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The Fire Rose

(Elemental Masters 0.5)

Mercedes Lackey

3.96 · Rating details · 9,523 ratings · 429 reviews

San Francisco, 1905: Rosalind, a medieval scholar, is hired by Jason, a powerful sorcerer. Jason's enemy offers to restore Rosalind's family fortune if she will betray Jason. And then the earthquake strikes. . . .

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Paperback, 433 pages

Published November 1st 1996 by Baen (first published January 1st 1995)

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3.96 ·

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· 9,523 ratings · 429 reviews

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May 04, 2008 Miriam rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This adaptation of Beauty and the Beast cuts out the merchant father and sisters mourning their sudden impoverishment. Instead of a formerly-wealthy beauty, our heroine is the recently-orphaned daughter of a professor. Highly educated herself, but lacking family or funds, she perforce accepts a position as a governess in far-away California. But it turns out there are no children, only a Beast who needs someone to translate some dead languages...

This was a fun book. It would be better if Lackey ...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Kathleen rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantastical-romance, beauty-beast, series-opener, ya, fairy-tale

Hadn't read Lackey before, but she's prolific, and some reviews are very positive, so I was looking forward to her take on Beauty and the Beast in historic San Francisco. What a disappointment! For those who want romance, there is not so much as a kiss despite the HEA wedding -- no great loss, since I dislike the hero, Jason Cameron.

I had more respect for the heroine, Rosalind (Rose) Hawkins. But not much. Blame it on Lackey's introduction of this young bespectacled historian.

Some spoilers ahe ...more

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Jul 12, 2009 Mariel rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: the bangles

Recommended to Mariel by: an untrustworthy (it is clear to me now) amazon reviewer

You know the old cliche of something being so bad it is good? Some cliches and stereotypes got started in the first place for a good reason. They say that to indicate the bad stuff you enjoy that gives you indigestion afterwards. Well, The Fire Rose is almost so bad it's good and then so bad it's back to being plain old bad again. Throwing up your hands in frustrated disgust bad. (I feel like those chicks from the yoghurt ads. "Good... Unbutton your pants and cut up your credit cards GOOD!") It' You know the old cliche of something being so bad it is good? Some cliches and stereotypes got started in the first place for a good reason. They say that to indicate the bad stuff you enjoy that gives you indigestion afterwards. Well, The Fire Rose is almost so bad it's good and then so bad it's back to being plain old bad again. Throwing up your hands in frustrated disgust bad. (I feel like those chicks from the yoghurt ads. "Good... Unbutton your pants and cut up your credit cards GOOD!") It's disgusting. I'm disgusted. ("You don't look disgusted, Mariel. You look like you like it!") I've complained about this book to my twin to the point it has taken on epic proportions between us. She hasn't even read it and can quote entire passages (which never fails to crack me up). The baddie who breaks in trafficked hookers as a hobby (he learns Spanish and Chinese just to torment the religious girls about their impurities. Couldn't he just heckle bad comedians? I personally like to heckle athletes at the park. I even did it in Spanish once. "¡Malo!"), the lover who stays the beast in the end (she prefers him that way! Those Egyptian sphinx heads were oddly attractive). There is much bad goodness here. It's an embarrassment of riches, that's what it is. Yet it is still so, so bad. It is a wonder I didn't throw it at the wall, or in the trash (my twin has thrown books of mine in the trash out of fits of dramatic disgust- before I've had the chance to read them. "That was mine!" "I'm doing you a favor!" I prefer to switch out what she is reading and replace it with The Fire Rose).

What was with the constant use of italics? Living in a college town I've had the misfortune to buy many used books that are highlighted out the ass. The italics here are about as intrusive as that. It can be fun to read the notes written in the margins. Kinda like reading a book with someone else, even if sometimes you'll start writing a school paper on it too. I wanna read for fun, damnit! In that case, it was Lackey's own fault that I criticized her book harshly. She put me in mind of school papers. And her use of italics was like those kids who highlighted the unimportant stuff and wrote margins that massively missed the point.

The magical theory was pretty good. I liked the competitive master/student relationships, and the mad science gone horribly wrong quality. The student who conned her into doing his homework was probably too realistic though (he should've written in his own margins!). Coughs not that I've ever let anyone copy off me. (I hate heroines who speak infinity languages when my Spanish is pathetic.) (Then again, I never had a good enough reason like torturing prostitutes I've broken in to motivate me. What is Spanish for you suck in bed?)
Lackey shouldn't have tried for a Beauty and the Beast tale. The point was that the Beast gets a better personality. He's still beastly AND still an animal. (And I did so want to enjoy a bestility romance...)

I've not read anything else by Ms. Lackey. Every bookshop in town has at least two shelves dedicated to her (none other than R.A. Salvatore receive that royal treatment). Where to start? Perhaps the gay robot book and I could make it a theme weekend and pair it up with Tanith Lee's Silver Metal Lover. Anyone wanna do it with me? I'd doodle gay robots in the margins of my books (don't wanna miss the point, after all).

...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Jane rated it really liked it

I was wonderfully surprised by this book. I thought it might a retailing of the Beauty and the Beast story, but I was very surprised by the ending.
It is the story of Rose Hawkins and Jason Cameron. Jason had invoked, through pride, a powerful spell that transformed him into part wolf. Rose is hired to help him translate ancient text, for he is looking to reverse his mistake.
I loved the fire salamanders character's. Also the Chinese mages.
Rose character is a strong intelligent woman, in a time ...more

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Apr 12, 2010 Leeanna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: i-own

The Fire Rose, by Mercedes Lackey

Do NOT judge this book by its cover!

"The Fire Rose" is a gem, a masterful retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story.

The Beauty is Rose Hawkins, a booksmart Chicago native working toward a doctorate at university. The Beast is Jason Cameron, a San Francisco rail baron, and a man trapped by hubris in the body of a wolf.

Left penniless when her father dies, Rose has few options for survival. She could work as a governess or a teacher, but pursuing her cherished d The Fire Rose, by Mercedes Lackey

Do NOT judge this book by its cover!

"The Fire Rose" is a gem, a masterful retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story.

The Beauty is Rose Hawkins, a booksmart Chicago native working toward a doctorate at university. The Beast is Jason Cameron, a San Francisco rail baron, and a man trapped by hubris in the body of a wolf.

Left penniless when her father dies, Rose has few options for survival. She could work as a governess or a teacher, but pursuing her cherished degree is certainly out of the way. Disheartened by her situation, Rose accepts an employment offer from Jason Cameron: she will travel to San Francisco to be a governess to his children. Only when she arrives, Rose finds that Jason was lying to her: there are no children and instead she is to translate ancient alchemical books for him.

Far from being upset at the unusual situation, Rose is happy with her new life. She lives in luxury, and considers herself a research colleague rather than an employee. She is also unaware that the works she is reading to Jason are actually Magickal in content, and that Jason Cameron is a Firemaster. And Rose...she herself may have potential to do Magick.

"The Fire Rose," is to me, an almost flawless book. I've read my copy so many times the binding is worn out, and it would be a book I'd take to a desert island. Rose and Jason are two of my favorite characters of all time. I feel like they are old friends, and I dearly wish that Lackey had continued their story. "The Fire Rose" is a one book story, and has a good ending; it's just my personal (and greedy) wish for more of them.

Lackey creates a plausible magic system, and explains it over the course of the book. Because Rose reads Jason many texts, it gives the author a great way to explain how the system works. The author also pays plenty of attention to detail. "The Fire Rose" fits in perfectly with the time it is set, as all comparisons are made to period events or people. The descriptions of clothing and furnishings are sumptuous, and helped me immerse myself in the book.

There's a little of something for everybody in "The Fire Rose," and I'm always sad when I read the last page.

5/5. ...more

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Feb 23, 2017 G. rated it it was ok

She might be stepping off into the unknown, but it was not with a sense of adventure.

No shit.

And yes, that's all I'm gonna say, because The Fire Rose was so utterly meh that I have nothing to add.

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Mar 11, 2008 Jojo rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, romance, romantic-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Hmm.

An all right read, but definitely not lacking in problems. I can't even really say what I did like about it, besides the fact that I was entertained. The problems though...

1. The cover. I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover. This one is seriously fug though.

2. Villains are never interesting when they are just pure evil. The villainy in this book was of the ridiculously mwahahaaa-so-evil variety. Ugh.

3. Okay, so this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. In which you would think tha ...more

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May 04, 2008 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-timefavorites, fairytales

I love this book. It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set in San Francisco just prior to the Great Earthquake of 1906. As always, her characters are so real that I felt like they were friends immediately: smiling with them, nodding when they talked. . . . You just get drawn right into this time and these people.

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May 02, 2010 ~M~ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Should I even get into the one dimensional Paul du Mond? The entire book, I was waiting for him to tie Rosalind to Cameron's railroad tracks, and then twist his mustache while laughing mockingly: "MWAH-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!" It's the only cliche the author missed including.

