When a boy is kidnapped from his mother by her ex-husband, he becomes the prisoner of a radical cult. His mother gives up her job and home to search for him, but the only way she'll find him is with the help of a fun-loving, hard-driving elf.
  • When the Bough Breaks (by Mercedes Lackey and Holly Lisle)
    Equipped with more inherent psi power than any mortal or elf, an abused little girl threatens to destroy Earth and the Faerie world, unless the elves can stop her. (from an Amazon.com review

King Aedham of Avalon

1. Elvendude (by Mark Shepherd) (I haven't read this one yet)
   Sent to live in another world with altered memories so as to protect him from the evil forces that prey upon his father's kingdom, Prince Adam finds his life turned upside down when his true heritage catches up with him. (from an Amazon.com review)
2. Spiritride (Mass Market Paperback) or (Paperback edition) (by Mark Shepherd)

   (book description)

3. Spiritride (by Mark Shepherd)
   Randolf "Thorn" Wilson died a long time ago. But that doesn't stop him from riding his ghost Harley through the sky, trying to help other bikers. Now he's caught in a battle between an elven King and his skateboard-riding champion and a mad Prince of the Dark Elves and his demon drug-pusher. Also caught in the middle are two mortal bikers: Wolf, an ex-vet who's a mage-in-training, and Lucas Tatum, a criminal in training. It's up to Thorn to save the two without getting the tattered remnant of his spirit blasted to the four winds.... (from the back of the book)
4. Lazerwarz (Paperback edition) (by Mark Shepherd)

   Dobie's ambitions didn't extend much past working fast food—until the Lazerwarz arena came to town. There he discovered the world of laser tag, and with it a warrior's persona he never knew he possessed. Then a goddess in disguise picks him up in a shiny red Corvette, and the fireworks really get started. (book description)

Velgarth (Valdemar) Universe

The Mage Wars
1. The Black Gryphon (by Mercedes Lackey)
   A fantastic odyssey into the magical prehistory of the world of Valdemar--when Valdemar is as yet unformed--follows the perilous quest of the gryphon Skandranon Rashkae as he braves the dark spells and evil forces of Maar.
2. The White Gryphon (by Mercedes Lackey)
   Rebuilding their city in the ten years after their ruler is killed, the people of Urtho establish the sanctuary of White Griffin, which is threatened when the envoys of the Black King tell them that the city is on their leader's land.
3. The Silver Gryphon (by Mercedes Lackey)
   A dozen years of peace have passed in the city of White Gryphon, and the residents have trained a new elite guard force--the Silver Gryphons. Blade and Tad, the offspring of Skandranon the Black Gryphon and Amberdrake the Healer, have completed training and accepted their first assignment--one that will take them to a dark tropical rain forest to face a nameless terror which even their fathers could never have envisioned.

The Books of the Last Herald-Mage
1. Magic's Pawn (by Mercedes Lackey)
   In Magic's Pawn, an ancient age in the history of Valdemar comes to life--an age when the kingdom was ravaged by the ungoverned fury of bandit warlords, ferocious ice dragons, and the wild magic of wizards.
2. Magic's Promise (by Mercedes Lackey)
   The wild magic is taking its toll on the land, and even Vanyel, the most powerful Herald-Mage to ever walk the world, is almost at the end of his strength. But when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a call for help from neighboring Lineas, both Herald-Mage and Companion are drawn into a holocaust of dark magic that could be the end of them both.
3. Magic's Price (by Mercedes Lackey)
   The Herald-Mage, Vanyel, and his Companion, Yfandes, are alone responsible for saving the once-peaceful kingdom of Valdemar from the forces of a master who wields a dark, forbidding magic. And if either Vanyel or Yfandes falters, both Valdemar and its Herald-Mage must pay the ultimate price.

Vows and Honor
1. The Oathbound (by Mercedes Lackey)
   Tarma witnessed her clan's murder and, swearing vengeance, became a master warrior. Kethry fled her forced "marriage" and became an adept--pledging her power to the greatest good. When Kethry obtains a magical sword which draws her to others in need, the two vow to avenge the wrongs done to womanhood.
2. Oathbreakers (by Mercedes Lackey)
   Evil had cast its shadow over the kingdom of Rethwellan. When Idra, leader of the Sunhawks mercenaries, failed to return from a journey to her home, Tarma and Kethry, warrior and mage, set out in search of their vanished leader.
3. Oathblood (by Mercedes Lackey)
   The fates of Tarma (one of the sword-sworn and most feared of all warriors) and Kethry (who wields magic and weapons for the greater good), are suddenly bound together in blood by the powers that control their destinies. Also included in the unique volume is the complete collection of Lackey's short stories about these two brave sisters as they answer the call of their destinies with sword and sorcery!

Kerowyn's Tale
1. By The Sword (by Mercedes Lackey)
   When her family is slaughtered and her brother's fiance is taken, Kerowyn goes on a ride that begins her destiny. Training with Tamra and Warrl she seeks her fortune in the mercenary bussiness.

The Heralds of Valdemar
1. Arrows of the Queen (by Mercedes Lackey)
   Talia, a young runaway, is made a herald at the royal court after she rescues one of the legendary Companions. When she uncovers a plot to seize the throne, Talia must use her empathic powers to save the queen.
2. Arrow's Flight (by Mercedes Lackey)
   Having mastered the powers necessary to a guardian of the kingdom, Talia faces the final preparation for her initiation as adviser and protector of the Queen.
3. Arrow's Fall (by Mercedes Lackey)
   Valdemar's Peril!
   With Elspeth, the heir to the throne of Valdemar, come of marriageable age, Talia, the Queen's Own Herald returns to court to find Queen and heir beset by diplomatic intrigue as various forces vie for control of Elspeth's future.
   
   But just as Talia is about to uncover the traitor behind all these intrigues, she is sent off on a mission to the neighboring kingdom, chosen by the Queen to investigate the worth of a marriage proposal from Prince Ancar. And, to her horror, Talia soon discovers there is far more going on at Princ Ancar's court than just preparation for a hoped-for royal wedding. For a different magic than that of the Heralds is loose in Ancar's realm--an evil and ancient sorcery that may destroy all of Valdemar unless Talia can send warning to her Queen in time!

The Mage Winds
1. Winds of Fate (by Mercedes Lackey)
   With the kingdom of Valdemar once more threatened by dark sorcery, Princess Elspeth sets out to find a mentor who can awaken her own magical talents, accompanied by Darkwind, a Tayledras scout with his own extraordinary powers.
2. Winds of Change (by Mercedes Lackey)
   Princess Elspeth journeys to the Vale of the Tayledras Clan to seek Mage training among the powerful Hawkbrother Adepts, only to find that she and renegade adept Darkwind must confront the malevolent magic of Ancar of Hardorn.
3. Winds of Fury (by Mercedes Lackey)
   No longer a willful novice, Princess Herald Elspeth has completed her magical training. She returns to her homeland with her beloved partner Darkwind. Will they be strong enough to confront the magical evil which is threatening their land?

The Mage Storms
1. Storm Warning (by Mercedes Lackey)
   In war-ravaged Valdemar, Queen Selenay is attempting an alliance with an ancient enemy, the neighboring kingdom of Karse. This is no easy task, but it is a venture that must not fail if either realm hopes to survive the coming confrontation with the massive armies of the ancient and enigmatic Eastern Empire.
2. Storm Rising (by Mercedes Lackey)
   The threat of war from the powerful Eastern Empire has forced the kingdom of Valdemar into an uneasy coalition with its ancient enemy, the neighboring kingdom of Karse. But as mysterious mage storms threaten all the kingdoms of the West, even these combined magical resources may be enough. For unless the source of these storms can be found and destroyed, their entire world may perish in a final holocaust.
3. Storm Breaking (by Mercedes Lackey)
   The destruction of the ancient magical source of the mage storms by the combined forces of Valdemar and Karse has alleviated great peril to all the kingdoms of the West. But its annihilation is not without a heavy price, for it has permanently altered the laws of magic throughout the land. Can the kingdoms of the West gather their forces to learn a new system of magic in time to counter a devastating assault from the Eastern Empire--the most powerful enemy they have ever faced?

The Owl Mage (Darian's Tale)
1. Owlflight (by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon)
   Though apprenticed to a legendary wizard, the young orphan Darian remains difficult and strong-willed. But a sudden twist of fate changes his life forever. The sacking of his village forces him to flee into the great forest, where the mysterious Hawk People lead him on the path to maturity.
2. Owlsight (by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon) (I haven't read this one, yet)
   It has been four years since Darian saw his village sacked and burned by barbarians. Taking refuge with the Hawkbrothers, he soon finds his life's calling--as a Healing Adept. But even as he learns the mystical ways of this ancient race, Darian cannot escape the dangers threatening his future. Another tribe of barbarians is approaching. The time has come...to stand up and fight.
3. Owlknight (by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon) (I haven't read this one, yet)
   From fantasy legends Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon comes the third and final volume in a powerful saga charged with war and magic, life and love....
   
   Two years after his parents disappearance, Darian has sought refuge and training from the mysterious Hawkbrothers. Now he has opened his heart to a beautiful young healer. Finally Darian has found peace and acceptance in his life. That is, until he learns that his parents are still alive-and trapped behind enemy borders....

Short Stories
• Sword of Ice And Other Tales of Valdemar (created by Mercedes Lackey)
  Filled with magic, intrigue, romance and adventure, Mercedes Lackey's world of Valdemar is one of the most popular domains in fantasy literature. Home to the Heralds and thier mysterious horselike Companions, the magical Tayledras Hawk-people, and of course, the powerful gryphons, Valdemar has garnered a devoted global following. Now these 17 new tales by fantasy's greatest authors are sure to add their own chapter to the history of this enchanting land.
• Sun in Glory and other tales of Valdemar (created by Mercedes Lackey)
  Sun in Glory and other tales of Valdemar is the second short story collection of tales set in Valdemar.
  Edited by Mercedes Lackey, this friends of Valdemar collection, includes stories by Michael Longcor, and the long anticipated tale of how Talia became a Priest of the Sun by Mercedes Lackey. (book description)