Fantasy: From a High Tower, Mercedes Lackey

From a High Tower (Elemental Masters)
Mercedes Lackey
ISBN: 9780756408985
Fantasy: mash-up of Rapunzel with a German wild-west tale.
Read June 2015

These last few books have struck me as odd for various reasons.  This time around, I was perplexed by the jacket copy that gave away the entire story to the 3/4s mark.  I was floored when I began reading and the story never picked up the pace - I was expecting the info in the jacket copy to be the set-up for the story, not the largest portion of the story itself!  That just struck me as very strange.

Once I got over that, I did enjoy the tale.  These are mostly light-hearted stories about good men and women who are masters (or adepts) at working with elemental spirits, and who stand against evil people who wish to use the elemental power (here presented as overwhelmingly neutral to human morality and affairs) for evil.

This particular story also involves the last heroine from Blood Red who has grown into her role as a legit ass-kicking guardian warrior, which was gratifying.  There was also a sub-plot involving a tribe of Pawnee enduring racism and caricatured portrayals of themselves in an attempt to earn money to purchase titles to their ancestral land.  I thought that was handled with skill and grace, but I am not native, so there may be issues I don't see.

Another fun little story, and a new set of interesting characters to add to the roster of interesting people in the overall series.

Blood Red, Mercedes Lackey

Blood Red 
Mercedes Lackey
ISBN: 9780756408978
Read June 18, 2014
Elemental Masters "Series"


Another Elemental Masters book, this one reworking Red Riding Hood, and I like it.  It's a little rough around the edges, but nothing near so irritating as Unnatural Issue was, and a much more original story than Steadfast.  I liked it about as much as I liked Home from the Sea.

I do think the whole "prejudice" character conflict was a bit wedged in there, but that didn't detract from the story too badly.

On the other hand, I'm greatly pleased that we didn't end this with a wedding or romance, which was delightful.

Rosa is an Earth Master, and she was studying with her Grossmutter before a shifter (werewolf) viciously attacked and killed the old lady, and tried to kill Rosa, who defended herself by calling upon the aid of the Earth spirits of the forest.  Now Rosa is a Hunter, and uses her talents to rid forests and villages of vampires, rogue magicians, and werewolves.  A social vacation at a White Lodge is interrupted by a pair of cousins who bring word of an ancient and continuous predation upon a part of Romania, and the trio heads out to investigate what they believe will be a single mad sorcerer.  If only it were so simple.