Synopses & Reviews
Mari Prothero grew up in a tiny fishing village on the west coast of Wales where she lived alone with her father, Daffyd, a master fisherman. Although the sea had never harmed her father, Mari still worried, for her mother and older brother had been drowned by a rogue wave when she was just an infant. Her father was all she had left, and Mari was not blind to the possibility of losing him.
Mari and her father kept to themselves in their village. It would not be wise to call attention to how much more prosperous the Protheros were than any other fishermans family; Daffyd was out in every storm, pulling in fish where no other man could, and his fish were always the fattest, the tastiest. But their unusual good fortune was not the only reason for their reclusive behavior.
For as long as she could remember, Mari had seen thingsthings that shouldnt, that couldnt be real: tiny manlike creatures that were mischievous and wore only seaweed, and tiny beings that spoke to her kindly but seemed to be made of water. When she was a child, she had asked her father about these creatures, but Daffyd was so upset by these conversations that Mari had given up trying to talk to him.
But on the morning of her eighteenth birthday, her father finally told her the great secret of the Prothero Luck -- and what they must do to keep it. Her mother and brother were not truly dead, but neither were they human. They were shape-shifters of the sea, the half-human, half-seal people known as the Selch, and they had returned to their watery domain. Since ancient times, the Prothero family had kept a covenant with these magical creatures. In exchange for protection on the water, a member of the Prothero family would take a Selch to marry, only to relinquish their spouse and one of their children to the sea after a brief number of years.
Now Maris time had come, and her father told her that she must abide by her familys ancient magical compact, or face dire consequences. But Mari was not without protectors: for the tiny creatures she had seen her whole life, which she now knew were real, counseled her to bargain” with her mothers people. While in faraway London, Lord Alderscroft, the head of the Elemental Masters, was aware that a powerful but untrained Water Master on the far coast of Wales was being threatened by some of the Elemental Elder Spirits, and he had dispatched some very unique champions to come to Maris aid
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Review
A dark tale full of the pain and devastation of war...and a couple of wounded protagonists worth routing for. (Locus)
Review
"Warmth and passion abound in Lackeys second Elemental Masters anthology, which ties in to her ongoing series of novels. The shared universe is thrown open to a wide range of historical urban fantasy stories to build on themes of family, chosen or otherwise, and what it means to use and share the power of the elementals.... Though several stories build on previous Elemental Masters works, new readers will have no trouble understanding the world and its characters. The strength of the anthology comes in the unity and flow of the stories as each one builds subtly toward a gentle, thoughtful point with a perfect blend of emotion and intrigue."—
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Once again, Mercedes Lackey has created a rich, lush depiction of England's Elemental Masters, combining elemental magic, fantastic creatures, coming-of-age elements, and the realities of war.... Lackey's elegant wordcraft combines humor with the knife edge of desperation.... I highly advise people to read this book, and I desperately urge Mercedes Lackey to keep writing the Elemental Masters novels."—Fresh Fiction
"Richly detailed historic backgrounds add flavor and richness to an already strong series that belongs in most fantasy collections. Highly recommended."—Library Journal
"Fans of light fantasy will be thrilled by Lackeys clever fairy-tale adventure."—Booklist
Synopsis
Mercedes Lackey's magical Elemental Masters series recasts familiar fairy tales in a richly-imagined alternate Victorian world
Eleanor Robinson's life had shattered when Father volunteered for the Great War, leaving her alone with a woman he had just married. Then the letter came that told of her father's death in the trenches and though Eleanor thought things couldn't get any worse, her life took an even more bizarre turn.
Dragged to the hearth by her stepmother Alison, Eleanor was forced to endure a painful and frightening ritual during which the smallest finger of her left hand was severed and buried beneath a hearthstone. For her stepmother was an Elemental Master of Earth who practiced the darker blood-fueled arts. Alison had bound Eleanor to the hearth with a spell that prevented her from leaving home, caused her to fade from people's memories, and made her into a virtual slave.
Months faded into years for Eleanor, and still the war raged. There were times she felt she was losing her mind--times she seemed to see faces in the hearth fire.
Reginald Fenyx was a pilot. He lived to fly, and whenever he returned home on break from Oxford, the youngsters of the town would turn out to see him lift his aeroplane--a frail ship of canvas and sticks--into the sky and soar through the clouds.
During the war, Reggie had become an acclaimed air ace, for he was an Elemental Master of Air. His Air Elementals had protected him until the fateful day when he had met another of his kind aloft, and nearly died. When he returned home, Reggie was a broken man plagued by shell shock, his Elemental powers vanished.
Eleanor and Reginald were two souls scourged by war and evil magic. Could they find the strength to help one another rise from the ashes of their destruction?
Synopsis
In this dark and atmospheric rendition of the Cinderella fairy tale, an intelligent young Englishwoman is made into a virtual slave by her evil stepmother. Her only hope of rescue comes in the shape of a scarred World War I pilot of noble blood, whose own powers over the elements are about to be needed more than ever.
"A dark tale full of the pain and devastation of war...and a couple of wounded protagonists worth routing for." —Locus
Synopsis
Lionel Hawkins is a magician, known under many names, constantly changing his act and his persona along with the names. It's easy. Because his act was only partially sleight of hand. The rest is real magic. He's an Elemental Magician--not a Master, but a man with enough power to persuade the Elementals of Air to help him create the most amazing illusions. It didn't take long before his assisatant, acrobat Katie Langford, notices that he was no ordinary magician--and for Lionel to discover that she is no ordinary acrobat, but rather an untrained and unawakened Fire Magician. She's also on the run from a murderous and vengeful brute of a husband. And no amount of magic can stop him achieving his deadly goal.
Synopsis
The new novel in Mercedes Lackeys bestselling series of an alternative Edwardian Britain, where magic is realand Elemental Masters are in control.
Lionel Hawkins is a magician whose act is only partially sleight of hand. The rest is real magic. Hes an Elemental Magician with the power to persuade the Elementals of Air to help him create amazing illusions. It doesnt take long before his assistant, acrobat Katie Langford, notices that hes no ordinary magicianand for Lionel to discover that shes no ordinary acrobat, but rather an untrained and unawakened Fire Magician. Shes also on the run from her murderous and vengeful brute of a husband. But can she harness her magic in time to stop her husband from achieving his deadly goal?
Synopsis
In March 1987, Mercedes Lackey, a young author from Oklahoma, published her first novel,
Arrows of the Queen. No one could have envisioned that this modest book would be the beginning of a fantasy career that would span decades and more than a hundred novels, with no signs of slowing yet.
And among Ms. Lackey's many novels, few are as critically-acclaimed and beloved as those of 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 the voices of 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...
About the Author
Mercedes Lackey is a full-time writer and has published numerous novels and works of short fiction, including the best-selling Heralds Of Valdemar series. She is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots. She can be found at mercedeslackey.com.