The Silver Gryphon by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon

Synopsis:

Silverblade and Tadrith, fresh out of their training for the elite policing/military service, The Silver Gryphons, are sent out on their first mission.  The fact that the mission is to man the outpost that is furthest away from the city of White Gryphon is a boon to both of them.  They have been living under the shadow of their famous parents for too long.  Silverblade is the daughter of Amberdrake and Tadrith is one of twin sons fathered by Skandranon, the famous Black Gryphon.

Only a few days out on their mission, not even having reached the outpost, things go horribly wrong.  Something unexplainable pulls them out of the air, crashing into the dense rain forest below.  They must rely on each other, their training, and their wits if they are to survive.  Something is hunting them....

Where the first book in this trilogy is pure fantasy and the second book is more of a murder mystery, the final book is more like the classic tale of survival.  Now, this is a reread for me like the first two were, but once again I started to look at this book a little more broadly.  It is definitely a fantasy book, but it's so much more that that.  This books is the most personal of the three of them, simply because it's main focus is on two individuals throughout most the of the book.  You are able to get to know Silverblade and Tadrith on a such a personal level that it's hard not to get caught up in what's happening to them.

Mercedes Lackey has long been one of my favorite fantasy writers.  She is able to weave so much into her tales that no matter how many times I read them, I've never bored.  Her characters are always interesting and compelling.  Her plots are always interesting without being too convoluted and hard to follow.  But most of all, she is able to tell the story in such a way that a reader is almost, against their will, forced to invest themselves into the story.  By the end of a book, I'm always left feeling that I know these people.  I feel that they are my close, personal friends and that I've just gone through everything they had to face.  It's a wonderful quality in a writer, one that should be cherished when you find it.