Fans of Valdemar will adore UNDER THE VALE! Mercedes Lackey once again takes the reader into the exceptional world of Valdemar. It is not even necessary to have read the whole Valdemar series, a reader can still become engrossed within the stories contained in this collection. The underpinnings of Valdemar are easier to picture and understand, fans who have tried to figure out how Valdemar came to be will be happy to know that more clues are leaked through these entertaining reads.

It is interesting to see how the other authors feel and describe Valdemar and characters in neighboring areas. The reader will be given a chance to imagine alongside these authors. The characters could have used a little more development, but it is an anthology and the characters were fairly recognizable. The stories themselves were well- developed, some feel like they are cut short at the end, but others are very satisfying, even surprising.

Fans of Mercedes Lackey will be happy to get their hands on UNDER THE VALE. This is one of those books the reader can read off and on giving them time to think about the underlying messages. The short story format always end in a perfect place to stop reading until next time.