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fantasy
Series · fantasy
Vows and Honor
The Vows and Honor series by Mercedes Lackey has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Oathbound (1988).
- Books
- 4 known books (4 novels)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 1988
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: The Oathbound (1988) — 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 Oathbound
The Oathbound, published in 1988, opens Mercedes Lackey's Vows and Honor series at 304 pages. It introduces Tarma shena Tale'sedrin and Kethry, an unlikely pair of mercenary sword-and-sorcery partners -- a Sword Sworn warrior avenging her destroyed clan and a runaway noblewoman-turned-mage -- set generations before Valdemar's Heralds-focused trilogies.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Oathbound - Book 2:
Oathbreakers
Oathbreakers followed in 1989, the year after The Oathbound, growing to 320 pages. It continues Tarma and Kethry's sellsword-for-hire adventures, part of a self-contained sword-and-sorcery arc with a lighter, more classic fantasy-adventure feel than the rest of the wider Valdemar saga.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Oathbreakers - Book 3:
By the Sword
By the Sword came next in 1991, by far the longest book in the series at 816 pages -- more than double any other entry. It's a companion novel following Kerowyn, Kethry's granddaughter, who inherits her grandmother's magic sword and is forced to abandon her sheltered life to become a mercenary captain herself, eventually crossing paths with Valdemar and its Heralds.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of By the Sword - Book 4:
Oathblood
Lackey returned to the series seven years later with Oathblood in 1998, following By the Sword at a comparatively brief 394 pages. It closes out Tarma and Kethry's own story, bridging directly into the family history that By the Sword's Kerowyn later inherits.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Oathblood
The order the story's events happen in, novellas slotted where they belong.
- Book 1:
The Oathbound
The Oathbound, published in 1988, opens Mercedes Lackey's Vows and Honor series at 304 pages. It introduces Tarma shena Tale'sedrin and Kethry, an unlikely pair of mercenary sword-and-sorcery partners -- a Sword Sworn warrior avenging her destroyed clan and a runaway noblewoman-turned-mage -- set generations before Valdemar's Heralds-focused trilogies.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Oathbound - Book 2:
Oathbreakers
Oathbreakers followed in 1989, the year after The Oathbound, growing to 320 pages. It continues Tarma and Kethry's sellsword-for-hire adventures, part of a self-contained sword-and-sorcery arc with a lighter, more classic fantasy-adventure feel than the rest of the wider Valdemar saga.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Oathbreakers - Book 3:
Oathblood
Lackey returned to the series seven years later with Oathblood in 1998, following By the Sword at a comparatively brief 394 pages. It closes out Tarma and Kethry's own story, bridging directly into the family history that By the Sword's Kerowyn later inherits.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Oathblood - Book 4:
By the Sword
By the Sword came next in 1991, by far the longest book in the series at 816 pages -- more than double any other entry. It's a companion novel following Kerowyn, Kethry's granddaughter, who inherits her grandmother's magic sword and is forced to abandon her sheltered life to become a mercenary captain herself, eventually crossing paths with Valdemar and its Heralds.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of By the Sword
About the Vows and Honor series
Vows and Honor tells the story of Tarma shena Tale'sedrin and Kethry, an unlikely pair of mercenary sword-and-sorcery partners — a Sword Sworn warrior avenging her destroyed clan and a runaway noblewoman-turned-mage — who together become two of the most formidable heroes in the wider Valdemar universe, decades before Talia or Vanyel are ever born. The Oathbound and Oathbreakers collect and continue Tarma and Kethry's adventures as sellswords-for-hire; Oathblood, published nearly a decade later, closes out their story and bridges directly into By the Sword, a companion novel following Kerowyn, Kethry's granddaughter, who inherits her grandmother's magic sword and is forced to abandon her sheltered life to become a mercenary captain herself — eventually crossing paths with Valdemar and its Heralds.
Written earlier and set generations before most of the rest of the Valdemar saga, these four books function as a self-contained sword-and-sorcery arc with a lighter, more classic fantasy-adventure feel than the Herald-focused trilogies, while still building directly toward the wider Valdemar timeline through Kerowyn's story.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in Vows and Honor?
Four, as tracked here: The Oathbound (1988), Oathbreakers (1989), Oathblood (1998), and the closely-connected companion novel By the Sword (1991).
Is By the Sword really part of Vows and Honor?
It's a companion novel rather than an officially numbered fourth entry — it follows Kerowyn, granddaughter of Kethry from the Tarma-and-Kethry trilogy, and is consistently shelved and recommended alongside Vows and Honor by readers and retailers, which is why it's included here.
What order should I read Vows and Honor in?
The Oathbound, then Oathbreakers, then Oathblood for Tarma and Kethry's own story; follow with By the Sword, which is set a generation later and works best once you know the family history it builds on.
Do I need to read other Valdemar books first?
No. Vows and Honor is set well before the Heralds of Valdemar era and works as a standalone entry point, though By the Sword eventually connects into the wider Valdemar/Heralds timeline near its end.
Is Vows and Honor connected to the Last Herald-Mage or the Arrows trilogy?
Only loosely, through the shared Valdemar setting and history — Tarma, Kethry, and Kerowyn's story predates Talia's and Vanyel's, and By the Sword is the book that most directly bridges into the Heralds era.
If you like the Vows and Honor series
Reading order last verified .