Firebird

December 2, 1996
Taking a vacation from the Vale, the setting of her popular fantasy trilogies (Last Herald-Mage, Mage Winds and Mage Storms), Lackey draws inspiration for her resonant new novel from classic Russian folktales. Ilya Ivanovitch is the middle son of a self-proclaimed "tsar" who has put off selecting an heir, preferring to let his eight sons thin their own ranks through constant, sometimes brutal, fighting. Ilya's luck takes a fateful turn the day he sees the legendary firebird, a beautiful magical hawk with a woman's face and feathers made of flame. The old stories say that once you've seen the firebird, you can never forget her, and you will never be satisfied with a common life. Ilya realizes the truth of this when he begins to have strange dreams and then discovers he can understand animal speech. Driven by curiosity, surviving by his wits (and through the help of a few friends made along the way), he begins a journey that will bring him face to face with the mysterious creatures of Russian folklore. Lackey's first standalone novel since Sacred Ground (1994) is a charming coming-of-age tale filled with earthy wit and magic.

August 1, 1996
This new work by a best-selling fantasy writer (e.g., The White Gryphon, LJ 3/15/95) is based on an ancient Russian fairy tale. A young nobleman banished from his homeland journeys through old Russia and falls in love with the Firebird, who is, of course, a maiden held captive by a wicked spell.

May 1, 1997
YA-A coming-of-age fantasy that will delight Lackey's many fans. Here, the author transports readers to a medieval Russian world based on the folktale of "The Firebird." Ilya Ivanovitch is beaten and teased by his ruffian brothers and ignored by his father, a boyar or Russian prince, whose singular concern is his stolen cherries. While trying to catch the thief, Ilya Ivanovitch is unknowingly cursed just by glimpsing at the Firebird, which is half maiden and half bird. During his brother's prewedding boar hunt, the young man gets lost, but becomes much wiser as the enchanting adventures unfolds. Now, animals, aware of his "touch" from the Firebird, begin to speak to him. His newfound friends return favors helping him conquer the evil Katschei, a feat that was impossible even for the mightiest of warriors. This fast-paced fantasy will be hard to put down, not just for the plot but also for the powerful way the author has woven a memorable tale.-Bobbi Thomas Skaggs, Robinson Secondary, Fairfax County, VA

January 1, 1997
Lackey takes a break from the ongoing saga of Valdemar (including, most recently, "Storm Breaking") to weave together several versions of the legend of the firebird into a novel. The setting is medieval Russia; the hero, a prince who falls in love with the firebird; and the firebird itself, an enchanted maiden. That setting, very well handled, is vivid and colorful. Those characters are expanded to fit the requirements of novel length by being endowed with great, dripping emotions, some of them anachronistic. The result is a fairy tale turned into magical realism, with more emphasis on the realism than on the magic. It is a well-told tale, nonetheless; perhaps not quite to everyone's taste, although certainly dedicated Lackey fans will not disdain it. ((Reviewed January 1 & 15, 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)