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Elemental Masters #14
The Case of the Spellbound Child
The fourteenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series continues the reimagined adventures of Sherlock Holmes in a richly-detailed alternate 20th-century England.
While Sherlock is still officially dead, John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of his case-load--and some for Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
Lord Alderscroft asks them to go to Dartmoor to track down a rumor of evil magic brewing there. Not more than four hours later, a poor cottager, also from Dartmoor, arrives seeking their help. His wife, in a fit of rage over the children spilling and spoiling their only food for dinner that night, sent them out on the moors to forage for something to eat. This is not the first time she has done this, and the children are moor-wise and unlikely to get into difficulties. But this time they did not come back, and in fact, their tracks abruptly stopped "as if them Pharisees took'd 'em." The man begs them to come help.
They would have said no, but there's the assignment for Alderscroft. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
But the deadly bogs are not the only mires on Dartmoor.
While Sherlock is still officially dead, John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of his case-load--and some for Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
Lord Alderscroft asks them to go to Dartmoor to track down a rumor of evil magic brewing there. Not more than four hours later, a poor cottager, also from Dartmoor, arrives seeking their help. His wife, in a fit of rage over the children spilling and spoiling their only food for dinner that night, sent them out on the moors to forage for something to eat. This is not the first time she has done this, and the children are moor-wise and unlikely to get into difficulties. But this time they did not come back, and in fact, their tracks abruptly stopped "as if them Pharisees took'd 'em." The man begs them to come help.
They would have said no, but there's the assignment for Alderscroft. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
But the deadly bogs are not the only mires on Dartmoor.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2019
233 people are currently reading
1203 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
441 books9,527 followersMercedes 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
"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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
September 13, 2021
I'm weary of reading about Sarah and Nan's exploits, with or without the inclusion of Holmes and Watson. I keep returning to this series hoping that its charm will be revived, and I'm consistently disappointed. I've got to come to terms with the fact that I will never enjoy the continuation of this series as much as I enjoyed earlier books like The Gates of Sleep and other similar strictly-fairy tale retellings.
Glutton for punishment that I (apparently) am, I'll probably keep reading any further books. But that doesn't mean I have to enjoy them. (I used to recommend this series to people... From now on, I'll stick to just recommending specific titles that I enjoy, or perhaps the "Five Hundred Kingdoms" series instead.)
Glutton for punishment that I (apparently) am, I'll probably keep reading any further books. But that doesn't mean I have to enjoy them. (I used to recommend this series to people... From now on, I'll stick to just recommending specific titles that I enjoy, or perhaps the "Five Hundred Kingdoms" series instead.)
March 16, 2020
I have a love-hate relationship with this book. The plot was thoroughly engaging. The villain was especially villain-y. The suspense kept building. Then, it was over. It was not necessarily a let down. The good guys followed the clues and solved the mystery. There were no lose ends. The biggest problem I have with the book is the bizarre interpersonal relationships between the protagonists. I am also seemingly the only reviewer who read the book and thinks something is off in the way these Victorians interact with each other.
Lackey infuses magic with the world of Sherlock Holmes. It is an interesting environment. Lackey's concept of magic is a combination of Philip Pullman and Last Airbender rather than Hogwarts and the Hobbit. It is difficult for readers to understand her worldview, especially if they are jumping into the 14th book in the series. Lackey cleverly solves this problem with 2 novella stories as a way of introducing her characters and what they do. There are a lot of characters; and the two short-stories are difficult to follow each of them. However, they set me up for the main story.
The main story is that of a mysterious dark figure (I imagine the Nazgul from LOTR) captured children and appears to such energy and power from them in what is called a dark sleep. The villain is terrifying. The combination of the crime, mysterious portrayal, and motives is superbly done. I kept reading the book because I was so enthralled with the villain. When the story reverts back to the good guys chasing the villain, I became irritated.
The good guys in this story are a motley group of magicians. Lackey distinguishes between magicians and masters; but probably goes deeper into the distinction in other books. Nan and Sarah seems to be the center of the web. Both of them have powers in the spirit world. One is a medium, the other is a psychic. There is a lot of potential to add them to a Holmes-ian world. Around them are a transgender ghost / human hybrid (I am not sure), and another child, Suki, who has some magical abilities. Things get more complicated in that they regularly associate with John and Mary Watson. Holmes makes an appearance every now and then. Somehow he is dead, but not dead (I don't know). Then there is the wizard of London, Lord Aberscroft. The result is a hierarchy of some kind with Aberscroft at the top, and Nan and Sarah (Suki) at the bottom. This fluid hierarchy is what causes me trouble with the book.
Nan and Sarah are the heroines of the book. However, they constantly have to have someone else provide instruction or order to their activities. Dr. Watson is the immediate "supervisor." Almost every time he speaks he appears to be leading the discussion, but has little or nothing to contribute. Nan and Sarah (and Mary Watson) take that in stride. I have no problem with the male chaperone donning the role of the fool; but at the same time, he frequently makes condescending remarks to the women, or man-splains to them. The characters may not take notice; but this reader did.
The condescension would be easier to accept if the female leads were stronger women. However, they are no Hermione Grangers or Zena Warrior Princess. They have the stereotypical weaknesses of women, a combination of daintiness (despite efforts to describe them as combat-ready) and materialism permeate Nan and Sarah. Team Watson goes into the rural countryside to track down the missing children. All expenses are paid by Lord Aberscroft. The girls need to constantly change clothes. Their feminism will not allow them to accept money from Aberscroft; but they gladly accept presents - especially clothes. They change clothes constantly, much to girlish delight. Several times I imagined them in Abercroft's lingerie (he always packs underwear and lingerie for them in addition to fancy clothes) having a pillow fight in the hotel. .....And they need to constantly stop and eat. There is so much eating in this book, that I wonder if Lackey either has an eating disorder or grew up poor and hungry.
So Team Watson goes investigating. Nan: Let us stop and have a snack. Sarah: What did Aberscroft pack for us? Nan: Sausages! Sarah: Berries! Nan: Carrion for our pet birds (the birds talk). Sarah: Gosh I am full. Nan: How about resting by this tree while we pass into the spirit world and search for clues. Sarah: OK. Nan: No ghosts here. Sarah: I guess we should go back to the hotel. Dr. Watson: Not before you ladies clean up this mess. Nan and Sarah: Ha Ha Ha. Your are so right. Mary Watson: Now that we cleaned up I am so tired. Nan: I need to change clothes. Sarah: I can't wait to see what Aberscroft has packed for us.
Meanwhile, the children get weaker and weaker. The story seems to move at a glacial pace. Team Watson follows the clues and slowly, slowly get closer to the villain. Then, up pops Sherlock Holmes. "I have found your villain!" Case solved. Almost. The team has to trap and capture the rogue. There was no real climax. Sherlock's deus ex machina removed much of the mystery and suspense. The capture was kinda dull. The liberation of the children was anticlimactic.
Overall, an engaging story. I have no attachment to the characters. I dislike Dr. Watson. Part of that may come from jumping so late in the series. The characters seem too superficial. It is difficult to understand the magic of this re-imagined Victorian Age. Judging by other reviews, people will either enjoy the mystery or be turned off by the complexity of characters and their magical abilities. Because Sherlock has so little presence in the book, I do not recommend for fans of Sherlock. However, as a unique magical world involving spirit magicians and blood magicians, it is a fascinating creation.
Lackey infuses magic with the world of Sherlock Holmes. It is an interesting environment. Lackey's concept of magic is a combination of Philip Pullman and Last Airbender rather than Hogwarts and the Hobbit. It is difficult for readers to understand her worldview, especially if they are jumping into the 14th book in the series. Lackey cleverly solves this problem with 2 novella stories as a way of introducing her characters and what they do. There are a lot of characters; and the two short-stories are difficult to follow each of them. However, they set me up for the main story.
The main story is that of a mysterious dark figure (I imagine the Nazgul from LOTR) captured children and appears to such energy and power from them in what is called a dark sleep. The villain is terrifying. The combination of the crime, mysterious portrayal, and motives is superbly done. I kept reading the book because I was so enthralled with the villain. When the story reverts back to the good guys chasing the villain, I became irritated.
The good guys in this story are a motley group of magicians. Lackey distinguishes between magicians and masters; but probably goes deeper into the distinction in other books. Nan and Sarah seems to be the center of the web. Both of them have powers in the spirit world. One is a medium, the other is a psychic. There is a lot of potential to add them to a Holmes-ian world. Around them are a transgender ghost / human hybrid (I am not sure), and another child, Suki, who has some magical abilities. Things get more complicated in that they regularly associate with John and Mary Watson. Holmes makes an appearance every now and then. Somehow he is dead, but not dead (I don't know). Then there is the wizard of London, Lord Aberscroft. The result is a hierarchy of some kind with Aberscroft at the top, and Nan and Sarah (Suki) at the bottom. This fluid hierarchy is what causes me trouble with the book.
Nan and Sarah are the heroines of the book. However, they constantly have to have someone else provide instruction or order to their activities. Dr. Watson is the immediate "supervisor." Almost every time he speaks he appears to be leading the discussion, but has little or nothing to contribute. Nan and Sarah (and Mary Watson) take that in stride. I have no problem with the male chaperone donning the role of the fool; but at the same time, he frequently makes condescending remarks to the women, or man-splains to them. The characters may not take notice; but this reader did.
The condescension would be easier to accept if the female leads were stronger women. However, they are no Hermione Grangers or Zena Warrior Princess. They have the stereotypical weaknesses of women, a combination of daintiness (despite efforts to describe them as combat-ready) and materialism permeate Nan and Sarah. Team Watson goes into the rural countryside to track down the missing children. All expenses are paid by Lord Aberscroft. The girls need to constantly change clothes. Their feminism will not allow them to accept money from Aberscroft; but they gladly accept presents - especially clothes. They change clothes constantly, much to girlish delight. Several times I imagined them in Abercroft's lingerie (he always packs underwear and lingerie for them in addition to fancy clothes) having a pillow fight in the hotel. .....And they need to constantly stop and eat. There is so much eating in this book, that I wonder if Lackey either has an eating disorder or grew up poor and hungry.
So Team Watson goes investigating. Nan: Let us stop and have a snack. Sarah: What did Aberscroft pack for us? Nan: Sausages! Sarah: Berries! Nan: Carrion for our pet birds (the birds talk). Sarah: Gosh I am full. Nan: How about resting by this tree while we pass into the spirit world and search for clues. Sarah: OK. Nan: No ghosts here. Sarah: I guess we should go back to the hotel. Dr. Watson: Not before you ladies clean up this mess. Nan and Sarah: Ha Ha Ha. Your are so right. Mary Watson: Now that we cleaned up I am so tired. Nan: I need to change clothes. Sarah: I can't wait to see what Aberscroft has packed for us.