I loved Mercedes Lackey in college but sometime in my 30s I became tired of her simplistic characters, and especially of the chip she has on her shoulder regarding organized religion. If I had to read one more time that non-orthodox Should I even get into the one dimensional Paul du Mond? The entire book, I was waiting for him to tie Rosalind to Cameron's railroad tracks, and then twist his mustache while laughing mockingly: "MWAH-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!" It's the only cliche the author missed including.

I loved Mercedes Lackey in college but sometime in my 30s I became tired of her simplistic characters, and especially of the chip she has on her shoulder regarding organized religion. If I had to read one more time that non-orthodox spirituality is "good" and orthodox religious structures (to wit: Christianity) are "bad" I believed I would vomit. It makes reading the rest of what she writes a trial.

Even in this book, a novel not at all concerned with religion in any way or form, Lackey just has to spend a page or two talking about how Christians are stupid. It has nothing to do with the book or the plot or the main characters, but let's throw it in there that Christians are stupid to use the lamb symbolism, shall we? Lackey of course shows NO knowledge of the origins of that symbol, or why it was chosen in early Christian texts. You don't have to be a religious studies scholar, but if you're going to criticize, do some basic research, or leave it out.

I also have a giant problem with books set in historical eras featuring modern characters who basically just wear old fashioned clothes. I am a huge historical fiction fan, and there was more differing women in those eras from modern women than just wearing corsets. People in earlier times had different thoughts, different attitudes, and different beliefs about life.

But here is little Rose Hawkins who, by virtue of her being smart and well read, is apparently mostly outside the cultural structures of her society. All of her attitudes and beliefs are those of modern women. Except of course, she does not care to wear bloomers and be a Suffragette. Ok then.

Not to mention, she is a Medieval scholar, oh but she is reading the classics in the original Greek and Latin, and hey happens to know lots about Egyptology as well? I think not.

The one good part about this book, and the one strength Lackey has as a writer, is the great descriptions of Magick, and other fantasy-related themes. It was the only interesting part of the whole book.

Lackey needs to stick to creating fantasy worlds, because her abilities in describing characters who live in THIS world are sadly lacking.

The one good thing about this book is, it didn't require me to think too hard. When one is in finals for grad school and just wants some brainless entertainment, Mercedes Lackey is where you head.

...more

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Jun 12, 2007 Sarah rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fairytales

I was excited as hell when I saw that Lackey had done a fairy tale retelling, as I tend to like her work, and I love fairy tale retellings.

However, I found this book rather a disappointment. Robin McKinley is 100 times more talented at the retelling, and honestly, I don't think Lackey put her best effort into this.

A decent read, but not really worth the effort.

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Dec 28, 2012 LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, acquired-bought-used, read-2009, historical, format-print

This book is set in the early 20th century. Rose Hawkins is a young scholar in Chicago who finds herself having to make some tough decisions after her father dies and creditors take nearly everything she has left. With no other options left to her, she accepts a position as a governess for the children of Jason Cameron, a wealthy rail baron in San Francisco. When she arrives at her new home and workplace, she discovers that Cameron wasn't entirely truthful. While he doesn't actually have childre This book is set in the early 20th century. Rose Hawkins is a young scholar in Chicago who finds herself having to make some tough decisions after her father dies and creditors take nearly everything she has left. With no other options left to her, she accepts a position as a governess for the children of Jason Cameron, a wealthy rail baron in San Francisco. When she arrives at her new home and workplace, she discovers that Cameron wasn't entirely truthful. While he doesn't actually have children, he does need her scholarly expertise. A recent accident has made it impossible to read the books he needs to read in order to conduct his research. Rose agrees to work for him under these changed conditions, but the strange books he has her reading make her begin to wonder about the secrets Cameron is hiding.

And wonder she should - Cameron is no ordinary man, and his accident was definitely not a normal one. Cameron is an Elemental Master whose specialty is Fire. Confident in his abilities, Cameron attempted a spell that he thought would allow him to assume the form of a wolf at will. However, something went wrong, and he was left in a painful half-man, half-wolf body. He's determined to find a way to undo what he's done, but he needs help for that, which is where Rose comes in. Of course, Rose is neither stupid nor incurious, and Jason eventually finds it necessary to prove the existence of Elemental Magic to her. Rose stays by Jason, even when she discovers what his accident has done to his appearance. With an old enemy looking for any exploitable weakness, Jason needs all the friends he can get.

I have to admit, I wouldn't have minded it if Lackey had only written this one Elemental Masters book. This is by far the best in the series, with interesting and usually enjoyable characters and an almost believable romance (I'll get to that later). The "Beauty and the Beast" aspect doesn't feel at all forced, mainly because Lackey doesn't require that the book use all the details from the story (actually, she doesn't use hardly any).

The magical system was fascinating. I suppose I can see why she felt the need to write more books - this one only scratched the surface of one or two elements, leaving much more that could be explored. This book teaches readers about Elemental Magic through Rose, who becomes Jason's apprentice - it's a nice way to give readers a lot of information while keeping things from getting boring. I loved reading about the Salamanders, and I only wish Lackey had spent more time writing about the Sylphs.

The setting was also fun to read about. I can't personally say whether Lackey got all the details right, but nothing struck me as being jarringly wrong. I wasn't always a fan of Rose and Jason's many popular culture references (or what would have been popular culture back then - musicals, opera, books, etc.) - those felt a little overdone, like Lackey was trying a little too hard. I did, however, like the "life in 1905/1906" details that came up occasionally, like the tidbits about Rose's clothing, etc. Rose's trip to Chinatown was also a lot of fun.

I also enjoyed the romance in this book, although this is one of those romantic storylines that is most enjoyable if you don't think about it too much. The friendship and, eventually, love between Rose and Jason develops smoothly and naturally enough. I think what bothers me is thinking about how the mechanics of their relationship will work. Unlike "Beauty and the Beast," which ends with the Beast becoming a man again, Jason doesn't become like he once was. At one point, Jason finds himself wondering how a relationship between him and Rose could possibly work, since kissing him would be like "kissing an Alsatian," even though he's pretty much human from nipples to mid-thigh. Rose is, at first, startled and upset by Jason's appearance, but she gradually grows used to him and even finds him a little attractive, kind of like one of the Egyptian gods. This, I'm guessing, is supposed to reassure readers that she won't mind doing more than hand-holding with Jason, but I'm not buying it. Apparently, either Lackey thought a sex scene, or even kissing, would turn readers off, or maybe even she couldn't picture how things would work out, because Rose and Jason are never described as doing more than holding hands.

Some readers may also be turned off by Lackey's one-dimensional villains. Paul, Jason's apprentice and secretary, has absolutely no redeeming characteristics. Actually, the fact that Jason knew about his apprentice's horrific entertainments and did nothing is a black mark against him - if Rose ever finds out, Jason's going to be in the dog house, no pun intended. Simon, Jason's enemy, is even more one-dimensional. He's there to be both bad and (somewhat) clever, while Paul is merely bad. If you like your villains to be more than just cardboard, this is not the book for you.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and it held up nicely to a re-read, after a few years of sitting in my bookshelves collecting dust. I think I'll just pretend that the other books in the series never happened...

(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ...more

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Jun 17, 2008 Jennie rated it it was ok

I did not enjoy this book. The author took a beautiful fairy tale and tried to make it "grown-up"... which defeats the whole purpose. It was good to read, but I will never read it again. I read it in response to claims that is was "better than Beauty" by Robin Mckinley, which is SOOOO GOOOD!!! Well, I didn't like it. 3/4 of the way through it I was just reading to finish it, not because I was enthralled or wanted to know what happened. My biggest... dislikes were: 1) the beast never changed. I k ...more

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Apr 02, 2019 Giselle Bradley rated it did not like it

Shelves: z-beauty-and-the-beast, on-tbr-longest, z-1-1-fairytales, tbr-all-as-of-2018, currently-reading-series

20% DNF wow I hate this.

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Jan 20, 2015 Rachmi rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal, romance, retelling-and-or-inspired-by

3.5 stars

This Beauty and the Beast retelling reminds me of Jane Eyre, in a way. Rose, the heroine, is like Jane Eyre, is so determine to have the same position with Jason Cameron, the hero, even when he is her employer. She's highly educated, smart and witty and a bookworm too. I cannot help not to love her. Jason is also easy to love, though I have to admit that I don't like the way he’s keeping an eye on her. It isn't a good thing to do, if you ask me.

These lovable main characters make me enjo ...more

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Oct 24, 2015 Matthew rated it liked it

This book felt rather like it was written by a teenaged girl as Beauty and the Beast fanfiction without an editor. The villain was totally one dimensional and stupid. There were glaring gaps in continuity and so many plots that were started but not properly followed up upon. The worst example was a Chinese herbalist who gives Rose four packets of four different colors and then she uses the wrong colored packet in the next scene and the other three packets are never mentioned again.

But despite al ...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Heather rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

So each time I reread this book, I think I like it a little less. For one thing, random quotation marks are everywhere and random quotation marks drive me INSANE. Rose was too smart to be a "proper" "lady" and the "good" "Christians" objected to her "modern" ideas. Arg! Death to random quotation marks! For another thing, ML has certain canned rants about religion and the oppression of women that get old, especially because they're not particularly sophisticated canned rants. I've started skippin ...more

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Jun 04, 2010 Carien rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

This book in the The Elemental Masters series is often overlooked as it is published by Baen and not by DAW as the rest is and I think that's a shame as I think this one is the best!

Now I must confess that Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairytales so that might be why I love this book as it uses that fairytale as a basis for this story.

The story is set in 1905 and Lackey sure did her research to create a believable setting and her characters are all well thought out and vary from li ...more

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Jun 29, 2015 Graylark rated it really liked it

Shelves: fairy-tale, fantasy, 3-5-stars

Retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Was a good read, but last chapter felt like a letdown after all the buildup. Ended with a fizzle rather than a bang.

Also, I don't know what the blurb writer was smoking, but "Jason's enemy offers to restore Rosalind's family fortune if she will betray Jason" was not in the book.

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May 25, 2017 Darnell rated it liked it

Shelves: scifi-fantasy

I had some issues with how this book was constructed, but Lackey's writing is good enough that I still enjoyed it anyway. Considering this is a precursor to the real series, I'm definitely interested in reading more.

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Jan 04, 2012 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, bookcrossing, 1st-in-series

This was an entertaining read although I did feel things did drag on a bit on the second half of the book, with nothing much happening.

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Jan 24, 2013 Anna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fables-myths-legends-otherworldy, chicago-ties

One of the reasons I love this book - the core story is a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast

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Jun 25, 2018 Aphelia rated it really liked it

Shelves: fairy-tale, my-collection

This is a light read that drags a bit around the middle and doesn't finish as strongly as it could have, which was a little disappointing.

The Fire Rose is a loose retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, set in Victorian San Francisco. It is part of Lackey's long running Elemental Masters series but can be read as a standalone. Indeed, I'm not sure why this novel is classified so oddly; it seems to be the 1st in the Elemental Masters series, but when it's listed with that series, it's u ...more

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Jun 30, 2019 MargaretDH rated it really liked it

Shelves: chips-and-chocolate-bars, alternative-reality, romance, fluffy, fairy-tale, retelling, this-world-fantasy

I've always thought that if I had to relive a fairy-tale, I'd like it to be Beauty and the Beast. I love books, so the big library appeals to me, and I'm pretty good at solitude, so that part wouldn't freak me out too much. Plus, who wants to do dishes and laundry for seven dudes? Or sleep so long everyone you know is dead? And I do love swimming, so having a tail would be cool, but I'm less into the part where I lose my voice and walk on knives.

Anyway, I'm not much for straight up romance, but ...more

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Jan 11, 2019 Sarah Baker added it · review of another edition

Shelves: couldn-t-finish, not-for-me, dnf-2019

I tried to give this one a go, I really did. But I just could not get into the story. And while I know that we're supposed to find duMond repulsive, I really didn't need to know what he did with his free time. So I'm giving up at 34.18%. Maybe I bailed too early, but I've got other books to read.

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Jul 11, 2017 Darrell Hoberer rated it it was amazing

One of my favorite books. Loved it on audio.

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Jun 10, 2019 Sasha Russell rated it really liked it

I thought this book was awesome. Not perfect, but the story really drew me in. It wasn't too romance novel-ish and it was set in a semi-realistic setting.

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Apr 18, 2014 Kat Hooper rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

Mercedes Lackey’s ELEMENTAL MASTERS is a series of ten (so far) novels that take place on an alternate Earth where some people are born with the ability to learn to control fire, water, air, or earth. Each book is also a fairytale retelling, though you may not notice that if you’re not looking for it in the story.

The first ELEMENTAL MASTERS novel, The Fire Rose, is based on “Beauty and the Beast” and is set in 1905- Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

Mercedes Lackey’s ELEMENTAL MASTERS is a series of ten (so far) novels that take place on an alternate Earth where some people are born with the ability to learn to control fire, water, air, or earth. Each book is also a fairytale retelling, though you may not notice that if you’re not looking for it in the story.

The first ELEMENTAL MASTERS novel, The Fire Rose, is based on “Beauty and the Beast” and is set in 1905-1906 San Francisco. Years before, Jason, a Firemaster (the “beast” of the story), was experimenting with a dangerous magic spell. He managed to curse himself and has been living as a man-wolf ever since (this is obvious from the book’s horrid cover, so I’m not spoiling anything here). He has been searching for a way to reverse the spell, but his beastly shape makes it difficult to search his grimoires for information. (The book cover shows him with hands, but he actually has paws). So he wants to hire someone who can read ancient texts to him. That’s how he discovers the suicidal Rosalind, an educated woman who has lost everything to her deceased father’s creditors and has been forced to drop out of graduate school. Rosalind, obviously, is the “beauty” of the story, but it’s really her mind rather than her face that’s beautiful.

Rosalind thinks she’s going to be a governess, which she considers to be just a more genteel form of slavery, but when she arrives at Jason’s estate, there are no children and she is not introduced to Jason. Instead, she’s installed in a lavishly comfortable room where she reads to Jason, who’s in another room, through a speaking trumpet. During her free time, she makes friends with Jason’s lonely horse and tries to fend off the advances of his secretary, Paul du Mond. Eventually Rosalind realizes that there’s something strange going on with Jason, that Paul is a bad guy, and that there might be something to this magic stuff after all.

It’s hard not to admire Rosalind. (Well, at least it’s hard for me not to admire Rosalind.) She’s a quiet scholarly woman who wants to be educated and independent. She’s frustrated with the roles that women in her society are allowed to play and she wants to be different. Yet, she never loses her femininity.

It’s really hard to believe in Paul, the totally over-the-top villain. His crimes are so heinous that it makes me wonder if Lackey is just trying to add some titillation. Paul’s hobby is to “break in” reluctant girls who are sold to bordellos. Lackey shows us this in several nasty scenes that don’t seem to fit the fairytale tone of the rest of the story.

I was disappointed in the end of The Fire Rose. The blurb mentions the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. I assumed that this would be a major part of the plot and I kept waiting for it, but it turns out that it was a pretty minor event in the story. That was a bit anti-climactic.

Other than the weird supervillain and the very short amount of time spent with the earthquake, The Fire Rose is a decent read. It’s definitely fluffy and non-challenging, but it passes the time pleasantly (other than the scenes with Paul in the whorehouse). I listened to Brilliance Audio’s version which was nicely narrated by Kate Black-Regan. The audiobook is almost 13 hours long. ...more

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Jan 01, 2016 Ariel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal-supernatural, new-adult, heroines, historical-fiction, fairy-tales

Quick back story: I bought the second and third books in the series by accident in Hawaii on vacation with my family when I was in 9th grade. I came home from vacation with more books than I had taken with me. It was awesome.

Anyway, found out by just searching Mercedes Lackey that there was actually 1) more books in the series (woot!), and 2) theres an actual first book that I overlooked! *gasp*

I love Rose. I love how fiesty she is, I love how she's so decisive and tries to take charge of her ow Quick back story: I bought the second and third books in the series by accident in Hawaii on vacation with my family when I was in 9th grade. I came home from vacation with more books than I had taken with me. It was awesome.

Anyway, found out by just searching Mercedes Lackey that there was actually 1) more books in the series (woot!), and 2) theres an actual first book that I overlooked! *gasp*

I love Rose. I love how fiesty she is, I love how she's so decisive and tries to take charge of her own destiny. She's scholarly and witty; intelligent and prone to thinking and reasoning, rather than running head first into a situation with neither plan nor knowledge. She's also not your typical beauty and is more interested in books than the opposite sex.

Plus she wears glasses. Boom.

So, The Fire Rose is a fairy-tale retelling of Beauty in the Beast set in San Francisco during the very very early 20th century with elemental magic thrown in. The title of this book would have you believe that fire is the focus. NOPE. wrong. Well, kinda. I mean, fire does take a large portion of this, but there is a different branch of elemental magic at play as well!

Rose is the Beauty to Jason's Beast and is led to believe under very misguided pretense that she was coming to his mansion in San Fran to be a tutor to his children and give them a very wide and open-minded education. Turns out, there are NO children but there is one Jason who done did wrong. Jason, a Master of the element of Fire and commander of Salamanders, tried magic beyond his sphere of control and element and was punished by being stuck in the form of a half-wolf, half-man beast.

Jason uses Rose's knowledge of languages to help him research into discovering a solution to his condition while concealing his deformed body from her eyes, as well as concealing magic. In this world, magic is not know except to those practice it or those who will practice it by becoming an Apprentice to a Master.

Just like Jedi and Sith, there is always a Apprentice and Master. Boom. Star Wars reference.

Anyway, I really love this kinda "feminist" version of story-telling that Lackey does. She really does not create whilting flower characters nor does she create just flat one-dimensional characters. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series. ...more

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Sep 27, 2018 Rosemarie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I first read this book before Goodreads existed, and although I always think of it as one of my favorites, I didn’t feel that I remembered enough to really do it justice in a review. I recently reread it though, and am happy to say it does stand up to the test of time. It was also the first Mercedes Lackey book I ever read and have since read many others because she is an outstanding writer.

I love that this book is set in San Francisco. I once took the train there myself and so I can very much r I first read this book before Goodreads existed, and although I always think of it as one of my favorites, I didn’t feel that I remembered enough to really do it justice in a review. I recently reread it though, and am happy to say it does stand up to the test of time. It was also the first Mercedes Lackey book I ever read and have since read many others because she is an outstanding writer.

I love that this book is set in San Francisco. I once took the train there myself and so I can very much relate to the heroine’s journey by train from her home in Chicago, across the country to San Francisco!

One thing that stood out to me is that the villain in this story is much more evil than is usually found in Beauty & the Beast stories. Paul Du Mond is not your usual opposite-of-the-beast character. It’s usually an outwardly good looking man who can offer the Beauty all the worldly things the Beast cannot - a romantic interest. But Rosalind (the Beauty) has a bad feeling about Du Mond from the very beginning and does her best to avoid him. It’s also odd that he is actually acquainted with Jason Cameron (the Beast). He is right there living in the house – not back in the village or wherever the Beauty comes from.

There is a whole chapter devoted to Du Mond’s evil dealings that seems to go on forever. I just wanted out of Du Mond’s head and back to Rose and Jason. I realized that so much time is spent on him to show how truly Beastly he really is. In the Disney version, Gaston is mostly just dumb and self-centered. He wants to kill the Beast, but would he kill a human? The Du Mond character is taken to the extreme of Beastliness. His sexual exploits in the area of San Francisco known as the Barbary Coast are truly horrendous and evil. It’s extremely uncomfortable to be inside his head.

Meanwhile, Rose is every bit the intellectual! This Beauty is a female scholar in 1905 who has the goal of completing her doctorate – a rare woman indeed. It’s funny but it occurred to me that in the Disney version, they never talk about Belle’s education level. You know she is smart because she likes to read, but in those days, a woman most likely didn’t go to school. This was touched upon a little in the newer Disney version when Belle attempts to teach a little girl to read and some of the townspeople are scandalized. So to have a Beauty with multiple degrees was awesome. I very much relate to her. In fact, my most favorite line in the book is when Rose goes to a bookshop in San Francisco. The chauffeur instructs Rose to put all of her purchases on her employer’s (Jason’s) account. She replies, “He has never seen me in a bookshop. He may live to regret his generosity.”
:)

Jason is a Firemaster and a spell he was attempting went horribly wrong – leaving him in a half-man/half-wolf state. He has become a recluse, trying desperately to find a way to reverse the effects of the magick, but has trouble reading the ancient texts – both physically holding the books – and also not knowing many of the ancient languages that Rose is an expert in. Thus he hires Rose to read/translate to him through a communication system so that she does not see him. Jason uses magick to find worthy candidates for this job and brings Rose to him under false presences. She believes that she will be taking a job as a governess. One of the reasons he makes her an offer of employment is because he knows that she has just been left penniless by her father’s death. I have to admit that I really don’t like the fact that there is such deception bringing this Beauty and Beast together. Usually, it’s more of a random event that brings them together. Even in Jane Eyre – an ad was placed and answered quite honestly. I don’t see why it couldn’t have happened in that way. But like Jane, Rose finds herself in a very puzzling household and makes the best of the situation when she finds out the truth, mainly because she has no other options but to stay – and she will be paid to do what she loves – research – rather than tend to some bratty kids. ;)

Jason also uses magick to spy on Rose throughout the book. He can conjure her image and see what she is doing. I don’t really like this – especially when she has no idea she is being watched. He mostly just wants to watch over her and know she is safe, but still. I could not help but think of the Beauty & the Beast TV show. Vincent always knew what Catherine was feeling – they shared a Bond that connected them when apart and allowed Vincent to know where Catherine was if she needed help. Jason uses this magick in much the same way. He is able to see that Rose is being attacked at one point and save her. I felt this was the authors attempt at a Vincent & Catherine-like connection, but it just felt a bit more invasive because he has to choose to spy on her.

The moment of truth comes when Rose returns from her visit to the city to find Jason in need of help. He once again attempted a complicated magick that backfired on him. His salamander familiars lead her to him and she sees what she is dealing with for the first time. This scene is handled extremely well and is very enjoyable. She tends his injuries and keeps her head – deals with his temper without acting horrified. This leads to a new understanding between them. She even scolds him for attempting magick without the help of an apprentice. Du Mond was supposed to be Jason’s apprentice – but he no longer trusts him.

