The Gates of Sleep

I fell in love with this series when I first read Lackey's "Serpent's Shadow," and this lived up to my expectations. The characters are vivid and lifelike, and Lackey again uses the story to explore some of the harsher realities of London in the early 1900s. Add to that the subtly done retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and "The Gates of Sleep" is a book that I think you'll read over, and over again.

Other reviewers have compared The Gates of Sleep to a retelling of Sleeping Beauty -- frankly, I don't see it. Another installment to the Elemental Masters series by Lackey, I enjoyed this book greatly, although granted not to the level of The Fire Rose or The Serpent's Shadow. What I enjoyed was that once again, Lackey has created a non-insipid heroine -- insipidness is instead paired with evil or just general nastiness. Whether or not the doctor or the vicar is her best match matters not -- it still has the elements of an intelligent, cunning woman matching wits against evil. I was also intrigued by the world of the pottery painter girls who served as magical sacrifices -- so much so that I started researching it after reading the book. That's my $0.02; your mileage may vary, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required...

Sleeping Beauty seems to be the one most favored fairy tale for retelling. Lackey does a superb job as she has with the earlier FIRE ROSE. Her characters are always interesting and the plots do not fail to keep you turning pages until a satisfying end. What is particularly appealing about this book is the exquisite attention to the minutiae of life in Devonshire at the turn of the last century. Some folks really don't seem to care or are even irritated by such detailing, but for this reviewer, the fine points are what make an otherwise rich tapestry flame to brilliant life. This is a fine addition to the ever-growing list of fairy tale re-visionings and to Lackey's impressive and massive oeuvre.

Mercedes Lackey uses the tale of Sleeping Beauty as a jumping-off point for The Gates of Sleep, the story of Marina, an elemental mage of water and her coming-of-age in Edwardian Cornwall and Devon. As in The Fire Rose (set in turn-of-the-century San Francisco) and The Serpent's Shadow (Victorian London), mages and Masters of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air battle against ceremonial magicians of the Left-Hand path, with fairy-tale-esque results. It's no surprise to anyone that Evil is conquered by Good in a Lackey novel--the author's artistry is in the drawing of identifiable characters in very realistic settings. Historical details provide such down-to-earth context for the appearance of undines, sylphs, fauns and the like that the whole story becomes believable. One of Lackey's best--an absorbing read.

When Marina Rosewood is born, her parent Alanna and Hugh, throw a party. They invite many masters of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth to gift the little baby who is going to become a powerful Air Master when she grows up. Before the last gift could be given, Hugh's disgraced sister Arachne arrives and places a magical curse on the child. The last guest mitigates the curse somewhat with her gift. If the child lives to the age of eighteen, the curse will be returned to its sender. To protect their daughter, John and Alanna send their child away to the home of artists they trust. When Marina is seventeen, her parents die and her aunt takes custody of her. Marina intuitively hides her magic from Arachne because she senses the woman has a hidden agenda. Eventually, the two women face each other in a magical showdown where the winner will barely survive. This romantic fantasy takes place in the same universe as THE FIRE ROSE and is every bit as magical as that wonderful tale. Mercedes Lackey has the uncanny ability to write adult fairy tales that appeal to the child in all of us. The heroine of this work is a beguiling and bewitching sweetheart who trusts her instincts to keep her from being swayed by those around her. Ms. Lackey has crafted another best seller in THE GATES OF SLEEP.Harriet Klausner