As you might guess from the anthology's title, this collection deals with rivalries of various types. Some stories are intimate and deal with small personal conflicts, some are professional, some involve siblings, and some span generations and deal with problems brewing long before the story itself takes place. Some of the conflicts seem fleeting, but cause a lot of disruption, and some even lead to a lot of death. In all cases though, the Heralds, Healers, Bards, and guards of Valdemar will do what they can to resolve the problems and hopefully resolve any unrest between the opposing sides.
The Price of Anger: Herald Marli Miniseries
by Brigid Collins:
This story centers on Lillia, the adopted daughter of Herald Marli and the former bandit Kimfer. It has been several years since the previous story, "Once a Bandit," and in that time, Lillia has gotten more control over her strange gift to see (and project) the events of the past, but she has far from mastered the talent. It seems that Lillia's gift at "seeing ghosts" has made a bit of a reputation for her and at least a few of the Bardic students wish to hear about the visions she sees in order to inspire works for their classes, but they don't seem to realize how distressed seeing these visions of the past make her feel. In this story, Lillia will get into a confrontation with one particular student who insists on hearing about the latest vision, as well as meet a shy young Bardic student who is obviously dealing with problems of her own. By the end of this story, Lillia will have to make some decisions about the nature of her gift and maybe even learn to confront the visions a bit more head on, rather than running away from them.
Consequences
by Dylan Birtolo:
Birtolo takes a look at how feuds and rivalries can have dire consequences, especially when they span generations. This story focuses on one small village on the outskirts of Valdemar called Sunpeak and shows its history at three different times. Working backwards in time, Memento style, we get glimpses into Sunpeak from the perspective of several different Heralds starting at the town's bloody conclusion and working backwards to its hopeful founding.
A Bad Business
by Jeanne Adams:
Adam's entry into Feuds takes place immediately after the events of the novel Take a Thief, and while you might think that means that fan favorite Skif gets a lot of page time in this story, it's actually Herald Beryl who is the focus of this tale. The dust has hardly settled on the final conflict from Take a Thief, but Beryl has been tasked with tracking down the loose ends surrounding the slavery ring and determining who else was involved in the vile conspiracy.
A Tale of Two Cooks
by Charlotte E. English:
This collection's fourth story focuses on the rivalry between the head chefs of two noble families. When Chef Tregan proclaims that the hog he was planning on cooking for an upcoming feast is missing, he goes into a tizzy. Not only is this the biggest feast of the year, but the Princess of Valdemar is expected to attend, so only the best will do. One of his assistant cooks, Lila, guesses that the reason for the missing swine is likely Chef Hemmet, a rival head chef for a different family, and Tregan's team confronts Hemmet and successfully retrieves the missing culinary centerpiece. Lila is relieved to have resolved the problem quickly, but then begins to have second thoughts about just how fast Hemmet relinquished the purloined pig. She elicits the help of her cousin, King's Own Herald Clea, in the hopes of uncovering whether anything more sinister could be afoot.
A Bite and A Pint: Fisher Petril Miniseries
by Louisa Swann:
In A Bite and A Pint, Swann returns to a miniseries she hasn't explored since Passages: Tales of Valdemar 14. In this story, the young Herald trainee Petril is returning to his home on the edge of Lake Evendim after a year of being away. At first, no one really believes that he's been chosen. After all, the white Companion he rides into town on is not the same horse he left guiding all those months ago, but before his visit is over, the town is going to have to accept his new role.
Unfortunately for Petril, he finds that the village is caught up in a bit of a feud between the local brewmistress and, of all people, his own mother. While his mother is known for her sweet pastries, the brewmistress has been getting some attention thanks to her liquor. What started as a small rivalry has apparently grown as each woman claims the other is sabotaging their ingredients. While Petril can't act in an official capacity and pass judgment since he is just a trainee, he will have to do what he can to help settle matters, and hopefully no one will believe his familiar connections will sway his views.
