kmoses87's review against another edition
2.0
I'm about halfway through the book (though I read the short story by Mercedes Lackey that's at the end first). As others have said, the stories are really hit and miss. Some of them are so poorly written I feel my high school students could do better. I wish there were more by Mercedes Lackey herself.
stuhlsem's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love this book. The Elemental Masters series were all kind of repetitive, but I read them all on the strength of Mercedes Lackey's writing and super BA female characters. These stories were just too short, the characters not developed enough, and the writing different enough from Lackey's that I just didn't feel it. AND THEN, I'd already read the 'all new' story by Lackey because it's the intro to her most recent Elemental Masters book! Woe is me.
sbbarnes's review against another edition
3.0
A mixed bag for me, as the previous short story collection was. My biggest issue is that the way the elemental magic stuff is pretty inconsistently used by different authors. What exactly is the right form of interaction between magicians and elementals? Command and control or friendship? It's really inconsistent.
Fire-Water - Samuel Conway: Really interesting story told from the point of view of a rabbit based on Aztec mythology. Liked this one.
Fire Song - Diana L. Paxson: Sequel to previous short story about ancient Greco-Roman family, the previous protagonist now has a little child who is also a master and they flee from political stuff going on in Rome. Eh.
Sails of the Armada - Kristin Schwengel: Liked this one. Spanish history going on here; water master who is part of a colonized bit of previously independent Spain secretly works against the Spanish armada from within.
The Wild Rogue - Fiona Patton: This one is really interesting, follows the bastard son of a water master who is trying to take down the water master who killed his father. Nice character stuff.
Feathers and Foundations - Elizabeth a. Vaugham: Sequel to the previous one by her, the Earth Master who is now Raven Master and trying to fix London. Less interesting than the first one.
Hearth and Family - Dayle A. Dermatis: German Hansel and Gretel retelling; kids are lost in the woods and taken in by a miller's widow, they all have magical powers and use them to make the mill run. Then conscription happens. Kind of lovely.
Secret Friends - Louisa Swann: Nettie is searching for her adoptive brother. She finds him in the clutches of an evil magician. Meh.
Fire's Daughter - Elisabeth Waters: YES. The girl disguised as a boy from the last book gets her own story. Lovely. She tries to burn out her uterus when she gets her period.
Picking up the Pieces - Cedric Johnson: Meeeeeeeeh sequel to the one about the guy with Quartz powers. Worst retelling of Snow White and Rose Red I've read so far.
The Price of Family - Jennifer Brozek: Interesting kind of wild west story about an urchin who gets taken in by a blacksmith and wants to save a fire spirit but it's a bad fire spirit. Liked this one.
Arms of the Sea - Tanya Huff: Very rushed story about a girl trapped in a wheelchair after almost drowning and how she gets to do stuff anyway and send a snake home. Features characters from last time.
London Falling - Ben Ohlander: Very hard to read. Overly full of adjectives. Guy's evil brother tells him to come to London and then wants to do the bad magics on him. He becomes a rage monster of fire and there's a gross thing in his hand now.
The King of the River Rats - Michele Lang: Sequel to last one about the plucky young investigative journalist heroine in New York. Still not my thing; this should be a full length detective mystery. As is it's pretty flat.
Air of Deception - Jody Lynn Nye: Sequel about the parfumerie in Paris, really liked this one, introduces a sort of french white lodge with an opera singer, and perfumes that can make you remember things and forget things.
Fly or Fall - Stephanie Shaver: I liked this one, follows a girl who is scared to gain her mastery of Elementals because her sister failed and is now followed by vicious air spirits and became an opium addict. She uses kitchen magic and saves a little girl from opium. Good stuff.
Bone Dance - Rosemarie Edgehill and Rebecca Fox: Captain Frederick Wentworth (??? is this name not taken???) saves a girl from a weak water magician trying to Mr. Hyde a bear. The bear kills him and saves the day.
The Flying Contraption - Ron Collins: Girl starts working for the Wright brothers and an evil guy wants her to spy on them. Everyone is secretly an air magician. A bit of Zauberlehrling in there. Really enjoy what Collins does with perspective.
A Peony Among Roses - Gail Sanderson and Michael Z. Williams: Eh. It's okay, sequel about Mei who is half-chinese and grows magic flowers to protect the king. There's a new king who needs new flowers. Just not that interesting to me.
Into the Woods- MErcedes Lackey: Little Red Riding Hood retelling set in the Schwarzwald. Strong start, gets a little hazy towards the end - unsure about the wolf and what he did to the Grandmother, she gets mutilated etc.?? There's magic but it's vague. Girl ends up leaving her parents to go learn about magic. Would have been better if it had been set up that she felt misunderstood by her parents earlier as opposed to just how the mother was sad about being lonely.
Fire-Water - Samuel Conway: Really interesting story told from the point of view of a rabbit based on Aztec mythology. Liked this one.
Fire Song - Diana L. Paxson: Sequel to previous short story about ancient Greco-Roman family, the previous protagonist now has a little child who is also a master and they flee from political stuff going on in Rome. Eh.
Sails of the Armada - Kristin Schwengel: Liked this one. Spanish history going on here; water master who is part of a colonized bit of previously independent Spain secretly works against the Spanish armada from within.
The Wild Rogue - Fiona Patton: This one is really interesting, follows the bastard son of a water master who is trying to take down the water master who killed his father. Nice character stuff.
Feathers and Foundations - Elizabeth a. Vaugham: Sequel to the previous one by her, the Earth Master who is now Raven Master and trying to fix London. Less interesting than the first one.
