And Less than Kind

Doubled Edge #4

by Mercedes Lackey, Roberta Gellis

When it became certain that Edward VI was dying, the duke of Northumberland, who had been ruling England in his name, made a plan that would let him hold onto his power. He dared not let Mary come to the throne because she was fiercely Catholic and he had espoused the Protestant cause. He did not want Elizabeth to rule because he knew her imperious nature would never defer to him. But there was more than one puppet master at The evil elf-lord Vidal Dhu had no intention of losing the flood of power the misery of Mary's reign would bring the Dark Court, and intervened so that Mary was proclaimed queen.

Urged by her Chancellor and the Imperial ambassador to order Elizabeth's death, Mary chose a different to insure that Elizabeth would never reign. She must marry and bear a child to be the Catholic heir. Vidal Dhu, replete with power from the pain and terror of Mary's burning of heretics, agreed with Mary. Vidal Dhu had very special plans for that child. And since Oberon and Titania had disappeared, there now was no one except the double pair of twins to stand between the mortals of England and the rule of Evil.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Ebooks, Epic Fantasy

624 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

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

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't going to stop till I finished this one: 4:07 AM, to be exact. Let me recommend this series enthusiastically to anyone who likes historical fantasy.

Young King Edward is dying, but it is treason to say so. His sisters Mary and Elizabeth, heirs by law, can do nothing but wait. His Protector, the Duke of Northumberland, on the other hand, can do and is doing many things to keep his power after Edward is dead. One of them is to attempt to trick and capture both sisters.

Underhill, the world of elves, has a great stake in what happens in England. If England is miserable, their misery feeds the Dark Court. If England is happy, their joy feeds the Bright Court. A truly unhappy time, which is predicted when Mary rules, could feed the Dark Court so well that they might wreak havoc in the Bright half of Underhill. And that's not counting the help of the Evil that has taken up residence Underhill.

Anyone with a smattering of history knows how it goes during Mary's reign. Mary keeps Elizabeth in close confinement during her entire reign. Wherever she lives, her women spy on her and her governors control her. But in this fantasy, Elizabeth often has an escape none of them know about. When she has privacy, she can go at night to Underhill to be with her beloved Denno and their elven friends. There they can enjoy themselves, and combat the plans of the Dark ruler Vidal Dhu.

The previous books in this series, THIS SCEPTER'D ISLE, ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT, and BY SLANDEROUS TONGUES, have been purveyors of delight. The magic, beauty, and imagination of Bright Underhill, the charm and determination of Elizabeth and her Bright Court friends, make an irresistible adventure. Now we have the miserable England that has been fated for so long. Elizabeth, captive and in fear for her life, is unable to do anything but wait and survive for long periods of time, which makes a big difference in the pace. Authors Lackey and Gellis fill this time with intrigue and planning, and often switch to other viewpoints including Elizabeth's Dark Court enemies to keep the plot flowing.

The Doubled Edge series should become a classic: for lovers of charmed historical fantasy, and for fans of both Mercedes Lackey and the many times award-winning Roberta Gellis.

In the audio version, differences in vocal emphasis sometimes change the meaning, showing that the producer wasn't paying attention to the authors' intention. The story as a whole is too good to let these be more than an occasional irritant.

Read 3 times, listened 3 times. Book Four of my favorite Fantasy, and the second half of my Favorite Romance read of 2013.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

Seems well written, but there are some elements rubbing me the wrong way (especially making the 'virgin queen' NOT, right off the bat), and the clincher was not realizing this was the fourth/final book in the series until after I started it. The perils of snagging random interesting looking books at used book sales...

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this continuation and apparently conclusion of the series, Gellis and Lackey cover the Tudor period between Edward VI 's last illness through to the death of queen Mary. Lady Elizabeth is our main protagonist and we see her world both through her eyes, through the eyes of the Seelie Sidhe and the Unseelie.

I really enjoyed this series, while I like English history and am fairly interested in the Tudors, because the politics were so heavy and the religion so very nasty I find them difficult to read about in the long run. In this series, we get the politics and the backstories but we also get a fair dose of leavening fairyland.

This is a particularly interested one in the series, because it covers the period where Elizabeth is a young woman in quite frequent danger from her sister Queen Mary. Frequently under house arrest, once taken to the Tower of London, beloved by the people this shows a very turbulent time in Elizabeth's life. It also covers Queen Mary's disastrous marriage and false pregnancy.

I really enjoyed this series, I think Gellis' very respectable historical knowledge and experience in writing history came through brilliantly. Lackey is a gifted writer of fantasy, on her own I think she becomes a lazy writer, but combining her skills with Gellis brings out the best of her and the resulting book is a great deal of fun to read. I am only sorry that they apparently never got around to writing one about Elizabeth's rule.

[Jennifer Kyrnin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Scepter'd Isle series, and while you don't need to have read the first three, it does help give you an overview of the characters. One nice thing is that this story is about Queen Elizabeth, and with the plethora of books and movies about her that have come out in the last ten years, the story is familiar. It's just got a Faerie twist to it. Like it explains why the "virgin queen" could remain a "virgin" and not go starkers! Not my most favorite Mercedes Lackey book, but a good addition to the cannon nonetheless.

[Edward Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so it ends, for now! I could certainly enjoy more books in this series, though I've addled my brains a bit reading these, but I don't know whether more are planned. There's no cliffhanger at the end of this one, and so it could go either way.

These novels--they're really just one long novel--attempt to provide a paranormal explanation for the well-beyond-normal character, capability and focus exhibited by Queen Elizabeth; this is a sufficiently unusual project, and the novels, taken cumulatively, are sufficiently successful at it, that I was willing to overlook their shortcomings.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating to try and reconcile this fictional history with what I remember of the nonfictional one...

This series was excellent. I'd love to see Gellis and Lackey twist on other periods of history...

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read mixing faeries with Queen Elizabeth I.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale of the monarchy as controlled by Queen Mary I was vividly pictured, and the horrors performed by the church of the Catholic Pope well written. Fortunately for me with my ability to weep over the misery of children, the telling was somewhat diluted from a third person perspective. Yes, unfortunately the tale true to history, excepting the insert of the Sidhe, the fairy peoples, in the courts and palaces of England.

It was a long story, and as stated, true to history. I frequently found myself verifying dates and events from that long ago reign of terror, and now nod to myself in understanding how Mary's reign earned her the nomenclature of 'Bloody Queen Mary', or more simply, 'Bloody Mary'.

As I read the last few hundred pages, I was in fully sympathy with Lady Elizabeth, Mary's younger sister, known to history as Queen Elizabeth and lately as Queen Elizabeth I. Mary often had councilor's advise her through this or that source that Elizabeth was a traitor and a danger. To the church of Rome, to Mary herself, and to the peace of England. In reality Mary was the danger to England, and Elizabeth to none of those.

This was a difficult read because it covered so much political and horrible history, but the telling lightened some of the fear and anger that caused so much agony over Mary's religious persecution of any who dared say the Catholic rites were not from god.

Overall, a true history retold with factiously imagined people, bigger than life imaginings, and woven through it all, the love that exists in families even when one is, to use modern parlance, completely off her rocker.

I loved the elvensteeds, laughed at the Bazaar of the Bizarre, and still wonder how that bazaar was able to so effectively and permanently punish and banish violent beings. I mourned for the life drained from the Bright Court, and for the source behind the renewed energy for the Dark Court. Very well researched and written with an eye to truth where it was known and allowing fantasy where the gaps in recorded history had to be imagined.

I freely admit I probably won't reread it, because I often remember the story well enough to not reread these very long books, with a few exceptions.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fourth book in the Doubled Edge series, was as interesting, as it was slow.

I didn't mind that slowness, actually, as it helped me to absorb the story properly and, despite there being a little too much detail at times, this ended the series in such a way, that there could, possibly, be a follow on - I guess anything's possible, right?

This book ended with Queen Mary's death, but it would have been great to have read about the transformation of Lady Elizabeth, into the Queen Elizabeth of my many years of historical reading - which was the reason I gave this four stars, not five.

One thing I really enjoyed, was her relationship with her Lord Denno.

History tells us that Elizabeth was the Virgin Queen, and could be both sharp, and bitter, at times - especially with men - it was probably the only way that she could make the men of her times actually listen to her orders, and do as they were told, considering how little respect women were held in then.

I loved that, in this version, she chose her lover at an early age - although, due to women having a shortened life span, I guess that 14, then, would be more equivalent to late teens, early twenties now.

With life being so hard, and short, due to disease, childbirth, and so many infections - no penicillin then - I can imagine that a young woman as bright, and educated, as Elizabeth was, would choose to grab life at the first opportunity, despite the way that men, for many centuries, tended to treat women as possessions, to be handed over to a complete stranger, as young as 12 years of age.

But, in Elizabeth's case, the story makes us think that, in her own logic, by having sex with a Seighle, not a human male, it didn't count where being a virgin was concerned - all total semantics, of course - but, then, I guess even a Queen likes to have a few secrets!

I loved her quibbling about that, actually, as it made her more human - the woman behind the figure of State, so to speak - as it gave her power over her own body, which was something very few women could say, up until our own times, really.

Anyway, I did enjoy the book, and look forwards to reading many more of Misty's works.

[Mike Sobyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book just dragged. I love Mercedes Lackey but this one just seemed to go on and on with fill. If this doesn’t conclude the series. It might be the first time I decide not to read one of her novels.

[Mary Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Historical Fiction

Throughout this series, I constantly checked facts and all was accurate. Bringing in the Sidhe just brought more to the this.
The series started before the birth of Elizabeth I and all that stood in her way to become Queen.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Product Description

When it became certain that Edward VI was dying, the duke of Northumberland, who had been ruling England in his name, made a plan that would let him hold onto his power. He dared not let Mary come to the throne because she was fiercely Catholic and he had espoused the Protestant cause. He did not want Elizabeth to rule because he knew her imperious nature would never defer to him. But there was more than one puppet master at work: The evil elf-lord Vidal Dhu had no intention of losing the flood of power the misery of Mary’s reign would bring the Dark Court, and intervened so that Mary was proclaimed queen.

Urged by her Chancellor and the Imperial ambassador to order Elizabeth’s death, Mary chose a different to insure that Elizabeth would never reign. She must marry and bear a child to be the Catholic heir. Vidal Dhu, replete with power from the pain and terror of Mary’s burning of heretics, agreed with Mary. Vidal Dhu had very special plans for that child. And since Oberon and Titania had disappeared, there now was no one except the double pair of twins to stand between the mortals of England and the rule of Evil.

About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is the author of the Bardic Voices series and the SERRAted Edge series (both Baen), the Heralds of Valdemar series (DAW), and many more. Of her writing, Stephen King has stated, “She’ll keep you up long past your bedtime,” and Locus raved, “Lackey is one of the best storytellers in the field.” Among her popular Baen titles are The Fire Rose, The Lark and the Wren, The Shadow of the Lion (with Eric Flint and Dave Freer) and This Scepter’d Isle, the prequel to Ill Met by Moonlight, written in collaboration with Roberta Gellis. She lives in Oklahoma.

Roberta Gellis is author of over 25 novels in different fields. New York Times best-selling author John Jakes has called her “a superb storyteller of extraordinary talent,” Publishers Weekly has termed her “a master of the medieval historical,” and Romantic Times has praised her as “a master spinner of tales.”_ _ Her many awards include: The Silver and Gold Medal Porgy for historical novels from West Coast Review of Books and the Golden Certificate and Golden Pen from Affaire de Coeur. From Romantic Times she has received both the Award for Best Novel in the Medieval Period and also the Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Fantasy. And the Romance Writers of America have presented her with their Lifetime Achievement Award.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but found that the format limited it in many ways. In some ways this is an alternate-history-fantasy series, and sticking to the basic premise of explaining the real world by the insertion of fantastic elements gets tricky at times. Also, the running gag with the server at a certain Inn wore thin, because there's no closure to the question of him being familiar with other worlds and times. There's also no resolution to the Oberon subplot, so if the series never continues, the threads will never be resolved. Still, the writing was very enjoyable, even if the premise made parts of it very predictable.

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I realized I was nearing the end of this book, I made myself slow down and parcel it out to last longer because I really didn't want it to end; I didn't want to leave the world of the story, or more accurately, to no longer have it as my downtime escape from the real world. It's that engrossing and entertaining a read, combining delicious historical politics with just enough enchantment to keep things adventurous and fresh. Gellis and Lackey create an immersive experience for the reader, making this a really good read indeed. (Caveat: if you like this sort of thing, ie history and/or fantasy and especially their being blended! ;P)

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The succession of England is about to be jeopardized by the passing of Edward VI. Will the Dark Sidhe benefit by the rule of Mary and her oppressive support of the Catholic religion or will Elizabeth have to step in and save her beloved country? Underhill is suffering from the constant turmoil and it is harder and harder for Denoriel and Rhoslyn to support Elizabeth in her struggles. Another nice chapter in the alternate history saga penned by Lackey and Gellis.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a long and abiding love for Mercedes Lackey so I grabbed this book when I was in an airport and had a lack of reading material emergency. As much as it pains me, I can't really recommend this book. It is a kind of mix of historical fiction/fantasy, but mostly it is looooong. It just kept going and I didn't feel like what was happening was compelling enough to keep me interested.

So, it is ok, but really should have been shorter.

[Jeremy Preacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion to the elves-put-Elizabeth-I-on-the-throne series. It was... well, exactly that. I suppose in some ways it's nice to imagine that the Virgin Queen actually was perfectly satisfied at all times by her eternally youthful and hot elven lover.

I like these fine, although unless you're particularly into either elves or this time period they're not standouts.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is not an easy one to get through. There is a lot of dry political threads in both the human and fae world. There are two distinct stories which entwine and impact the other. While it was hard for me to get into the story, I'm glad I stuck with it. It's an interesting look at Elizabeth and how she came to be.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So i just finished. It was great! I think I liked it better than the other 3 of the series. I kind of hope that they do elizabeth's reign. But they left room for the book to end here, so i don't know if they will. But I really enjoyed the book.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the latest in a series that has Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth with an elven lover. I love this new tread of fantasy authors creating alternative history. A fun read but I like Mercedes' creations especially her Chrome borne series with elves on motorcycles...LOL

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sigh... if I was a publisher and I was going to schlep a nice shiny cover on a well bound hardback book- I would frickin' proofread it!

Anyway, faeries! :-)

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a fantasy book combined with history it was a mercedes lackey success. It caught my eye as a new book in the library and I had enjoyed reading mercedes lackey's books in the past.

[Shifra · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a little slow-going in the beginning, but i ended up really enjoying the book. i was even reluctant to start reading another one, because i didn't want this one to be over.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing read from my favorite author. Interesting fairy/fantasy twist on the Queen Elizabeth story, however.

[Chaos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is very intriguing. Who doesn't see a little magic and mischief of the elves behind life?

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great...sortty to see it end.

[Lbd · Rating 4 out of 5]

end of the historical fantasy about the Tudor legacy. Ending was interesting, since historically you know how it has to be. Lackey does an excellent job in spinning her words.

[Lynn Calvin]

Amazon received

[Susan Moore]

It was okay

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, even being away from the series so long I still remembered enough. I think it was a nice ending to this series.