Dueling Minstrels
by Jennifer Brozek and Marie Bilodeau:
Aimar Noteleaf and Ozan Newsong are two minstrels, both employed by the Rustic Mug tavern, but the two don't get along, and they both constantly fight over whose night it is to play in front of the crowd. Finally fed up with their constant bickering, Linde, the owner, forces the two of them to share the stage for a night and find a way to play together. Unfortunately, the resulting performance is far from harmonious and it seems that each minstrel has some latent Bardic Talent. It is up to Herald Riora and her Companion Soren to clean up the mess and figure out exactly what to do with the two musicians.
A Scold of Jays: Animal Mindspeakers Miniseries
by Elisabeth Waters:
This anthology's theme seems very fitting given the story playing out in this particular miniseries. Many of the characters at the Temple of Thenoth have had various confrontations with Lord Crane. This particular story starts off a couple of years back and hops through recent events, this time from Lord Crane's own perspective, with each showing how he or his father has wronged the likes of Keven (Crane's disinherited older brother), Sven-August (Crane's step-son) and Sara (Sven-August's wife). Doing so gives a nice perspective into the events playing out in the later part of this story, since those that haven't read the previous entries in this miniseries might not have the full context into Lord Crane or his attitudes. It also helps establish a particular pattern for Lord Crane himself, which looks to have finally caught up to him.
Future-Proof
by J. L. Gribble:
The noble families of Aylmere and Phran have been at odds with each other for years. So when the scions of both houses are paired up in the annual Collegium Academics Challenge, many of Cam Aylmere and Duri Phran's classmates feel there is no way the pair can work together to tease out the clues and win the competition. The two must learn to work with each other if they are going to be able to make any progress in the challenge, but the challenge itself starts to take an unexpected twist when it becomes clear that their set of clues isn't leading them in the same direction as the other pairings. Will these two scions be able to put their family squabbles aside long enough to figure out exactly what is going on?
A Single Row of Vines: Elderly Heralds Miniseries
by Brenda Cooper:
In Brenda Cooper's entry into this anthology, she not only tells a story about the collection's theme, but also advances the budding relationship between the two retired Heralds, Marjom and Witman, as they teach the next generation of Heralds in preparation for the increased defenses at the Hardorn border. In A Single Row of Vines, the two teachers notice animosity between a pair of trainees. When pressed to discover what is wrong between them, Marjom and Witman learn that their families have been feuding since Witman's first circuit several decades back. At the time, Witman was asked to pass judgment on a young man who was caught spoiling a neighbor's vineyard. The consequences of those events seem to have poisoned the two families against each other. Freya and Amica are the youngest members of those families and the two older Heralds can't help but wonder what led to Companions choosing people on opposite sides of the feud.
As usual, all four Companions involved are tight-lipped on their motivations and it's up to the teachers to figure out how to get the two young women to work out their issues, because once they are on the front lines, they might have to rely on each other for their very lives.
Most True
by Kristin Schwengel:
Nieko is a Journeyman Bard who has just arrived back at her hometown in order to spend time on her Masterwork piece. While she has the start of a melody in her head, she hopes that returning to the mountain town of Covey will give her the inspiration she needs in order to obtain the rank of Master. So, imagine her annoyance when she learns that a fellow Journeyman named Giulia has also appeared in Covey in order to be inspired by the types of nature the young city girl never experienced growing up. The two musicians entered Bardic Collegium mere months apart and the two developed a strong rivalry, so the fact that it was Giulia of all of her classmates to show up in Covey just adds to the overall annoyance. Unfortunately, Giulia's inexperience with the wild will get both of them into trouble and it will drastically change both of their lives forever.
Detours and Double Crosses: Bard Bruny Miniseries
by Angela Penrose:
Bardic Journeyman Bruny is out traveling Valdemar under the tutelage of Bard Harrond when the pair find themselves facing an unexpected situation. It seems a woman is fearful for the life of one of her children. Through a bit of a tangled web of familial relations, she fears that young Corven could be at risk of being killed by his uncle even though it is Corven's brother who will take possession of the farm now that their father has passed away. Normally this would be an issue for the Heralds, not Bards, but Corven's mother feels she is running out of time and when she comes across the pair of Bards, she pleads with them to take young Corven away to a nearby town and place the young boy in the care of his Aunt Yavina. It quickly becomes apparent that, even as complicated as the story appears to be, what is really going on isn't as simple as the Bards have been told. They will have to untangle the knot of Corven's family if they are going to get to the bottom of the whole situation and keep the boy alive.
