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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Synopsis
Mercedes Lackey's magical Elemental Masters series recasts familiar fairy tales in a richly-imagined alternate Victorian world
For as long as she could remember, Mari Prothero had seen things--things that shouldn't, that couldn't be real: tiny manlike creatures that were mischievous and wore only seaweed, and beings that spoke to her kindly, but seemed to be made of water. Mari had grown up in tiny Welsh fishing village where she lived alone with her father, Daffyd, a master fisherman--her mother and brother having drowned when she was a child. Mari had long ago given up trying to talk to her father about the creatures she saw.
But on the morning of her eighteenth birthday, her father finally told her the great secret of the Prothero family. Her family had an ancient covenant with magical shape-shifters, the Selch, who were half-human, half-seal people. Her lost mother and brother were not truly dead, but neither were they human. Now Mari must abide by her family's magical compact, or face dire consequences.
But Mari was not without protectors. The tiny creatures she had seen her whole life counseled her to bargain with the Selch. While in faraway London, Lord Alderscroft, 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 Mari's aid....
Synopsis
The seventh novel in Mercedes Lackey's magical Elemental Masters series reimagines the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon in a richly-detailed alternate Victorian England
For as long as she could remember, Mari Prothero had seen things--things that shouldn't, that couldn't be real: tiny manlike creatures that were mischievous and wore only seaweed, and beings that spoke to her kindly, but seemed to be made of water. Mari had grown up in tiny Welsh fishing village where she lived alone with her father, Daffyd, a master fisherman--her mother and brother having drowned when she was a child. Mari had long ago given up trying to talk to her father about the creatures she saw.
But on the morning of her eighteenth birthday, her father finally told her the great secret of the Prothero family. Her family had an ancient covenant with magical shape-shifters, the Selch, who were half-human, half-seal people. Her lost mother and brother were not truly dead, but neither were they human. Now Mari must abide by her family's magical compact, or face dire consequences.
But Mari was not without protectors. The tiny creatures she had seen her whole life counseled her to bargain with the Selch. While in faraway London, Lord Alderscroft, 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 Mari's aid....
Synopsis
New in the extraordinary series hailed as "a true frolic into fantasy" (Fantasy Bookspot) by a "Master Magician." (Midwest Book Review)
In Edwardian Britain, magic is real. And Masters of the Elements control Fire, Water, Air, and Earth...
Mari Prothero has lived all her life with her father, Daffyd, in a tiny fishing village on the coast of Wales. Though Daffyd takes his boat out on the sea regardless of weather, Mari has learned not to fear for his safety, for her father is a Water mage, and always comes home safely with a large catch. Mari knows that in her family, children are expected to marry at eighteen, to an appropriate stranger. However, Mari is a fledgling Water Master with a rebellious nature. She has no intention of agreeing to any arranged marriage. But Mari has yet to learn the truth of the magical heritage that must be protected by these very marriages. For the Protheros are descended from Selkies--magical beings who are able to change from seals to humans--and to continue her line, she must marry a full-blooded Selkie...
Synopsis
New in the extraordinary series hailed as “a true frolic into fantasy” (Fantasy Bookspot) by a “Master Magician.” (Midwest Book Review)
In Edwardian Britain, magic is real. And Masters of the Elements control Fire, Water, Air, and Earth...
Mari Prothero has lived all her life with her father, Daffyd, in a tiny fishing village on the coast of Wales. Though Daffyd takes his boat out on the sea regardless of weather, Mari has learned not to fear for his safety, for her father is a Water mage, and always comes home safely with a large catch. Mari knows that in her family, children are expected to marry at eighteen, to an appropriate stranger. However, Mari is a fledgling Water Master with a rebellious nature. She has no intention of agreeing to any arranged marriage. But Mari has yet to learn the truth of the magical heritage that must be protected by these very marriages. For the Protheros are descended from Selkies—magical beings who are able to change from seals to humans—and to continue her line, she must marry a full-blooded Selkie...
Synopsis
More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA.
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.