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Elemental Masters #7.5
Elemental Magic: All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters
Among Mercedes Lackey’s many novels, few are as critically acclaimed and beloved as those about the Elemental Masters. The novels in this series are loosely based on classic fairy tales, and take place in a fantasy version of turn-of-the-century London, where magic is real and Elemental Masters control the powers of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Now other authors join Mercedes Lackey to add their own special touches to this delightful alternate history, in a world where magic is always just around the corner…
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2012
95 people are currently reading
1667 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
440 books9,489 followersMercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.
"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:
"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."
Also writes as Misty Lackey
Author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
April 15, 2013
In a break from the annual Valdemar compilation, the short story collection that Mercedes Lackey edited for 2012 is set in her Elemental Masters world. Lackey's delightful Elemental Masters novels are fairy tale retellings set in the early 20th century UK, with a fire, air, earth, and water based magic system. The stories by other authors here are enjoyable in their own right, but feel less embedded in Lackey's Elemental Masters world than is usual for the Valdemar compilations. With the Valdemar stories, you get the sense that authors are playing in a well-loved world - they know Valdemar, have dreamed in it, and are presenting one of their polished dreams to us. In contrast, most of these Elemental Masters stories felt like well-written assignments, not dreams that the authors are reveling in. Many appear to be built from a Clif Notes version of the Elemental Masters series- they have some of the vocabulary from Lackey's novels but don't feel like they live in that world. For example, these stories rigidly adhere to the Fire, Earth, Air, Water divisions of magic, even though from her first Elemental Masters novel The Fire Rose, Lackey described different flavors of magic in different cultures, such as in Chinese culture an Earth master is called a "Master of Dragons." Also, not all of these stories include a fairy tale element, which was a bit disappointing. The stories span a wide breath of historical time and geography, which was entertaining but may have contributed to the making the collection feel diffuse. However, the collection is worth picking up for the stand-outs: "To Ride the River-Horse" by Dayle A. Dermatis, "Air of Mystery" by Jody Lynn Nye and "Tha Thu Ann" by Tanya Huff are delightful, and Ron Collins' "The Collector" drifts into darker territory than Lackey's usual feel-good stories.
February 7, 2013
A book of short stories by various authors all written on a theme created by Mercedes Lackey, all involving elemental masters. I liked the stories very much. The only problem I have is that I felt that most of them were only introductions and could have developed into SO much more. I owuld love to have these authors go further with the characters they created.
December 4, 2012
A fine collection of Elemental Masters shorts stories. One problem I did have with some though were that they were too short, they were so good I wanted to read more. They were great beginnings and ok endings, they could have been starts to a fine novel of their own.
November 6, 2012
Thoroughly enjoyed reading every story, which is unusual for an anthology.
October 7, 2014
I liked some stories more than others but on the whole an excellent anthology, Mercedes should make this Elemental anthology collection a regular thing.
April 10, 2015
Fifteen short stories revolving around Lackey's theme from her Elemental Masters series none of which are in a time period later than 1919.
I have to confess that I found these stories to be uneven in quality. A range of twos to fives. Unless you have a passion for several of the authors, consider carefully before you spend the money to buy this collection. The way authors in general are going, they'll release these stories again. Hopefully, in a group that merits the purchase.
I don't see any of these stories as essential to a series.
Series:
"I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing" (Elemental Masters, x.5)
"A Flower Grows in Whitechapel" (Elemental Masters Fan Fiction??, pre-8)
The Stories
Diana L. Paxson's "A Song of the Sea" is a song of Sirens and sea travel as Kyria sails off with the man her parents have chosen for her.
If the captain knew this could be an issue, why wasn't he prepared? This is a short blip in Kyria and Meto's voyage.
Samuel Conway's "Fire Within Him" uses the tale of Icarus flying too close to what we thought was the sun. Instead it's a tale of trickery and a set of double bluffs.
Mostly sad.
Fiona Patton's "Makana" was cute and takes place in old Hawai'i as an orphaned young man discovers the truth of his family, his destiny, and helps to rescue a beleaguered chief.
Rosemary Edghill's "War to the Knife" is a tiny, unsatisfying blip into Captain Sir Beverly St. John St. Andrew Laoghaire Darwen's life as one of Wellington's Exploring Officers when he tries to set straight an untutored Fire Mage using power wrongfully.
This really was just a wink in the captain's life with most of the story his whining about not knowing as much about his magic as he'd like. When we finally meet up with the Fire mage using power against the rules, it's what? A few pages with no resolution at all. Don't even get me started on the title. Edghill does tie it loosely to Lackey's Elemental Masters.
Elizabeth A. Vaughan's "Stones and Feathers" was an interesting idea that lasted long enough to get started and then dropped us. Wellington wants sweeping changes in how promotions are handed out while Tom Davies, an Earth Master, has applied to work in the one place an earth master should never consider. All because he feels called. To what we are left to imagine.
Elisabeth Waters' "Fire's Children" is another sad tale of a father not valuing his children or their individuality and a mother who is shortsighted, believing in conformity. A scandalous upbringing for the adept twin girl with disgust and narrowmindedness aimed at the twin boy. Until, finally, the boy figures out the truth of his ability.
Waters does tie it loosely to Lackey's Elemental Masters. I was tempted to give it a "4", but I'm so annoyed that the boy (and everyone else) could be so stupid.
Cedric Johnson's "For the Sake of Clarity" is a rather clumsy fairytale-like story of a failed miner being manipulated into a rescue.
Dayle A. Dermatis's "To Ride the River-Horse" is a Rapunzel wanna-be combined with a wicked stepmother-like character manipulating all around her.
Another dorky tale that had me questioning why Myfanwy would stay in the tower when she has a servant willing to help her leave. Dermatis has tied it loosely to Lackey's Elemental Masters.
Michele Lang's "Phoenix of Mulberry Street" takes place in 1885 New York City with a series of arson fires that Jane Emerson is investigating. It pulls a bit of fairytale in with its inclusion of the "little match girl".
Lang is creating tension in an uneven manner in this. Lamely by pushing Emerson into wanting to expose her idea of who the bad guy is with her "editor"(?) insisting on mortal proof and then having the bad guy---who has proven quite intelligent to this point---suddenly act like an idiot.
It's as though Lang suddenly realized that she only had so many pages to bring it to an end and couldn't be bothered to rework it. Lang throws bits and pieces in but doesn't really connect anything. Oh, yeah, they make sense. Individually. Lang includes a very loose connection to Lackey's Elemental Masters.
Jody Lynn Nye's "Air of Mystery" is one of the best. An entire story in this anthology with a unique approach. Who knew? Aurelia Degard has been left in charge while her employer is off in the wilds of somewhere looking for rare ingredients for La Parfumier Rupier.