Trade Is Trade: Watchmen Miniseries
by Fiona Patton:
The watchmen of Iron Street have their work cut out for them when disturbances at the pubs in their jurisdiction increase. For some reason, it appears that the two establishments are growing more insistent about which of them is the oldest pub in Haven. It isn't long before they start hearing about similar claims in other parts of the city and some of the Dann brothers are sent outside of their little patch of Haven to get a better idea of what is causing the trouble. Apparently, because of some kind of impending anniversary, the Valdemar historians are planning on rewarding the oldest pub in Haven with a plaque to celebrate its longevity. The only problem is, those same historians are still researching exactly which place gets the prestige. In the meantime, the rivalry between the different pubs is only growing and it's up to the various watchmen of Haven to keep everyone in line until the whole matter can be settled.
By the Ticking of My Thumbs
by Rosemary Edghill:
Verrigan is a skilled clockmaker who dreams of one day making a massive tower clock full of intricate moving display pieces. While he toils away at his normal works, visions of Companions and Heralds moving smoothly all day and night are what drives him to become an expert and renowned clockmaker. When he learns that a new clockmaker has moved into his town, Verrigan immediately turns sour to the young Skoros. Verrigan's annoyance grows into a vendetta when a traveling merchant decides to buy all of his clocks and mechanical toys from Skoros instead of Verrigan, and when a competition is announced for clockmakers to present designs for a tower clock in Haven itself, Verrigan's vendetta becomes a full-blown obsession with the other man. As Verrigan runs into problems with his particular design, he can't help but wonder how the other clockmaker's own submission is going. Verrigan will end up resorting to some drastic measures in order to end this feud that's been brewing since the man arrived in his town.
Harmony: Student Tarek Strand Miniseries
by Anthea Sharp:
Like a few of the other stories in this collection, this one focuses on the rivalry between two students. It seems that the Bardic Collegium is divided in its support between two highly gifted musicians, Trainee Sunin Javer and Lady Midaren Stearn. The competitive nature of the two students is only amplified by the strength of their Bardic Gifts. The Collegium would have enough on its hands if it only had one student with such a potent gift, but having two butting heads is causing a lot of trouble for both the faculty and the students. When Bard Shandara Tem is tasked with choosing the music that the Bardic Trainees will need to perform in an upcoming event, she strives to find just the right piece that will not only showcase the talents of the two popular students, but also, hopefully, find a way to force the pair to work together in an unexpected way.
Playing Peacemaker Once More: Healer Serril Miniseries
by Dee Shull:
Healer Serril's calm day gets unexpectedly interrupted when an old friend of his approaches him regarding a relative's broken arm. As Serril and his student Jayin head off to the Valerin estate to take care of the man's injury, they learn that the Valerin family has been in a generations-long feud with the Barretts over the goods both families produce. After examining the broken bone, Serril decides he needs to pay a visit to the Barretts family as well, because he gets the sense that there is more to the injury than he is being told. Imagine his surprise when he learns that the Barretts also have a family member that has just broken his arm. As Serril and Jayin work to heal the physical wounds, they also poke at the stories of the fight and start to work out exactly what spurred this particular set of injuries. It could be that Healer Serril can mend more than the broken bones before this story is over.
Pairmates: Kyree Nwah Miniseries
by Ron Collins:
The kyree Nwah has been through a lot in her life. She has been lifebonded, had that bond-mate killed and then, surprisingly, found a new lifebond in young Cade. She and Cade have traveled far in order to enroll him at the Healers Collegium, and she realized that she could not stay in the crowded city. While her bond with Cade is still active, she has had to leave him for a time. On top of all of that, she has the Mage Gift and has been trained under Darkwind himself. Despite that formidable training though, Nwah has suffered some serious physical damage at the hands of a Hardonen baron who is still loyal to the land's previous king. Now, Nwah is trying to recover under the ministrations of a healer named Winnie in the town of Oris, with her pack leader Maakdal at her side.
