The Warlord Chronicles
historical fantasy
Series · fantasy
The Mage Wars (Gryphon Trilogy)
The Mage Wars (Gryphon Trilogy) series by Mercedes Lackey has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with The Black Gryphon (1994).
- Books
- 3 known books (3 novels)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 1994
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
Start here: The Black Gryphon (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:
The Black Gryphon
The Black Gryphon (1994) opens the Mage Wars trilogy at 464 pages, the longest of the three, co-written with Larry Dixon and set roughly a thousand years before Valdemar exists, following gryphon warrior Skandranon through a cataclysmic magical war's brutal endgame. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Black Gryphon - Book 2:
The White Gryphon
The White Gryphon followed The Black Gryphon in 1995 at 400 pages, turning to the gryphon survivors' desperate effort to found a new home after the cataclysmic magical war that destroyed the ancient Mage of Silence Empire. Co-written by Mercedes Lackey and her husband Larry Dixon, it continues the Mage Wars trilogy's deep-history worldbuilding for the wider Valdemar timeline, roughly a thousand years before the rest of the series takes place, ahead of The Silver Gryphon's shift to the next generation. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The White Gryphon - Book 3:
The Silver Gryphon
The Silver Gryphon closes the trilogy in 1996, matching the previous book's 400 pages, shifting focus to the next generation raised in that new settlement. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Silver Gryphon
Key facts about The Mage Wars (Gryphon Trilogy) series
The Mage Wars (Gryphon Trilogy) series has 3 books on our list. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with The Black Gryphon, since it opens the publication order in 1994. The White Gryphon is book 2, from 1995. The Silver Gryphon is book 3, from 1996.
Each title links to its own page, while the list keeps them in date order. Each book page shows its dates and editions. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 1994 and 1996, while their length runs from 400 to 464 pages. That is a run of 2 years.
Mercedes Lackey has 120 books on our list. Additionally, they write Heralds of Valdemar, Vows and Honor and Diana Tregarde, plus 22 more series. We shelve the books under fantasy.
About The Mage Wars (Gryphon Trilogy)
Co-written with Lackey's husband Larry Dixon, the Mage Wars trilogy jumps back roughly a thousand years before the rest of the Valdemar timeline, to the cataclysmic magical war that destroyed the ancient Mage of Silence Empire and reshaped the entire continent's geography and magic. Its protagonists are gryphons — intelligent, magically-created winged beings — rather than humans: Skandranon, a vain, heroic gryphon warrior, leads the story through the war's brutal endgame in The Black Gryphon, then follows the survivors' desperate effort to found a new home for gryphons and their allies in The White Gryphon and The Silver Gryphon, the latter shifting focus to the next generation raised in that new settlement.
Because it's set so far before Valdemar itself exists, the trilogy functions as deep-history worldbuilding for the rest of the series — explaining the cataclysm, the mage-storms, and the ancient magic that later Valdemar-era books (particularly Mage Winds and Mage Storms) build directly on — while also standing on its own as a self-contained trilogy with a nonhuman cast that's distinct in tone from anything else in the Valdemar universe.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Mage Wars trilogy?
Three: The Black Gryphon (1994), The White Gryphon (1995), and The Silver Gryphon (1996), all co-written by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon.
When is the Mage Wars trilogy set relative to the rest of Valdemar?
Roughly a thousand years before the Heralds of Valdemar era — it depicts the ancient magical cataclysm that destroyed the Mage of Silence Empire, long before Valdemar as a kingdom exists.
Do I need to read other Valdemar books first?
No, though the trilogy is most rewarding after the Mage Winds and Mage Storms trilogies, since it provides deep backstory for the ancient magic and mage-storms those books deal with.
Why are the protagonists gryphons instead of humans?
The trilogy focuses on gryphons, intelligent magically-created beings, rather than Heralds or humans, giving it a distinctly different cast and tone from the rest of the Valdemar series while still being set in the same larger world.
What order should I read the Mage Wars trilogy in?
Publication order: The Black Gryphon, The White Gryphon, The Silver Gryphon. It's one continuous story, though The Silver Gryphon shifts focus to a younger generation of characters.
If you like The Mage Wars (Gryphon Trilogy)
Last updated