Meanwhile, the children get weaker and weaker. The story seems to move at a glacial pace. Team Watson follows the clues and slowly, slowly get closer to the villain. Then, up pops Sherlock Holmes. "I have found your villain!" Case solved. Almost. The team has to trap and capture the rogue. There was no real climax. Sherlock's deus ex machina removed much of the mystery and suspense. The capture was kinda dull. The liberation of the children was anticlimactic.
Overall, an engaging story. I have no attachment to the characters. I dislike Dr. Watson. Part of that may come from jumping so late in the series. The characters seem too superficial. It is difficult to understand the magic of this re-imagined Victorian Age. Judging by other reviews, people will either enjoy the mystery or be turned off by the complexity of characters and their magical abilities. Because Sherlock has so little presence in the book, I do not recommend for fans of Sherlock. However, as a unique magical world involving spirit magicians and blood magicians, it is a fascinating creation.
January 3, 2020
The Case Of The Spellbound Child' is published in paperback and Kindle ebook on the 7th of January, and whilst anyone who knows my reading habits is aware of my love of seeing a series through from book 1, the synopsis of this one sounded so great I leapt straight in at number 14!
So there are 13 for me to catch up on, lucky me!
If this is your first time reading the 'Elemental Masters' series, it is an alternate Sherlockian timeline set in a world where magic, demons and ghosts are real.
We are given an introduction to this in the shape of Reg's story, which opens the book. He is a recently made ghost and through reading about his short afterlife, we immediately get an inkling into what ghosts can-and cannot-do, the immediate perception of the place-London,early twentieth century-and where Holmes and the Irregulars fit.
This is a post-Reichenbach Falls story, which centers Watson, Mary,Sarah and Nan and their adopted daughter Suki as they battle elemental forces in a tale loosely based on Hansel and Gretel. Children are going missing and there is only one group of detectives brave enough to stop them...
Sherlock lurks in the background of this tale, with the emphasis on the mising children and returning them to their parents. I found it a charming read, I loved the notion of people being able to master the four elements (earth, wind, air and fire) and that there were wizarding masters!
The atmosphere is very fraught with danger and I can agree somewhat with other reviewers who found the use of colloquial speech -including some terms for sets of people which some readers may find offensive-got a bit much after a while. The 'Cor Blimey guvnor!' type of thing, if that makes sense, it causes something of a disconnect on occasions, but overall, I really did enjoy this cat and mouse chase which took the opportunity to reimagine Holmesian England, and be relevant in the case of children who are being used for nefarious purposes...
A Sherlock purist may find lots to disagree with here, but this reader is always ready to flag down a hansom, and leap on board a new mystery from modern writers.Titan have a wonderful back catalogue of Sherlockian delights ranging from steampunk Holmes, to Cthulhu fighting Holmes
So there are 13 for me to catch up on, lucky me!
If this is your first time reading the 'Elemental Masters' series, it is an alternate Sherlockian timeline set in a world where magic, demons and ghosts are real.
We are given an introduction to this in the shape of Reg's story, which opens the book. He is a recently made ghost and through reading about his short afterlife, we immediately get an inkling into what ghosts can-and cannot-do, the immediate perception of the place-London,early twentieth century-and where Holmes and the Irregulars fit.
This is a post-Reichenbach Falls story, which centers Watson, Mary,Sarah and Nan and their adopted daughter Suki as they battle elemental forces in a tale loosely based on Hansel and Gretel. Children are going missing and there is only one group of detectives brave enough to stop them...
Sherlock lurks in the background of this tale, with the emphasis on the mising children and returning them to their parents. I found it a charming read, I loved the notion of people being able to master the four elements (earth, wind, air and fire) and that there were wizarding masters!
The atmosphere is very fraught with danger and I can agree somewhat with other reviewers who found the use of colloquial speech -including some terms for sets of people which some readers may find offensive-got a bit much after a while. The 'Cor Blimey guvnor!' type of thing, if that makes sense, it causes something of a disconnect on occasions, but overall, I really did enjoy this cat and mouse chase which took the opportunity to reimagine Holmesian England, and be relevant in the case of children who are being used for nefarious purposes...
A Sherlock purist may find lots to disagree with here, but this reader is always ready to flag down a hansom, and leap on board a new mystery from modern writers.Titan have a wonderful back catalogue of Sherlockian delights ranging from steampunk Holmes, to Cthulhu fighting Holmes
December 25, 2019
Once again, reading until 3 am, I reluctantly attempt to sleep. The next day I finish, sated, satisfied, in awe of an author who can keep me enthralled.
Ms. Lackey is one of my all time favorite authors. If you are looking for an adventurous read, with some frivolity, some philosophy, and page turning suspense, she's your best bet.
Ms. Lackey is one of my all time favorite authors. If you are looking for an adventurous read, with some frivolity, some philosophy, and page turning suspense, she's your best bet.
January 4, 2020
Not a bad way to reintroduce a series in its 14th novel. It’s a very cosy set up in a magical version of Victorian England but does manage to contain some nasty moments of wickedness
Full review https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
December 6, 2019
Originally published at Reading Reality
I actually read this a couple of weeks ago, while I was in the middle of listening to The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl followed by Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage. I was on a Sherlock Holmes kick and looking for stories that were at least Holmes-adjacent, as both Mesmerizing Girl and Spellbound Child turned out to be.
In other words, unlike Mycroft and Sherlock, which is definitely Holmesian all the way even if it is still focused more on the older brother than the younger, both the Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club and the Elemental Masters are series that I got into for Holmes but stayed in for everybody else.
Which is a good thing, because Spellbound Child, like last month’s Mesmerizing Girl, is all about the everybody else and only tangentially about Holmes. At least in Spellbound Child Sherlock isn’t in need of rescue along with some of that everybody else.
This story is part of the author’s Elemental Masters series. In this series, the world is an alternate version of our own history, it’s just a version in which magic works but is mostly hidden and strictly controlled by its practitioners – especially those who are masters of their particular elements.
The series began with The Fire Rose back in 1995 – a story that I read at the time but have no recollection of beyond the concept. I kept up with the first few books in the series, but then dropped it for a long time, until A Scandal in Battersea caught my attention two years ago, not for its fantasy but for its screamingly obvious Sherlockian elements. And have continued with the series ever since, even stepping back one book to A Study in Sable, where the entire current cast of characters was introduced.
The above should give heart to any readers who have not read the whole series. I do think starting with A Study in Sable would be beneficial to becoming acquainted with the current cast and situation. And all Holmes pastiche series seem to start with a play on the first Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, as this one does.
However, Holmes is not an elemental master – at least not unless someone declares logic to be a form of elemental magic. He is, rather, a skeptic. In spite of his friend and biographer, Dr. John Watson, being an elemental master himself, as is Watson’s wife Mary. It is an interesting take on their long-term friendship and collaboration, as Holmes has his sphere in which he is an acknowledged expert, but Watson also has his. And there are times when logic must defer to magic, no matter how much Holmes may scoff. He does not believe, but he has seen. And there have been multiple occasions where magic is the only answer left after he has eliminated the impossible.
This story takes place during Holmes’ hiatus after Reichenbach Falls, so his presence is very much on the QT, as that saying goes. He’s part of the story but neither the integral or central part, and that’s as it should be.
Because this is a case that is intimately steeped in magic. And in a peculiar way, it hearkens back to the original premise of this series, that of retelling fairy tales in a new and magical world.
The child who is missing, and spellbound, turns out to be a surprisingly rational and logical version of Gretel. Making her also missing, also spellbound, but ot nearly as mature or rational or logical little brother Hansel. (This is a series where the females often get top billing and solve the case – and so it proves here.)
It is up to non-magical but highly practical Gretel, really Helen Byerly, to figure out just how the extremely wicked witch was ensorcelling ALL the children, and escape to find help. Help in the form of Dr. John Watson, his wife Mary, Spirit Master Sarah Lyon-White and psychic Nan Killian, along with their foster daughter Suki and their highly intelligent birds Grey and Neville, sent to the “wilds” of Dartmoor by the Wizard of London to determine why so many children have gone missing in recent years – and why so little is being done about it.
While this case doesn’t wind up at Baskerville Hall – as I fully admit I was more than half expecting – it has every bit as as many twists, turns and surprises as Holmes’ and Watson’s more famous visit to the moor.
Escape Rating B+: If you look carefully at the background image in the book cover, you’ll recognize the silhouette of the famous detective, complete with pipe and just the suggestion of a deerstalker cap. It does lead one to believe that there will be more of Holmes than actually occurs in this case. On the other hand, there’s plenty of Watson, or rather, Watsons in this one, as the Wizard of London has tasked the Watsons with a case that he finds more important than the locals seem to.
After all, it’s obvious to him fairly early on that someone is kidnapping children with magical talent. While all that the locals notice is that the missing children are “not their kind” meaning either poor or members of the Travelers, and are therefore beneath society’s notice.
Everyone involved, the Watsons, Nan and Sarah, as well as Holmes (and the reader) are fairly incensed by that attitude and determined to do what they can to get to the bottom of it.
I found the case to be an intriguing one, as the perspective switches from the imprisoned children to the search for them and back again. In spite of the magic involved, the search is actually fairly straightforward, even if some of the means and methods are otherworldly. What tugs at the heart in this story is the plight of those children, trapped by chains of both metal and fear to serve as magical “batteries” for a hedge wizard who would be a bully with or without magic.
The character who really shines in this story is the non-magical but eminently practical and oh-so-brave Helen Byerly. She’s trapped with the others, chained by magic she doesn’t understand, and yet she still finds a way to improve conditions for everyone she takes under her care – and reasons her way to an escape that has a chance of freeing them all. The story may focus on the Watsons and the other masters and magic users, but Helen is the real hero of the tale.
And I always love seeing a smart girl participate in her own rescue!
I actually read this a couple of weeks ago, while I was in the middle of listening to The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl followed by Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage. I was on a Sherlock Holmes kick and looking for stories that were at least Holmes-adjacent, as both Mesmerizing Girl and Spellbound Child turned out to be.
In other words, unlike Mycroft and Sherlock, which is definitely Holmesian all the way even if it is still focused more on the older brother than the younger, both the Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club and the Elemental Masters are series that I got into for Holmes but stayed in for everybody else.
