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Feb 09, 2018ryner rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Vanyel is not the eldest son his parents were hoping for. Small of stature, fair of face, and with no talent for combat with heavy arms, he's the object of abuse and ridicule by his father, his father's advisers, and even his younger brother. His heart's desire is to be left to himself to play his instruments and to eventually study with the bardic college. But finally fed up with Vanyel's inadequacies, his father forces him to pack his bags and sends him away to live with his no-nonsense aunt Savil, whom he hopes will drive some strength and discipline into him. I feel lukewarm about this book. I was irritated from the start by the lack of dimension to the peripheral characters in Vanyel's life -- the vain and vacuous mother, the father for whom he'll never be good enough, the evil and brutish advisers -- all archetypes I've seen before. My hopes were elevated at Vanyel finding a kindred spirit in Tylendel, but then I was rolling my eyes in incredulity at the velocity and utter perfection of their relationship. I appreciated Lackey taking that risk, and in 1989 no less, and the story gets some props later on for taking a sharp and sudden turn from what I had been expecting. However, overall the author hasn't made me care enough about Vanyel to find out what happens in book two.