When Winnie is called upon to care for the Kard family, Winnie realizes that they have been poisoned. The Kards immediately accuse the Tuckers family of befouling their dinner. When Nwah realizes that Maakdal is missing, she and her friends search the nearby woods only to discover that the Tuckers family has some deeper connections with Nwah's recent past than any of them realized.
Battle of the Bands
by Dayle A. Dermatis:
When a musical competition is announced, Eldriss and his friends are immediately excited to compete. While they will have to travel a couple of days just to get to Haven, the chance to perform in front of the Queen and bring a bit of fame back to Traynemarch Reach is too good to pass up. Unfortunately, there are a couple of problems. One is their rival band led by Eldriss' brother, Brower. For years now, Brower has not only estranged himself from Eldriss but the bands have even been known to sabotage each other on occasion. Brower isn't Eldriss' only problem though. Their troupe's drummer, Davon, won't be able to take part in the competition because of his wife's pregnancy. Now, not only will Eldriss' band have to deal with Brower's, but they will have to find a new drummer and make sure that person can not only perform well, but also mesh well with the troupe. Needless to say, events between these brothers' bands will come to a head in Haven and who knows what will happen under the watchful eyes of Queen Selenay.
Tangles: Weaver Deira Miniseries
by Diana L. Paxson:
As Deira longs to spend as much time with her husband as possible before he starts his first circuit as a Herald, the last thing she wants to do is take the time to work on commissioned tapestries, but she does have responsibilities that need to be addressed. One such piece of work is for Lady Auster and she insists on a particular shade of red in the work. Deira's search leads her to two import shops she frequents, one owned by Madame Baldon and the other by Master Macraine. While she does find what she is looking for, she also finds that the competition between the two seems to be heating up and are even starting to touch the realm of vandalism.
Deira sees something else though. In each shop, there is one half of a pair of dressers that were obviously meant to be together. Deira learns that these two pieces of furniture were the only thing to survive a fire and while Macraine knows that he has only half of a set, Baldon just sees the piece as a one-off that is hard to sell. Of course, she refuses to sell it to her competitor based on principal alone. When word gets to Madame Baldon that her piece isn't a one-off and that Macraine has the other, an all-out brawl erupts and not only does the newly-minted Herald Andry have to intervene, but Deira is brought in as well.
Payment in Kind: Wil and Lelia Miniseries
by Stephanie Shaver:
Herald Lyle has been sent to the town of Brightneedle at the request of a local lord because it seems a device of his has been damaged and he demands to know who did it. Tagging along with Lyle is his twin, Bard Lelia, but unbeknownst to Lyle, she isn't in the best of health. When the twins arrive at the town and examine the machine, they learn that Lord Alsop's device is a mechanical marvel designed to work faster than any human weaver. Considering the primary occupation in Brightneedle is weavers, Lyle can't help but understand why one of the locals might have been willing to damage the device. As Lyle and Lelia investigate the incident, tensions between the weavers and Alsop's men increase. It seems like nightly fights are only the start of the trouble in this town if the twins can't get to the bottom of the vandalism.
A Determined Will: Teig Mysteries Miniseries
by Paige L. Christie:
Teig's old friend and mentor, Old Belton, has passed away, and apparently he has left her everything. While he wasn't a rich man, he did have a home in Sweet Springs where Teig grew up. Unfortunately, it seems that Teig will have to hold off a bit on processing her grief over the retired guard because another claimant to Belton's property has also arrived in Sweet Springs. Larud claims to be Belton's grandson, even though no one in Sweet Springs knew that Belton had any children, much less grandchildren. The problem is Larud seems to have all the official paperwork in hand and given the more lax documents that govern this kind of thing in Sweet Springs, Larud's documents could trump Teig's own claims. Teig will have to use all of the skills she has been honing in her training if she is going to figure out exactly who Larud is and what his motivations are, because she is certain that this young man is not entirely on the up and up.
