Mercedes Lackey (born June 24, 1950) New York, New York (also known as Misty Lackey) is a prolific American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar. Her Valdemar novels form a complex tapestry of interaction between human and non-human protagonists with many different cultures and social mores.

The other main world in which she writes is one much like our own, but also populated by elves, mages, vampires, and other mythical beings. Some of the interlocking series in this world are the Diana Tregarde thrillers, the SERRAted Edge books about racecar-driving elves, and the Bedlam's Bard books, describing a young man with the power to work incredible magics through music. While the SERRAted Edge and Bedlam's Bard series are still in progress, she has declined to write further Diana Tregarde stories because of low sales. Lackey received harassment from a small but determined number of fans over the decision. She claims that the trouble escalated to the point where she and her husband received death threats and were temporarily forced to suspend their fandom activities. She resumed attending conventions by 2004.

There is a Mercedes Lackey fan group on Usenet. The fanclub, the "Queen's Own", is named after Herald Talia's position in her books.

Her earlier Velgarth novels are all solo projects, but later volumes in the Valdemar saga are illustrated by her husband Larry Dixon, and in many of her latest works he is also credited as co-author. Many of her other novels are collaborations. She has worked with fantasy authors Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Piers Anthony, and most recently has written The Obsidian Trilogy with historian James Mallory and a historical fantasy series based on Elizabeth I with romance writer Roberta Gellis.

Biography

Lackey's birth in 1950 prevented her father from being called to fight in the Korean War.

She places her meeting with science fiction at age 10 or 11, when she happened to pick up her father's copy of James H. Schmitz's Agent of Vega. She then read Andre Norton's Beast Master and Lord of Thunder, and continued to read all of Norton's works - Lackey noted with chagrined amusement the difficulties of obtaining enough interesting books from the public library to sate her passion for reading. She wrote for herself but without real direction or purpose until she attended Purdue University. Lackey graduated from Purdue in 1972.

While at Purdue, she took a one-on-one class of English Literature Independent Studies with a professor who was a fellow sci-fi fan. He helped her analyze books she enjoyed and then use that knowledge. Lackey then encountered fan fiction, which further encouraged her writing. She began publishing work in fanzines, and then discovered filk and had some filk lyrics published by Off Centaur Publications. She submitted a story to Sword and Sorceress, then sold the rewritten story to Fantasy Book Magazine. Her first sale was to Friends of Darkover.

She met C. J. Cherryh through filk, who mentored her during the writing of her 'Arrows' series. During this time, Marion Zimmer Bradley included her short stories in an anthology and Cherryh helped Lackey through 17 rewrites of 'Arrows'. During this time, she claims to have been writing so much that she had no social life at all. She divorced Tony Lackey, and eventually remarried to Larry Dixon.

Mercedes Lackey lives with her husband outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in an unusual house. She describes it as a "2½-story concrete dome with an octagonal wooden shell over it to make it look more like a normal house ... it's round with curved outer walls, which makes placement of furniture kind of awkward." (Valdemar Companion, 68)

She and Larry Dixon have in the past worked in raptor rehabilitation. She often refers to her various parrots as her "feathered children". The afterwords to some of her books refer to rehabilitation and falconry, and it is clear that this interest has influenced and informed her writing. She also enjoys beadwork, costuming, and needlework. She claims, however, to be a "wretched housekeeper, and by and large an indifferent cook" (Valdemar Companion, p 64) Besides this, she does radar-reading during tornado season. She helps support the Alex Foundation

Lackey has been active in the filking community. She was a major contributor to an early album of space filk, Minus Ten and Counting. She has won 5 Pegasus Awards, mostly for her songwriting.

Her favorite book that she has written is By the Sword, and her easiest to write was anything about Tarma and Kethry.

Lackey's dream cast list for her best-known books is as follows:

• Falconsbane: David Bowie
• Firesong: Sting
• Kerowyn: Cher
• Lavan Firestorm: Haley Joel Osment
• Tarma: Lucy Lawless
• Vanyel: Johnny Depp

Related writers

Mercedes Lackey is a protegée of Marion Zimmer Bradley, and got her start writing short stories in Bradley's story collections. Other mentors include writers C. J. Cherryh and Andre Norton, along with her editor, Elizabeth (Betsy) Wollheim of DAW Books.