It's a special commission of a custom scent that almost destroys a life unless Aurelia can create a counter-scent.
I do wish the rest of these authors would take note as to what a real short story does. *grin* At least in my mind!
Gail Sanders and Michael Z. Williamson's "A Flower Grows in Whitechapel" involves the Elemental Masters' Harton School for Expatriate Children when three of their students are needed to rescue the King of England at Lord Alderscroft's request.
After this incident, the school moves out into the country. Another of the good stories in this anthology.
Tanya Huff's "Tha Thu Ann" finds Dr. Harris fleeing the bad memories of Scotland for Nova Scotia. His wife's death eleven years ago is still too close and his daughter Ellie is too much of a reminder. And another instance of a child whose power is not understood or wanted by the parent.
This is a blip in Ellie's life, but a satisfying peek. We're provided the background, some social niceties, a bit of racism, and a dilemma that we get to see resolved. Although I'm still a bit confused about the twinned ghost.
Ron Collins' "Collector" was a pip! I like Collins' perspective using a poor black man, angry with the world and William McKinley in particular. Nathaniel is struggling to survive this post-Civil War world with its prejudices and racism. Nor does he have a problem with working for a meal.
I don't understand why Tilly collected magicians. What was her purpose? Nathaniel has very reasonable thoughts about "King Billy" and I liked how he resolved the issue of using his magic for revenge. I'd sure like to hear more about his exploits.
Kristin Schwengel's "Queen of the Mountain" is another one I liked. Partly for the strong female character who gets herself out of a hole she never knew she was in, but also because, while Schwengel only gave us a peek into Lasair's life, she did provide some background and gave us resolution. A whole story in miniature.
I suspect that Schwengel's story has a loose connection with the Elemental Masters back in London.
Mercedes Lackey's "I Have Heard the Mermaid Singing" is a tale of a young woman doing a favor for an old friend of her father's. In a way, it leads to Miriam Tayler's retirement plan, eventually. It's a message delivered by brownie that finds Miriam traveling to Solace, Maine, where her father's friend "needs her aid" with what I see as some silly "missions". Tasks that I just don't see as being necessary to make Miriam close up her shop.
Lackey provided a suggestion of a reason why this was all necessary. And it could simply have been an old friend doing another a favor.
The Cover
The cover is fantastical with its solid yellow border at the base turning into an elaborate yellow lace edging against a turquoise background. A striped frame tries to encase a collage of characters and events from the stories even as critters escape its confines.
The title is the theme, Elemental Magic.
I have to confess that I found these stories to be uneven in quality. A range of twos to fives. Unless you have a passion for several of the authors, consider carefully before you spend the money to buy this collection. The way authors in general are going, they'll release these stories again. Hopefully, in a group that merits the purchase.
I don't see any of these stories as essential to a series.
Series:
"I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing" (Elemental Masters, x.5)
"A Flower Grows in Whitechapel" (Elemental Masters Fan Fiction??, pre-8)
The Stories
Diana L. Paxson's "A Song of the Sea" is a song of Sirens and sea travel as Kyria sails off with the man her parents have chosen for her.
If the captain knew this could be an issue, why wasn't he prepared? This is a short blip in Kyria and Meto's voyage.
Samuel Conway's "Fire Within Him" uses the tale of Icarus flying too close to what we thought was the sun. Instead it's a tale of trickery and a set of double bluffs.
Mostly sad.
Fiona Patton's "Makana" was cute and takes place in old Hawai'i as an orphaned young man discovers the truth of his family, his destiny, and helps to rescue a beleaguered chief.
Rosemary Edghill's "War to the Knife" is a tiny, unsatisfying blip into Captain Sir Beverly St. John St. Andrew Laoghaire Darwen's life as one of Wellington's Exploring Officers when he tries to set straight an untutored Fire Mage using power wrongfully.
This really was just a wink in the captain's life with most of the story his whining about not knowing as much about his magic as he'd like. When we finally meet up with the Fire mage using power against the rules, it's what? A few pages with no resolution at all. Don't even get me started on the title. Edghill does tie it loosely to Lackey's Elemental Masters.
Elizabeth A. Vaughan's "Stones and Feathers" was an interesting idea that lasted long enough to get started and then dropped us. Wellington wants sweeping changes in how promotions are handed out while Tom Davies, an Earth Master, has applied to work in the one place an earth master should never consider. All because he feels called. To what we are left to imagine.
Elisabeth Waters' "Fire's Children" is another sad tale of a father not valuing his children or their individuality and a mother who is shortsighted, believing in conformity. A scandalous upbringing for the adept twin girl with disgust and narrowmindedness aimed at the twin boy. Until, finally, the boy figures out the truth of his ability.
Waters does tie it loosely to Lackey's Elemental Masters. I was tempted to give it a "4", but I'm so annoyed that the boy (and everyone else) could be so stupid.
Cedric Johnson's "For the Sake of Clarity" is a rather clumsy fairytale-like story of a failed miner being manipulated into a rescue.
Dayle A. Dermatis's "To Ride the River-Horse" is a Rapunzel wanna-be combined with a wicked stepmother-like character manipulating all around her.
Another dorky tale that had me questioning why Myfanwy would stay in the tower when she has a servant willing to help her leave. Dermatis has tied it loosely to Lackey's Elemental Masters.
Michele Lang's "Phoenix of Mulberry Street" takes place in 1885 New York City with a series of arson fires that Jane Emerson is investigating. It pulls a bit of fairytale in with its inclusion of the "little match girl".
Lang is creating tension in an uneven manner in this. Lamely by pushing Emerson into wanting to expose her idea of who the bad guy is with her "editor"(?) insisting on mortal proof and then having the bad guy---who has proven quite intelligent to this point---suddenly act like an idiot.
It's as though Lang suddenly realized that she only had so many pages to bring it to an end and couldn't be bothered to rework it. Lang throws bits and pieces in but doesn't really connect anything. Oh, yeah, they make sense. Individually. Lang includes a very loose connection to Lackey's Elemental Masters.
Jody Lynn Nye's "Air of Mystery" is one of the best. An entire story in this anthology with a unique approach. Who knew? Aurelia Degard has been left in charge while her employer is off in the wilds of somewhere looking for rare ingredients for La Parfumier Rupier.
It's a special commission of a custom scent that almost destroys a life unless Aurelia can create a counter-scent.
I do wish the rest of these authors would take note as to what a real short story does. *grin* At least in my mind!
Gail Sanders and Michael Z. Williamson's "A Flower Grows in Whitechapel" involves the Elemental Masters' Harton School for Expatriate Children when three of their students are needed to rescue the King of England at Lord Alderscroft's request.
After this incident, the school moves out into the country. Another of the good stories in this anthology.