The Ballad of Northfrost
by Phaedra Weldon:
In this one-off story, we follow Herald Reyes, who has been asked to return to his hometown of Northfrost in order to investigate an incident there. It seems that Reyes is a bit of an isolationist and now, even the last Herald that has been willing to work with him in the past has asked to be reassigned. Reyes' last assignment with Herald Viessa is this trip back to Northfrost, but she doesn't know about his own history in the town and his tormented childhood.
When a confrontation with the people of his past leaves Reyes badly injured and alone in the dark, he will only have the help and comfort of his illusions to get him to safety, but those illusions might also help him solve a mystery that has been plaguing him since he was a child. Now, he just has to survive and hope that both Viessa and his Companion can make it out of Northfrost alive.
Uncivil Blood
by Mercedes Lackey:
Lackey's entry in Feuds brings back some of her earliest Valdemar characters, Herald-Mage Vanyel and his Aunt Herald-Mage Savil. This novella is a hefty chunk of the anthology as a whole and it accounts for almost 50 of the book's 450 pages. In it, Vanyel and Savil are sent outside of Valdemar itself to a neighboring principality that is being courted to join Valdemar. Unfortunately, a bit of a feud between two major families could easily disrupt any kind of annexation, and might even cause the city-sized nation to be taken in by neighboring Hardorn, if nothing else then to impose peace. While Savil enters in her full Heraldic Whites, Vanyel takes up the guise of a bard that claims to be the "Prince of Minstrels and Minstrel of Princes."
The pair quickly learn that the origins of the feud stem from a property dispute some generations back, and while the Corleans and Mayards have been butting heads for decades, tempers seem to be coming to a rise even more regularly as of late. It seems that the heir of House Mayard will soon be coming of age, and she will be expected to marry soon. Due to the small nation's complicated laws, who the young lady marries could sway the ownership of the disputed land to one of the two houses.
Meanwhile, the heir to the Corleans has just had his heart broken, but instead of being allowed to wallow in self pity, his friends gather the young man up and force him to attend the Mayard fete. Thankfully, it's a masked ball, so no one should know they were there. Much to both houses' chagrin, as soon as the young heirs meet, a lifebond is awoken within them and they immediately become inseparable. If this set up is starting to sound familiar, that's because it is. Uncivil Blood has more than a passing resemblance to Romeo and Juliet. Given that Lackey's entire Elemental Masters series is based off of reinterpreting fairy tales, any avid reader of her work should not be surprised that she has decided to reinterpret one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, but the question is, can Vanyel and Savil manage all the people in such a way as to give this story's young lovers a happier ending?
Like the other Valdemar anthology books I've read, Feuds: Tales of Valdemar - Book 18 is a useful tool, not only to expand on the rich world Lackey has already established over the series' decades of publication, but it acts as a way to introduce new readers to the world. While the one-off short stories don't require a lot of context to enjoy, even the miniseries are written in such a way as to be handled as if there was not much previous knowledge. Of course, if you are fully immersed in the Valdemar world, then you will get much more out of it.
I can personally attest to this. When I first started reading the books in this series, it was with 2018's The Hills Have Spies. I've read each new novel and anthology to come out since then, but I knew I was coming into the setting pretty late. This year, thanks primarily to a ridiculous sale on Audible, I am working my way through the previous novel releases and I have an even deeper appreciation and understanding of the world these various stories enhance. But, like I said, even a new reader can go into these anthologies in order to just get a taste of the world and its inhabitants. The Valdemar series has about 40 novels in its collections, and that's not counting these 18 anthologies. It's daunting, but these anthologies, plus the way the novels are structured into groups of trilogies or quadrilogies does make the overall universe easy to digest given enough time.
As always, I highly recommend any entry in the Tales of Valdemar series, especially if you are looking for an entry point into this long running world. It is a great taste of what Lackey's massive collection has to offer, even though she herself only has one story in Feuds.