She shares regular employment of female and homosexual characters as protagonists with Tanya Huff, although she tends to write in a more dramatic and straightforward style without Huff's typically sardonic authorial tone. She claims many aspects of her stories are based on her own experiences.

Published works

Mercedes Lackey Collections

Velgarth

Some of the trilogies follow on chronologically from each other. Others are set a considerable number of years apart from the others. Overall the books span some 3000 years of history. There is a significant gap in the middle which might some day be filled. In October 2003 Lackey announced that she was taking a break from writing Velgarth books, but a new one, Foundation: Book One of the Collegium Chronicles will be published in October 2008 and will presumably cover the founding of Valdemar.

Heralds of Valdemar

This set consists of the original trilogy, the very first Valdemar books published, and a prequel trilogy, the most recent.

Prequels

These centre on the Weaponsmaster Alberich (in the first two books) and the thief Skif (in the third book), telling the stories of their not-entirely-voluntary enrollments as Heralds.

1. Exile's Honor, 2002
2. Exile's Valor, 2003
3. Take a Thief, 2001

The original trilogy

These centre on the character Talia, from her first encounter with the Heralds to becoming the Queen's Own Herald.

1. Arrows of the Queen, 1987
2. Arrow's Flight, 1987
3. Arrow's Fall, 1988

The Mage Winds

These follow on from the original Heralds of Valdemar trilogy, centering on Princess Elspeth completing her transformation from "the Brat" to a fully-fledged Herald. Secondary protagonists include Skif and a new character Darkwind.

The latter part of Kerowyn's Tale, By the Sword fills in the events that happen after Arrow's Fall but before Winds of Fate.

1. Winds of Fate, 1991
2. Winds of Change, 1992
3. Winds of Fury, 1993

The Mage Storms

These follow on again, centering on the characters Karal and An'desha as Velgarth is threatened by a repetition of the Cataclysm described in The Mage Wars trilogy. This trilogy also focuses on the threat posed to Valdemar by the vast Eastern Empire and the development of the newly-formed Alliance between Valdemar and its surrounding nations.

1. Storm Warning, 1994
2. Storm Rising, 1995
3. Storm Breaking, 1996

Darian's Tale

The Owl trilogy takes place several years after the events of The Mage Storms, and follows the character Darian. The story focuses on the repercussions of the mage storms on Valdemar's northern border, and centers on new tensions between the kingdom and invading barbarians from beyond the Ice Wall.

1. Owlflight, 1997 (ISBN 0-88677-754-2)
2. Owlsight, 1998 (ISBN 0-88677-802-6)
3. Owlknight, 1999 (ISBN 0-88677-851-4)

The Last Herald Mage

These occur some centuries before the Heralds of Valdemar books, telling the life story of Vanyel Ashkevron; by the time of the "later" books he has become legend, thus explaining some of the small inconsistencies. This series was also consistently nominated for the Lambda Literary Prize, with Magic's Price winning in 1990.

1. Magic's Pawn, 1989 (ISBN 0-613-63053-X)
2. Magic's Promise, 1990 (ISBN 0-613-63055-6)
3. Magic's Price, 1991 (ISBN 0-613-63054-8)

Vows and Honor

1. The Oathbound
1. Mass Market Paperbound - Published By: DAW Books, January 19, 1989, ISBN 0-88677-414-4
2. Mass Market Paperbound - Published By: DAW Books, January 19, 1989, ISBN 0-88677-285-0
3. Hardcover - Published By: Rebound by Sagebrush, July 31, 2003, ISBN 0-61360-587-X
2. Oathbreakers
1. Mass Market Paperbound - Published By: DAW Books, January 30, 1989, ISBN 0-88677-454-3
2. Mass Market Paperbound - Published By: DAW Books, January 30, 1989, ISBN 0-88677-319-9
3. Hardcover - Published By: Rebound by Sagebrush, July 31, 2003, ISBN 0-61363-061-0
3. Oathblood
1. Hardcover - Published By: DAW Books, January 19, 1989, ISBN 1-56865-653-X
2. Mass Market Paperbound - Published By: DAW Books, March 23, 1998, ISBN 0-88677-773-9

These precede the Heralds of Valdemar books, centering on the characters Tarma and Kethry. These characters appeared first in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress series) and were revisited in subsequent short stories. Two of these short stories are woven into the Vows and Honor books as part of a longer narrative. The original Vows and Honor pair of books were linked together with By the Sword (published long before Oathblood) as a trilogy.

The third volume, Oathblood, is made up entirely of short stories in place of a longer narrative. With its publication, nearly all of the Tarma and Kethry stories were available together in a single compiled volume for the first time. The single missing story, A DRAGON IN DISTRESS, was co-authored with Elizabeth Waters and was originally published in the Sword and Sorceress series, volume XII. The story is missing from the compilation novel Oathblood due to the setting of the story taking place in Elizabeth Waters's world, not Mercedes Lackey's Velgarth.

The contents of Oathblood are as follows:

1. Introduction (c) 1998 (Originally published in Oathblood)
2. Sword-sworn (c) 1985 (Originally published in Sword and Sorceress III)
3. Turnabout (c) 1986 (Originally published in ???)
4. The Making of a Legend (c) 1990 (Originally published in Sword and Sorceress VI)
5. Keys (c) 1988 (Originally published in Sword and Sorceress V)
6. A Woman's Weapon (c) 1992 (Originally published in Sword and Sorceress IX)
7. The Talisman (c) 1990 (Originally published in Sword and Sorceress VII)
8. A Tale of Heroes (c) 1987 (Originally published in Sword and Sorceress IV)
9. Friendly Fire (c) 1993 (Originally published in Sword and Sorceress X)
10. Wings of Fire (c) 1991 (Originally published in Sword and Sorceress VIII)
11. Spring Plowing at Forst Reach (c) 1998 (Originally published in Oathblood)
12. Oathblood (c) 1998 (Originally published in Oathblood)

In the books and short stories, Tarma is a sword-wielding Shin'a'in clanswoman. Kethry is a magic-user who carries a sword with unusual properties. The nature of this sword, Need, is explored in later series set in Valdemar. At the time of the Vows and Honor books, all that is known is that it is magic, protects female bearers, and can pressure its owner into assisting other women. The overarching goal for the two women is to accumulate resources enough to regenerate Tarma's almost-destroyed clan. As the titles of the books suggest, emphasis is laid on the importance and consequences of oaths in at least one story from each book. The setting of the books is generally in the lands south of Valdemar such as Rethwellan, although there is a brief sojourn in Valdemar in Oathbreakers. Despite limited time in Valdemar, there were references in the first two Vows and Honor books to the Companions of Valdemar which laid early hints to their nature. The introduction of a fourfold deity (Tarma's Goddess) was something of a novel idea at the time of publication.

Kerowyn's Tale

This is a stand-alone novel which connects the Vows & Honor sub-series to the Heralds and other trilogies; it introduces the character Kerowyn who features therein. Kerowyn is the granddaughter of Kethry from the Vows and Honor sub-series.

• By the Sword
• Mass Market Paperbound - Published By: DAW Books, February 19, 1991, ISBN 0-88677-463-2

The Mage Wars

These are set in pre-history, some 2000-3000 years earlier. They describe the events which set off The Mage Storms. It involves gryphons, creatures created by the mage Urtho (Mage of Silence). Co-protagonists are Skandranon Rashkae, a princely but proud ebony gryphon, and Amberdrake, a Healer of spirit and mind called a kestra'chern.

1. The Black Gryphon
1. Hardcover - Published by: DAW Books, January 1, 1994, ISBN 0-88677-577-9
2. Mass Market Paperbound - Published by: DAW Books, December 12, 1994, ISBN 0-88677-643-0
2. The White Gryphon
1. Hardcover - Published by: DAW Books, January 4, 1995, ISBN 0-88677-631-7
2. Mass Market Paperbound - Published by: DAW Books, February 15, 1996, ISBN 0-88677-682-1
3. The Silver Gryphon
1. Hardcover - Published by: DAW Books, January 3, 1996, ISBN 0-88677-684-8
2. Mass Market Paperbound - Published by: DAW Books, November 7, 1996, ISBN 0-88677-685-6

Collegium Chronicles

Series marking Lackey's novel-length return to Valdemar after a 5-year hiatus. Covers the founding of the Herald Collegium.

1. Foundation
1. Hardcover - Published by: DAW Books, October 7, 2008, ISBN 0-7564-0524-6

Miscellaneous

This is a stand-alone novel, set somewhere between The Last Herald Mage and the Heralds books; it describes another legendary character referred to in the latter, Lavan Firestorm.

• Brightly Burning
• Hardcover - Published by: DAW Books, May 8, 2000, ISBN 0-88677-889-1
• Mass Market Paperbound - Published by: DAW Books, May 28, 2001, ISBN 0-88677-989-8
• Hardcover - Published by: Rebound by Sagebrush, June 1, 2001, ISBN 0-61363-021-1

Anthologies

• Sword of Ice And Other Tales of Valdemar, 1997 (ISBN 0-88677-720-8)
• Sun in Glory And Other Tales of Valdemar
• Mass Market Paperbound - Published by: DAW Books, November 21, 2003, ISBN 0-75640-166-6
• Crossroads And Other Tales of Valdemar, 2005 (ISBN 0-7564-0325-1)
• Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar, 2008 (ISBN 0-7564-0528-9)

References

• Valdemar Companion
• Hardcover - Published by: DAW Books, November 30, 2001, ISBN 0-75640-037-6
• Mass Market Paperbound - Published by: DAW Books, November 22, 2002, ISBN 0756400694
• Trade Paperback - Published by: DAW Books, May 26, 2006, ISBN 0756403901

Elves on the Road universe

Bedlam's Bard

• Knight of Ghosts and Shadows (1990) with Ellen Guon
• Summoned to Tourney (1992) with Ellen Guon
• Bedlam Boyz (1993) by Ellen Guon (prequel)
• Beyond World's End (2001) with Rosemary Edghill
• Spirits White as Lightning (2001) with Rosemary Edghill
• Mad Maudlin (2003) with Rosemary Edghill
• Bedlam's Edge (2005) with Rosemary Edghill
• Music to My Sorrow (2005) with Rosemary Edghill

Bedlam Boyz is a prequel to Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, detailing the origin of a secondary character in the series.

Bedlam's Edge is a collection of short stories, set in the same universe as the rest of the series but not involving any of the characters from the rest of the books. It includes two stories and an essay by Mercedes Lackey, one story each from Ellen Guon and Rosemary Edghill, and nine from a variety of other authors. When reading the series in chronological order, Music to My Sorrow follows directly from Mad Maudlin.

Diana Tregarde

• Burning Water (1989)
• Children of the Night (1990)
• Jinx High (1991)

These books are set in the same real world as the SERRAted Edge books: that is, a real world with levinbolts and elves who drive racing cars. At least one character (Tannim) is seen in both sets of books. The main character, Diana Tregarde, is an American witch, practicing a fantasy version of Wicca; by virtue of her position as a "Guardian" Diana has access to more magical power than many, but she is required to give her help when someone asks it of her. Her magical abilities do not pay the bills, however, and Diana is a romance (genre) novelist in her day job. In the stories, she must protect others from angry deities (Burning Water), vampires (Children of the Night), and a sorceress who intends to remain eternally young (Jinx High). The books were published under Tor's horror imprint rather than as fantasy. At the time of publication, positive depictions of what Wiccans and, more generally, neopagans believed and did were rare. In the mid-nineties, Lackey's books generally and these three particularly were regularly cited as examples of pagan-friendly fiction. ( (1992), (1995)) Lackey has written that she has no plans for further books in the series because they did not sell well (and not, as some fans apparently believed according to her, because she had come under pressure for stumbling "too close to the truth" of some supernatural conspiracy); nonetheless, she incorporated several elements of the Guardian mythos, including the apartment building where Diana lived, into later books in her Bedlam's Bard series.

The character Diana Tregarde first appeared in two short stories, "Satanic, Versus..." and "Nightside", which were originally written for inclusion in the Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic roleplaying game and subsequently featured in the short story collection Werehunter (1999). "Satanic, Versus..." is a humorous, cautionary tale that demonstrates just what can happen when people who don't quite understand magic meddle with it, whereas "Nightside" is a preliminary version of what later became the novel Children of the Night. An agency similar to Bureau 13 appears as an antagonist in a later Bedlam's Bard book.

In the collection "Bedlam's Edge" Lackey notes that she placed the Diana Tregarde world with her SERRAted Edge and Summoned to Tourney world with the intention of forcing anyone who believed Diana Tregarde and the Guardians were real to also have to believe in elves, dragons, and other patently fantastical things.

The unification of Lackey's worlds has had an odd effect: in Summoned to Tourney the main character, Eric, associates elves with "telepathic horses" (as in her Valdemar books) and "Aztec Gods rising in Oklahoma" referring to one of the Diana Tregarde books.

