The Serpent's Shadow

Elemental Masters

By: Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by: Michelle Ford

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.Enchanted? Listen to more titles in the Elemental Masters Series.©2002 Mercedes Lackey (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Mercedes Lackey returns to form in The Serpent's Shadow...."This story takes place in the London of 1909, and is based on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Lackey creates echoes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, pays affectionate homage to Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey (who plays an important role under a thin disguise), and turns the dwarves into seven animal avatars who masquerade as pets of her Eurasian heroine, Maya." (Amazon.com review)

Fans of Mercedes Lackey will enjoy

The narrator was perfect for this book, and made the story even better. It doesn't have the passion of the Valdemar stories, but it's a good yarn, and a fun read. My only criticism is it took too long to get to the meat of the story. If this narrator reads any of the other "Elemental Masters" books, I'll be sure to buy it.

Good Read/Listen

Any additional comments?

This was a good book. I enjoyed the visuals I was able to conjure up while listening.

Very Enjoyable

I didn't really know what to expect, as all my previous Lackey books had been very different from this. However it was extremely entertaining. The story was well developed, with distinct surprises toward the end. The narration was one of the best I have ever heard! This was especially welcome as the last book I listened to ( one of the dragon chronicles) had very disappointing narration. I'm looking forward to more like this.

Another well crafted tale

Mercedes Lackey does it again with characters you care about in a good story.

Misty does it again

I've been a lifetime fan of Mercedes Lackey, and while some of her stories are weaker than others, she remains one of the authors who I'll buy her stories if I only have enough for one book. Even if I've already read it in one format or another. Her Elemental Masters series is my favorite of her many-imagined series, with this story being one of my favorites among these books.

I've been a member of Audible for years, and while I don't usually write reviews (who actually has time for that?) the various negative reviews irritated me enough to write to counter them. If you enjoy YA books, or Disney-esque good versus evil, I strongly suggest this book. Just enough darkness to make this into an entertaining literary meal, without being so dark as to make this depressing, or too light as to be a popcorn read. In short, the tone is right, the plot strong, and the character development believable.