A review by sbbarnes
Elementary: All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey
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.