Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms

I am definitely a fan of Mercedes Lackey in general, but I truly enjoy her Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. The premise is that all of the stories take place in a world where magic is ruled by the Tradition - which refers to common fairy tales. Daily life tends to take the shape of the fairy tales that the people tell. Note that although all of the stories are linked in some way, each one is written to be stand-alone. In fact, each story looks at different kingdoms which have different stories so every book has a unique voice, despite the fact that they are all in the same series.

The first, The Fairy Godmother tells the story of Elena Klovis, who was supposed to be a Cinderella. Unfortunately, however, her prince was still a child and so the Cinderella story could not be fulfilled. Instead, Elena gets the chance to become a fairy godmother and carry on the work of 'herding' the magic of the Tradition to keep evil from creeping in. As a godmother, Elena faces many challenges, most notably, a prince needing to be reformed. Godmothers always have something going on! I love this story because it's a unique look at fairy tales, and also because the story and characters are richly developed.

In the next story, One Good Knight, Princess Andromeda lives in a kingdom reminiscent of Greece. Her mother, Queen Andromeda has enough ambition for the whole of the kingdom, while Andromeda is rather bookish wishes that she could measure up to her mother's standards. Andromeda's life changes drastically, however, when her name is drawn in a lottery forcing her to be sacrificed to the dragon that has invaded their kingdom. I have to admit that this book doesn't feel quite as 'deep' and engaging as the first. However, the story and characters are just as unique and interesting. I would definitely recommend this book, particularly to book lovers who will empathize with the bibliophiles in the story.

The third, and newest installment, Fortune's Fool, looks at the Russian tradition. This story follows two characters: Prince Sasha Pieterovich, the seventh son in the kingdom of Led Belarus and Princess Ekaterina, the seventh daughter of the Sea King. As a Songweaver, Sasha keeps his kingdom safe by creating songs that reflect pleasant ways of life, and also by drawing on his extraordinary 'luck' by virtue of being the seventh son. Although few know it, Katya serves as her father's spy: as someone who can come and go as easily on land as in the sea, she is uniquely suited to scout out problems on land before they reach the sea kingdom. The two meet and fall in love, only to be separated when Katya is captured by a Jinn, leaving Sasha to find some way to get her back. This book definitely has the feel of the first - any lack of depth in the second is not present here. Once again, the book has a unique style reflecting the 'Tradition' of the kingdoms, and the characters and story are well developed and fun to read.

These are some of the most creative books I have read - drawing on 'traditions' and fairy tales, but also turning them around to make completely different stories. Mercedes Lackey creates life-like characters and intriguing story lines. I definitely recommend all of these books to fantasy readers.

For more information about the author and her books, check out her website.

• If these books sound interesting, consider these: Cecelia and Kate, Wicked Lovely, or Black Pearls