There is a pattern to my reading. Every year, there are acertain books that I will read again and again. Every Christmas, I will try and Read Stephen King's IT, every summer I will try to read Queen of the Damned or LotR. And every Spring?
The Last Herald Mage.
This is a trilogy by a talented author by the name of Mercerdes Lackey. This set of three books was given to me by a friend when I came out. It was a interesting book, set in a fantasy kingdom, and the first novelized character I ever read about that was gay. Not only that he was gay, but because a lot of what Vanyal, the charcater and hero of the book, was going through mirrored me. I was confused about a lot of things, especially about not being normal. A long time has past since those simple days when I was new and frightened, not the hardened bitch I am now.
The story is two fold upsetting. Vanyal has to leave his home where he falls in love with a yonug herald trainee named Tylendel. The concept of love in this series of books is called being life-bonded. In otherwords, finding that one person you are meant to be with. Unfortunately, one night Ty goes crazy and tries to kill a family that has jsut killed his twin brother. The magical portal that Vanyal helps Ty create lashes back on him and after his love dies, Vanyal becomes the most powerful herald mage that there ever was.
At the heart of the story is a quest to somehow come to grips with his lost love. Vanyal's decision to shun love because he once had it brings complication to his life. " Would you never eat again because once you have eaten the perfect meal?". While Vanyal quickly becomes the last herald mage, the story developes and the plot of a evil magician is revealed. It is up to Vanyal to find out who is killing all the herald mages in Valdemarr.
ALong, in the second book, comes a bard by the name of Stephan. He loves Vanyal, and Vanyal fights back, believing that he would only love Ty for the rest of his life. Slowly, Vanyal lets Stephan into his life and they too become life bonded. But, soon, duty calls Vanyal to defeat the army that is intruding into his king's lands and sacrifices himself to protect the land he loves.
That is a quick overview, and by no means the whole story. To explain every little thing that happens would require taking out the book and writting it here for you. But, as a fan of fantasy, if you haven't taken on Mercerdes Lackey, this is a excellent place to start.