Product Description
Lavan Chitward is a very unhappy young man; pulled away from his country home by his parents' ambitions and resettled in the big city of Haven, he is desperately lonely, bullied and beaten at school, ignored by his parents. It is not surprising that he falls ill -- but his illness is the first manifestation of a terrible power, the Gift of the Firestorm, a power which can and does kill. If controlled, the Gift of the Firestorm can save Valdemar, but if it is uncontrolled, it will destroy the country -- and him. Chosen by the Companion Kalira, brought into the ranks of the Heralds of Valdemar, Lavan finds acceptance and hope for the first time -- but war with Karse threatens to engulf the Kingdom and only Lavan Firestorm stands between Valdemar and destruction -- and only then if he can harness his dreadful power to his will.

Synopsis
Lavan Chitward is a very unhappy young man; pulled away from his country home by his parents' ambitions and resettled in the big city of Haven, he is desperately lonely, bullied and beaten at school, ignored by his parents. It is not surprising that he falls ill but his illness is the first manifestation of a terrible power, the Gift of the Firestorm, a power which can and does kill. If controlled, the Gift of the Firestorm can save Valdemar, but if it is uncontrolled, it will destroy the country and him. Chosen by the Companion Kalira, brought into the ranks of the Heralds of Valdemar, Lavan finds acceptance and hope for the first time but war with Karse threatens to engulf the Kingdom and only Lavan Firestorm stands between Valdemar and destruction and only then if he can harness his dreadful power to his will.

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3 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (3 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   Probably the best book I have ever read!!!, 19 Mar 2006 By  J2BAD "IZZARDISIT" (Glasgow, Scotland, UK) - See all my reviews Brightly Burning was the first Mercedes Lackey book I have ever read and ever since I have been an avid fan...It lead me to have more Mercedes Lackey books than any other author! This is (to me) a FANTASTIC book that truly touches you...I could scarcely put it down and when i did all I thought about was picking it back up again :). Reading this book is like...like being there yourself. You can really FEEL the emotions through Misty's well chosen words, I have never cried so much over a book! Beside the tears this book brought me an undeniable warmth and comfort, I will always treasure the experience that reading this book brought me. I admit that i found the lifebonding of Lavan to his companion rather strange but other than that the story, characters and general execution of this book were all...perfect. I am forever in Mercedes Lackey's debt for the wonderful experience that I was given through reading this book!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   Brilliant, 19 Aug 2001 By A Customer I loved this book! I enjoy reading all the Valdemar books, and couldn't wait to read this one. I wasn't disappointed. This was a very moving book, which I admit I found quite sad in parts. At first the book is quite slow but once it gets started it is very absorbing. The one criticism that I have, would be that it is not long enough, and I do not feel that enough 'happened'. You follow Lavan discovering his gift and meeting his Companion. And apart from the end - which I will not give away - that is about it, so personally I do feel that alot more detail and events could have been included.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (