Glow - it really depends on what you are in the mood to read, she's got a wide range.
I love her elemental mage series - especially
Phoenix and Ashes and the
Serpent's Shadow. You can tell right away with Phoenix that it is a retelling of Cinderella, but I read all the way through Serpent without knowing it was a fairy tale... I had to go back and think about it after I read Phoenix... it's obvious when you know that it's a retelling, but the fairy tale does not, in any way, get in the way of a good story. The "Elemental Mage" part means that the magic in these worlds are based on fire, water, earth and air. Each mage has a different affinity. Lots of spirit creatures around... good stuff. The only one I didn't really like was
The Gates of Sleep (Sleeping Beauty)
Personally, I also enjoy her 500 Hundred Kingdom series - more fairy tales all mixed up, but they don't appeal to everyone.
The Fairy Godmother is, so far, the best (though my mother preferred Fortune's Fool)
Now, what Lackey is best known for is the Valdemar series, which is WONDERFUL. Valdemar is a kind of Utopia. With these cool beings that look like horses, but are actually called Companions. If you want to read it all chronologically within the world, you can start with the Gryphon series (Black, White and Silver Gryphon) but I think you'd actually do better to read them in the order they were published, which means starting with the
Arrows of the Queen. If you don't mind a young girl protagonist, I think that's the best way to see this world unfold... you get to meet Talia, a sheltered young girl, and learn with her about these Companions. Lackey does a nice job with 'coming of age' stories, and there are some very nice ones throughout the Valdemar books. She grows up as the series evolve. Most likely, you'll see a timeline published in the book, but basically you want the Heralds of Valdemar books (1-3); Winds of Fate (1-3) and there are some good duologies and a stand along that go along with them.
If you want a sword and sorcery, chicks rule and kick butt sort of book, start with the
Oathbound and
Oathbreakers, then either go back to the Heralds Trilogies, or read
By The Sword, which is about the daughter of Oathbreakers characters...
If you get sucked in to the Valdemar books (and I sure enjoyed it!) I think it's best to read them in the order published, but you can pretty well take your pick from the timeline - and see what's available in your library - or at your used book store
