Elemental Magic: All New Tales of the Elemental Masters
Mercedes Lackey
This is an anthology that fits into Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters series. There are 17 short stories, and I have given a quick review of each one.
A Song of the Sea – It fitted in well with the continuity of Lackey’s novels and it was good because of the historical references scattered throughout it (that I could actually recognise).
The Fire Within Him – This one was well written, but the concept was a little strange and I think it took the bounds of things outside Lackey’s range. I don’t think it belonged here.
Makana – I found the names in this one super strange, and it was a bit witch-doctor-y in nature. But it was good all the same.
War to the Knife – Really enjoyable, which is what I would expect from Rosemary Edghill. I did get a bit confused by the beginning because I’m not at all familiar with history, but the tale spinning itself was great.
Stones and Feathers – Oh this one was good! Very good! And it had so much more potential, and I would have loved to see it as a full length novel.
Fire’s Children – Also very enjoyable, and fitted in well with Lackey’s legacy. I think I’ll look out for more novels by Elizabeth Waters.
For the Sake of Clarity – I’m not entirely sure this was kosher with the other stories, but it was enjoyable all the same. It didn’t feel like it was too short either – it was set up, then continued very nicely. The language was a little iffy in parts, but I was able to gloss over it. This was more like the fairytales that one would expect.
To Ride the River Horse – This one went with the fairytale idea, and it was very good. I would have liked the ending to be a little clearer on what happened to the baddie though.
The Phoenix of Mulberry Street – This one I thought would be based on the fairytale of The Matchstick Girl, but wasn’t. It was really good anyway 🙂
Air of Mystery – This short story could have been made into a much longer novel, I would have loved even more from this. It had all the right notes for a short story, and a bit of research as well – brilliant.
A Flower Grows in Whitechapel – This one was obviously written by someone familiar with the series, but branched out from what we already knew of Sarah and Nan.
Tha Thu Ann – The name of this one was a bit strange, but the theme fitted in well with the short story that came right before. I really felt the characters for this one too.
The Collector – I don’t know enough about American history for this one. I’m guessing it’s accurate though, and I found that the intermingling of elemental magic was very neat.
Queen of the Mountain – Another good one, although I felt it could have been longer. A good use of irony for the reader here.
I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing – Although this one was by Lackey, it lacked some of the pizzaz I expect of her. It wasn’t any better than some of the authors in this anthology, and I’m going to branch out for sure in future.
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I keep wanting to read this author's novels but I never know where to start. All her writing sounds amazing :)<br />-<a href="http://www.turningthepagesx.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Kimberly @ Turning the Pages</a>
Oh they are so worth reading! It depends what you feel like though. This series and also her 'Five Hundred Kingdoms' series are great if you like reworked fairytales, although the Elemental Masters has more of a historical bent to it. Her Valdemar series is far more classical fantasy to me, and for that I'd start with Arrows of the Queen (the first one she wrote), or Magic's Pawn
All of her series sound so good. I may start with her Five Hundred Kingdoms series. I love me some reworked fairytales! Thanks for the tip!-<a href="http://www.turningthepagesx.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Kimberly @ Turning the Pages</a> <br />