Moving Targets [Mass Market Paperback]

I generally like these anthologies, and the majority of the stories in here did not disappoint. Several of them actually used characters from previous short stories in previous anthologies, which gave the whole thing a nice sense of continuity (like The Cheat, A Dream Deferred, and Heart, Home, and Hearth).

Some of the stories deal with the issues of faith in Karse, namedly An Unexpected Guest and What Fire Is, and show some interesting facets of that land. Others, like The Power of Three, Dreams of Mountain Clover, and Broken Bones, show the immense strength of character that can be found through adversity (whether to push into new frontiers or know when to stay behind).

Some of my favorites include the very poignant Live On and Heart, Home, and Hearth, which is about family and its healing power. Widdershins showcases a seemingly ubiquitous talents of Heralds in a very unusual way, and was very engaging.

Passage At Arms was a look at the uncertainties of a very young Trainee, which might have been excellent if the author hadn't insisted on writing the Trainee's point of view in near stream-of-consciousness form. It contained more run-on sentences and parentheses than I've ever seen. As it was, the style of the writing distracted from an otherwise good tale.

The Cheat, which takes places in Mornedealth, was somewhat interesting, but I was never terribly interested in the dueling nobles of Richard Lee Byers' version of Valdemar, so I could either take that story or leave it.

Other stories ranged from blah to seemingly random. A Dream Deferred picked up the tale of a minor character from The Oathbound, but despite rescues and sword fights, it left me curiously bored. Haven's Own seemed to end abruptly and with nothing particularly resolved. I felt no real sense of completion with that story. And The Sworddancer, which took place as far as I could tell in a place I'd never heard of in any of the Valdemar books, seemed utterly disconnected from the series, aside from a few brief mentions of Heralds.

Then there was the crowning obscenity. The title story, Moving Targets, was a ham-handed attempt to put the Heralds of Valdemar in an episode of Scooby-Doo. The Valdemar series made up the core of my reading experience as a teenager, and I have many fond and glowing memories of discovering it. This story just seemed like it was blatantly destroying it. Is this what Valdemar has come to, ripping off 80s Saturday morning cartoons?

I know Lackey has had many internal canon issues with the series (events, history, places, and even characters laid down one way in one book are modified, rearranged, or completely changed in another, particularly the more recent ones) but this story violates all established canon to make it fit the Scooby-Doo pattern. And I didn't like it. Once I realized what was going on, I read the story with deepening horror and revulsion as the poor Heralds and Scooby-substitute Ryu (a kyree forced by the story to talk like Scooby instead of communicate telepathically like every single other kyree every mentioned in the series) were made to go through every cliché ever penned in a Scooby-Doo gang.

Dear sweet alligators and onions, Lackey even managed to force a Mystery Machine in the plot. And a cranky old man, and all of the Scooby-Doo lines ("I would have gotten away with it too if I weren't for you meddling Heralds!"). I have never been so disappointed with a Lackey story in my life. If this was some attempt at a parody or being cute, it utterly failed on every single level.

Though "Moving Targets" is terrible to get through, the majority of the other stories are interesting, help flesh out the world of the Heralds of Valdemar, and are in general a pleasure to read. I would recommend buying this book, but just ignore the first story as to preserve your sanity.

After the decidedly trite and un-entertaining Collegium Chronicles: Foundation, I was hoping that Mercedes Lackey would make up for it with a novella in her anthology that took us somewhere interesting. Maybe into a facet of an existing character, or an entirely new one, in which we could see a new part of Valdemar. Something, ANYTHING, with some hint of the magical world and engaging characters of her earlier work.

I hoped in vain.

Instead, she gave us Scooby Doo.

No, really. Her 37 page Novella Moving Targets, in the anthology of the same name, is some poorly conceived parody, homage, or rip-off of Scooby Doo.

No, I mean it. Mystery Machine and all(in the form of a giant, hideously painted wagon). Velma is renamed "Alma," Daphne is "Laurel" (daphne is Greek for laurel), Fred is now "Rod" and Norville aka Shaggy is now "Arville," complete with a kyree friend roo reaks rike riss.

Seriously? Maybe some people will find this hilarious. I didn't. I found it sad and unimaginative and far, far, below my expectation.

The other stories are fine. But what ought to have been the gem of the book was instead a story best left unread.

Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors. I have re-read many of the Valdemar books and this set of short stories meshes nicely with the bigger books... Lots of little pieces are filled in and those familar with the series will probably enjoy it as much as I did. A good read even if you aren't familar with the other books. I love the different tones that other writers bring to the world, very nicely done!

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