The Warlord Chronicles
historical fantasy
Series · fantasy
The Mage Storms
The Mage Storms series by Mercedes Lackey has 3 known books (3 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Storm Warning (1994).
- Books
- 3 known books (3 novels)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 1994
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: Storm Warning (1994) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Storm Warning
Storm Warning opens Mercedes Lackey's Mage Storms trilogy in 1994 at 432 pages, continuing directly from the Mage Winds books as catastrophic magical storms -- fallout from the return of true high magic -- begin devastating Valdemar and its allies.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Storm Warning - Book 2:
Storm Rising
Storm Rising, the shortest entry at 384 pages, followed in 1995, widening the crisis as Elspeth, Firesong, and their allies are forced into uneasy alliance with old enemies against the mounting storms.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Storm Rising - Book 3:
Storm Breaking
Storm Breaking closes both this trilogy and the larger six-book Elspeth/Firesong arc in 1996, running to 464 pages -- the longest book of the three -- as the true scale and source of the magical crisis is finally revealed.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Storm Breaking
About The Mage Storms
The Mage Storms trilogy picks up immediately where the Mage Winds trilogy leaves off: the return of true high magic to the world has consequences, and a series of catastrophic magical storms — side effects of that returning power — begin devastating the land, forcing Valdemar, its Hawkbrother allies, and even its old enemies to cooperate against a threat too large for any one kingdom to survive alone. Elspeth, Firesong, and the wider cast built up across the Mage Winds books face down both the physical destruction of the storms and the political fallout of nations forced into uneasy alliance, while the source and true scale of the magical crisis is gradually revealed to be far larger than a regional problem.
Storm Warning, Storm Rising, and Storm Breaking close out the six-book Elspeth/Firesong arc that began with Mage Winds, resolving the high-magic storyline that reshapes how magic works across the rest of Lackey's Valdemar universe going forward.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Mage Storms trilogy?
Three: Storm Warning (1994), Storm Rising (1995), and Storm Breaking (1996).
What order should I read the Mage Storms books in?
Publication order: Storm Warning, Storm Rising, Storm Breaking, and only after finishing the Mage Winds trilogy that precedes it.
Is Mage Storms a direct sequel to Mage Winds?
Yes. It picks up immediately after Winds of Fury and continues the same story with the same core cast (Elspeth, Firesong, and their allies), resolving the high-magic crisis set up across the earlier trilogy.
Do I need to read anything before Mage Storms besides Mage Winds?
The Mage Winds trilogy is essential; broader familiarity with Valdemar and the Heralds of Valdemar books is also assumed, since the trilogy draws on the wider cast and history of the series.
Is Mage Storms the end of Elspeth and Firesong's story?
It concludes their central arc as co-leads, though both characters and their world continue to be referenced in later Valdemar novels.
If you like The Mage Storms
Reading order last verified .