Forgotten book (no title or author)

[Somni]

I hope someone can help, I have been trying to find a book for ages (but cannot remember the title or author) and the longer it goes the more I forget.

Here is what I remember.
General: It was a fantasy book with the main characters being 'human' (i.e. not given a species designator), there was also another race and some sort of nasties.

These are the snatches that I recall, the start of the book is sketchy but the last couple of chapters I can remember a bit more.

1) The main character (male) duplicates a seal. It is semi-magical and supposed to be impossible to duplicate. It comes in important later.
2) he is sent to some sort of an outpost
3) The other race at somepoint in the book offer to teach the main character and the outpost inhabitants to make better latrines, the products from which can be used as fertiliser.

Which takes us to the last few chapters.

The main character and the outpost he is looking after gets cut off (by magic-fog I think). The magic-portal to the outpost also fails and the weather deteriates with the nasties supposed to be arriving behind the storm front. In order to get supplies for the outpost the portal is somehow reopened to a supply depot. The main character uses the seal to forge a requisition order which he gives to the depot guards. The guards then take the depot horses and try to get to their homes (can't remember why but think they want to beat the nasties). Meanwhile, the soldiers from the outpost walk through the portal and systematically strip the depot of its contents, blankets, bows, arrows, food. As the magic-users holding the portal open begin to tire, the soldiers looting the depot find a sideroom full of oats and I think horse feed. They then go back through the portal to the outpost which closes behind them. They are now cut off.

The book ends about there, though there is supposed to be a sequel.

The book was out probably in the last 10 years, though I am pretty certain it was published before 2001, definetely before 2004. I also have a feeling the author was male, but again am not certain.

Not much to go on I am afraid, but I hope someone can help as I remember really enjoying the book and would like to read the sequel. Thanks for your help.

 

[CBellenis]

It's not Mercedes Lackey is it - it rings some sort of bell with me

 

[Somni]

Not sure, but any suggestions to help narrow it down are greatly received. Thank you.

 

[CBellenis]

I know I've read it...I'll have a look, but another thought that occurs to me is Terry Goodkind?

 

[chrispenycate]

It is indeed Lackey One of the "Mage Storm" trilogy: "Storm rising", "Storm Breaking" and Storm doing something else that I can't remember but would if I were next to my bookshelves.
If it is of any interest (after all, who would want to read one of a trilogy) I can look up in which particular volume these events occured; not, I think in the last.

 

[Somni]

Thank you, I'll have to try getting my hands on them as I really enjoyed it and want to read the rest.

Chrispenycate, I would be grateful if you could check which it was in, I think it would be the first .

 

[chrispenycate]

I suspect you're right; in which case it would be "storm warning", the one that didn't immediately spring to mind.
I trust you appreciate I hat to dash back to my sleeping quartes to grab a book (that one was not on the surface, but I have "storm rising" in my hands, and duke Trenane definitely seems to have runhis raid by then.
Note, however that Misty (Mercedes Lackey) is female, and didn't even collaborate with her husband (Larry Dixon) on this series.
She has now over twenty books in her "Valdemar" universe (not counting collections of short stories) and no few other series to choose from.

 

[Somni]

I was aware she was female, it was just a feeling the author was male. How wrong I was. Cheers once again. Now to find that book.

 

[chrispenycate]

Right, checked Amazon; Mage Storms trilogy is still in print. Checked "Storm Rising"; scene of the emptying of the depot is therein (second book), near the beginning (pages 49 to 59 of a 400 page book; the incident does not close the book). Furthermore, there are no other races involved (will there are, the companions - sentient equines - and Gryphons, but they're not important in this bit of the story.) All the warming of barracks and installing of sewers advice is from humans, largely locals.
But the individual clues; the imperial seal, the depot, the storms themselves, even the '96 copyright date; could ther be anothr printing in which the story was split differently?
Was yours hardcover or paperback?

 

[Somni]

Mine was a paper back copy. I am sure that this is the right series from what you said, may be the other race was merely other people, it was long ago. I wonder if the depot raid, rather than ending the book I had, was one of those "first chapter of the next book" bits?

 

[Somni]

Thanks CBellenis and especially chrispenycate. I ordered the books which arrived today and a quick check through reveals that the Mage Storm trilogy is the correct series. It was the first book I read, it must have had the start of the second as a preview. Anyway, thanks again.