Publisher's Weekly Review
In the latest addition to the Valdemar fantasy series (Arrow's Fall; Winds of Fate), Lackey returns to the capitol city of Haven, where young Lavan Chitward has just arrived with his family. Although the move signals a higher Guild standing for his ambitious parents, Lan is very unhappy to leave his home. His misery increases when he is sent to merchants' school, where the oldest students use their job of keeping order as an excuse to bully and steal from the younger children. As Lan's fear and frustration grow, he begins suffering terrible headaches--and around him, things mysteriously start to catch fire. When at last the older boys push him too far, a huge conflagration erupts, killing four of the bullies. Lan is terrified by his newly discovered power, until he is chosen by the Companion Kalira, one of the magical horselike creatures who work with the Heralds of Valdemar. Kalira can control Lan's dangerous power, and this is vital, as Lan's power will be needed, for another war is brewing with the nearby Karsites. Lan must learn to channel his power and anger against the coming enemy without destroying his friends--or himself. This tale of adolescent anger and revenge is not only deeply disturbing but flawed by Lackey's unclear message about the destructive nature of rage and her careless attempt to work out what it means for Lan's closest friend to be of a different age, gender and species than Lan. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Another of Lackey's fantasy yarns set in Valdemar (Storm Warning, 1994, etc.), a magical kingdom where magic-powered Heralds bond for life with horselike Companions, now facing war with neighboring Karse. This time, Lackey tells the story of Lavan Chitward, whose middle-class, social-climbing parents enroll him in a ghastly private school, oblivious of his talent for magically setting fire to things. The boy will grow up to be the notorious Herald, Lavan Firestorm. Only Valdemar experts will be able to place this installment chronologically--or want to. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
One of the strongest of Lackey's Heralds of Valdemar books, this action-packed story is a direct sequel to Magic's Price (1990), the conclusion of the trilogy The Last Herald-Mage. In the reign of Theran, when Valdemar faces war with powerful Karse, Lavan (Lan) Chitward's family moves to Haven and enrolls him in a school run by his parents' guilds. There, Lan becomes a target for older students who, entrusted with enforcing discipline, humiliate and abuse younger students. When they decide to cane Lan for ostensible infractions, Lan's latent gift is precipitously awakened, and the room erupts in flames, killing the ringleader and severely burning everyone else, including Lan. When questioned after he recovers, Lan explodes again. He is saved from letting himself die by being chosen by the Companion Kalira, and he is taken into the Herald Collegium to be trained as a Firestarter. His troubles aren't over, however, for the ringleader's grieving mother tries to have Lan killed. She is thwarted and banished, and Lan, with his ability to set up walls of flame, advances to the vanguard of Valdemar's resistance to Karse. Lackey's coming-of-age fantasy explores such issues as fear, anger, guilt, and the nature of warfare, and also the bonds between Heralds and Companions. Splendidly maintaining the world of so much of her fiction, Lackey adds yet more substance to the characters and their relationships. --Sally Estes
Library Journal Review
Forced by his family to attend a private school for the children of Haven's guild families, Lavan Chitward hides his growing anger at the brutal discipline imposed by the older students until his fury erupts in a tragic display of psychic energy. The manifestation of his rare GiftDand the unexpected appearance of one of Valdemar's horselike CompanionsDmarks him as a Herald and launches him on a one-way path to his destiny. In the latest in her popular Valdemar series, Lackey combines the intensity of a young man's agonized coming of age with a tale of love, honor, and sacrifice. Essential for series fans, this title belongs in most fantasy collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
