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Earth, Air, Fire, Water
A collection of fantasy tales drawn from the Eternal Archives--a history of the universe--includes contributions by Tanya Huff, Bruce Holland Rogers, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Michelle West, Jane Lindskold, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and other notable authors. Original.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1999
101 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Weis
678 books5,839 followersMargaret Edith Weis is an American fantasy and science fiction author of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the Dragonlance role-playing game (RPG) world. She is founding CEO and owner of Sovereign Press, Inc and Margaret Weis Productions, licensing several popular television and movie franchises to make RPG series in addition to their own.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 12, 2018
The short story anthology Earth, Air, Fire, Water edited by Margaret Weis, the second and last collection of the Tales from the Eternal Archives, contains thirteen stories of varying quality loosely connected to one another through the titular mystical library. But unlike the first collection all thirteen stories were all fantasy genre.
The best story of the collection was “Strange Creatures” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, which followed Chief Dan Retsler investigating the latest in a series of animal mutilations but suddenly finds out that the latest animal might be linked to mythical “selkies”. The next two best stories were “How Golf Shaped Scotland” by Bruce Holland Rogers, a fun and good natured short story about how a game of golf created Scotland’s iconic coastline, and “An Elemental Conversation” by Donald J. Bingle, a conversation between a Reverend and his friend during their weekly chess game about how the news of non-human intelligent life affects religion with a twist ending.
The two worst stories of the collection were “Water Baby” by Michelle West, which followed the life of a young woman who is emotionally connected to the ocean and how it affects her and others, and “Sons of Thunder” by Edward Carmien, in which a djinn recounts his time as a follower of Jehua and how his brother and his tribe converted to the new faith leaving him alone. These were the two “worst” examples of six stories that were not really good even though they had interesting concept, but just bad execution ruined them. An interesting facet was the unevenness of the number of stories for each element covered in the book, with Air only have one while Earth had five and Water had four and Fire starting off the book with three.
The thirteen stories that make up Earth, Air, Fire, Water were a mixed bag of quality from the excellent to downright disappoint, just like every other anthology collection that has been published. However I will be honest in how well I rated this book given how poorly it began and ended.
Individual Story Ratings
Burning Bright by Tanya Huff (2/5)
The Fire of the Found Heart by Linda P. Baker (2/5)
The Forge of Creation by Carrie Channell (2/5)
How Golf Shaped Scotland by Bruce Holland Rogers (4/5)
The Giant’s Love by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (3/5)
Family Secrets by Robyn McGrew (3.5/5)
Dvergertal by Nancy Vivian Berberick (2/5)
An Elemental Conversation by Donald J. Bingle (4/5)
Water Baby by Michelle West (1/5)
Only As Safe by Mark A. Garland and Lawrence Schimel (3/5)
Out of Hot Water by Jane Lindskold (3.5/5)
Strange Creatures by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (5/5)
Sons of Thunder by Edward Carmien (1/5)
The best story of the collection was “Strange Creatures” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, which followed Chief Dan Retsler investigating the latest in a series of animal mutilations but suddenly finds out that the latest animal might be linked to mythical “selkies”. The next two best stories were “How Golf Shaped Scotland” by Bruce Holland Rogers, a fun and good natured short story about how a game of golf created Scotland’s iconic coastline, and “An Elemental Conversation” by Donald J. Bingle, a conversation between a Reverend and his friend during their weekly chess game about how the news of non-human intelligent life affects religion with a twist ending.
The two worst stories of the collection were “Water Baby” by Michelle West, which followed the life of a young woman who is emotionally connected to the ocean and how it affects her and others, and “Sons of Thunder” by Edward Carmien, in which a djinn recounts his time as a follower of Jehua and how his brother and his tribe converted to the new faith leaving him alone. These were the two “worst” examples of six stories that were not really good even though they had interesting concept, but just bad execution ruined them. An interesting facet was the unevenness of the number of stories for each element covered in the book, with Air only have one while Earth had five and Water had four and Fire starting off the book with three.
The thirteen stories that make up Earth, Air, Fire, Water were a mixed bag of quality from the excellent to downright disappoint, just like every other anthology collection that has been published. However I will be honest in how well I rated this book given how poorly it began and ended.
Individual Story Ratings
Burning Bright by Tanya Huff (2/5)
The Fire of the Found Heart by Linda P. Baker (2/5)
The Forge of Creation by Carrie Channell (2/5)
How Golf Shaped Scotland by Bruce Holland Rogers (4/5)
The Giant’s Love by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (3/5)
Family Secrets by Robyn McGrew (3.5/5)
Dvergertal by Nancy Vivian Berberick (2/5)
An Elemental Conversation by Donald J. Bingle (4/5)
Water Baby by Michelle West (1/5)
Only As Safe by Mark A. Garland and Lawrence Schimel (3/5)
Out of Hot Water by Jane Lindskold (3.5/5)
Strange Creatures by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (5/5)
Sons of Thunder by Edward Carmien (1/5)
currently-reading-anthcoll
July 31, 2022"Burning Bright" by Tanya Huff reprinted in Relative Magic and February Thaw reread 3/7/2015
The Fire of a Found Heart • (1999) • novella by Linda P. Baker
The Forge of Creation • (1999) • shortstory by Carrie Channell
How Golf Shaped Scotland • (1999) • shortstory by Bruce Holland Rogers
The Giant's Love • (1999) • shortstory by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Family Secrets • (1999) • novelette by Robyn McGrew
Dvergertal (Intercourse with a Dwarf) • (1999) • novelette by Nancy Varian Berberick
An Elemental Conversation • (1999) • shortstory by Donald J. Bingle
Water Baby • (1999) • novelette by Michelle West
Only As Safe • (1999) • shortstory by Mark Garland and Lawrence Schimel [as by Mark A. Garland and Lawrence Schimel ]
Out of Hot Water • (1999) • novelette by Jane Lindskold
Strange Creatures • (1999) • novelette by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Sons of Thunder • (1999) • shortstory by Edward Carmien
The Fire of a Found Heart • (1999) • novella by Linda P. Baker
The Forge of Creation • (1999) • shortstory by Carrie Channell
How Golf Shaped Scotland • (1999) • shortstory by Bruce Holland Rogers
The Giant's Love • (1999) • shortstory by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Family Secrets • (1999) • novelette by Robyn McGrew
Dvergertal (Intercourse with a Dwarf) • (1999) • novelette by Nancy Varian Berberick
An Elemental Conversation • (1999) • shortstory by Donald J. Bingle
Water Baby • (1999) • novelette by Michelle West
Only As Safe • (1999) • shortstory by Mark Garland and Lawrence Schimel [as by Mark A. Garland and Lawrence Schimel ]
Out of Hot Water • (1999) • novelette by Jane Lindskold
Strange Creatures • (1999) • novelette by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Sons of Thunder • (1999) • shortstory by Edward Carmien
September 1, 2010
I couldn't even finish the book...
Linda Baker's Fire of a Found Heart was a lame, inane, aboriginal tale.
Carrie Channell's Forge of Creation was just plain stupid.
Tanya Huff was very disappointing with Burning Bright. Boring and it made no sense.
Linda Baker's Fire of a Found Heart was a lame, inane, aboriginal tale.
Carrie Channell's Forge of Creation was just plain stupid.
Tanya Huff was very disappointing with Burning Bright. Boring and it made no sense.
September 20, 2007
I can't say that I understood all of the tales in this book...but I'm on my second go'round because elements of it speak to me!
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August 28, 2012My story, "Elemental Conversation," was originally about aliens, rather than elementals, but Jean Rabe helped me fix it for submission to this anthology.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews