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

This book will make you think. It is well written. I loved the main character. I felt like she was someone that I could relate to. The plot was thick with excitement. I did not quite expect it to unfold as it did. I love a book that can surprise me. The pets are an interesting part of this tale. I think it was great how Lackey worked them into the story. This is so like and unlike Snow White all at the same time. It is one of the better Snow White rewrites out there.

Mercedes Lackey remains true to form with one of her newest stories. She creates echoes of The Fire Rose (one of her other books), Kipling's stories, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Maya Witherspoon is a half-Indian, half-English physician with untrained Earth Magick of practically unlimited potential, living in England in 1909. She is being tracked down by her mother's "evil" priestess twin sister. Maya had moved from her native India to England to try to escape her aunt's "justice", but to no avail. She starts her own medical practice for "female complaints", with "absolute discretion", where Peter Scott, a Water Master, meets her. He trains her in her magick, while her seven animal avatar "pets" - more like guardians - look on. Wanna know how it ends? Read it for yourself!! Seriously, though, Mercedes Lackey really did a good job, creating images from The Fire Rose and her Grey short stories (contained in Werehunter, one of her short story collections). All in all, an EXCELLENT story by an excellent writer!!

After the disaster that was OwlFlight/Sight/Etc it looks like she's finally found something new to work with. This is a brand new world and adventure, safely leaving the wellworm Valdemarian and Elves by the wayside.
This book is a wonderful indication of how Lackey can write when she is given free rein and free imagaintion. It's well paced, a tad under charactorized at times, but on the whole a fantastic read for her current fans. (And new fans besides!)
I'll be keeping an eye out to see if there are any more books forthcoming in this world... *crosses fingers*

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 �chess game of power and death� 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 isn�t a moment that leaves one anxiously turning pages to see what will happen. Maya�s 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 she�s talking about. And Maya�s 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 gods� dazzling histories and personalities, which might have added some spark to the book, are never explored at all; they�re used only as a convenient names to throw around.
The Serpent�s Shadow has a few well-written, fun scenes, and Elemental magic is an interesting topic in Ms. Lackey�s 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 Serpent�s Shadow comes as a disappointment. Those seeking a masterful, magical retelling of a well-known fairy tale should look to Ms. Lackey�s The Fire Rose, and not to this uninspired imitation.

I was actually surprised when I found out this was a Snow White and the Seven Dwarves retelling. Besides that, I found this to be a very good book. I had absolutely no difficulty getting through it and well, if it wasn't the most historically accurate book I've ever read, it was a sight better written than some books that could claim more accuracy and not as good writing. Maya was a very interesting character and I enjoyed all of her animal companions. The only flaw I found with this book was that Maya and Peter's relationship felt slightly rushed and a little to sudden. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed a good fantasy, or just a good story for that matter.

Quite a departure from the Valdemar, urban fantasy, and Bard's tales Lackey usually writes. I was hesitant to read this one at first, not having an interest in Indian mythology. But I'm glad I did, and I'm looking forward to a sequel. I enjoy books about strong and unconvential women who seek to overcome their flaws and learn from life's experiences, and this is an excellent example of such a character.

I haven't written a review before, but seeing all the negative reviews preceeding condeming this book I felt I had to contribute. I have been reading and re-reading and loaning and giving out Ms. Lackeys books for years and I was thrilled to see two brand new hardcovers on the shelves on my last trip to the bookstore. I enjoyed this story very much. I was happy to see the continuation of the Elemental magick. Yes the ending was a bit rushed...but that could just as easily have been because I read faster towards the end so I could see what happened. I appreciate Ms. Lackey for writing strong independant women, no matter what the setting. I would recommend this for a wonderful escape from this reality.

i have loved mecedes lackey ever since i first read her last herald mage trilogy (which is awesome and you should get it now) and i love the new direction she is going in. although her valdamar books are wonderful, these new stories are just as good and very interesting. in the serpent's shadow,is a great book filled with magic and medicine and even some love. the characters are great and the plot is interesting. the only problem i had with the book was that the ending was a little abrupt, but otherwise the book was definitly worth buying.

The Serpent's Shadow is very very reminiscient of Katherine Kurtz's Adept Series. England is the setting, there's a lodge, there are Masters, you name it. The only difference pretty much are the characters.
But the book was pretty good. I hope there'll be more books about Maya Witherspoon.

Having enjoyed Mercedes Lackey's books for years I immediately picked this one up. While it was certainly entertaining and interesting it was not as good as a number of her past efforts including the Fire Rose, which it seems to follow. Although the story starts off well by the last few chapters events seem contrived and hasty. The final confrontation definitely lacks something. I say wait for it in paperback.

i have loved mecedes lackey ever since i first read her last herald mage trilogy (which is awesome and you should get it now) and i love the new direction she is going in. although her valdamar books are wonderful, these new stories are just as good and very interesting. in the serpent's shadow,is a great book filled with magic and medicine and even some love. the characters are great and the plot is interesting. the only problem i had with the book was that the ending was a little abrupt, but otherwise the book was definitly worth buying.

The Serpent's Shadow is very very reminiscient of Katherine Kurtz's Adept Series. England is the setting, there's a lodge, there are Masters, you name it. The only difference pretty much are the characters.
But the book was pretty good. I hope there'll be more books about Maya Witherspoon.

Having enjoyed Mercedes Lackey's books for years I immediately picked this one up. While it was certainly entertaining and interesting it was not as good as a number of her past efforts including the Fire Rose, which it seems to follow. Although the story starts off well by the last few chapters events seem contrived and hasty. The final confrontation definitely lacks something. I say wait for it in paperback.