8. Mercedes Lackey - Storm Warning

"Charliss ``the Immortal,'' Adept and Emperor of the Eastern Empire, dreams of conquering the West. However, his armies have been fought to a standstill in Hardorn, so he sends his putative successor, the Grand Duke Tremane, to remedy matters and complete the conquest. In neighboring Karse, meanwhile, the new High Priest, Solaris, has cast forth the evil demon- summoners, child-burners, and False Sons. And though for centuries the Karsites have demonized Valdemar's Herald-Mages and their horselike Companions, Solaris sends the powerful mage Ulrich and his secretary, Karal, to the Valdemaran Court. Here the long, slow process of forging a magical alliance to defeat the Eastern Empire gets underway, while violent storms sent by Tremane roll across the land. Valdemar devotees who delight in description and chat and the absence of action should feel perfectly at home. Non-fans and browsers will simply yawn and pass on." - Amazon.com

Yes, I know, I know. I read this book last year, but this time around I plan on reading the whole trilogy and I wanted to refresh my memory as to what it was about.

I love Lackey's writing, especially her Valdemar series, so you know I'm going to recommend this one. Though it's best to read these books in order that they were written because there are a number of things referred to that you may not get unless you've read the previous books.