Which is a good thing, because Spellbound Child, like last month’s Mesmerizing Girl, is all about the everybody else and only tangentially about Holmes. At least in Spellbound Child Sherlock isn’t in need of rescue along with some of that everybody else.
This story is part of the author’s Elemental Masters series. In this series, the world is an alternate version of our own history, it’s just a version in which magic works but is mostly hidden and strictly controlled by its practitioners – especially those who are masters of their particular elements.
The series began with The Fire Rose back in 1995 – a story that I read at the time but have no recollection of beyond the concept. I kept up with the first few books in the series, but then dropped it for a long time, until A Scandal in Battersea caught my attention two years ago, not for its fantasy but for its screamingly obvious Sherlockian elements. And have continued with the series ever since, even stepping back one book to A Study in Sable, where the entire current cast of characters was introduced.
The above should give heart to any readers who have not read the whole series. I do think starting with A Study in Sable would be beneficial to becoming acquainted with the current cast and situation. And all Holmes pastiche series seem to start with a play on the first Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, as this one does.
However, Holmes is not an elemental master – at least not unless someone declares logic to be a form of elemental magic. He is, rather, a skeptic. In spite of his friend and biographer, Dr. John Watson, being an elemental master himself, as is Watson’s wife Mary. It is an interesting take on their long-term friendship and collaboration, as Holmes has his sphere in which he is an acknowledged expert, but Watson also has his. And there are times when logic must defer to magic, no matter how much Holmes may scoff. He does not believe, but he has seen. And there have been multiple occasions where magic is the only answer left after he has eliminated the impossible.
This story takes place during Holmes’ hiatus after Reichenbach Falls, so his presence is very much on the QT, as that saying goes. He’s part of the story but neither the integral or central part, and that’s as it should be.
Because this is a case that is intimately steeped in magic. And in a peculiar way, it hearkens back to the original premise of this series, that of retelling fairy tales in a new and magical world.
The child who is missing, and spellbound, turns out to be a surprisingly rational and logical version of Gretel. Making her also missing, also spellbound, but ot nearly as mature or rational or logical little brother Hansel. (This is a series where the females often get top billing and solve the case – and so it proves here.)
It is up to non-magical but highly practical Gretel, really Helen Byerly, to figure out just how the extremely wicked witch was ensorcelling ALL the children, and escape to find help. Help in the form of Dr. John Watson, his wife Mary, Spirit Master Sarah Lyon-White and psychic Nan Killian, along with their foster daughter Suki and their highly intelligent birds Grey and Neville, sent to the “wilds” of Dartmoor by the Wizard of London to determine why so many children have gone missing in recent years – and why so little is being done about it.
While this case doesn’t wind up at Baskerville Hall – as I fully admit I was more than half expecting – it has every bit as as many twists, turns and surprises as Holmes’ and Watson’s more famous visit to the moor.
Escape Rating B+: If you look carefully at the background image in the book cover, you’ll recognize the silhouette of the famous detective, complete with pipe and just the suggestion of a deerstalker cap. It does lead one to believe that there will be more of Holmes than actually occurs in this case. On the other hand, there’s plenty of Watson, or rather, Watsons in this one, as the Wizard of London has tasked the Watsons with a case that he finds more important than the locals seem to.
After all, it’s obvious to him fairly early on that someone is kidnapping children with magical talent. While all that the locals notice is that the missing children are “not their kind” meaning either poor or members of the Travelers, and are therefore beneath society’s notice.
Everyone involved, the Watsons, Nan and Sarah, as well as Holmes (and the reader) are fairly incensed by that attitude and determined to do what they can to get to the bottom of it.
I found the case to be an intriguing one, as the perspective switches from the imprisoned children to the search for them and back again. In spite of the magic involved, the search is actually fairly straightforward, even if some of the means and methods are otherworldly. What tugs at the heart in this story is the plight of those children, trapped by chains of both metal and fear to serve as magical “batteries” for a hedge wizard who would be a bully with or without magic.
The character who really shines in this story is the non-magical but eminently practical and oh-so-brave Helen Byerly. She’s trapped with the others, chained by magic she doesn’t understand, and yet she still finds a way to improve conditions for everyone she takes under her care – and reasons her way to an escape that has a chance of freeing them all. The story may focus on the Watsons and the other masters and magic users, but Helen is the real hero of the tale.
And I always love seeing a smart girl participate in her own rescue!
February 7, 2020
I’ve always enjoyed Mercedes Lackey. I particularly enjoyed her Valdemar series As well as her twist on fairytales “The Fairy-godmother” series which takes classics and rewrites them in novel and unsuspecting ways. This review discusses some of what takes place, in vague detail, but that is why I marked it as having spoilers.
When I learned that Mercedes Lackey had borrowed a favorite character to base Victorian era mysteries I was all aboard. The Case of the Spellbound Child is book 14 of the Elemental Series which imagines an England where magicians of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water live secretly among ordinary humans. But the characters of this particular book start with such complicated backstoriesI realized pretty quickly i needed to go back and read the preceding work—Book 13 The Bartered Brides, which helped immensely to keep straight the many characters in both books. It appears I am to read the series in reverse as Book 12–A Scandal in Battersea—predates the events I just read and might have helped to make the stories more enjoyable overall.
Mercedes Lackey has taken the conceit of borrowing the construct of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s world of a consulting detective and thrown it into her Elemental Series. Who wouldn’t want to imagine how Sherlock Holmes would function in a time of magic? Imagine my slight disappointment when I learned that not only does Sherlock possess no magic, but he barely plays a roll in any of the series works? Instead, the author chooses to introduce a cast of Mary and John Watson as supporting actors to three new female detectives with psychic and mediumistic paranormal abilities to hunt ghosts and use their mystic abilities to solve the crimes committed by magical villains.
The books follow Nan Killian, a psychic, and Sarah Lyon-White—a medium as they search for missing children in the wild Dartmoor countryside. They bring their young ward, also a psychic with a history as a scrappy street urchin, on a journey to look for the missing children who have disappeared over the years with barely a peep of concern from local people as they were orphans, or children from travelers who are worse than trash in most people’s minds. Along for the adventure are their pets—an African Parrot named Grey—for the color of his plumage—and a Raven whose name escapes me despite reading it constantly for over three hours. Both birds have the ability to talk. John has magic—as a Water Master as well as a doctor and Mary, I believe as an Earth Master.
The book really isn’t a bad example of a stylized Victorian mystery. You have plucky characters who follow clues and try to use their powers for good. The biggest problem I had with the books was they were just too many heroes with so many skills that the discovery of the villain and rescue of the waifs is a bit too pat.
The characters barely have to exert themselves at all. They know where the children are going missing. They quickly meet the local magicians and rule them out. They take jaunts around posing as artists, while Suki uses clever pretenses to interact with the suspects and rule them out one-by-one. And, as if having five qualified magic users and two enhanced avians wasn’t enough, Sherlock Holmes himself runs the miscreant to ground and helps to narrow down the likeliest hiding place for the man’s cottage—this despite the fact that the sleuth has his memory wiped of the travel to and from said location. There were just too many cooks stirring this particular crime pot.
Mercedes Lackey is a very talented writer. She creates very likable heroes and very detestable villains. I very much wanted to learn the outcome of the children’s captivity, so I made it through to the end. I think this work would appeal to younger readers and is perhaps intended as young adult fiction.
The biggest detractor of this particular work was the authors decision to have her characters speak in dialects that apparently reflect the wide range of diversity in what can be called English yet is entirely incomprehensible to read. I have no doubt the author made a detailed effort to capture the particular patois specific to the region. Perhaps the printed work came with footnotes that helped the reader to decipher what locals were saying. The fact that the author used the fairy Puck to grant the main characters the ability to understand said speech by swallowing a petal greatly eased their understanding, but dwarfed the reader’s opportunity to garner meaning from context had the newcomers been required to stumble around without much success to understand the locals. Truly, the phrasing was incredibly hard to understand and I took breaks from reading just to rest my brain a bit. But, if you are fascinated by dialects and magical mysteries, I suspect you could find an interest in following Nan, Sarah, Suki, their animal side kicks and Mary and John Watson on their grand adventures. But start by reading the series in the right order is my recommendation!
When I learned that Mercedes Lackey had borrowed a favorite character to base Victorian era mysteries I was all aboard. The Case of the Spellbound Child is book 14 of the Elemental Series which imagines an England where magicians of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water live secretly among ordinary humans. But the characters of this particular book start with such complicated backstoriesI realized pretty quickly i needed to go back and read the preceding work—Book 13 The Bartered Brides, which helped immensely to keep straight the many characters in both books. It appears I am to read the series in reverse as Book 12–A Scandal in Battersea—predates the events I just read and might have helped to make the stories more enjoyable overall.
Mercedes Lackey has taken the conceit of borrowing the construct of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s world of a consulting detective and thrown it into her Elemental Series. Who wouldn’t want to imagine how Sherlock Holmes would function in a time of magic? Imagine my slight disappointment when I learned that not only does Sherlock possess no magic, but he barely plays a roll in any of the series works? Instead, the author chooses to introduce a cast of Mary and John Watson as supporting actors to three new female detectives with psychic and mediumistic paranormal abilities to hunt ghosts and use their mystic abilities to solve the crimes committed by magical villains.
The books follow Nan Killian, a psychic, and Sarah Lyon-White—a medium as they search for missing children in the wild Dartmoor countryside. They bring their young ward, also a psychic with a history as a scrappy street urchin, on a journey to look for the missing children who have disappeared over the years with barely a peep of concern from local people as they were orphans, or children from travelers who are worse than trash in most people’s minds. Along for the adventure are their pets—an African Parrot named Grey—for the color of his plumage—and a Raven whose name escapes me despite reading it constantly for over three hours. Both birds have the ability to talk. John has magic—as a Water Master as well as a doctor and Mary, I believe as an Earth Master.
The book really isn’t a bad example of a stylized Victorian mystery. You have plucky characters who follow clues and try to use their powers for good. The biggest problem I had with the books was they were just too many heroes with so many skills that the discovery of the villain and rescue of the waifs is a bit too pat.
The characters barely have to exert themselves at all. They know where the children are going missing. They quickly meet the local magicians and rule them out. They take jaunts around posing as artists, while Suki uses clever pretenses to interact with the suspects and rule them out one-by-one. And, as if having five qualified magic users and two enhanced avians wasn’t enough, Sherlock Holmes himself runs the miscreant to ground and helps to narrow down the likeliest hiding place for the man’s cottage—this despite the fact that the sleuth has his memory wiped of the travel to and from said location. There were just too many cooks stirring this particular crime pot.
