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Elemental Masters #4.6
Grey's Ghost
NOTE: Grey's Ghost is an excerpt from the novel The Wizard of London.
When Nan and Sarah attended a séance, they discovered that the medium holding it was not the one who could communicate with ghosts.
When Nan and Sarah attended a séance, they discovered that the medium holding it was not the one who could communicate with ghosts.
Nook
First published January 1, 2005
26 people are currently reading
702 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Lackey
441 books9,538 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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 25, 2015
Not the usual sci-fi/fantasy story
From the beginning this short story reminded me of Kipling, then Kipling appeared as a favorite author of the children. Obviously the similarity to Kipling is deliberate. A brilliant writer, Mercedes Lackey displays her versatility in this untraditional sci-fi/fantasy story.
From the beginning this short story reminded me of Kipling, then Kipling appeared as a favorite author of the children. Obviously the similarity to Kipling is deliberate. A brilliant writer, Mercedes Lackey displays her versatility in this untraditional sci-fi/fantasy story.
November 28, 2011
I wish I'd have known these were excerpts from another book before I downloaded them. Oh well, at least they were only $0.99.
July 29, 2014
Short story included in Werehunter by Mercedes Lackey (copyright 1999). She states in the story introduction "I'm toying with the idea of doing an entire book about the Harton School, Nan, Sarah, and Gray and I'd be interested to hear if anyone besides parrot-lovers would want to read it." Obviously she successfully did just that in Wizard of London, copyright 2005.
June 8, 2012
Again, just an excerpt from the Wizard of London.
August 16, 2025
I have never read a short story or novel by Mercedes Lackey, that I did not like, and this short story was no exception. I was also well aware none of these stories are new material and chose to purchase them anyway. The characters are quite vivid and become quite beloved to this reader in a very short time. The plot is easily followed and the premise is discovering whether the Mem Sab's friend was being cheated by a medium. The answers were soon discovered and the solution found. I definitely highly recommend this short story, but be aware it is NOT new material.
July 23, 2021
Satisfying miniature.
Takes place in a sort of boarding school for very young emigrants from British India (not wholly unlike in The Secret Garden), very beningly and well administered. This is, I believe, the setting of one or more of her longer Elemental Masters stories, to which this is an enjoyable pendant.
Takes place in a sort of boarding school for very young emigrants from British India (not wholly unlike in The Secret Garden), very beningly and well administered. This is, I believe, the setting of one or more of her longer Elemental Masters stories, to which this is an enjoyable pendant.
December 3, 2021
This is an excerpt from Book #5, The Wizard of London.
I suggest taking the time and reading the entire novel, as it’s worthwhile. This is a fun bit towards the beginning of the novel as Sarah and Nan are taken to a seance, in the hopes of uncovering some crooked occultists with the help of Grey, Sarah’s parrot.
I suggest taking the time and reading the entire novel, as it’s worthwhile. This is a fun bit towards the beginning of the novel as Sarah and Nan are taken to a seance, in the hopes of uncovering some crooked occultists with the help of Grey, Sarah’s parrot.
March 8, 2025
Entirely Fair
It was, indeed, an excerpt from the book. I am reminded that the chapters of Lackey's stories are like episodes of TV shows, an while they serve the plot line can stand alone.
It was, indeed, an excerpt from the book. I am reminded that the chapters of Lackey's stories are like episodes of TV shows, an while they serve the plot line can stand alone.
May 1, 2020
Excerpt from a larger book
I really like this story, but its basically an excerpt from The Wizard of London, which is also an Elemental Masters novel. I highly recommend it.
I really like this story, but its basically an excerpt from The Wizard of London, which is also an Elemental Masters novel. I highly recommend it.
April 15, 2023
Short story you would find as a chapter in a longer book.
April 6, 2025
Sarah, Nan, and Gray help expose a fraudulent medium. A good story!
January 5, 2022
This story is a repeat of the first chapter in the Wizard of London.
June 9, 2015
I would have liked to have read this book as a child. It rewards realistic behavior (being respected even as a kid but also knowing to ask adults for help), and is a pretty entertaining read. Very short, though.
December 22, 2022
re-read 4/5/2014
March 2, 2015
another quick cute read
August 17, 2015
It was a snippet from The Wizard Of London.
January 3, 2018
Good short about Grey, Sarah and Nan
March 26, 2015
It turns out to be a short story drawn from a novel, but it's a good story.
March 30, 2017
Not my favorite scene in the book but a very good point in the story.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews