The Gates of Sleep (Elemental Masters, Book 2) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "BIRDS twittered in the rose bushes outside the old-fashioned diamond-paned windows..." (more)
Key Phrases: elemental creatures, oat porridge, Mary Anne, Uncle Sebastian, Uncle Thomas (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Putting a fresh face to a well-loved fairytale is not an easy task, but it is one that seems effortless to the prolific Lackey, best known for her Valdemar series (Arrows of the Queen, etc.). In a brilliant twist, the author sets the classic story of Sleeping Beauty in Edwardian England, imbuing her characters with the power of elemental magic, including the cursed child herself, Marina Roeswood. In an uninvited visit to her christening, Marina's evil aunt, Arachne, arrives in a puff of smoke and delivers a deadly curse, which is mitigated by the blessing of a family friend who imparts one last gift on the baby. Marina's guardians spirit her away to the Devon countryside to grow up. When we next see her, Marina is galloping through her 17th year, pursuing her magical training, though her guardians have tragically kept her ignorant of the curse. The inevitable triggering of said curse, when she turns 18, pits Marina's intelligence, cunning and magic skills against the full force of satanic evil. Beautiful phrasing and a thorough grounding in the dress, mannerisms and history of the period help move the story along gracefully. Marina's character, along with those of her guardians, her friends and Arachne, are fully fleshed out and credible. The fact that a teenage half-trained water mage would even dare to take on a 40ish satanist may be a bit implausible, but only on second thought. This is a wonderful example of a new look at an old theme.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Fanciful and winsome, Sleep is a fantastical version of "Sleeping Beauty" set in England at the turn of the 20th century. Taken care of by family friends since infancy and surrounded by mages, Marina lives a charmed life. Befriended by water sprites, nymphs, and the like, she slowly comes to know why her loving parents sent her away. Tragically, just before her 18th birthday, they die in an "accident," and Marina is ripped from her idyllic country home by her coldly beautiful Aunt Arachne. The woman is controlling and harsh, yet even to the magically gifted she doesn't appear evil. Despite the lack of evidence, Marina's instincts gnaw at her, and fortunately she listens. A visit to one of her aunt's pottery factories provides unpleasant revelations both physical and metaphysical. Old-fashioned manners, dress, and speech set the tone in this pleasantly escapist novel. Mixed in are light touches of modern issues such as feminism and eco-awareness. YAs who liked fairy tales as kids will enjoy Lackey's spin on an old favorite.
Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: DAW Hardcover; First edition. edition (April 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756400600
• ISBN-13: 978-0756400606
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #638,767 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Elemental Masters Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A "lacking" tale from Lackey, June 12, 2002

By	M. Allegra (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Let's keep this simple: Ms. Lackey is one of my favorite writers - this is NOT one of my favorite books. The FireLord and Serpent's Shadow were well-crafted novels with compelling characters. Their basis in well-known fairy tales was more implied than plotted point by point. The GATES OF SLEEP has neither of these strengths. The story follows the fairy tale slavishly through most of the book, along with all of a folk tale's plot weaknesses. The character of Marina (I'm amazed she wasn't call Rose or Aurora.)is too air-headed and passive through most of the book to be appealing to me. The relationship with her 'prince' is thin, very thin, almost non-existant thin. This is fine for a fairy tale but not a fantasy novel. Admiration turns to love for the hero all too quickly and I can't recall when or why Marina loves him. The fact that he is an elemental master is so serendipitous as to be a very silly plot device. Are Elemental Masters behind every bush and shrub in England? The "evil fairy" was the greatest disappointment because the character showed the most promise. A female 19th century industrialist destroying her work force for the power they can provide her?!? What an opportunity for a new kind of evil! But Lackey fails to capitalize on a great concept and we never really understand why or entirely how "Madame" commits her crimes. Marina's parents and the "good fairies" are amiable non-entities, for all their supposed powers. Instead of confronting "Madame" with her curse and enlisting the other Masters in the effort, their only response is to hide the poor child away. Okay for a fairy tale but this is unlikely in the Elemental Master universe that Lackey has created up to this book. Wait for the paperback or buy this used from other disgruntled readers if you must have it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a rehash of certain plot ideas but still enjoyable, April 9, 2002

By	tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"Gates of Sleep" had more of a fairy-tale feel to it than "Serpent's Shadow;" and while I did like this novel quite a bit (and really enjoyed the charming twist that Mercedes Lackey put on the Sleeping Beauty motif, esp since in Lackey's version it is Sleeping Beauty/Marina who has the final showdown with the Wicked Fairy Godmother/Arachane), I did not find this book to be quite as compelling as "Serpent's Shadow." Part of the reason was that while Marina is intelligent and canny and likable, she seemed incredibly bland in comparison to Maya (the heroine of "Serpent's Shadow). Another problem I had with "Gates of Sleep" was that the character of Arachne was just not 'fleshed' out enough -- why did she hate her family so much? Was it because she was born without any powers? Had her family treated her differently? Why did she marry so unsuitably? (and why was her husband considered unsuitable?) And how did she come by her dark powers? I wanted proper answers, and didn't find any. Afterall in "Serpent's Shadow" we know why the aunt carries out a virtual vendetta against her brother-in-law and her niece. And I was quite disappointed that Mercedes Lackey did not fill in the blanks (as it were) with "Gates of Sleep." Another thing I couldn't figure out was why, given that Marina had been filled in the fact that there was a curse placed on her, no one saw fit to tell her that it was Arachne who cursed her? The omission seemed a little foolish to me.

Except for that, this book is a rather enjoyable read. Most of the characters (except for Arachne) were well 'fleshed' out, esp that of Marina's. And while (as another reviewer pointed out) there is really not that much variation in theme or plot-ideas between "Serpent's Shadow" and "Gates of Sleep," this was still a rather fun read. The call for female suffrage is again visited (as it was in "Serpent's Shadow) and I esp liked the socio-historical bits that dealt with plight of factory workers and the effects of lead poisoning. Will I read another elemental magic novel by Mercedes Lackey? Definitely. But I do hope that there is more of a variation in plotting next time.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Little Jewel, May 2, 2002

By	Walt Boyes "Walt Boyes" (Aurora IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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You must realize that a 4 star Lackey book is better than 90% of the rest of what's out there. And this book is only a 4 star book in comparison with the previous one in this loose series, "The Serpent's Shadow."

While that book is a genuine 5 star masterpiece, "The Gates of Sleep" is a little jewel. Don't let this confuse you. It is quietly full of marvelous things, like the description of the faun at the shrine of Pan in the garden, or the description of Marina's bedroom frescoes.

This loose series of books is based on fairy tales...this one is Sleeping Beauty, the last one was Snow White, and the previous one to that was Beauty and the Beast. But Lackey hasn't done a "retelling" rather she has written a terrific story using the plot of the fairy story.

The "environmentalism" in the story feels just a tad too "modern" to be Victorian England, and the character of Marina becomes a little too grown up a little too fast without fully developing her, and the ending is a bit abrupt, even though the fairy story is, too.

But these are minor quibbles, small kvetches.

The characters are drawn well, three-dimensional, and realistic, even the villains.

This book keeps Mercedes Lackey on my must-buy list.

Bananaslug. at Baen's Bar