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The Herald Spy

by Mercedes Lackey

The Herald Spy series by Mercedes Lackey has 3 known books (3 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Closer to Home (2014).

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
2014
Status
completed
Shelved under
Fantasy
Last checked

Start here: Closer to Home (2014) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Closer to Home

Closer to Home (2014)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Closer to Home

    Novel

    Closer to Home (2014) opens The Herald Spy trilogy, moving Mags from the Collegium Chronicles into adulthood as Valdemar's chief intelligence-gatherer and following his marriage to Amily.

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  2. Closer to the Heart

    Novel

    Closer to the Heart, published in 2015 at 368 pages, is the second book in Mercedes Lackey's Herald Spy trilogy, following Closer to Home and continuing Mags's story a year after that opener. As Valdemar's chief intelligence-gatherer, Mags keeps balancing espionage and court politics with his marriage to Amily, the King's Own Herald-in-training, as the trilogy shifts the Collegium Chronicles' traumatized trainee into a confident, capable operative facing threats from foreign plots and conspiracies within Valdemar's own nobility alike.

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  3. Closer to the Chest

    Novel

    At 376 pages, Closer to the Chest (2016) is the longest of the three books and closes the trilogy, setting up the Family Spies trilogy that continues Mags and Amily's story once they have children.

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About The Herald Spy

The Herald Spy trilogy continues Mags's story from the Collegium Chronicles into adulthood: now a fully established Herald and Valdemar's chief intelligence-gatherer, Mags balances an increasingly dangerous double life of espionage and court politics with marriage to Amily, the King's Own Herald-in-training, as the couple takes on threats that range from foreign plots to conspiracies within Valdemar's own nobility. Where the Collegium Chronicles followed Mags's traumatic origins and training, this trilogy follows him as a confident, capable operative, shifting the series toward court intrigue and espionage thriller territory while keeping the character-driven relationship focus that defines Lackey's Valdemar writing.

Closer to Home, Closer to the Heart, and Closer to the Chest form a direct sequel arc to the Collegium Chronicles, and were themselves followed by the Family Spies trilogy, which picks up Mags and Amily's story again once they have children of their own.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Herald Spy trilogy?

Three: Closer to Home (2014), Closer to the Heart (2015), and Closer to the Chest (2016).

Do I need to read the Collegium Chronicles first?

Yes. The Herald Spy trilogy is a direct sequel to the five-book Collegium Chronicles and continues Mags's story into adulthood; it assumes you already know his backstory and relationships from those books.

What order should I read the Herald Spy books in?

Publication order: Closer to Home, Closer to the Heart, Closer to the Chest. It's a continuous story.

Does the Herald Spy trilogy continue elsewhere?

Yes — it's followed by the Family Spies trilogy (The Hills Have Spies, Eye Spy, Spy, Spy Again), which picks up Mags and Amily's story once their own children are old enough to be drawn into the family's espionage work.

What's different about the Herald Spy trilogy compared to the Collegium Chronicles?

It's told from a more confident, established Mags rather than a traumatized newcomer, and leans further into espionage and court-intrigue plotting alongside the series' usual relationship-driven storytelling.

Reading order last verified .