Rose offers to take on the apprentice duties because she has been learning a lot about magick in her reading/research. They begin working together as equals now. This is what I love so much about B&B stories. Is it really possible for two people who start off on such immensely unequal footing to become equals who truly respect each other? Even if they never fell in love – this kind of good working relationship would be rewarding in its own right. Especially in this time period, when women were not taken seriously.

One of the magickal works that Rose and Jason perform together is to conjure a unicorn for information on how to reverse the spell that went wrong. I really like this idea – but it’s a little bit of a letdown because Rose does not have her glasses on and therefore can’t SEE the unicorn clearly. Not sure why Lackey was afraid to commit to what a unicorn actually looks like. There was a hint that they may look different than we think, or maybe there are different kinds…but I wasn’t really buying it. Rose really deserved to SEE the unicorn for herself.

The climax of the book comes when the famous San Francisco earthquake hits – this is a little bit of actual history and that’s fine, but the book wraps up soon after and that seemed a bit odd to me. To have such a major event like that at the very end of the story left me wanting more about the aftermath of the quake.

Overall, I do love this book! I love Beauty & the Beast and have read many, many versions, but The Fire Rose is right up there on the top of the list. Definitely a must-read for B&B fans, fairy tale fans and fans of Mercedes Lackey in general.
...more

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Oct 08, 2009 Bryce rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reread

This is a book that I first read and loved as a teenager that I like to return to when I need the literary equivalent of a comfort binkie. Most of Mercedes Lackey's works are like that for me: easy, familiar, homey, comfortable.

In The Fire Rose, impertinent female scholar Rosalind Hawkings has fallen on desperate times. Her father has died, leaving her penniless and the creditors are circling. She's saved by a fortuitous and unexpected job offer from rail baron Jason Cameron. She's to tutor his This is a book that I first read and loved as a teenager that I like to return to when I need the literary equivalent of a comfort binkie. Most of Mercedes Lackey's works are like that for me: easy, familiar, homey, comfortable.

In The Fire Rose, impertinent female scholar Rosalind Hawkings has fallen on desperate times. Her father has died, leaving her penniless and the creditors are circling. She's saved by a fortuitous and unexpected job offer from rail baron Jason Cameron. She's to tutor his two children in ancient languages and history. Perfect! But Rose arrives to find that the children don't exist, Jason's a big ol' werewolf and Magick (always ALWAYS spelled with a capital and a K) is real.

Rose is a likable main character. She's spunky and logical and independent. Her biggest flaw is that she brags about reading the unexpunged Ovid (or something) a little too frequently. She must be insufferable at parties. "I've read the uncensored Roman epics *hic* in their original Latin! *hic* And to prove it, I will quote the first thirty pages for you r-right now!"

Jason Cameron strikes me as kind of an asshole. He spends most of the book spying on Rose, making misogynistic statements about the nature of women, destroying furniture and occasionally killing underlings. If it weren't for the fact that he loves Rose and she loves him, he could easily be mistook for the lecherous villain of the book.

One thing that really really bothered me during this particular reread is the constant mention of Rose's weight. She eats big, manly meals but still manages to be fashionably thin even without lacing her corset really tight. She takes long walks so she won't get fat. She's thrilled when an herbalist she's just met gives her some medicine that will boost her metabolism so she can eat what she wants without being fat. Weight, weight, fat, fat. Frankly, I generally don't think about a heroine's BMI at all, until the mention of it is shoved in my face a few times a chapter. Moral of the story: grown up feminism will ruin all your naive childhood pleasures. ...more

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About Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes Lackey

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Mercedes 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 &am Mercedes 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 ...more

Other books in the series

Elemental Masters (1 - 10 of 15 books)

Books by Mercedes Lackey

Arrows of the Queen (Heralds of Valdemar, #1)

Magic's Pawn (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage #1)

Magic's Price (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage #3)

Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)

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Quotes from The Fire Rose

“Mister Cameron - I have read the unexpurgated Ovid, the love poems of Sappho, the Decameron in the original, and a great many texts in Greek and Latin histories that were not though fit for proper gentlemen to read, much less proper ladies. I know in precise detail what Caligula did to, and with, his sisters, and I can quote it to you in Latin or in my own translation if you wish. I am interested in historical truth, and truth in history is often unpleasant and distasteful to those of fine sensibility. I frankly doubt that you will produce anything to shock me. ” — 57 likes

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