Hearth and Family - Dayle A. Dermatis: German Hansel and Gretel retelling; kids are lost in the woods and taken in by a miller's widow, they all have magical powers and use them to make the mill run. Then conscription happens. Kind of lovely.
Secret Friends - Louisa Swann: Nettie is searching for her adoptive brother. She finds him in the clutches of an evil magician. Meh.
Fire's Daughter - Elisabeth Waters: YES. The girl disguised as a boy from the last book gets her own story. Lovely. She tries to burn out her uterus when she gets her period.
Picking up the Pieces - Cedric Johnson: Meeeeeeeeh sequel to the one about the guy with Quartz powers. Worst retelling of Snow White and Rose Red I've read so far.
The Price of Family - Jennifer Brozek: Interesting kind of wild west story about an urchin who gets taken in by a blacksmith and wants to save a fire spirit but it's a bad fire spirit. Liked this one.
Arms of the Sea - Tanya Huff: Very rushed story about a girl trapped in a wheelchair after almost drowning and how she gets to do stuff anyway and send a snake home. Features characters from last time.
London Falling - Ben Ohlander: Very hard to read. Overly full of adjectives. Guy's evil brother tells him to come to London and then wants to do the bad magics on him. He becomes a rage monster of fire and there's a gross thing in his hand now.
The King of the River Rats - Michele Lang: Sequel to last one about the plucky young investigative journalist heroine in New York. Still not my thing; this should be a full length detective mystery. As is it's pretty flat.
Air of Deception - Jody Lynn Nye: Sequel about the parfumerie in Paris, really liked this one, introduces a sort of french white lodge with an opera singer, and perfumes that can make you remember things and forget things.
Fly or Fall - Stephanie Shaver: I liked this one, follows a girl who is scared to gain her mastery of Elementals because her sister failed and is now followed by vicious air spirits and became an opium addict. She uses kitchen magic and saves a little girl from opium. Good stuff.
Bone Dance - Rosemarie Edgehill and Rebecca Fox: Captain Frederick Wentworth (??? is this name not taken???) saves a girl from a weak water magician trying to Mr. Hyde a bear. The bear kills him and saves the day.
The Flying Contraption - Ron Collins: Girl starts working for the Wright brothers and an evil guy wants her to spy on them. Everyone is secretly an air magician. A bit of Zauberlehrling in there. Really enjoy what Collins does with perspective.
A Peony Among Roses - Gail Sanderson and Michael Z. Williams: Eh. It's okay, sequel about Mei who is half-chinese and grows magic flowers to protect the king. There's a new king who needs new flowers. Just not that interesting to me.
Into the Woods- MErcedes Lackey: Little Red Riding Hood retelling set in the Schwarzwald. Strong start, gets a little hazy towards the end - unsure about the wolf and what he did to the Grandmother, she gets mutilated etc.?? There's magic but it's vague. Girl ends up leaving her parents to go learn about magic. Would have been better if it had been set up that she felt misunderstood by her parents earlier as opposed to just how the mother was sad about being lonely.
hawksinger's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book of short(ish) stories based in the Elemental Masters Universe. It is, like most of its kind, written by a different author for each story, with an original story by the main author for the actual series, Mercedes Lackey. I have always loved seeing how new authors will write people into series, and I have not been disappointed here. Stories based in steam age Britain, full of Magicians and magical creatures. If you like fantasy, this will probably be right up your alley.
lifstrand's review against another edition
3.0
There were 19 stories in this Elemental Masters anthology but only 5 that I actually liked, Probably I shouldn't count the Mercedes Lackey story because it's the beginning of Blood Red, which I read before I read Elementary. That's what I get for having not read this book when it was published in 2013.
I'm not all that fond of anthologies because good short stories are tough to write and therefore aren't always pleasing to read, but generally Lackey's choices are more satisfying to me than this one was. Oh well, win some, lose some.
The stories I liked:
Arms of the Sea, by Tanya HUff
Bone Dance, by Rosemary Edghill and Rebecca Fox
The Flying Contraption, by Ron Collins
A Peony Amongst Roses, by Gail Sanders and Michael Z Williamson
I'm not all that fond of anthologies because good short stories are tough to write and therefore aren't always pleasing to read, but generally Lackey's choices are more satisfying to me than this one was. Oh well, win some, lose some.
The stories I liked:
Arms of the Sea, by Tanya HUff
Bone Dance, by Rosemary Edghill and Rebecca Fox
The Flying Contraption, by Ron Collins
A Peony Amongst Roses, by Gail Sanders and Michael Z Williamson
bookwyrm37's review against another edition
5.0
The only problem with this book is thar I wanted more from every single story! Like an entire books worth!
squirrelfish's review against another edition
4.0
It was good. Some of the stories were great, some were only okay. I love the world, and thought a few of the stories could expand to full books pretty well.
amalyndb's review against another edition
5.0
Collection of short stories set in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters universe by many awesome authors. I enjoyed the lot of them, as they flesh out more, filling in more scenery around the stories I've read so far. I especially enjoyed Into the Woods (a red riding hood retelling by Mercedes Lackey).
acf151's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked how Jody Lynn Nye was able to contribute a second story with the same cast of characters from the first anthology. I'd like to see this continue with other authors, there are several very compelling characters from whom I'd like to see more; for instance, Marie from Arms of the Sea and El from The Fire's Daughter.
mousegoddess's review against another edition
4.0
Much much MUCH more coherent and cohesive than the other anthology. Enjoyed thoroughly.