The Serpent's Shadow (Elemental Masters, Book 1)

Some of Maya's challenges come from the fact that she is not "snow white," and she has fled India for her father's English homeland after the suspicious deaths of her parents. Establishing her household in London, she returns to her profession as a physician, working among the poor. Her "pets" and loyal servants stand guard, and Maya herself uses what bits of magic she managed to pick up in childhood to weave otherworldly defenses as well. But the implacable enemy who killed her parents has come to London to search for her; if Maya can be enslaved, her enormous potential powers can be used to the enemy's ends. Fortunately, English magicians of the White Lodge have also noted a new, powerful presence in their midst, though they're having trouble locating her, too. They send Peter Scott, a Water Master, to track her down. He finds Maya beautiful and benign, and is determined to teach her to use the Western magic she is heir to, before her enemy discovers her.

Some will find the author's Kiplingesque descriptions of India and Hindustani culture offensive. Lackey describes Maya's enemy as a powerful devotee of the goddess Kali-Durga, though she carefully shows that the avatars of the other deities will not attack her, and has Kali-Durga repudiate her servant in the climactic confrontation. And, though the story is layered, its surface is as glossy and brightly colored as an action comic. But readers who enjoy late Victorian London, Sayers, Sherlock Holmes stories, and a page-turning tale will want to take this one home. --Nona Vero

Product Description
From the magical mysteries of India to the gaslit streets of Victorian London, Mercedes Lackey's unique departure from her Valdemar series follows a young woman doctor as she searches for the secret behind the sorcery in her blood.

When Shivani murders her father, Maya flees India for the relative safety of London where she tends to the medical needs of the poor. Shivani follows her to London, planning to cause mass chaos, trepidation, and death in order to force the infidel English from her country. Shivani also plans to kill Maya, but that proves difficult as she is closely guarded and has own powers.

THE SERPENT'S SHADOW is a beautiful fantasy tale that leaves the audience believing in a happily ever after. Mercedes Lackey's latest novel will please romance fans as well. This adult fairy tale is brilliantly crafted just as the previous tale in this series, THE SUMMER RISE is. A secondary character deserves his story be told in a future edition. Recapture the innocence and pleasures of youth with this fabulous novel.

Harriet Klausner


The Book Needed an Editor   June 3, 2002
Sires (It's a Toss Up Right Now)
22 out of 29 found this review helpful

bI don't usually nit pick fantasy books. However, when a book very clearly connects with this world's history and plain old gets it wrong, it annoys me no end.

The front flap of the dust jacket said the book was set in 1909. Then one of the characters quote Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Saint-Exupery was born in 1900. I don't think he was publishing at the age of 9. The Lord Peter character, as distinguished from the male romantic interest, is clearly Lord Peter Wimsey (Dorothy Sayers creation) and he (per his creator)was born in 1890, so he would have been 19 years old at the time of this story. Not nearly old enough to be a trusted agent of the Foreign Office.

The hunger strike by Suffragettes only began in July 1909 and the first hunger striker was in fact released, not force fed. The force feedings came later and no one actually died from one-- only one Suffragette (Emily Davison) died as a result of protest activities and she was savaged by a horse when she ran onto the track and grabbed it's bridle.

There was also a reference to King Tut and his Great Wife. Tutankhamun's tomb was not discovered until 1922 and the archeaologist was Howard Carter not Harold Carter. However, the author was right about Egyptomania being an influence on home decorations even before that event. She was wrong in thinking that common household articles were not yet given Egyptian style. Long before Tutmanis struck, it was possible to find home funishings and decorations inspired by Ancient Egypt.

While retelling fairy tales can result in interesting books, trying to force a book into the fairy tale mold is not necessarily a good idea. I didn't even think of the fairy tale theme until the villain shows up dressed up as an old woman and by that time it seemed more of a casual add-on than an intregal part of the plot. I also resented the fact that the heroine, until that point a competent person, suddenly has to be rescued by the hero.

A little more attention to detail would have made this a much pleasanter read.


Not This Misty Fan's Cup of Tea   August 6, 2001
Alix Pascal
19 out of 21 found this review helpful

The Serpent's Shadow is, disappointingly, a jumbled rehash of Ms. Lackey's past work, material that has already been stretched thin. Where The Fire Rose (the first of her attempts to rewrite classic fairy tales) is fresh in its approach and stands as one of my all-time favorite books, The Serpent's Shadow struggles through a pale, undeveloped plot, see-through characters, and a villain that's absolutely ridiculous in her motivations and mannerisms. There's no element of surprise in this book whatsoever, and while Ms. Lackey's prose occasionally shines, it's all in a scene of a kind we've seen before from her.

(Example, from The Serpent's Shadow: "She liked his handshake; strong without being over-bearing, a warm, dry hand, neither too familiar nor too distant." And from The Fire Rose: "His grip was firm and quite strong, and she had the feeling that if she had not been wearing gloves, she would have found his hand to be warm, the skin of his palm dry.")

Ms. Lackey seems to be running out of steam and interest in her own topic throughout The Serpent's Shadow. The 400-page book leads up to a climax that is resolved in two pages, as if the author is as anxious to get to the book's end as the reader. While her characters are not completely devoid of personality, they're too one-sided -- the good guys are Beautiful People, kind, thoughtful, intelligent, witty, caring, etc, while the villains are motivated purely by greed or "evil"; after years of reading and admiring Ms. Lackey's work, I would very much like to see a villain that doesn't scowl and rely on "sex and blood magic" for his/her power. The book's primary villain, Shivani, is a pathetic caricature of a bad guy who brings the story to a lower, often eye-rolling level ("Then the campaign of terror would begin," we are told in one of Shivani's more melodramatic scenes; her reasons for playing a ychess game of power and deathy are weak at best).

Coming after the brilliance of The Fire Rose, The Serpent's Shadow isn't much. Ms. Lackey contradicts the rules of Elemental magic that she herself set in the first book, where it had been established that Masters of the same element could not stay in the same vicinity without rivalries and difficulties. In London, where The Serpent's Shadow takes place, there is a whole club of Elemental Masters, who all seem to be living in the same city without any difficulty whatsoever.

The characters and plotline of this book leave much to be desired. Maya Witherspoon, the heroine, is basically flawless -- beautiful, an accomplished doctor and surgeon at twenty-five, a powerful mage, and of course, selfless and liberal-minded. Ms. Lackey often goes off on tirades, via her characters, about the cruel and repressive upper class and especially the malevolence of men, as well as the never-ending struggling of the downtrodden poor, and while these are valid and important points, after a while it feels like we're being preached at. Not to mention that she can't seem to think of any new male names (there are two Peters, a Paul like in The Fire Rose, and a Simon -- again used in The Fire Rose).

Maya's romantic interest is a Water Master (her Element is Earth; in The Fire Rose, the focus was on Air and Fire Masters), and from the moment we see him, it's obvious that they're intended to become romantically involved. There isn't any element of surprise whatsoever in The Serpent's Shadow, and from start to incredibly predictable ending, there isnyt a moment that leaves one anxiously turning pages to see what will happen. Mayays story is supposed to be a retelling of Snow White, and Ms. Lackey throws in a few elements of the classic fairy tale -- magic mirror, seven guardians, poison, a life-saving kiss -- but never fully develops the parallel between the two stories. Her early twentieth-century London is never given much detail, though she will occasionally toss in a few British slang words as if to proudly prove that yes, she did her research, despite the fact that some readers might have no idea what sheys talking about. And Mayays seven guardians -- the dwarf substitute -- are bound to offend some followers of Hinduism, as they are supposed to be the major Hindu gods -- given the form of pets. The godsy dazzling histories and personalities, which might have added some spark to the book, are never explored at all; theyyre used only as a convenient names to throw around.

The Serpentys Shadow has a few well-written, fun scenes, and Elemental magic is an interesting topic in Ms. Lackeyys hands. But the crumbling, transparent plot and pointless, shallowly crafted characters detract from what could have been a good book. For long-time Misty fans, The Serpentys Shadow comes as a disappointment. Those seeking a masterful, magical retelling of a well-known fairy tale should look to Ms. Lackeyys The Fire Rose, and not to this uninspired imitation.


Long overdue sequel   March 24, 2001
13 out of 16 found this review helpful

Serpent's Shadow is a long overdue follow-up novel in the same vein as the "Fire Rose". Set again in the early 1900's,but this time in Britain, our heroine is Maya Witherspoon, orphaned daughter of a British surgeon and a high-caste Hindu mother with formidable magical powers, magical powers which Maya has inherited, but is untrained and unable to use effectively. Her mother's evil sister Shivani has murdered both of Maya's parents, causing Maya to flee with her odd, but loyal household to 19th century London. Here, Maya, herself a talented doctor and surgeon, must deal with all the prejudices of the age, against women, women doctors, and children of mixed heritage. Even many of those who should be her natural allies, the elemental Masters of Magic, are affected with these prejudices. How Maya deals and overcomes these obstacles to win the day make for an exciting story- I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. As an added treat, there is a delightful tribute to Dorothy L. Sayers, and her "Busman's Honeymoon", woven into the story. Altogether an excellent read.


a wonderful read   June 12, 2001
tregatt (Portland, Oregon)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

I found Mercedes Lackey's "The Serpent's Shadow" to be a really fun read. The best way to encapsulate this novel is to describe is as Dr. Bramwell (a PBS Masterpiece Theatre series about a female doctor in the early 1900s) meets Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The characters were all well developed and portrayed, and the whole plot premise, while it is an old one, and much used, came alive in a new and fresh manner under Ms Lackey's skilled hands. I read this novel in one go -- I just couldn't put this novel down. And while I'm quite a science fantasy fan, what I really liked about "The Serpent's Shadow" was the bits that dwelt with Maya's struggle to be a good doctor in the face of gender and racial prejudice. I think that Ms Lackey handled this theme very well, and very realistically. I also liked the subplot involving the Exeter Lodge, and their fastidious and rigid attitudes about 'aliens' -- i.e. women & foreigners. The frustration that Peter Cook, the Water Master, felt at the stubborn prejudices of the older and more aristocratic members, and their short sighted views on how to deal with the threat that Shrivani posed, was masterly portrayed. I'd also like to counter what a previous reviewer wrote about Ms Lackey and her negative depiction of Hinduism. I don't think that she did this at all. In all cultures and religions, there is good and evil. Ms Lackey depicted both aspects of this in this novel. The thing is the wicked stepmother in this novel is an Indian woman who is a practioner of one of the more destructive forms of Hinduism. And what I saw was how hate and the thirst for absolute power can pervert an individual's soul, in this case Shrivani's soul, rather than a indictmnet about the entire religion. And anyway it was Eastern forces that defeated Shrivani in the end, not Western one. So that you could sat that everything balanced out in the end.

"The Serpent's Shadow" is an excellent read and well worth recommending.