Mercedes Lackey is a very talented writer. She creates very likable heroes and very detestable villains. I very much wanted to learn the outcome of the children’s captivity, so I made it through to the end. I think this work would appeal to younger readers and is perhaps intended as young adult fiction.
The biggest detractor of this particular work was the authors decision to have her characters speak in dialects that apparently reflect the wide range of diversity in what can be called English yet is entirely incomprehensible to read. I have no doubt the author made a detailed effort to capture the particular patois specific to the region. Perhaps the printed work came with footnotes that helped the reader to decipher what locals were saying. The fact that the author used the fairy Puck to grant the main characters the ability to understand said speech by swallowing a petal greatly eased their understanding, but dwarfed the reader’s opportunity to garner meaning from context had the newcomers been required to stumble around without much success to understand the locals. Truly, the phrasing was incredibly hard to understand and I took breaks from reading just to rest my brain a bit. But, if you are fascinated by dialects and magical mysteries, I suspect you could find an interest in following Nan, Sarah, Suki, their animal side kicks and Mary and John Watson on their grand adventures. But start by reading the series in the right order is my recommendation!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2020
I mean, I don't know, do you really rate these Elemental Masters books? I don't. I read them because I have to. I'm compelled to read them by the impression that Mercedes Lackey made on my young brain back in the '90s and my lifelong fondness for fairy tales (...and my only slightly younger fondness for mystery novels), and thus they get rated on their own special Elemental Masters scale. This is one of the ones with Nan and Sarah and Sherlock Holmes and company, which it seems like all the recent ones are. I'm okay with that, though I still wish Nan and Sarah would get married. They've already adopted a kid, it seems like the logical next step.
So anyway the fairy tale in this one is Hansel and Gretel, and Nan and Sarah and the Watsons and the gang are on the hunt for missing kids. On the scale of the Elemental Masters series books, I thought this one was okay. It's not one that I'd go back and read over and over again, like The Serpent's Shadow or Phoenix and Ashes, but it's also not one where I'm wondering what the heck the main conflict is supposed to be or so uninvested in the main characters that I don't finish it, so that's good. I liked that we didn't actually know who the bad guy was until near the end--sometimes it's fun getting the bad guy's perspective, as we have in a couple of these recent Sherlock Holmes books, but sometimes it's just unpleasant. I liked getting the perspective of the kidnapped children a lot more. It's not the kind of mystery where you could actually guess who the bad guy was based on clues--that's not how these books roll--but the scene where they catch the bad guy through a complicated scheme was fun. I like complicated scheme shenanigans.
On another note, I think it's interesting that the last few books have introduced a trans character, and though it's Alternate Universe Victorian England with ghosts and magic, I don't think Peter's handled totally badly--Nan and Sarah and co. don't always get Peter and why he wanted to live as a guy (after being a female ghost....), but that seems about as realistic and as happy an ending for a trans man ghost as you're gonna get in Alternate Universe Victorian England with ghosts and magic. I hope Peter comes back and does more stuff in later books. Also, Alf returned from A Scandal in Battersea to be a jerk-ass ghost for a chapter. Ah, Alf, I knew things were never gonna work out for you, because you're a jerk, but I was glad to see you again.
My two big complaints! 1) WTF was that thing at the beginning where they're all ready to rescue this girl from an asylum and then are totally grossed out and disgusted by her when it turns out that she, a teenage girl, was seduced by some older guy who was using her and abandoned her, prompting her to induce a miscarriage because she was pregnant ? I kind of hated all our heroes for how absolutely crappy they were about her. It just seemed like that whole plotline was there to be mean-spirited. Jane Austen got name-dropped, so maybe the function was to for Mercedes Lackey to express her disdain for Lydia Bennet or that ward of Colonel Brandon's, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. 2) I sure hope Sapphire and her family are gonna come up again in a later book, because otherwise I really don't get why THAT plotline was there. I mean, I liked Sapphire and Sylvia, but in terms of narrative, they didn't really do much.
To sum up, if you don't read these books already, it would make no sense to start with this one, but since I do, I don't at all regret reading it. It doesn't have a ton of Celtic Warrior Nan and over-the-top orientalism, so that's always a plus.
So anyway the fairy tale in this one is Hansel and Gretel, and Nan and Sarah and the Watsons and the gang are on the hunt for missing kids. On the scale of the Elemental Masters series books, I thought this one was okay. It's not one that I'd go back and read over and over again, like The Serpent's Shadow or Phoenix and Ashes, but it's also not one where I'm wondering what the heck the main conflict is supposed to be or so uninvested in the main characters that I don't finish it, so that's good. I liked that we didn't actually know who the bad guy was until near the end--sometimes it's fun getting the bad guy's perspective, as we have in a couple of these recent Sherlock Holmes books, but sometimes it's just unpleasant. I liked getting the perspective of the kidnapped children a lot more. It's not the kind of mystery where you could actually guess who the bad guy was based on clues--that's not how these books roll--but the scene where they catch the bad guy through a complicated scheme was fun. I like complicated scheme shenanigans.
On another note, I think it's interesting that the last few books have introduced a trans character, and though it's Alternate Universe Victorian England with ghosts and magic, I don't think Peter's handled totally badly--Nan and Sarah and co. don't always get Peter and why he wanted to live as a guy (after being a female ghost....), but that seems about as realistic and as happy an ending for a trans man ghost as you're gonna get in Alternate Universe Victorian England with ghosts and magic. I hope Peter comes back and does more stuff in later books. Also, Alf returned from A Scandal in Battersea to be a jerk-ass ghost for a chapter. Ah, Alf, I knew things were never gonna work out for you, because you're a jerk, but I was glad to see you again.
My two big complaints! 1) WTF was that thing at the beginning where they're all ready to rescue this girl from an asylum and then are totally grossed out and disgusted by her when it turns out that she, a teenage girl, was seduced by some older guy who was using her and abandoned her, prompting her to induce a miscarriage because she was pregnant ? I kind of hated all our heroes for how absolutely crappy they were about her. It just seemed like that whole plotline was there to be mean-spirited. Jane Austen got name-dropped, so maybe the function was to for Mercedes Lackey to express her disdain for Lydia Bennet or that ward of Colonel Brandon's, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. 2) I sure hope Sapphire and her family are gonna come up again in a later book, because otherwise I really don't get why THAT plotline was there. I mean, I liked Sapphire and Sylvia, but in terms of narrative, they didn't really do much.
To sum up, if you don't read these books already, it would make no sense to start with this one, but since I do, I don't at all regret reading it. It doesn't have a ton of Celtic Warrior Nan and over-the-top orientalism, so that's always a plus.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2020
Fifteenth in the Elemental Masters alternative history paranormal fantasy series for upper middle-grade readers and revolving around magic users in a richly detailed Victorian England where Sherlock Holmes takes second place to two young ladies who work in a magical partnership with Dr and Mrs Watson and now their young ward.
My Take
I do like the bargain Nan and Sarah come up with at the start in that first "case" they solved, and it won't be the first time the group comes up with ways to help people out. It's very inspiring in that respect.
There's another case Lackey sets up before she dives into the meat of The Case of the Spellbound Child.
It is a dive too...for the reader. Trying to decipher the dialect Lackey throws in here was quite annoying. I don't see why she had to be quite so colloquial!
Ellie and Simon's childhood is definitely a contrast with what today's is. That's not the only contrast, as Sarah and Nan tend to cogitate on the luxuries she's gotten used to now that she works for Lord Alderscroft versus what she experienced as a younger child. Certainly makes me appreciate indoor plumbing!
Hmm, seems Dr Watson suffers from being a man, lol.
It does go to show that there are wicked people who prey on children throughout time and the world. It's what Sarah, Nan, and the Watsons do at the end that is so encouraging. For not all poor people are slumming it to avoid working.
It's also encouraging — character-wise — as to the reactions that Alderscroft and company have to how other magicians respond to the news of poor children being turned out and Travelers going missing.
It's third person global subjective point-of-view with most of the perspectives from Ellie's and Simon's thoughts and Nan and Sarah. It's particularly handy for listening to Simon's thoughts on how all the bad things he's done is what led them to his current situation. While I can appreciate that Simon's regrets may lead him to mend his ways, he's too bright of a child (with too much power!) to be able to hold to it long.
I know it's sounding rather cerebral, but it is action-packed with a feel of the fairy tale to it. Hansel and Gretel, anyone? And those actions are driven by the morality (or lack of it) by the characters.
The Story
While Sherlock is still officially dead, Dr John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of Sherlock's case-load, including a missing children's case that combines with the interests of Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
It seems evil is brewing in Dartmoor with children missing and their tracks abruptly disappearing. They might have said no, but there's the assignment for Alderscroft. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
But the deadly bogs are not the only mires on Dartmoor.
The Characters
Sarah Lyon-White is a medium and Spirit Master whose parents are missionary doctors. Neville is a raven and Sarah's companion-partner. Nan Killian is a Spirit Magician and Psychic and former street rat. Grey is an African parrot and Nan's companion-partner. Suki is Sarah and Nan's ward. Mrs Horace is their caring landlady.
Dr John Watson and his wife, Mary (an Air Master), are partners with the girls and Sherlock. Peter Hughs is the vessel Caro occupies, enabling her to live; she's chosen medicine as her/his field of study ( The Bartered Brides , 14).
Lord Alderscroft, a.k.a. the Lion, is the Wizard of London. He deeded over land for the Harton School. Brendan is his coachman; Paul Sterling is the second coachman and the permanent driver at Alderscroft's country home.
They're all covering up that Sherlock Holmes isn't dead, enabling him to track Moriarty. Suki trains and runs with Sherlock's Baker Street Irregulars.
The Harton School is...
...run by Memsa'b and Sahib Harton where Suki is a student along with Suzie Higgins and Jess Masterson. Beatrice Leek is a witch, who has been training Sarah. The Badger Court Twins need to be encouraged to go through the Portal. Sylvia is the daughter of an Air Magician, Sapphire Morrison, who works as a teacher. Her husband is Gerrold. Tom is a young lad who is sometimes used as a messenger.
Case #1
Alf and Reg are mates. Sam Browne and his wife Annabelle run a cookshop. The Bartilinos have a large family. Mrs Hardy runs a clean brothel. Lottie is a Cockney whore (who will join Mrs Hardy's house).
Case #2
Robert is an unscrupulous soldier boy.
Case #3
Helen "Ellie" and Simon are sister and brother punished for spilling the milk. Mother, Maryanne Byerly, is well educated and unaccepted in Sheepstor. Pa, Roger Byerly, had lost a hand in a mill machine. Sally Byerly had been Roger's mother with a touch of Earth Magic, turned out by the squire...and luckily, loved by the villagers. Daisy is the goat.
Sheepstor is...
...the village outside Yelverton in Devon, and near where the Byerlys live. The Rock Inn is owned by Harold Linwood, an Elemental Magician. John is the inn's coachman, and Daisy and Dandy are the coachhorses. Father Donald Shaw is the parish priest. The local squire is a jerk. Gatfer Cole, a former sexton, lives in the village and is a witch. Grim is a black dog and friend to Cole. Maude Rundle is another healer-witch with Earth Magic who lives outside the village.
Sherlock is using the name "Benjamin Hubert".
The Drake Manor Inn is just outside Yelverton. Ganmer Dolly is another witch. Chief Constable Harris is in charge of the jewelry.
The Dark One uses black magic to hold their fellow prisoners who include Robbie, who was to be thrown on the Parish; Rose, Ben, and Deborah are of the Travelers; Lily, Colin, and Mark had single parents with too many children to track; Stephen, Bill, Sam who's a healer, and Jess had been turned out when their grandparent died. Liz had been one who didn't 'op to it.
Ansel Anglin is a weedy, boastful sort. Robin Goodefellow, the Oldest Old One in England, is a friend.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a watercolor effect with its blue and white silhouette of Sherlock Holmes with his pipe. On top of this, on the right and centered vertically, is a beige- and black-bordered vertical rectangle of a two-story cottage at dusk with a light shining forth from its open door, someone on the path that leads to the cottage. There's a fence closing the place off from a rock-strewn hillside. On top of this are Grey and Neville flying across Sherlock and across the left edge of the picture with the title, in white, just beneath Grey's wing at the bottom. The author's name is in a paler beige at the very top. Within the cottage frame is the series info in white.
The title is a reference to the binding the Dark One uses to keep his servant from running, in The Case of the Spellbound Child.
My Take
I do like the bargain Nan and Sarah come up with at the start in that first "case" they solved, and it won't be the first time the group comes up with ways to help people out. It's very inspiring in that respect.
There's another case Lackey sets up before she dives into the meat of The Case of the Spellbound Child.
It is a dive too...for the reader. Trying to decipher the dialect Lackey throws in here was quite annoying. I don't see why she had to be quite so colloquial!
Ellie and Simon's childhood is definitely a contrast with what today's is. That's not the only contrast, as Sarah and Nan tend to cogitate on the luxuries she's gotten used to now that she works for Lord Alderscroft versus what she experienced as a younger child. Certainly makes me appreciate indoor plumbing!
Hmm, seems Dr Watson suffers from being a man, lol.
It does go to show that there are wicked people who prey on children throughout time and the world. It's what Sarah, Nan, and the Watsons do at the end that is so encouraging. For not all poor people are slumming it to avoid working.
It's also encouraging — character-wise — as to the reactions that Alderscroft and company have to how other magicians respond to the news of poor children being turned out and Travelers going missing.
It's third person global subjective point-of-view with most of the perspectives from Ellie's and Simon's thoughts and Nan and Sarah. It's particularly handy for listening to Simon's thoughts on how all the bad things he's done is what led them to his current situation. While I can appreciate that Simon's regrets may lead him to mend his ways, he's too bright of a child (with too much power!) to be able to hold to it long.
I know it's sounding rather cerebral, but it is action-packed with a feel of the fairy tale to it. Hansel and Gretel, anyone? And those actions are driven by the morality (or lack of it) by the characters.
The Story
While Sherlock is still officially dead, Dr John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of Sherlock's case-load, including a missing children's case that combines with the interests of Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
It seems evil is brewing in Dartmoor with children missing and their tracks abruptly disappearing. They might have said no, but there's the assignment for Alderscroft. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
But the deadly bogs are not the only mires on Dartmoor.
The Characters
Sarah Lyon-White is a medium and Spirit Master whose parents are missionary doctors. Neville is a raven and Sarah's companion-partner. Nan Killian is a Spirit Magician and Psychic and former street rat. Grey is an African parrot and Nan's companion-partner. Suki is Sarah and Nan's ward. Mrs Horace is their caring landlady.
Dr John Watson and his wife, Mary (an Air Master), are partners with the girls and Sherlock. Peter Hughs is the vessel Caro occupies, enabling her to live; she's chosen medicine as her/his field of study ( The Bartered Brides , 14).
Lord Alderscroft, a.k.a. the Lion, is the Wizard of London. He deeded over land for the Harton School. Brendan is his coachman; Paul Sterling is the second coachman and the permanent driver at Alderscroft's country home.
They're all covering up that Sherlock Holmes isn't dead, enabling him to track Moriarty. Suki trains and runs with Sherlock's Baker Street Irregulars.
The Harton School is...
...run by Memsa'b and Sahib Harton where Suki is a student along with Suzie Higgins and Jess Masterson. Beatrice Leek is a witch, who has been training Sarah. The Badger Court Twins need to be encouraged to go through the Portal. Sylvia is the daughter of an Air Magician, Sapphire Morrison, who works as a teacher. Her husband is Gerrold. Tom is a young lad who is sometimes used as a messenger.
Case #1
Alf and Reg are mates. Sam Browne and his wife Annabelle run a cookshop. The Bartilinos have a large family. Mrs Hardy runs a clean brothel. Lottie is a Cockney whore (who will join Mrs Hardy's house).
Case #2
Robert is an unscrupulous soldier boy.
Case #3
Helen "Ellie" and Simon are sister and brother punished for spilling the milk. Mother, Maryanne Byerly, is well educated and unaccepted in Sheepstor. Pa, Roger Byerly, had lost a hand in a mill machine. Sally Byerly had been Roger's mother with a touch of Earth Magic, turned out by the squire...and luckily, loved by the villagers. Daisy is the goat.
Sheepstor is...
...the village outside Yelverton in Devon, and near where the Byerlys live. The Rock Inn is owned by Harold Linwood, an Elemental Magician. John is the inn's coachman, and Daisy and Dandy are the coachhorses. Father Donald Shaw is the parish priest. The local squire is a jerk. Gatfer Cole, a former sexton, lives in the village and is a witch. Grim is a black dog and friend to Cole. Maude Rundle is another healer-witch with Earth Magic who lives outside the village.
Sherlock is using the name "Benjamin Hubert".
The Drake Manor Inn is just outside Yelverton. Ganmer Dolly is another witch. Chief Constable Harris is in charge of the jewelry.
The Dark One uses black magic to hold their fellow prisoners who include Robbie, who was to be thrown on the Parish; Rose, Ben, and Deborah are of the Travelers; Lily, Colin, and Mark had single parents with too many children to track; Stephen, Bill, Sam who's a healer, and Jess had been turned out when their grandparent died. Liz had been one who didn't 'op to it.
Ansel Anglin is a weedy, boastful sort. Robin Goodefellow, the Oldest Old One in England, is a friend.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a watercolor effect with its blue and white silhouette of Sherlock Holmes with his pipe. On top of this, on the right and centered vertically, is a beige- and black-bordered vertical rectangle of a two-story cottage at dusk with a light shining forth from its open door, someone on the path that leads to the cottage. There's a fence closing the place off from a rock-strewn hillside. On top of this are Grey and Neville flying across Sherlock and across the left edge of the picture with the title, in white, just beneath Grey's wing at the bottom. The author's name is in a paler beige at the very top. Within the cottage frame is the series info in white.
The title is a reference to the binding the Dark One uses to keep his servant from running, in The Case of the Spellbound Child.
February 7, 2020
Latest in the Elemental Masters series and the next installment in the adventures of John Watson and associates. Sherlock makes a couple appearances as he is working on another case in Dartmoor that eventually merges with the Watson crew.
The story starts with a proverbial 'bang' as a brand new ghost (he was murdered on page one) amuses himself terrorizing the people surrounding his death location before Nan and Sarah with Peter and Suki, force him to move on. It seems like a short story that was attached to the book in order to review what the group has been doing since the last adventure/book - namely helping ghosts about London move on.
A letter to Sherlock has them - with Lord Alderford's encouragement - investigating a pair of missing children only to discover that many children had disappeared over the past four years. Chapters switch between our adventurers and the viewpoint of Ellie, one of the missing children, who is being forced to serve someone called The Dark One who has nearly a dozen children chained in a hidden cottage. The Dark One steals the magical energy from his captives, using them as a battery for his own usage.
The Watson crew had some rather innovative plans to discover the villain especially with the open and wild spaces pockmarked with abandoned tin mines, bogs, streams and rocky outcroppings. Trying to find if one of the cottages hidden by generations of witches and magicians held the children.
The biggest stumbling block I had was with the Dartmoor accent and slang. Too often I had no idea what someone - especially the children and "Dark One' - was saying. But I got to the point where I would scan the dialogue, see if I could understand and then continue on.
Still a fun read but I have to wonder how many more novels are going to be generated by this series. The Elemental Masters was an interesting alternate universe especially mashing it with variants of fairy tales. Fairy tales have been set aside while Lackey focuses on the Sherlockian crew.
2020-027
The story starts with a proverbial 'bang' as a brand new ghost (he was murdered on page one) amuses himself terrorizing the people surrounding his death location before Nan and Sarah with Peter and Suki, force him to move on. It seems like a short story that was attached to the book in order to review what the group has been doing since the last adventure/book - namely helping ghosts about London move on.
A letter to Sherlock has them - with Lord Alderford's encouragement - investigating a pair of missing children only to discover that many children had disappeared over the past four years. Chapters switch between our adventurers and the viewpoint of Ellie, one of the missing children, who is being forced to serve someone called The Dark One who has nearly a dozen children chained in a hidden cottage. The Dark One steals the magical energy from his captives, using them as a battery for his own usage.
The Watson crew had some rather innovative plans to discover the villain especially with the open and wild spaces pockmarked with abandoned tin mines, bogs, streams and rocky outcroppings. Trying to find if one of the cottages hidden by generations of witches and magicians held the children.
The biggest stumbling block I had was with the Dartmoor accent and slang. Too often I had no idea what someone - especially the children and "Dark One' - was saying. But I got to the point where I would scan the dialogue, see if I could understand and then continue on.
Still a fun read but I have to wonder how many more novels are going to be generated by this series. The Elemental Masters was an interesting alternate universe especially mashing it with variants of fairy tales. Fairy tales have been set aside while Lackey focuses on the Sherlockian crew.
2020-027
January 28, 2020
Great book!
A tour DE force by this wonderful author. As always , complex and three dimensional characters continue the storyline of a completely well imagined system of magic and fantasy, along with blending alternative history elements and well loved characters from other authors. A very satisfying read!
A tour DE force by this wonderful author. As always , complex and three dimensional characters continue the storyline of a completely well imagined system of magic and fantasy, along with blending alternative history elements and well loved characters from other authors. A very satisfying read!
December 14, 2019
While I’m Still not sold on the Sherlock Holmes aspects of the Elemental Magician series, at least he was barely in it. Although it was a bit too neat that he suddenly had all of the answers. Still, a decent read.
July 7, 2020
Starts a little slow, but develops nicely with magical and psychic abilities being put to use alongside some Sherlockian observations.
January 26, 2020
A story that should have been a novella has been padded out to make a full length novel. Another series reaching an end unless the author can find a new hook to hang it on.
August 9, 2020
Another "I liked it" around 3.4-3.5 (i.e., good enough for a 4 only on Amazon), for this series.
Again, the main protagonists are spiritual magicians Nan and Sarah, plus their similarly gifted young ward Suki, and their avian familiars Neville and Grey, along with water and air elemental magicians John and Mary Watson.
We're told of Mary's air elementals doing some surveying and surveilling, plus some messengering and basic "proof of magic", but the birds do much more "onscreen", again leaving me shaking my head a bit at how this series has diverged from its original Elemental focus.
The other major PoV is young Ellie Byerly, one of the imprisoned children, about which situation I won't give further spoilers. (Her rather self-centered little brother doesn't get any PoV time until after a certain development.)
One thing I do need to mention at this point is that they, and a number of other characters, speak in thick Dartmoor dialect, which may be frustrating for some readers.
Non-magical Sherlock Holmes, still being publicly "dead", again appears only a few times, clearly a secondary character, with scarcely any display of deductive brilliance, which makes his silhouette on the cover a bit misleading.
There is, however, a far amount of investigation by all the good guys, seeking to identify and eliminate suspects, using cover stories, etc.
Oh, I was ashamed to realize that I'd managed to forget a particularly interesting character arc from the previous volume, which I guess tells you how little impact that book in general had on me: that of new friend and cohort Caro, now known as Peter, formerly the ghost of an invalid young woman, but now happily making much better use of a no-good young man's vacated body!
Peter only appears in the first few chapters, however, and they're my least favorite part of the book — for other reasons. The very beginning is told from the PoV of a thoroughly unpleasant London thug's ghost. After he's dealt with, they next handle another quickly resolved case which turns out to be ; I guess it was just included to show that even for magicians, not every investigation is an exciting, satisfying, and significant adventure.
Once I was well into the main story, however, I was never bored (though a few lines of explanation here and there were more or less repeated in case readers had forgotten since their first occurrence in the book).
What fairytale is it supposed to be inspired by? Hansel and Gretel, maybe?
I read this in hardcover from the library, and haven't decided yet whether I'll buy a paperback or electronic copy of this volume for myself if I see one at a good price.
Again, the main protagonists are spiritual magicians Nan and Sarah, plus their similarly gifted young ward Suki, and their avian familiars Neville and Grey, along with water and air elemental magicians John and Mary Watson.
We're told of Mary's air elementals doing some surveying and surveilling, plus some messengering and basic "proof of magic", but the birds do much more "onscreen", again leaving me shaking my head a bit at how this series has diverged from its original Elemental focus.
The other major PoV is young Ellie Byerly, one of the imprisoned children, about which situation I won't give further spoilers. (Her rather self-centered little brother doesn't get any PoV time until after a certain development.)
One thing I do need to mention at this point is that they, and a number of other characters, speak in thick Dartmoor dialect, which may be frustrating for some readers.
Non-magical Sherlock Holmes, still being publicly "dead", again appears only a few times, clearly a secondary character, with scarcely any display of deductive brilliance, which makes his silhouette on the cover a bit misleading.
There is, however, a far amount of investigation by all the good guys, seeking to identify and eliminate suspects, using cover stories, etc.
Oh, I was ashamed to realize that I'd managed to forget a particularly interesting character arc from the previous volume, which I guess tells you how little impact that book in general had on me: that of new friend and cohort Caro, now known as Peter, formerly the ghost of an invalid young woman, but now happily making much better use of a no-good young man's vacated body!
Peter only appears in the first few chapters, however, and they're my least favorite part of the book — for other reasons. The very beginning is told from the PoV of a thoroughly unpleasant London thug's ghost. After he's dealt with, they next handle another quickly resolved case which turns out to be ; I guess it was just included to show that even for magicians, not every investigation is an exciting, satisfying, and significant adventure.
Once I was well into the main story, however, I was never bored (though a few lines of explanation here and there were more or less repeated in case readers had forgotten since their first occurrence in the book).
What fairytale is it supposed to be inspired by? Hansel and Gretel, maybe?
I read this in hardcover from the library, and haven't decided yet whether I'll buy a paperback or electronic copy of this volume for myself if I see one at a good price.
October 3, 2021
The next case for Dr. John Watson, his wife Mary, and Nan, Sarah, and Suki starts with a letter sent to the deceased Sherlock Holmes begging for help in finding two children lost on the moors of Dartmoor. Since the letter bears traces of Earth magic, they are eager to help but not sure what they can actually do.
Lord Alderscroft sends the group to Dartmoor when it is learned that an unusual number of children have disappeared in the area of Yelverton over the preceding four years. They also learn that Sherlock Holmes is investigating a case of his own in the area. It seems the women are being raped and robbed under some sort of magical compulsion.
A good part of the story is told from the viewpoint of the missing children who are captured by someone they call the Dark One who has imprisoned them and steals their magic from them. One of the two missing children mentioned in the letter - Helen Byerly - has no magical ability though her brother Simon does. Helen has the tip of her finger chopped off and buried under the hearthstone and finds herself as a servant for the evil magician unable to leave the grounds of his house.
While working as his servant, she is able to better the lot of the other prisoners and is finally able to dig up her missing finger and escape during one of the evil magician's absences. However, she manages to get herself lost on the moors and almost dies of pneumonia despite being found by one of the local witches.
Meanwhile, the Watson group is doing all they can to explore the area and locate the missing children by tracking down every possible rumor and checking every possible location using all of their various abilities.
This was another excellent adventure in the Elemental Masters series. Gemma Doyle did a great job with all the various voices and the dialects. The worldbuilding was excellent and the characters interesting.
Lord Alderscroft sends the group to Dartmoor when it is learned that an unusual number of children have disappeared in the area of Yelverton over the preceding four years. They also learn that Sherlock Holmes is investigating a case of his own in the area. It seems the women are being raped and robbed under some sort of magical compulsion.
A good part of the story is told from the viewpoint of the missing children who are captured by someone they call the Dark One who has imprisoned them and steals their magic from them. One of the two missing children mentioned in the letter - Helen Byerly - has no magical ability though her brother Simon does. Helen has the tip of her finger chopped off and buried under the hearthstone and finds herself as a servant for the evil magician unable to leave the grounds of his house.
While working as his servant, she is able to better the lot of the other prisoners and is finally able to dig up her missing finger and escape during one of the evil magician's absences. However, she manages to get herself lost on the moors and almost dies of pneumonia despite being found by one of the local witches.
Meanwhile, the Watson group is doing all they can to explore the area and locate the missing children by tracking down every possible rumor and checking every possible location using all of their various abilities.
This was another excellent adventure in the Elemental Masters series. Gemma Doyle did a great job with all the various voices and the dialects. The worldbuilding was excellent and the characters interesting.
January 14, 2020
'The fourteenth novel in the magical alternate history Elemental Masters series continues the reimagined adventures of Sherlock Holmes in a richly-detailed alternate 20th-century England.
'While Sherlock is still officially dead, John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of his case-load--and some for Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
'Lord Alderscroft asks them to go to Dartmoor to track down a rumor of evil magic brewing there. Not more than four hours later, a poor cottager, also from Dartmoor, arrives seeking their help. His wife, in a fit of rage over the children spilling and spoiling their only food for dinner that night, sent them out on the moors to forage for something to eat. This is not the first time she has done this, and the children are moor-wise and unlikely to get into difficulties. But this time they did not come back, and in fact, their tracks abruptly stopped "as if them Pharisees took'd 'em." The man begs them to come help.
'They would have said no, but there's the assignment for Alderscroft. Why not kill two birds with one stone? But the deadly bogs are not the only mires on Dartmoor. '
I've not read any of The Elemental Masters series before picking up this book. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, especially as the fourteenth book in a series is probably not the best place for most people to start reading. However, I found the concept of the world that Mercedes Lackey has created to be very interesting, and knew that I wanted to read the book. I'm a bot of a sucker for Sherlock Holmes stories, and one that mixes in the paranormal is always going to tickle my fancy even more.
Luckily for me Lackey has written the book to be incredibly accessible to new readers, something that she didn't have to do. The book begins with a man being killed in London, and discovering that he's now a ghost. Over the course of this little story the reader gets introduced to some of the rules of the universe as this new ghost discovers them. It might only be a taste of things to come within the book, and doesn't cover any of the elemental magics that appear later, but it eases the reader into how The Elemental Masters actually works. By the time more magical elements were introduced I'd already discovered enough about the world that it wasn't a huge shock when characters like John Watson were performing magic.
The characters are also introduced slowly, with each one given a brief explanation as to who they are, and how they fit into this world. I only learnt a small amount of their back stories, such as Nan and Sarah working with Lord Alderscroft, or Sherlock Holmes pretending to be dead and Mary Watson having to masquerade as a man because of a previous adventure that involved Professor Moriarty. I didn't know everything about the series, but I knew enough to be able to enjoy this adventure without being weighed down by a ton of history. It felt like the perfect amount of backstory to introduce new readers without alienating people that have been reading the series from the beginning.
The history of The Elemental Masters aside, and how well the book introduces new readers; this story is actually quite a slow burning mystery. A good portion of the book goes by before the heroes even become aware of the missing children on the moors, and we follow them through a few smaller investigations before they even get involved in the central plot. I can see how this could upset a few people, and possibly feel like the book is slow paced, however, I really liked this approach. It showed that the heroes of the series aren't always involved in big adventures that involve saving the world, and that sometimes their lives can even be quite dull. The fact that one of the cases they investigate turns out to not have anything supernatural about it was, I thought, a great choice. It demonstrated a bigger world outside of the main plot.
The central plot itself was interesting, with the story of the missing children unfolding at a steady pace. At first you think that it's just these two missing children, then you discover that there's more, then you find out that they're being used to supply 'the Dark One' with magic, then you learn more about their captor. The book doesn't give you all of the answers up front, and lets you get your head around what you've already discovered before adding more layers to the mystery.
Whilst this central story is engaging, and at times very creepy, it does feel like it gets resolved a little too quickly. The heroes have travelled to the moors and are slowly investigating potential suspects and eliminating areas where the children could be held, which is all great, but then Sherlock Holmes suddenly turns up and provides them with the location of the missing children. It had been established earlier in the book that he was in the area conducting his own investigation, but it does feel a little like he swoops in at the last moment with the solution when the others are already working on it.
I love that Sherlock has a presence in the story, and gets to be with his friends to wrap up the mystery and catch the villain, but it does feel like he was brought in to wrap up the book a bit quicker. Perhaps if the book was a bit longer, and has more of the main group investigating and getting closer to the villain it would have felt a little more natural. As it is, they could have sat around and waited for Holmes to provide them with the solution and they'd have been fine.
This isn't a huge criticism, however, as I still enjoyed seeing how these characters worked together, and how they went about an investigation without the worlds greatest detective. The end where they all have to work together on a sneaky plan that involves disguises, misdirection, and perfect timing, is thoroughly enjoyable, and feels like a Sherlockian heist in the best way.
The Elemental Masters: The Case of the Spellbound Child is my first foray into this series, but it certainly won't be my last. I enjoyed the book so much that I'm definitely going back to check out the previous entries in the series, as will be reading the new releases as they come. A great combination of Victorian era mystery and magic that shows how well Sherlock Holmes can work with the supernatural.
'While Sherlock is still officially dead, John and Mary Watson and Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White are taking up some of his case-load--and some for Lord Alderscroft, the Wizard of London.
'Lord Alderscroft asks them to go to Dartmoor to track down a rumor of evil magic brewing there. Not more than four hours later, a poor cottager, also from Dartmoor, arrives seeking their help. His wife, in a fit of rage over the children spilling and spoiling their only food for dinner that night, sent them out on the moors to forage for something to eat. This is not the first time she has done this, and the children are moor-wise and unlikely to get into difficulties. But this time they did not come back, and in fact, their tracks abruptly stopped "as if them Pharisees took'd 'em." The man begs them to come help.
'They would have said no, but there's the assignment for Alderscroft. Why not kill two birds with one stone? But the deadly bogs are not the only mires on Dartmoor. '
I've not read any of The Elemental Masters series before picking up this book. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, especially as the fourteenth book in a series is probably not the best place for most people to start reading. However, I found the concept of the world that Mercedes Lackey has created to be very interesting, and knew that I wanted to read the book. I'm a bot of a sucker for Sherlock Holmes stories, and one that mixes in the paranormal is always going to tickle my fancy even more.
Luckily for me Lackey has written the book to be incredibly accessible to new readers, something that she didn't have to do. The book begins with a man being killed in London, and discovering that he's now a ghost. Over the course of this little story the reader gets introduced to some of the rules of the universe as this new ghost discovers them. It might only be a taste of things to come within the book, and doesn't cover any of the elemental magics that appear later, but it eases the reader into how The Elemental Masters actually works. By the time more magical elements were introduced I'd already discovered enough about the world that it wasn't a huge shock when characters like John Watson were performing magic.
The characters are also introduced slowly, with each one given a brief explanation as to who they are, and how they fit into this world. I only learnt a small amount of their back stories, such as Nan and Sarah working with Lord Alderscroft, or Sherlock Holmes pretending to be dead and Mary Watson having to masquerade as a man because of a previous adventure that involved Professor Moriarty. I didn't know everything about the series, but I knew enough to be able to enjoy this adventure without being weighed down by a ton of history. It felt like the perfect amount of backstory to introduce new readers without alienating people that have been reading the series from the beginning.
The history of The Elemental Masters aside, and how well the book introduces new readers; this story is actually quite a slow burning mystery. A good portion of the book goes by before the heroes even become aware of the missing children on the moors, and we follow them through a few smaller investigations before they even get involved in the central plot. I can see how this could upset a few people, and possibly feel like the book is slow paced, however, I really liked this approach. It showed that the heroes of the series aren't always involved in big adventures that involve saving the world, and that sometimes their lives can even be quite dull. The fact that one of the cases they investigate turns out to not have anything supernatural about it was, I thought, a great choice. It demonstrated a bigger world outside of the main plot.
The central plot itself was interesting, with the story of the missing children unfolding at a steady pace. At first you think that it's just these two missing children, then you discover that there's more, then you find out that they're being used to supply 'the Dark One' with magic, then you learn more about their captor. The book doesn't give you all of the answers up front, and lets you get your head around what you've already discovered before adding more layers to the mystery.
Whilst this central story is engaging, and at times very creepy, it does feel like it gets resolved a little too quickly. The heroes have travelled to the moors and are slowly investigating potential suspects and eliminating areas where the children could be held, which is all great, but then Sherlock Holmes suddenly turns up and provides them with the location of the missing children. It had been established earlier in the book that he was in the area conducting his own investigation, but it does feel a little like he swoops in at the last moment with the solution when the others are already working on it.
I love that Sherlock has a presence in the story, and gets to be with his friends to wrap up the mystery and catch the villain, but it does feel like he was brought in to wrap up the book a bit quicker. Perhaps if the book was a bit longer, and has more of the main group investigating and getting closer to the villain it would have felt a little more natural. As it is, they could have sat around and waited for Holmes to provide them with the solution and they'd have been fine.
This isn't a huge criticism, however, as I still enjoyed seeing how these characters worked together, and how they went about an investigation without the worlds greatest detective. The end where they all have to work together on a sneaky plan that involves disguises, misdirection, and perfect timing, is thoroughly enjoyable, and feels like a Sherlockian heist in the best way.
The Elemental Masters: The Case of the Spellbound Child is my first foray into this series, but it certainly won't be my last. I enjoyed the book so much that I'm definitely going back to check out the previous entries in the series, as will be reading the new releases as they come. A great combination of Victorian era mystery and magic that shows how well Sherlock Holmes can work with the supernatural.
January 5, 2022
I understand wanting to add ambiance and a feeling of authenticity, but having most of the characters speak in a dialect that (odds are good) most readers will have little to no familiarity with…. Just becomes frustrating.
I get it, they aren’t the rich and famous of London. But I’d like to be able to understand and follow along with the story without having to guess at what each passing character just said because they are written using a colloquial dialect and local slang.
I admit it, I’m losing interest in the Elemental Masters series because of the books focusing on Sarah and Nan. While I liked their characters originally, I’m struggling now. Everything is just too pat for them. They are friends with all the right people to make their lives easy, they rarely have to do much “work”, and the books are just kind of dull.
I get it, they aren’t the rich and famous of London. But I’d like to be able to understand and follow along with the story without having to guess at what each passing character just said because they are written using a colloquial dialect and local slang.
I admit it, I’m losing interest in the Elemental Masters series because of the books focusing on Sarah and Nan. While I liked their characters originally, I’m struggling now. Everything is just too pat for them. They are friends with all the right people to make their lives easy, they rarely have to do much “work”, and the books are just kind of dull.
December 23, 2023
Another library loan, so glad it wasn't a purchase and no, I won't hurt my eyeballs and my brain trying to struggle through another title just because about 10 pages have an appearance of Sherlock Holmes - no more !
March 16, 2020
An intriguing ghost story + Sherlock Holmes = a fun time reading this overall. 3.5 🌟!
May 31, 2022
Breezy and easy to read. Pleasant confection.
December 21, 2019
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April 2, 2020
Victorian-era historical fiction with magic? I'm in! The cover blurb drew me in while I was browsing in the library, not really intending to take anything out that day since my TBR pile is sky-high. I have read a few of Mercedes Lackey's books over the years, so I knew it would be a good story regardless. As it turns out, I must have read an earlier Elemental Masters book, because the main characters started to ring a bell in my mind, and the more I read, the more I recalled about them. It was a pleasant surprise!
I enjoyed the adventure of the sleuthing magicians in the southern English countryside during a hot summer. The author's description and prose brought out the prejudices and mindsets of the time but in a relevant-to-the-story manner. The representation of the highly regional dialects I found particularly fun, especially as I like to read aloud- my tongue was veritably tied in knots!
The historically relevant characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were wonderfully woven into the storyline and won't disappoint long-time fans. The style is light, adventurous, and comfortable to read for hours on end. For me, it was a great little diversion into the nether in between the two genres of historical fiction and fantasy. Ms. Lackey melds magic into the Victorian literary landscape artfully. I will try to remember the Elemental Masters series for myself when I need a bit of a fun foray into a magical past, and you should too!
I enjoyed the adventure of the sleuthing magicians in the southern English countryside during a hot summer. The author's description and prose brought out the prejudices and mindsets of the time but in a relevant-to-the-story manner. The representation of the highly regional dialects I found particularly fun, especially as I like to read aloud- my tongue was veritably tied in knots!
The historically relevant characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were wonderfully woven into the storyline and won't disappoint long-time fans. The style is light, adventurous, and comfortable to read for hours on end. For me, it was a great little diversion into the nether in between the two genres of historical fiction and fantasy. Ms. Lackey melds magic into the Victorian literary landscape artfully. I will try to remember the Elemental Masters series for myself when I need a bit of a fun foray into a magical past, and you should too!
February 8, 2020
I have several complaints about this book and I'm not sure if it's because I am disappointed that this isn't a five hundreds kingdom book, or because this really wasn't a great book.
Things I liked:
All of the chapters from the POV of the children. That was actually the only interesting part of the book, and if the whole book had been written about that, if all the chapters about Nan & Co had been cut out I think the whole book would be given 4 stars. Seriously, at one point
Complaints:
1. Nothing happens for 60 pages. There are two events (first -- very interesting, and then plot line dropped completely, second -- boring and stupid and for no reason, again, plot line dropped completely) which if I was being generous I would say were used to introduce the characters, except that it doesn't, really, at all. I know I've read all the other elemental masters books and I still couldn't remember a damn thing about the characters.
2. It involves Sherlock Holmes. I do not like any kind of Sherlock Holmes.
3. Everyone is saccharine. There are no crotchety characters, no uncooperative characters (aside from the villain), no one hinders them at all!!! There's no real anything that they have to overcome to win, they just... win.
4. Trigger warning:
5. The obvious (and would have been more interesting) plotline would have been
6. Accents. I hate when authors write in accents. Especially just to indicate "lowborn" characters.
7. I said that nothing relevant happens for the first 60 pages? Well it feels like nothing actually happens for the whole book until the last 10 pages. , but it's NO THANKS TO LITERALLY ANYTHING THE CHARACTERS HAVE SPENT THE ENTIRE BOOK DOING.
Not sure what the editor/publishers were thinking. The bones of the book were good. The writing & execution of the details felt lazy.
Things I liked:
All of the chapters from the POV of the children. That was actually the only interesting part of the book, and if the whole book had been written about that, if all the chapters about Nan & Co had been cut out I think the whole book would be given 4 stars. Seriously, at one point
Complaints:
1. Nothing happens for 60 pages. There are two events (first -- very interesting, and then plot line dropped completely, second -- boring and stupid and for no reason, again, plot line dropped completely) which if I was being generous I would say were used to introduce the characters, except that it doesn't, really, at all. I know I've read all the other elemental masters books and I still couldn't remember a damn thing about the characters.
2. It involves Sherlock Holmes. I do not like any kind of Sherlock Holmes.
3. Everyone is saccharine. There are no crotchety characters, no uncooperative characters (aside from the villain), no one hinders them at all!!! There's no real anything that they have to overcome to win, they just... win.
4. Trigger warning:
5. The obvious (and would have been more interesting) plotline would have been
6. Accents. I hate when authors write in accents. Especially just to indicate "lowborn" characters.
7. I said that nothing relevant happens for the first 60 pages? Well it feels like nothing actually happens for the whole book until the last 10 pages. , but it's NO THANKS TO LITERALLY ANYTHING THE CHARACTERS HAVE SPENT THE ENTIRE BOOK DOING.
Not sure what the editor/publishers were thinking. The bones of the book were good. The writing & execution of the details felt lazy.
July 6, 2020
Mad, Sad, and Frustrated
Of my two favorite authors, I've always listed Mercedes Lackey. I remember being upset at the criticism leveled towards Mags's story even though many focused on the editing. And at first, I liked this novel. I'm a fan of the regular slice of life novels, the what happens after they save the world stories, even books that are more TV episodic than not. Moreover, I'm usually terrible at criticizing books. So if it's so bad that I'm noticing, why did it even get to the publisher like this? There's several parts that bothered me, like how disconnected the starting story was from the rest of it, though that could be connected to how much this book felt like a set up for future books. (Which also wasn't the greatest thing to feel about a book). The worst thing was the complete lack of character development, even in the main characters, and how Ellie was denied her heroes ending. I'm really upset for Ellie. She deserved better than to written off into a storm just because she successfully escaped but it didn't fit into Lackey's idea of who got to save the day. Ellie was the real hero I was cheering for and never got the acknowledgment as such. I know more about what the girls wore each day than how the story ended for Ellie. I felt denied any sort of growth or change or even triumph in the characters. Alf didn't reform, Simon didn't rise to the occasion, Ellie didn't get her heroes welcome, the byerly's were weirdly written off as spoiling the kids, and even the girls didn't get enough narrative to show their nervousness or for us to see them be challenged. It was just kind of sad. And at the end everyone got to pack themselves on the back for "caring" about the missing kids. Just made me mad, and sad and frustrated with how self centered this narration felt, like only the main heroes were allowed to save the day, even though it posed no challenge or excitement.
Of my two favorite authors, I've always listed Mercedes Lackey. I remember being upset at the criticism leveled towards Mags's story even though many focused on the editing. And at first, I liked this novel. I'm a fan of the regular slice of life novels, the what happens after they save the world stories, even books that are more TV episodic than not. Moreover, I'm usually terrible at criticizing books. So if it's so bad that I'm noticing, why did it even get to the publisher like this? There's several parts that bothered me, like how disconnected the starting story was from the rest of it, though that could be connected to how much this book felt like a set up for future books. (Which also wasn't the greatest thing to feel about a book). The worst thing was the complete lack of character development, even in the main characters, and how Ellie was denied her heroes ending. I'm really upset for Ellie. She deserved better than to written off into a storm just because she successfully escaped but it didn't fit into Lackey's idea of who got to save the day. Ellie was the real hero I was cheering for and never got the acknowledgment as such. I know more about what the girls wore each day than how the story ended for Ellie. I felt denied any sort of growth or change or even triumph in the characters. Alf didn't reform, Simon didn't rise to the occasion, Ellie didn't get her heroes welcome, the byerly's were weirdly written off as spoiling the kids, and even the girls didn't get enough narrative to show their nervousness or for us to see them be challenged. It was just kind of sad. And at the end everyone got to pack themselves on the back for "caring" about the missing kids. Just made me mad, and sad and frustrated with how self centered this narration felt, like only the main heroes were allowed to save the day, even though it posed no challenge or excitement.
December 28, 2020
I've been reading Mercedes Lackey books for the best part of 25 years, and I've mostly enjoyed this series, although, while I don't dislike Nan and Sarah, I did prefer the earlier books. Sadly this isn't the best instalment in the series. It starts with two interludes, almost short stories, used as a kind of introduction. The second of these seemed to me to contain attitudes that came very close to victim-blaming, and, looking at other reviews, I wasn't the only one to feel that.
The main story is set on Dartmoor, and is liberally sprinkled with local dialect (apparently cribbed from either this source or something very similar: https://www.lerwill-life.org.uk/histo... which might help future readers as few of the terms are explained). There seemed to be a lot of exposition, I'm not sure if it was more than usual or if I'm just paying more attention to that sort of thing. For a reader from the UK, there are also a few obvious errors. The incumbent of an English parish is not called a priest by his parishioners, would definitely not introduce himself as 'Father', and people would probably not call him padre. These tend to be Catholic terms, and English village parishes of circa 1900 would almost certainly be Anglican (protestant). He should be a rector or vicar (not a preacher either!). There were a couple of other little things like that that mildly irritated me, such as the constant harping on about how hot it was because it was summer. Anyone who has enjoyed a British summer will know that it is rarely as hot as this book suggests (certainly not hot enough to make any sort of comparison with India!). I feel that nowadays it should be easy enough to find a beta reader in the country you're writing about to check this stuff for you. I'm relieved to read that the next instalment is set in the US... though with yet more dialect! Joy!
The main story is set on Dartmoor, and is liberally sprinkled with local dialect (apparently cribbed from either this source or something very similar: https://www.lerwill-life.org.uk/histo... which might help future readers as few of the terms are explained). There seemed to be a lot of exposition, I'm not sure if it was more than usual or if I'm just paying more attention to that sort of thing. For a reader from the UK, there are also a few obvious errors. The incumbent of an English parish is not called a priest by his parishioners, would definitely not introduce himself as 'Father', and people would probably not call him padre. These tend to be Catholic terms, and English village parishes of circa 1900 would almost certainly be Anglican (protestant). He should be a rector or vicar (not a preacher either!). There were a couple of other little things like that that mildly irritated me, such as the constant harping on about how hot it was because it was summer. Anyone who has enjoyed a British summer will know that it is rarely as hot as this book suggests (certainly not hot enough to make any sort of comparison with India!). I feel that nowadays it should be easy enough to find a beta reader in the country you're writing about to check this stuff for you. I'm relieved to read that the next instalment is set in the US... though with yet more dialect! Joy!
December 21, 2019
This series has become a perennial favorite of mine, and especially those books with the recurring characters of Elemental Masters Nan and Sarah. With the introduction in previous books of Sherlock Holmes, and Master Magicians John and Mary Watson, it has become even more fun. This case involves the kidnapping of several missing children, and we switch back and forth from the points of view of the victims and our protagonists.
I love this world of elemental magic in Victorian times. I also like that the major players here (aside from our heroines Nan and Sarah) are the Watsons rather than Sherlock Holmes, who is really a minor player. I especially enjoy the intelligent birds Neville the raven and Grey the grey parrot, who are the girls' familiars and characters on their own. It's been fun to see the girls grow up from the young children they were in the first book that introduced them. And I like that this series has a a lot of standalone books with characters that occasionally have cameos in other books. It's a fun world that I always enjoy revisiting with every new volume, and I look forward to the next one.
I love this world of elemental magic in Victorian times. I also like that the major players here (aside from our heroines Nan and Sarah) are the Watsons rather than Sherlock Holmes, who is really a minor player. I especially enjoy the intelligent birds Neville the raven and Grey the grey parrot, who are the girls' familiars and characters on their own. It's been fun to see the girls grow up from the young children they were in the first book that introduced them. And I like that this series has a a lot of standalone books with characters that occasionally have cameos in other books. It's a fun world that I always enjoy revisiting with every new volume, and I look forward to the next one.
February 1, 2020
I love these characters but I feel like Misty phoned them in. There's no real character growth and the plot is a bit disjointed. The one thing Lackey did well was create a good mystery villain, she managed to completely surprise me there! I did not like the story about the girl in the asylum, characters I otherwise like were far too judgmental and disparaging of her, and it came very close to victim blaming. The ghost was a good beginning and I was disappointed it didn't go anywhere. It also didn't have much relationship to the rest of the book. Sherlock is barely there, Puck is not as mysterious, powerful, or playful, and you would have had to read the previous books to understand my h of what was going on. I have enjoyed the Elemental Masters books and especially the worldbuilding but Misty either needs a fresh take, short stories instead of novels, or to retire the series.
January 15, 2020
I stayed up late to finish this book because I was tired of it and wanted it over. Mercedes Lackey has been one of my favorite authors, but I don't care for the Elemental Masters series which seems wound so tightly around Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps this is because I preferred Hercule Poirot to Holmes. In some parts the plot moves briskly, in other places you have pages of description about clothes, or the countryside or the food while the characters gathered to share their thoughts and move the plot along. It is interesting to me, that twice in the book, characters indulging in caring for the poor are accused of being socialists. Intentional or not, it seemed on point for the current political atmosphere.
January 9, 2020
Generally I like this series, pretty lightweight (none of the TW mentioned are particularly graphic imo), familiarly comforting and this one kept with that pattern pretty well. It has some slow spots and I found the portions of dialog being written in dialect to be extremely annoying and hard to decipher. An ok read, a pleasant distraction.
TW on the book for victim blaming, kidnapping, using chains to keep children captive and vague mentions of rape against adult women.
TW on the book for victim blaming, kidnapping, using chains to keep children captive and vague mentions of rape against adult women.
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