Tanya Huff's "Tha Thu Ann" finds Dr. Harris fleeing the bad memories of Scotland for Nova Scotia. His wife's death eleven years ago is still too close and his daughter Ellie is too much of a reminder. And another instance of a child whose power is not understood or wanted by the parent.
This is a blip in Ellie's life, but a satisfying peek. We're provided the background, some social niceties, a bit of racism, and a dilemma that we get to see resolved. Although I'm still a bit confused about the twinned ghost.
Ron Collins' "Collector" was a pip! I like Collins' perspective using a poor black man, angry with the world and William McKinley in particular. Nathaniel is struggling to survive this post-Civil War world with its prejudices and racism. Nor does he have a problem with working for a meal.
I don't understand why Tilly collected magicians. What was her purpose? Nathaniel has very reasonable thoughts about "King Billy" and I liked how he resolved the issue of using his magic for revenge. I'd sure like to hear more about his exploits.
Kristin Schwengel's "Queen of the Mountain" is another one I liked. Partly for the strong female character who gets herself out of a hole she never knew she was in, but also because, while Schwengel only gave us a peek into Lasair's life, she did provide some background and gave us resolution. A whole story in miniature.
I suspect that Schwengel's story has a loose connection with the Elemental Masters back in London.
Mercedes Lackey's "I Have Heard the Mermaid Singing" is a tale of a young woman doing a favor for an old friend of her father's. In a way, it leads to Miriam Tayler's retirement plan, eventually. It's a message delivered by brownie that finds Miriam traveling to Solace, Maine, where her father's friend "needs her aid" with what I see as some silly "missions". Tasks that I just don't see as being necessary to make Miriam close up her shop.
Lackey provided a suggestion of a reason why this was all necessary. And it could simply have been an old friend doing another a favor.
The Cover
The cover is fantastical with its solid yellow border at the base turning into an elaborate yellow lace edging against a turquoise background. A striped frame tries to encase a collage of characters and events from the stories even as critters escape its confines.
The title is the theme, Elemental Magic.
February 15, 2021
More of a 3.5, my problem is I am not generally a fan of short stories as I seem to be left wanting more.
Enjoyed Song of the Sea - Sirens against humans with elementals' help.
Found Fire Within Him a bit dark.
Enjoyed Makana - Elemental Masters in the islands pre-contact.
Enjoyed War of the Knife and the three rules of elemental magic
Stones and Feathers was okay
Fire's Children is about the confusion when a child's magic is mistakenly assumed
For the sake of Clarity was fun with its HEA ending,
To Ride the River Horse was fun with its Rapunzel retelling
The Phoenix of Mulberry Street warns of unrestrained greed and its all-consuming flames
Air of Mystery relates a perfumed mystery
A Flower Grows in White Chapel includes Sarah and Nan, but gives a larger role to the Headmistress and introduces a new student.
Tha Thu Ann brings elemental magic to the new world and advocates leaving the hidebound rules behind.
The Collector was a bit dark for me.
Queen of the Mountain is about the danger of controlling a stronger magic than yours.
I have heard the Mermaids Singing a rogue power is dealt with but I enjoyed the positively competent female protagonist.
Enjoyed Song of the Sea - Sirens against humans with elementals' help.
Found Fire Within Him a bit dark.
Enjoyed Makana - Elemental Masters in the islands pre-contact.
Enjoyed War of the Knife and the three rules of elemental magic
Stones and Feathers was okay
Fire's Children is about the confusion when a child's magic is mistakenly assumed
For the sake of Clarity was fun with its HEA ending,
To Ride the River Horse was fun with its Rapunzel retelling
The Phoenix of Mulberry Street warns of unrestrained greed and its all-consuming flames
Air of Mystery relates a perfumed mystery
A Flower Grows in White Chapel includes Sarah and Nan, but gives a larger role to the Headmistress and introduces a new student.
Tha Thu Ann brings elemental magic to the new world and advocates leaving the hidebound rules behind.
The Collector was a bit dark for me.
Queen of the Mountain is about the danger of controlling a stronger magic than yours.
I have heard the Mermaids Singing a rogue power is dealt with but I enjoyed the positively competent female protagonist.
June 13, 2017
I waffled between three and four stars for this collection. On one hand, I really love this Lackey universe so reading new characters and time periods was really nice. On the other, the stories themselves were sort of mixed. Some were really great, others – eh. Ultimately, I sort of wish I’d just read the next full novel in this series.
June 25, 2016
Picked this up at the library. Decided I wanted to continue Misty's series and I
had fallen far behind. Was not aware Misty had created anthologies in her
Elemental Masters series. I was hesitant to start but did eventually. This volume
is 15 in 1. 11 out of the 15 stories I enjoyed. Three of the 15 stories were my fav and
I would definitely like to see more of them!!! These tales were too short, they were
so good I wanted to read more!
1. A Song of the Sea by Diana L. Paxson-3 stars, ok/not bad
2.The Fire Within Him by Samuel Conway- 3 stars, ok, nice ending.
3.Makana by Fiona Payton-4 stars! good story with vibrant imagery. =0)
4.War to the Knife by Rosemary Edghill-4 stars! good story.
*5.Stones and Feathers by Elizabeth A. Vaughan-4+ stars, Oh, this one was good!
Very good! I would have loved to see this as a full length novel.I'll look out for more
novels by Elizabeth A. Vaughan.
6.Fire's Children by Elizabeth Waters-4.5 stars!!! This was great. I'll look out for more
novels by Elizabeth Waters.
7.For the Sake of Clarity by Cedric Johnson- 3 stars, nice ending.
8.To Ride the River Horse by Dayle A. Dermatis-4 stars! good story. This stuck with the
theme of recreating a fairy tale that Misty does so well and this author too. =0)
9.The Phoenix of Mulberry Street by Michele Lang- 4 stars! good story.
10.Air of Mystery by Jody Lynn Nye-4 stars, nice okay tale.
11.A Flower Grows in Whitechapel by Gail Sanders & Michael Z. Williamson- 4.5 stars!!!
This was real good. I'll look out for more novels by this team of authors.
12.Tha Thu Ann by Tanya Huff-4 stars! good story.
13. The Collector by Ron Collins- 3 stars, okay.
14.Queen of the Mountain by Kristin Schwengel- 4 stars! good story.
15.I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing by Mercedes Lackey (Editor)-4 stars! good story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spoiler
Note to Self:
1. A Song of the Sea by Diana L. Paxson
Kyria(Pythagorean,Water Element)+Meto(Pythagorean,Air Element), Archilaus(her dad,mathematikoi).
2.The Fire Within Him by Samuel Conway
Appollonios(Fire Element).
3.Makana by Fiona Payton
Makana-Hinahele(fostered boy,Earth Element Mage,prophet),Kaiko'olokai(foster dad,
fisherman)+ Kapali'i'Ka'ohu(foster mom),Lolani-a-Ailana(eldest son of chief O'ahu,
Wind Element)+Nalunani (daughter of chief Kaua'i,cousin,Water Element),Keahi(Nalunani cousin,wahine kaua warrior,Fire Element,Priestess of Pele),Ilio(his ancestor,Hina's servant).
4.War to the Knife by Rosemary Edghill [1811]
Capt. Sir Beverly St. John St. Andrew Laoghaire Darwen("Learie",Duke of Coldmeece distant cousin,commission 11th hussars,galloper with Wellesley's general staff,Air Master),
*5.Stones and Feathers by Elizabeth A. Vaughan
Thomas Davies(Earth Master,ex-Royal Army,Yeoman Warder & Ravenmaster in Tower
of London),Lt. General Loftus(Tower of London),Colonel Doyle(Tower of London),Arthur
(Duke of Wellington, Constable Tower Field Marshall).
6.Fire's Children by Elizabeth Waters
Eleanora(12yo,twin sis,apprentice physician,Fire Master),Albert(Water Master,twin bro,pupil),Father Pearce(her bro,Water Magician,Albert's mentor),Lady Mary(mom,daughter of Water Magician),Sir Nicholas(Fire Master,dad,runs medical practice,physician),Duke(grandad,
Master).
7.For the Sake of Clarity by Cedric Johnson
Clara Wohltat(mom,sis,Earth Magician)+Thaddeus Wohltat(Earth Master),Silas(great uncle),Ephram(great uncle), (white stag,Clara's bro,spirit),
8.To Ride the River Horse by Dayle A. Dermatis
9.The Phoenix of Mulberry Street by Michele Lang
Jane Emerson(Fire Master,protegee reporter,pal),Rose(elemental phoenix,her pal,familiar),
Daniel Tappen(publisher,Air Master,employer,mentor),Polly March(Jane's 1st guardian).
10.Air of Mystery by Jody Lynn Nye
Aurelia Degard(apprentice perfumeuse,Air Magician),Hyr(Air Elemental,Sylph,workroom
perfume shop), M.Rupier(employer,perfume shop owner,perfumeuse,Water Master),
Alfonse (perfume shop door warden,Earth Magician).
11.A Flower Grows in Whitechapel by Gail Sanders & Michael Z. Williamson
Mei-Hua Walsingham(diplomats daughter,orphan),Mrs.Harton (Memsa'b)+Sahib Harton,
King George(king),Henry Walsingham(her dad,spirit,King's Representative to Emperor of China)+Mrs.Wang(her mom,spirit),Lord Alderscroft(Fire Master).
12.Tha Thu Ann by Tanya Huff
13. The Collector by Ron Collins
14.Queen of the Mountain by Kristin Schwengel
15.I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing by Mercedes Lackey (Editor)
had fallen far behind. Was not aware Misty had created anthologies in her
Elemental Masters series. I was hesitant to start but did eventually. This volume
is 15 in 1. 11 out of the 15 stories I enjoyed. Three of the 15 stories were my fav and
I would definitely like to see more of them!!! These tales were too short, they were
so good I wanted to read more!
1. A Song of the Sea by Diana L. Paxson-3 stars, ok/not bad
2.The Fire Within Him by Samuel Conway- 3 stars, ok, nice ending.
3.Makana by Fiona Payton-4 stars! good story with vibrant imagery. =0)
4.War to the Knife by Rosemary Edghill-4 stars! good story.
*5.Stones and Feathers by Elizabeth A. Vaughan-4+ stars, Oh, this one was good!
Very good! I would have loved to see this as a full length novel.I'll look out for more
novels by Elizabeth A. Vaughan.
6.Fire's Children by Elizabeth Waters-4.5 stars!!! This was great. I'll look out for more
novels by Elizabeth Waters.
7.For the Sake of Clarity by Cedric Johnson- 3 stars, nice ending.
8.To Ride the River Horse by Dayle A. Dermatis-4 stars! good story. This stuck with the
theme of recreating a fairy tale that Misty does so well and this author too. =0)
9.The Phoenix of Mulberry Street by Michele Lang- 4 stars! good story.
10.Air of Mystery by Jody Lynn Nye-4 stars, nice okay tale.
11.A Flower Grows in Whitechapel by Gail Sanders & Michael Z. Williamson- 4.5 stars!!!
This was real good. I'll look out for more novels by this team of authors.
12.Tha Thu Ann by Tanya Huff-4 stars! good story.
13. The Collector by Ron Collins- 3 stars, okay.
14.Queen of the Mountain by Kristin Schwengel- 4 stars! good story.
15.I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing by Mercedes Lackey (Editor)-4 stars! good story.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spoiler
Note to Self:
1. A Song of the Sea by Diana L. Paxson
Kyria(Pythagorean,Water Element)+Meto(Pythagorean,Air Element), Archilaus(her dad,mathematikoi).
2.The Fire Within Him by Samuel Conway
Appollonios(Fire Element).
3.Makana by Fiona Payton
Makana-Hinahele(fostered boy,Earth Element Mage,prophet),Kaiko'olokai(foster dad,
fisherman)+ Kapali'i'Ka'ohu(foster mom),Lolani-a-Ailana(eldest son of chief O'ahu,
Wind Element)+Nalunani (daughter of chief Kaua'i,cousin,Water Element),Keahi(Nalunani cousin,wahine kaua warrior,Fire Element,Priestess of Pele),Ilio(his ancestor,Hina's servant).
4.War to the Knife by Rosemary Edghill [1811]
Capt. Sir Beverly St. John St. Andrew Laoghaire Darwen("Learie",Duke of Coldmeece distant cousin,commission 11th hussars,galloper with Wellesley's general staff,Air Master),
*5.Stones and Feathers by Elizabeth A. Vaughan
Thomas Davies(Earth Master,ex-Royal Army,Yeoman Warder & Ravenmaster in Tower
of London),Lt. General Loftus(Tower of London),Colonel Doyle(Tower of London),Arthur
(Duke of Wellington, Constable Tower Field Marshall).
6.Fire's Children by Elizabeth Waters
Eleanora(12yo,twin sis,apprentice physician,Fire Master),Albert(Water Master,twin bro,pupil),Father Pearce(her bro,Water Magician,Albert's mentor),Lady Mary(mom,daughter of Water Magician),Sir Nicholas(Fire Master,dad,runs medical practice,physician),Duke(grandad,
Master).
7.For the Sake of Clarity by Cedric Johnson
Clara Wohltat(mom,sis,Earth Magician)+Thaddeus Wohltat(Earth Master),Silas(great uncle),Ephram(great uncle), (white stag,Clara's bro,spirit),
8.To Ride the River Horse by Dayle A. Dermatis
9.The Phoenix of Mulberry Street by Michele Lang
Jane Emerson(Fire Master,protegee reporter,pal),Rose(elemental phoenix,her pal,familiar),
Daniel Tappen(publisher,Air Master,employer,mentor),Polly March(Jane's 1st guardian).
10.Air of Mystery by Jody Lynn Nye
Aurelia Degard(apprentice perfumeuse,Air Magician),Hyr(Air Elemental,Sylph,workroom
perfume shop), M.Rupier(employer,perfume shop owner,perfumeuse,Water Master),
Alfonse (perfume shop door warden,Earth Magician).
11.A Flower Grows in Whitechapel by Gail Sanders & Michael Z. Williamson
Mei-Hua Walsingham(diplomats daughter,orphan),Mrs.Harton (Memsa'b)+Sahib Harton,
King George(king),Henry Walsingham(her dad,spirit,King's Representative to Emperor of China)+Mrs.Wang(her mom,spirit),Lord Alderscroft(Fire Master).
12.Tha Thu Ann by Tanya Huff
13. The Collector by Ron Collins
14.Queen of the Mountain by Kristin Schwengel
15.I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing by Mercedes Lackey (Editor)
January 2, 2013
This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.
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.
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.
December 20, 2014
This anthology is... okay. I really wanted to like it, because I enjoy the Elemental Masters series, but the stories were uneven in quality and the coherency somewhat-- lacking.
Stories I enjoyed:
The Collector: a wonderfully spooky exploration of the darker side of Elemental Magic.
Makana: Somebody actually wrote a story with a POC hero who kicks ass! Damn. Set in Hawai'i. Can't say how accurate it is, but I enjoyed the fact that it, y'know, existed.
I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing: Nicely judged and paced.
Air of Mystery: Jody Lynn Nye, need I say more. Perfume but not creepy.
Stories I liked but thought were rushed:
To Ride a River Horse: Rapunzel with magic. In Wales.
The Phoenix of Mulberry Street: If only they'd left out the villain's piece, this would have been perfect. As is, it suffered from imitating-Lackey syndrome.
A Flower Grows in Whitechapel: This could and should have been a book.
Stories I did not like:
Stones and Feathers: ??? What was this story even about? I think I missed several points.
The Fire Within Him: Meant to come off as a myth, I think, but didn't work.
For the Sake of Clarity: Mixed genres too much for me to like it.
Overall, I'd say don't buy this book, but if you see it at the library and you enjoy the Elemental Masters series, pick it up.
Stories I enjoyed:
The Collector: a wonderfully spooky exploration of the darker side of Elemental Magic.
Makana: Somebody actually wrote a story with a POC hero who kicks ass! Damn. Set in Hawai'i. Can't say how accurate it is, but I enjoyed the fact that it, y'know, existed.
I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing: Nicely judged and paced.
Air of Mystery: Jody Lynn Nye, need I say more. Perfume but not creepy.
Stories I liked but thought were rushed:
To Ride a River Horse: Rapunzel with magic. In Wales.
The Phoenix of Mulberry Street: If only they'd left out the villain's piece, this would have been perfect. As is, it suffered from imitating-Lackey syndrome.
A Flower Grows in Whitechapel: This could and should have been a book.
Stories I did not like:
Stones and Feathers: ??? What was this story even about? I think I missed several points.
The Fire Within Him: Meant to come off as a myth, I think, but didn't work.
For the Sake of Clarity: Mixed genres too much for me to like it.
Overall, I'd say don't buy this book, but if you see it at the library and you enjoy the Elemental Masters series, pick it up.
December 2, 2013
These were okay. The problem of the original series for me was that there seemed to be quite a few inconsistencies in what the elementals did, and the creatures and what their constraints were. These also had the same problem. But the main issue I had this anthology was that it seemed to be a collection of fanfiction, and a rather half-hearted attempt at that. Most of the stories seemed quite shallow and unrealistic (obviously beyond the fact that magic and elementals are fantastical). That said, a couple of stories really stood out - Tha Thu Ann by Tanya Huff and The Collector by Ron Collins. The first because the characters seemed better written, and the story more compelling, and the latter because of the darker tone, and the way Collins writes a more complicated main character who is not just so good and virtuous, and whose pain feels real. Queen of the Mountain by Kristin Schwengel was also not bad. These, however, were at the end, so had to read through a lot of rather flat stories to get to the ones that really engaged.
June 28, 2014
An interesting collection. The stories are overall rather good. There were a few I would definitely like to see more of - The Collector by Ron Collins, Makana by Fiona Payton and War to the Knife by Rosemary Edgehill.
The main con that stands out is that despite the lack of limitations (authors could write anywhere within history up to the 1900s) most of the stories still took place in what felt to be around the same era Lackey's books are set in, with primarily white characters. There is one story with Hawaiian characters, dated pre-contact; a story about a black man in the U.S. sometime after the Civil War (and a war with Cuba? The story doesn't give much detail).; and two stories that takes place in Ancient Greece.
It's definitely worth checking out for fans of Lackey's elemental master series.
The main con that stands out is that despite the lack of limitations (authors could write anywhere within history up to the 1900s) most of the stories still took place in what felt to be around the same era Lackey's books are set in, with primarily white characters. There is one story with Hawaiian characters, dated pre-contact; a story about a black man in the U.S. sometime after the Civil War (and a war with Cuba? The story doesn't give much detail).; and two stories that takes place in Ancient Greece.
It's definitely worth checking out for fans of Lackey's elemental master series.
September 30, 2018
First off, I liked this. I like all the Elemental Master's stuff. I just didn't like it as much as the full-length books, mostly, or rather, I only liked some of the stories. Second: A drinking game for this book: Every time someone explains that you can't command Elementals - take a shot. Every time someone clearly has Elemental Magic, but due to some accident in birth or child rearing, does not know and must be carefully taugt as an adult - take a shot. Female character with red hair as a personality trait - shot. Necromancer - shot. Fell in love with rescuer at first sight - shot
What I'm saying is, some of these stories don't really cover new ground for the Elemental Magic Series, and also female characters with red hair as a character trait is an ancient and terrible fantasy trope and it needs to die.
A Song of the Sea, by Diana Paxton - ancient Greek setting, students of Pythagoras as the idea that this is when Elemental Magic is first discovered. Cool idea, tragic and horrible death of the parents kind of handwaved weirdly. Feels like it needs to be longer to really gain some momentum.
The Fire Within Him by Samuel Conway - I read this one yesterday and had zero memories. It's an Icarus story. Personally, I think Icarus is a fine parable all on its own and didn't need a fire master who was secretly the one screwing it all up, but YMMV
Makana - Fiona Patton - I liked this one a lot. Follows a young Earth Master in Polynesia warding off a threat to his society. Really like the difference in how Elemental Magic is understood and used between the different cultures portrayed here. Also liked the subtle not subtle threat of the white people. Kind of felt like the bad guy was a non-entity.
War to the Knife - Rosemary Edghill - If this were a full-length bodice-ripper I would so be there. As is it's a little lacking on the fleshing out of characters etc. Do really like the idea that Air Masters get shit for being Air Masters, like there's a hierarchy or something. Set in the Napoleonic wars. Shot for teaching about Elemental Magic and not using it for evil.
Stones and Feathers / Elizabeth A. Vaughan - Raven Master story featuring an Earth Mage who feels called to London and lives to regret it. OK. a) those damn ravens get so much bizarre publicity in fiction, b) too much vomiting.
Fire's Children - Elizabeth Waters - Kind of a cute little story about twin kids of a fire mage who just arrogantly assumes they'll both be fire mages, but one is a water mage. Also a whole gender thing which might have honestly been the more interesting story.
For the Sake of Clarity - Cedric Johnson - honestly not super clear despite the title. It's about an Earth Mage who can find Quartz particularly well which, turns out, useless superpower in the Gold Rush. But the damsel falls for him anyway (shot) and happily ever after, plus some weird stuff about the Colorado Lodge?
To Ride the River-Horse - Dayle A. Dermatis - Kind of a sweet Rapunzel retelling set in Wales. Rapunzel is held captive by her evil aunt and a dude has to come teach her the Ways of her Gift (shot). She falls in love with him (shot). The braid is kind of a Chekhov's Gun in that it's then used to control her. Also there are River Horses and coal mines, and the end is pretty cool.
The Phoenix of Mulberry Street - Michele Lang - Meh. Tough Young Girl Tries to Make it in New York. blergh. But the Little Match Girl is in this and she is a Phoenix. There's also a dragon. This might have been interesting if there was any detail in anything.
Air of Mystery - Jody Lynn Nye - Super cool idea, I liked this one a lot. Great concept that parfumerie depends on water and air mastery, and nicely pulled through. Compelling main character. The rare plot in this book that is really short story length and not like a book's worth of plot crammed into twenty pages. Also there's a lot of animal pee, which is kind of funny.
A Flower Grows in Whitechapel - Gail Sanders and Michael Z. Williamson - the most directly tied to Lackey's books and featuring a number of familiar characters. I haven't actually read the Wizard of London yet, so I'm flying a little blind on the whole School of Magical Colonial Orphans thing, but I liked this one. Featured a half-chinese girl with Earth powers who grows a pretty flower and saves the king. Solid stuff. But also still think that whole concept is a little racially charged.
Tha Thu Ann - Tanya Huff - Pleasantly surprised! Tanya Huff I find enjoyable but rarely terribly good; here she puts in her fair share of cliches (red hair! Drink!). But she explores the seeing-the-dead powers some, which is fun, and also expats in Canada, which is interesting, and also necromancy (shot). And there's no explicit love story. I do feel like Ellie has some explaining she owes the twins at the end.
The Collector - Ron Collins - Really fascinating exploration of race and culture in terms of this magic idea, and whether or not it's right to use your magic for evil if evil is being done to you. Also creepy old lady with a root cellar of death. These two elements don't quite flow together perfectly, but I did find the ideas in this very compelling. Also the singing magic. Cool beans. And the harsher edge towards the elementals shown by an adult who has been treated like shit.
Queen of the Mountain - Kristin Schwengel - Red hair! Drink! Dude must explain how to treat elementals! Drink! Insta-love for rescuer - Drink! Also hawaiian goddesses and uh disturbing portrayals of the natives.
I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing - Mercedes Lackey - Good, solid story from Lackey, big plot but fits well in the format. Standard Lackey heroine. Liked her a lot. Air mage who doesn't have a ton of power but can talk to everyone's elementals. Nice idea.
What I'm saying is, some of these stories don't really cover new ground for the Elemental Magic Series, and also female characters with red hair as a character trait is an ancient and terrible fantasy trope and it needs to die.
A Song of the Sea, by Diana Paxton - ancient Greek setting, students of Pythagoras as the idea that this is when Elemental Magic is first discovered. Cool idea, tragic and horrible death of the parents kind of handwaved weirdly. Feels like it needs to be longer to really gain some momentum.
The Fire Within Him by Samuel Conway - I read this one yesterday and had zero memories. It's an Icarus story. Personally, I think Icarus is a fine parable all on its own and didn't need a fire master who was secretly the one screwing it all up, but YMMV
Makana - Fiona Patton - I liked this one a lot. Follows a young Earth Master in Polynesia warding off a threat to his society. Really like the difference in how Elemental Magic is understood and used between the different cultures portrayed here. Also liked the subtle not subtle threat of the white people. Kind of felt like the bad guy was a non-entity.
War to the Knife - Rosemary Edghill - If this were a full-length bodice-ripper I would so be there. As is it's a little lacking on the fleshing out of characters etc. Do really like the idea that Air Masters get shit for being Air Masters, like there's a hierarchy or something. Set in the Napoleonic wars. Shot for teaching about Elemental Magic and not using it for evil.
Stones and Feathers / Elizabeth A. Vaughan - Raven Master story featuring an Earth Mage who feels called to London and lives to regret it. OK. a) those damn ravens get so much bizarre publicity in fiction, b) too much vomiting.
Fire's Children - Elizabeth Waters - Kind of a cute little story about twin kids of a fire mage who just arrogantly assumes they'll both be fire mages, but one is a water mage. Also a whole gender thing which might have honestly been the more interesting story.
For the Sake of Clarity - Cedric Johnson - honestly not super clear despite the title. It's about an Earth Mage who can find Quartz particularly well which, turns out, useless superpower in the Gold Rush. But the damsel falls for him anyway (shot) and happily ever after, plus some weird stuff about the Colorado Lodge?
To Ride the River-Horse - Dayle A. Dermatis - Kind of a sweet Rapunzel retelling set in Wales. Rapunzel is held captive by her evil aunt and a dude has to come teach her the Ways of her Gift (shot). She falls in love with him (shot). The braid is kind of a Chekhov's Gun in that it's then used to control her. Also there are River Horses and coal mines, and the end is pretty cool.
The Phoenix of Mulberry Street - Michele Lang - Meh. Tough Young Girl Tries to Make it in New York. blergh. But the Little Match Girl is in this and she is a Phoenix. There's also a dragon. This might have been interesting if there was any detail in anything.
Air of Mystery - Jody Lynn Nye - Super cool idea, I liked this one a lot. Great concept that parfumerie depends on water and air mastery, and nicely pulled through. Compelling main character. The rare plot in this book that is really short story length and not like a book's worth of plot crammed into twenty pages. Also there's a lot of animal pee, which is kind of funny.
A Flower Grows in Whitechapel - Gail Sanders and Michael Z. Williamson - the most directly tied to Lackey's books and featuring a number of familiar characters. I haven't actually read the Wizard of London yet, so I'm flying a little blind on the whole School of Magical Colonial Orphans thing, but I liked this one. Featured a half-chinese girl with Earth powers who grows a pretty flower and saves the king. Solid stuff. But also still think that whole concept is a little racially charged.
Tha Thu Ann - Tanya Huff - Pleasantly surprised! Tanya Huff I find enjoyable but rarely terribly good; here she puts in her fair share of cliches (red hair! Drink!). But she explores the seeing-the-dead powers some, which is fun, and also expats in Canada, which is interesting, and also necromancy (shot). And there's no explicit love story. I do feel like Ellie has some explaining she owes the twins at the end.
The Collector - Ron Collins - Really fascinating exploration of race and culture in terms of this magic idea, and whether or not it's right to use your magic for evil if evil is being done to you. Also creepy old lady with a root cellar of death. These two elements don't quite flow together perfectly, but I did find the ideas in this very compelling. Also the singing magic. Cool beans. And the harsher edge towards the elementals shown by an adult who has been treated like shit.
Queen of the Mountain - Kristin Schwengel - Red hair! Drink! Dude must explain how to treat elementals! Drink! Insta-love for rescuer - Drink! Also hawaiian goddesses and uh disturbing portrayals of the natives.
I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing - Mercedes Lackey - Good, solid story from Lackey, big plot but fits well in the format. Standard Lackey heroine. Liked her a lot. Air mage who doesn't have a ton of power but can talk to everyone's elementals. Nice idea.
March 17, 2013
I enjoyed all the stories. It seemed to start out a little slowly because I expected all of the stories to be in London around 1910. However, given elemental master magicians and a white lodge in 1910 London, what would the pre-history have been? Where else in the world would there be magicians and lodges? What would those folks in London do elsewhere in the world? Where would they go and what would they do and why? So I think that it was my own expectations that made the early stories seem like a slow start. The stories were great; I recommend the book. If you like The Serpent's Shadow, I think you will like this collection of stories.
March 19, 2013
This wasn't a full novel of the Elemental Masters, more of a taster or teaser. This book had many short stories, probably too many as they are REALLY short stories. Most of them were interesting, but just too short. Just as you were getting into the fell of things, it ended. One of my favorites was the retelling of Rapunzel, but I really think it could have benefitted from a few more pages. Really, all of the stories could have.
December 30, 2012
This was more of a 3.5. I found this anthology more of a mixed bag then the usual Valdemar anthology. Maybe because I am more accustomed to different voices in that world. I can say that I enjoyed the contributions by those authors who are already on my auto=buy list and might have to check out a few of the others.
May 7, 2016
I liked that all of these short stories were linked together by the common theme of elemental magic. As with any short story collection written by various authors, the quality of each story varied. Some of the stories left me yearning to read more about them.
January 4, 2013
A solid collection. This is an interesting world with so many opportunities to grow in different directions. The authors certainly had fun with it!
December 7, 2012
While the stories themselves were fair, this again reinforces to me why I dislike short stories. There's never enough room for satisfying character OR plot development.
July 11, 2017
As in any anthology, some stories are definitely better than others. None of them really stood out to me, bad or good. Unfortunately, they are all based on Lackey's Elemental Masters series, and...they really only bear a slight resemblance. Lackey herself has messed up her world building, so I can't really blame them - I think the majority of the stories also suffered from being too short and unable to develop the themes thoroughly. Lackey's own entry, "I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing," also fell greatly short. I'll review that one since it's still fresh in my mind and as the original author, she really should know better.
SPOILERS
Miriam apparently can speak to all elementals, though she is an Air mage. Ok, that's fine. However, when determining the cause of a well drying up, she bribed an Earth elemental to tell her what had happened. Yet the EARTH MASTER couldn't get the elementals to tell him anything without forcing them? She finds out from the sylphs that the cause of all the trouble with the mermaids is that a young man has suddenly come into his power, and he's a Water master with an appetite for bullying and cruelty. Um. In order to become a master, you must gain *mastery* of your powers, it's not a matter of strength. How he is forcing the mermaids to obey him when he doesn't even believe in them or realize he has power makes zero sense. Also, I just finished reading "From a High Tower," and it goes on and on about not using your power or elementals to harm people or bad consequences will ensue (which makes no sense since there are magician duels...and even if it's in self defense) but in this one she has her sylphs steal his breath without even thinking about it. The whole thing was just inconsistent and silly.
Oh, and another story that stood out as frustrating was Ron Collins' "The Collector." An old woman turns out to collect mages because....why? She's apparently an Earth mage of some sort, and she likes to starve men to death and bury them in her garden. It was unclear if she gets any power out of this, but the whole thing just seemed like a reason for the main character (a black man that has a lot of anger about the racism and other injustices of the time) to find out about his power and become a rogue dark magician to balance the scales. Really? Again, you need actual teaching to learn how to use your power, and why on earth does he only get three "wishes" from his elemental? This isn't a genie. Argh.
SPOILERS
Miriam apparently can speak to all elementals, though she is an Air mage. Ok, that's fine. However, when determining the cause of a well drying up, she bribed an Earth elemental to tell her what had happened. Yet the EARTH MASTER couldn't get the elementals to tell him anything without forcing them? She finds out from the sylphs that the cause of all the trouble with the mermaids is that a young man has suddenly come into his power, and he's a Water master with an appetite for bullying and cruelty. Um. In order to become a master, you must gain *mastery* of your powers, it's not a matter of strength. How he is forcing the mermaids to obey him when he doesn't even believe in them or realize he has power makes zero sense. Also, I just finished reading "From a High Tower," and it goes on and on about not using your power or elementals to harm people or bad consequences will ensue (which makes no sense since there are magician duels...and even if it's in self defense) but in this one she has her sylphs steal his breath without even thinking about it. The whole thing was just inconsistent and silly.
Oh, and another story that stood out as frustrating was Ron Collins' "The Collector." An old woman turns out to collect mages because....why? She's apparently an Earth mage of some sort, and she likes to starve men to death and bury them in her garden. It was unclear if she gets any power out of this, but the whole thing just seemed like a reason for the main character (a black man that has a lot of anger about the racism and other injustices of the time) to find out about his power and become a rogue dark magician to balance the scales. Really? Again, you need actual teaching to learn how to use your power, and why on earth does he only get three "wishes" from his elemental? This isn't a genie. Argh.
September 22, 2018
A collection of Elemental Masters short stories, one by Lackey herself and the rest by other authors. A two-page introduction by Lackey gives her short explanation of what the series is. Apparently she is deliberately limiting it to the period 1870-1919, chosen for being a foundational epoch for contemporary society. Most of these stories are also set in the same period, and also in England or Anglo-America (one in Georgia!) but two are appropriately in ancient Greece, one in early Hawaii, one in late-nineteenth-century Hawaii, and one in the Napoleonic Wars. Only one of them dares to use Lackey's characters, in this case the main characters from The Wizard of London. The descriptions of how elemental magic works are only loosely related to those in the novels, but no more loosely than from one novel to another. The stories are all quite short (the longest is 32 pages), so not many of them manage to get in much sociohistorical context; when they do, it's usually from a similar perspective to the novels, except some are more male-centered and two (the early-Hawaii and Georgia stories) are less white-centered. At least two kept with the idea of taking a fairy tale or myth as inspiration; likely there are some more that I didn't recognize.
April 5, 2020
Mercedes Lackey has published a number of books in her Elemental Masters series where humans able to interact with the magical creatures of the four elements. The initial books were loosely based on various fairy tales and seem to center/focus in Europe in the late 1800's through the first decades of the 1900's.
In this book, other authors are allowed to play. To write a story based in the world and with these magical people. From Wales and Paris and Napoleonic Spain. Halifax and Maine and post-Civil War Georgia. Colorado during the Wild West. A family leaving Greece to Italy during the time of Pythagoras (500 BCE). A Fire Master that may have caused the legend of Icarus' fall from the skies over Minoan Crete. Hawaii in the years before Cook's first visit and a much later story which has the heroine encounter the goddess Pele. London post-Waterloo.
All short and sweet stories. Some practically beg for further development as these tastes have only whet the proverbial appetite. Others are complete in themselves.
It is nearly always a fun experience to see how other writers view a popular series. And it looks like all contributors had fun.
2020-065
In this book, other authors are allowed to play. To write a story based in the world and with these magical people. From Wales and Paris and Napoleonic Spain. Halifax and Maine and post-Civil War Georgia. Colorado during the Wild West. A family leaving Greece to Italy during the time of Pythagoras (500 BCE). A Fire Master that may have caused the legend of Icarus' fall from the skies over Minoan Crete. Hawaii in the years before Cook's first visit and a much later story which has the heroine encounter the goddess Pele. London post-Waterloo.
All short and sweet stories. Some practically beg for further development as these tastes have only whet the proverbial appetite. Others are complete in themselves.
It is nearly always a fun experience to see how other writers view a popular series. And it looks like all contributors had fun.
2020-065
February 26, 2021
Unusually for me, although I enjoyed these short stories, themed for Misty's Elemental Masters, they didn't really grab me the way that the Valdemar tales had done, which was a shame, as I've loved Misty's, newish for me, series very much.
Each story was interesting, though I did feel that some of them were a little too short. But, making up for it, was Misty's own short story at the end.
There were plenty of familiar names among the authors, but I didn't feel as if they had the same connection with the elemental world, that they certainly do with Valdemar - but I expect time will do that for them all 😊
In the meantime, I'll be reading the second short story collection : Elementary.
I hope I'll enjoy it more than this first one, as pleasant as that was.
Each story was interesting, though I did feel that some of them were a little too short. But, making up for it, was Misty's own short story at the end.
There were plenty of familiar names among the authors, but I didn't feel as if they had the same connection with the elemental world, that they certainly do with Valdemar - but I expect time will do that for them all 😊
In the meantime, I'll be reading the second short story collection : Elementary.
I hope I'll enjoy it more than this first one, as pleasant as that was.
June 4, 2021
I have had this book with a bookmark stuck in the first story for years. I could not get into it for any reason. Then I finally pushed through and I loved almost every other story in the book!
The Rapunzel story was my favourite, for a while. Then there was the one about Nova Scotia. I know Nova Scotia and the story was good, so that became my favourite.
With most collections, I usually dislike as many, if not more, than what I like but with this one there were very few I didn't like.
I would recommend this book quite highly. Anyone that likes the elemental series or people that are fans of magical stories will enjoy this.
The Rapunzel story was my favourite, for a while. Then there was the one about Nova Scotia. I know Nova Scotia and the story was good, so that became my favourite.
With most collections, I usually dislike as many, if not more, than what I like but with this one there were very few I didn't like.
I would recommend this book quite highly. Anyone that likes the elemental series or people that are fans of magical stories will enjoy this.
June 18, 2017
Somehow or another, I managed to read the later one first, Elementary, which is relevant because there are some overlapping authors who stuck with their characters and settings in both short story collections. Regardless, like the other collection, it was fun to see the variety of cultures and time periods selected by the authors. As is generally the case with such anthologies, some were more enjoyable than others, but overall, a solid addition to the world of the Elemental Masters.
May 3, 2018
Overall, I think that the second Elemental Masters shared world anthology is the stronger. That said, I definitely enjoyed the first anthology Elemental Magic.
I especially enjoyed seeing Sarah and Nan again, even if they only had a cameo appearance in one story.
Elemental Masters combined with the fairy tale retellings and the Gifted/Talented paranormal powers are totally my cup of tea!
Strongly recommended for most fantasy collections!
I especially enjoyed seeing Sarah and Nan again, even if they only had a cameo appearance in one story.
Elemental Masters combined with the fairy tale retellings and the Gifted/Talented paranormal powers are totally my cup of tea!
Strongly recommended for most fantasy collections!
June 28, 2021
The first (of two) anthologies about the world as we know it - aside from the minor fact, that magic is alive and well. In contrast to the novels, the stories assembled here cover much more time. Yes, as the novels, no story is set later than 1920 - but some go much deeper into history than the 1870s and to places not covered so far in the novels (Hawaii, for example; or the Roman Empire).
I enjoyed it very much.
I enjoyed it very much.
May 10, 2019
Phenomenal Blend
MERCEDES Lackey has woven together a stellar group of writers who have all captured unique aspects of her wonderous Elemental Masters series, bringing in a variety of new and different perspectives. I highly recommend this anthology to anyone with an interest in elemental-themed stories.
MERCEDES Lackey has woven together a stellar group of writers who have all captured unique aspects of her wonderous Elemental Masters series, bringing in a variety of new and different perspectives. I highly recommend this anthology to anyone with an interest in elemental-themed stories.
July 18, 2019
This was a hard read. I love the Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey. I thought it would slide easily into my brain. But this is others playing in her world and I found I didn't care for it. She opened it up for any time, any country and that didn't work for me. I enjoyed the one story she wrote but not overly much.
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