The Wizard of London (Elemental Masters, Book 4) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mercedes Lackey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2012

Set in Victorian London-where magic is real and Elemental Masters control the powers of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth-the fourth novel in this best-selling series tells the story of Lord Alderscroft, Master of the British Elemental Masters Council-the most powerful Fire Master ever to lead the Council. Loosely based on The Snow Queen, The Wizard of London delves into Lord Alderscroft's youth, when he was bespelled by an evil Elemental Master who hoped to use him for political gain.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lackey's latest Elemental Masters novel is set in Victorian England. The Harton School for Boys and Girls, run by Isabelle and Frederick Harton, is one of the few schools that takes students whose magic doesn't pertain to the elements, and who are, therefore, frequently ignored by the Elemental Masters. Such unheeded gifts include clairvoyance, telepathy, and the very rare ability to truly communicate with the dead. Sarah Jane's parents, missionary healers in Africa, send the 12-year-old to Harton, and she is happy there, especially after she befriends Nan, a street urchin. After an attempt is made on Sarah and Nan's lives, it is clear that a powerful Elemental Master wants one or both girls dead. Isabelle Harton must seek the aid of the Elemental Masters of London, though the Masters' Circle is led by Lord Alderscroft, who once cruelly jilted her. Interestingly drawn characters hold our attention to the end, even if the good ones are very, very good, and the bad are full-blown villains. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is a full-time writer and has published numerous novels and works of short fiction, including the best-selling Heralds Of Valdemar series. She is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 377 pages
• Publisher: DAW (June 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756403634
• ISBN-13: 978-0756403638
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Lackey, Mercedes

More About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is the acclaimed author of over fifty novels and many works of short fiction. In her "spare" time she is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. Mercedes lives in Oklahoma with her husband and frequent collaborator, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of parrots.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than "Serpent's Shadow", but . . ., November 7, 2005

By 

BAW "BAW" (Charleston, WV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wizard of London (Elemental Masters, Book 4) (Hardcover)

still not up to Misty's usual standard.

Each of the books in the Elemental Master's series--and FIRE ROSE, which, although set in the same 'world', using magic that works the same way, is not counted as it is set in the US, while the others are in England--is based on a well-known fairy tale. FIRE ROSE, was "Beauty & The Beast", SERPENT'S SHADOW was "Snow White", etc. This one is based on Hans Christian Anderson's "The Snow Queen", with the title character in the place of Kay.

Like a previous reviewer, I had read the "Grey" series, about the two little girls in the school in London, and very much enjoyed them; they were sort of 'Frances Hodgeson Burnett meets E. Nesbit'. When I heard that Ms. Lackey had worked them into a novel, I looked foreward to reading it, and those parts of the novel worked very well; however, the "Snow Queen" parts did not mesh well with the "Grey" parts--it felt thrown together. And the character of Lord A. (the 'Kay' figure) didn't seem very interesting or compelling; I, at least, didn't care enough about him to want him to be saved. Even worse, he didn't seem hateful enough for me to NOT want him to be saved.

That being said, it was a good read, even if not quite up to Ms. L.'s usual standards.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Fizzled of London, December 4, 2005

By 

Alayna (Cedar City, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wizard of London (Elemental Masters, Book 4) (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Mercedes Lackey for many, many years, most of her work is engaging and enjoyable. This, however, was not. I was very disappointed in the lack of character development, which has always been a strenth in her other novels (and even in some of the short stories). This lack of sympathetic characters would not have been so bad if the story had enough strength to stand on its' own; unfortunately it does not. There are many parts of the book that are repeated-The Harton school is for the Gifted and Talented and for the children of expatriots-David and Isabelle were once involved-Isabelle has employees of various backgrounds working for her and so forth-those scenes and information is repeated ad nauseum. It's almost like Ms. Lackey had a page requirement and didn't have enough story to meet it, so in comes the fluff and padding--anyone who has had a 25 page history paper due knows what I'm talking about. There were parts of the book that really could have been expanded and could have been interesting, particularly when Cordelia meets the Ice Lord and begins her transformation, or when David's father met with the Phoenix. The parts that I wanted to know more about were filled with useless, extraneous information. The repetitive nature of the book, the lack of character development, and the glossing over of parts that could be interesting, led to a great disappointment when I finished.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Spirits and the Sprite, August 6, 2006

By 

Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wizard of London (Elemental Masters, Book 4) (Hardcover)

The Wizard of London (2005) is the fourth Fantasy novel in the Elemental Masters series, following Phoenix and Ashes. In this novel, Isabelle Helen Harton is headmistress of the Harton School For Boys and Girls, a boarding school for the children of expatriates in India and elsewhere. The school is staffed by Isabelle's former servants and friends from India and thus provides a sense of home in the strange homeland. Unlike many other boarding schools, the Mems'b and her staff are always willing to let a homesick boy or girl cry on their shoulders.

Then too, the Harton School provides special training to boys and girls with different Talents than Elemental Magic. The Mems'b has various psychic skills such as telepathy and psychometry and some of her staff have similar talents. Frederick Harton, her husband, also has some precognitive ability.

The Harton School has been praised by mages and psychics around the world, especially for its warm and caring atmosphere. The parents of Sarah Jane Lyon-White have heard about the school and have written to reserve a place for her. Isabelle meets the ship at the dock, sorts out Sarah's luggage, settles her in a cab, and then welcomes her with a hug.

Although she loves the Mems'b, Sarah is still lonely at Harton. She gets along with the other students, but lacks real friends among the children. She also misses Grey, her parrot and protector.

Since she is more used to conversing with adults than children, Sarah's best friends are the Gurkha, the Sikh and the Muslim warriors who protect the school. One day she is asked to help Karamjit pass on a basket of food to poor children at the back gate. There she meets Nan, a gifted child of the streets. After several talks and one very frightening experience, Nan joins the school as a student who pays her way by helping in the nursery. Sarah and Nan bunk together and become best friends.

Sarah has the unusual psychic ability of communicating with ghosts. While false mediums are very common in Europe, only a few have real talents. One day Sarah and Nan accompany Mems'b and her friend to a seance and expose a fraudulent medium. Thankfully, Sahib Harton and the three warriors are nearby to protect them from a dangerous situation.

After this incident, word of Sarah's ability becomes common knowledge among the Talented set. Isabelle always refuses any request to use this talent; after all, Sarah is not surrounded by ghosts clambering to speak to their parents or other loved ones. Then a cabby comes to the door with orders from Isabelle to pick up Sarah and Nan and deliver them to a fashionable address; only Mems'b has no knowledge of these orders, the house is almost empty, and something evil lurks upstairs.

As in the previous novels of this series, the flavor of England's past suffuses every page. In this case, the tradition of the late Victorian era is a very pertinent factor in the storyline. It is a time when women of the gentry are only expected to provide "an heir and a spare" to their husbands of convenience. After all, even the Queen defers to her male advisors just as she had to Prince Albert.

Highly recommended for Lackey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of mysticism, courage and even an Old Sprite.

-Arthur W. Jordin