This leads to canon-inconsistency, because Tannim, another character from SERRAted Edge, lives in both worlds, and Eric ends up living in the same building (or one nearly identical to) Diana Tregarde lived in. Eric references what will later become part of his own book series.

The SERRAted Edge

• Born To Run (1992) with Larry Dixon
• Wheels of Fire (1992) with Mark Shepherd
• When the Bough Breaks (1993) with Holly Lisle
• Chrome Circle (1994) with Larry Dixon
• Elvendude (1994) by Mark Shepherd
• Spiritride (1997) by Mark Shepherd
• Lazerwarz (1999) by Mark Shepherd
• Stoned Souls with Sarah Hoyt
• This Scepter'd Isle (2004) with Roberta Gellis (prequel)
• Ill Met by Moonlight (2005) with Roberta Gellis (prequel)
• By Slanderous Tongues (2007) with Roberta Gellis (prequel)
• And Less Than Kind (2008) with Roberta Gellis (prequel)

Born to Run and Chrome Circle were incorporated into an omnibus called The Chrome Borne. Wheels of Fire and When the Bough Breaks were incorporated into an omnibus called The Otherworld. The books were paired off by thematic content rather than order; thus readers wishing to read the series in chronological order would be advised to read the first half of The Chrome Borne, all of The Otherworld, and then the latter half of The Chrome Borne.

Mark Shepherd's solo books in this series are only thinly connected to the other books, and might more properly be considered a separate series of their own.

This Scepter'd Isle, Ill Met by Moonlight, By Slanderous Tongues, and And Less Than Kind are a prequel series set several hundred years prior to the other books in the series. The first printing of This Scepter'd Isle's first Baen hardcover edition included a bound-in CD-ROM containing ebook editions of that as well as many other works by Lackey and other authors. As with Baen's other bound-in CDs, this CD included blanket permission to copy and share its contents noncommercially; thus it may be found freely circulating in peer-to-peer networks, as well as hosted on the world-wide web The four books are historically based, unlike the other SERRAted Edge books, surrounding Elizabeth I's parentage, birth, and rise to power. The books currently published take Elizabeth to just before her ascension to the throne.

Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground (1995)

Sacred Ground is a non-series novel in contemporary milieu concerning Native American magic. The main character, Jennifer Talldeer, is a private investigator. She is also Kestral-Hunts-Alone, an apprentice shaman learning modified tribal magic from her grandfather. She is called in to investigate possible sabotage at a local construction site where Indian artifacts have been found. Initially a run-of-the-mill investigation, it quickly spirals into a mess involving an old flame, Medicine and Native spirits running amok and an ancient evil once defeated by Jennifer's ancestor that has come back seeking revenge.

Much like Diana Tregarde, Jennifer is an independent woman and a powerful magic worker who also has mundane problems.

There is no formal connection stated with Lackey's other contemporary fiction, but it fits better here than with her other novels. In her short story After Midnight Lackey insinuates that the novel was an attempt to recover the spirit of the Diana Tregarde novels after the fiasco with a few fans believing the novels were based on real events (http://www.mercedeslackey.com/features_laststraw.html ). However, Sacred Ground also did not sell well, and Lackey took a break from dark fantasy.

Secret World Chronicle

• Book One: Invasion (2006) with Steve Libbey
• Book Two: The Hunt (2007) with Steve Libbey

The Secret World Chronicle is a series of "braided novels," based on characters and ideas created by Lackey and Libbey in an on-line role-playing environment, transposed into an entirely new setting. Although there are plans to set future works in different eras, Invasion is set in the present-day in a world where "metas" (short for metahumans, that setting's term for superheroes) first appeared during World War II and now play an important role in keeping the world safe. In Invasion, the world is invaded by a mysterious force of armored Nazi soldiers, some of whom are subsequently found not to be human.

While Secret World Chronicle is not set in the same world as the SERRAted Edge and Bedlam's Bard series, it does share certain elements in common with those books; one of Invasion's central characters, Victoria Victrix Nagy, is referred to as a Knight of Underhill.

The first book of The Secret World Chronicle began serialization in podcast form in September, 2006, read aloud by actors Adam Higgins and Laura Patterson. No plans have yet been announced for print publication.

The Halfblood Chronicles

with Andre Norton

1. The Elvenbane (1991)
2. Elvenblood (1995)
3. Elvenborn (2002)
4. Elvenbred (forthcoming December 2007) this has not yet been released and is in question due to the death of Andre Norton.

The Elemental Masters

Set in an earth where magic exists during the early 1900s, these stories follow magicians who control the powers of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. These stories are based loosely —-sometimes very loosely-— on various fairy tales. Although these books all take place in the same "world" and all include the same established system of Elemental Magick, the first book, The Fire Rose, can be distinguished in that the story takes place in the United States rather than in England, and the set of characters are not interrelated as are those in the following books. The Wizard of London can be considered a prequel to the other stories set in England and takes place during the Victorian Era.

1. The Fire Rose (1995, ISBN 0-671-87750-X) based on Beauty and the Beast
2. The Serpent's Shadow (2001, ISBN 0-7564-0061-9) based on Snow White
3. The Gates of Sleep (2002, ISBN 0-7564-0101-1) based on Sleeping Beauty
4. Phoenix And Ashes (2004, ISBN 0-7564-0272-7) based on Cinderella
5. The Wizard of London (October 2005, ISBN 0-7564-0174-7) based on The Snow Queen.
6. Reserved for the Cat (October 2007, ISBN 978-0-7564-0362-1) based on Puss in Boots.

Fairy Tale

1. The Black Swan (1999) based on Swan Lake
2. Firebird (1996) Based on a Russian Folk Tale

Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms

A fantasy series that deals with the more mature side of fairy tales. In the Five Hundred Kingdoms (almost certainly a literal name), the destiny of witches, knights, princesses and such are regulated by The Tradition, a magical force that is one of the primary sources of magic. Fairy Godmothers, Champions and Wizards are responsible for ensuring that The Tradition is upheld with a minimal loss of life. As with The Black Swan, place-names suggest that these books are set in a fantasized version of late-medieval Europe. The Five Hundred Kingdoms series is published as part of Harlequin's Luna imprint, targeted at female romance-science fiction/fantasy readers.

1. The Fairy Godmother (2004)
2. One Good Knight (2006)
3. Fortune's Fool (2007)
4. The Snow Queen (2008)

Free Bards universe

Bardic Voices

1. The Lark and the Wren (1992)
2. The Robin & the Kestrel (1994)
3. The Eagle & the Nightingales (1996)
4. Four and Twenty Blackbirds (1997, ISBN 0-671-87853-0)

The Free Bards had their genesis in the story "Fiddler Fair," originally written for an Andre Norton shared-world anthology titled Magic in Ithkar. The Ithkar series did not continue after its second volume, so Lackey rewrote, changed, and expanded the story into a setting of its own in The Lark and the Wren. "Fiddler Fair" may be found in the Mercedes Lackey short-story collection that is also titled Fiddler Fair.

Bardic Choices

1. A Cast of Corbies (1994)

The Dragon Jousters

The books primarily follow the story of Vetch (or Kiron, from the second book onward), and centers initially around a war between the neighboring countries of Alta and Tia, both of which use Dragon Jousters as their most powerful weapons. The books are based on the predynastic period of Ancient Egypt and (very loosely) the myth of Atlantis. This series began with a short story entitled "Joust" which was published in The Dragon Quintet (ISBN 076531035X). This short story was later expanded into the following series with the first novel holding the same name as the short story that began the series.

1. Joust (2003)
2. Alta (2004)
3. Sanctuary (May 2005)
4. Aerie (Oct 2006)

Heirs of Alexandria

An alternate universe/historical fantasy series set primarily in the Republic of Venice during the 1500s. In this world, Hypatia converted to Christianity and managed to save the Library of Alexandria from destruction. As a result, magic is a regular part of the Church, and priests double as magicians. The books focus on citizens of the Republic as they attempt to prevent their beloved city from being destroyed by the demon Chernobog.

1. Shadow of the Lion with Dave Freer & Eric Flint
2. This Rough Magic with Dave Freer & Eric Flint
3. A Mankind Witch by Dave Freer solo work continuing the series.

Obsidian Trilogy

This series primarily follows the adventures of Kellen Tavadon, and centers on the war between the races of light, and the Endarkened.

1. The Outstretched Shadow with James Mallory
2. To Light a Candle with James Mallory
3. When Darkness Falls with James Mallory

Enduring Flame

New series, set 1000 years after the events in Obsidian Mountain (Obsidian 1-3); and following an entirely new cast of characters, with the exception of cameo appearances by major characters Jermayan and Idalia, and the continued presence of Ancaladar the Dragon.

1. The Phoenix Unchained with James Mallory
2. The Phoenix Endangered with James Mallory

The Bard's Tale

Based on The Bard's Tale computer role playing game series.

1. Castle of Deception (1992) with Josepha Sherman
2. Fortress of Frost and Fire (1993) with Ru Emerson
3. Prison of Souls (1993) with Mark Shepherd

Collection of Short Stories

• Fiddler Fair (March 1, 1998), ISBN 0-671-87866-2
• How I Spent My Summer Vacation
• Aliens Ate My Pickup
• Small Print
• Last Rights
• Dumb Feast
• Dance Track
• Jihad
• Balance
• Dragon's Teeth
• The Cup and the Caldron
• Once and Future
• Fiddler Fair
• The Enemy of My Enemy

• Werehunter (April 1, 1999), ISBN 0-671-57805-7
• Werehunter
• SKitty
• A Tail of Two SKitties
• SCat
• A Better Mousetrap
• Last of the Season
• Satanic, Versus
• Nightside
• Wet Wings
• Stolen Silver
• Roadkill
• Operation Desert Fox
• Grey
• Grey's Ghost

Sword and Sorceress series Short Stories

All Mercedes Lackey stories written for the Sword and Sorceress series anthology involve Tarma & Kethry as the main characters. With the notable exception of A DRAGON IN DISTRESS, all of these short stories have subsequently been published in a compiled Tarma & Kethry novel called Oathblood (April 1998, ISBN 0-88677-773-9). The reason this story was left out of the compiled novel is due to the fact that the setting for A DRAGON IN DISTRESS takes place in Elisabeth Waters's world, not Mercedes Lackey's Velgarth.

1. Sword and Sorceress III (July 1986, ISBN 0-88677-141-2), story SWORD SWORN
2. Sword and Sorceress IV (July 1987, ISBN 0-88677-210-9), story A TALE OF HEROES
3. Sword and Sorceress V (August 1988, ISBN 0-88677-288-5), story KEYS
4. Sword and Sorceress VI (June 1990, ISBN 0-88677-423-3), story THE MAKING OF A LEGEND
5. Sword and Sorceress VII (December 1990, ISBN 0-88677-457-8), story THE TALISMAN
6. Sword and Sorceress VIII (September 1991, ISBN 0-88677-486-1), story WINGS OF FIRE
7. Sword and Sorceress IX (April 1992, ISBN 0-88677-509-4), story A WOMAN'S WEAPON
8. Sword and Sorceress X (June 1993, ISBN 0-88677-552-3), story FRIENDLY FIRE
9. Sword and Sorceress XII (July 1995, ISBN 0-88677-657-0), story A DRAGON IN DISTRESS with Elisabeth Waters
10. Sword and Sorceress XXIII (November 2008), story SCAM ARTISTRY with Elisabeth Waters

This Scepter'd Isle

Set in Tudor England, this series begins during the reign of Henry VIII. The first revolves around his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset while the later three focus on the early years of the future Elizabeth I

• This Scepter'd Isle
• Ill Met By Moonlight
• By Slanderous Tongues
• Less Than Kind

Other works

• Reap the Whirlwind (1989) with C. J. Cherryh (book three of The Sword of Knowledge trilogy)
• The Ship Who Searched (1992) with Anne McCaffrey, Book 3 in The Ship Series, ISBN 0-671-72129-1
• Freedom Flight (1992) with Ellen Guon, Book 1 in the Wing Commander universe, ISBN 0-671-72145-3
• Rediscovery (1993) (with Marion Zimmer Bradley), Book 20 in the Darkover series, ISBN 0-88677-529-9
• If I Pay Thee Not in Gold (1993) with Piers Anthony, ISBN 0-671-87623-6
• Tiger Burning Bright (1995) with Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton, ISBN 0-688-14360-1
• The River's Gift (1999) ISBN 0-451-45759-5
• The Wizard of Karres (2004) with Eric Flint and Dave Freer, ISBN 0-7434-8839-3
• Contributions of short fiction to all seven of the Merovingen Nights shared world anthologies

External links

• Official Website (New information has not been added to this site for almost three years)
• Entry on SciFan
• Baen Books author page
• Baen Free Library free ebooks by Mercedes Lackey
• Letter about death threats received.
• The Queen's Own Newsletters archive, provided by The Official Mercedes Lackey Fan Club in Laguna Beach, CA (with archives online dating back to 1988)