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The Mage Winds

by Mercedes Lackey

The Mage Winds series by Mercedes Lackey has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Winds of Fate (1991).

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
1991
Status
completed
Shelved under
Fantasy
Start here: Winds of Fate (1991) — then read straight through in publication order.
Book one
Cover of Winds of Fate
Winds of Fate (1991)

Reading order

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

  1. Winds of Fate

    Novel
    Winds of Fate launches The Mage Winds series, written by Mercedes Lackey and first published in 1991. At 460 pages, it is a full-length entry in the series. From here the series continues with Winds of Change. The Mage Winds ran to 3 books, concluding in 1993.
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  2. Winds of Change

    Novel
    Winds of Change is the second installment of The Mage Winds series by Mercedes Lackey, published in 1992. At 480 pages, it is a full-length entry in the series. Winds of Fate comes before it, and Winds of Fury follows.
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  3. Winds of Fury

    Novel
    Winds of Fury is The Mage Winds's third entry, written by Mercedes Lackey and published in 1993. The book is 432 pages long. It comes directly after Winds of Change and is currently the latest book in The Mage Winds.
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Key facts about The Mage Winds series

The Mage Winds series has 3 books on our list. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.

Start with Winds of Fate, since it opens the publication order in 1991. Winds of Change is book 2, from 1992. Winds of Fury is book 3, from 1993.

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 1991 and 1993, while their length runs from 432 to 480 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 Winds

The Mage Winds trilogy sends Herald Elspeth — heir to Valdemar's throne and a central figure introduced in earlier Valdemar novels — away from her own kingdom entirely, on a quest to recover true high mage magic, which has been effectively lost to Valdemar for generations. Traveling with the enigmatic and much older mage Firesong and, eventually, reuniting with figures from Valdemar's neighboring lands, Elspeth's journey reopens the wider magical geography of Lackey's world beyond Valdemar's borders, and reintroduces the non-human, winged Hawkbrothers as major players. Where the Herald-focused trilogies (Arrows, Last Herald-Mage) stay largely within Valdemar's own politics and training structures, Mage Winds widens the lens considerably, treating magic itself, and the shifting balance of magical power across the whole continent, as the central subject.

Across Winds of Fate, Winds of Change, and Winds of Fury, the trilogy sets up magical stakes and worldbuilding — the true extent and history of high magic, the forces working against Valdemar from beyond its borders — that directly carry over into the sequel trilogy, the Mage Storms.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Mage Winds trilogy?

Three: Winds of Fate (1991), Winds of Change (1992), and Winds of Fury (1993).

What order should I read the Mage Winds books in?

Publication order: Winds of Fate, Winds of Change, Winds of Fury. It's a single continuous quest narrative, not standalone entries.

Do I need to read other Valdemar books before Mage Winds?

Yes — it follows Elspeth, a character established in the earlier Heralds of Valdemar books, and assumes familiarity with Valdemar, Heralds, and Companions. It's not recommended as a first entry point to the series.

Is Mage Winds connected to the Mage Storms trilogy?

Yes, directly. Mage Storms (Storm Warning, Storm Rising, Storm Breaking) is a direct continuation of the story and stakes set up across Mage Winds, and the two trilogies are generally read back-to-back as a single six-book arc.

Who is Firesong?

A powerful and unconventional Hawkbrother mage who joins Elspeth's quest partway through the trilogy and becomes one of the series' recurring major characters in the books that follow.

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