A Scandal in Battersea

Better than The Wizard of London, this is the closest to Lovecraftian fiction Lackey has written. It is an ensemble piece, with our protagonists living in a comfy fantasy Victorian bubble while the antagonist deals with the vicious underbelly. Among the good guys it pretty much lacks interactions beyond reassuring social niceties, though the bad guys assistant, Alf, has a certain charm as a character, but really is a case of 'assistant able to do what ever the plot requires' rather than a breathing individual.

This was a fast read for me, due in part to the fact that it was such a predictable novel I found myself skimming bits of it. I find that really sad, because I used to love this series and now it's all cookie-cutter perfect. Spoiler-not-spoiler alert: the good guys win, the bad guys get what's coming to them, and no one is even majorly hurt. I have lost interest in this series, and no longer care what happens in them, because I am convinced that nothing even remotely bad can happen to the main characters. (For the record, that wasn't always the case. In the first few books of this series, there was a definite threat that something bad would happen. Even though these are fairy tale re-tellings, I believed that they were in danger. And show more sometimes they had to sacrifice something in order to get their Happily Ever After.)

Also, the probably MOST ANNOYING THING EVER in this series (and most of Lackey's other work past a certain point) is the use of written accents so thick I have to translate them. I mean, really? Is this actually necessary? Part of Lackey's charm has always been her ability to draw the readers in and keep them wrapped up in the story. If we're stopping every few paragraphs to unravel a bit of dialogue, we ARE NO LONGER WRAPPED UP IN THE STORY. It was very jarring, and very annoying.

In short, I enjoyed this book as a library skim-read, but will not be buying it. I will also be removing all the remaining books in this series from my TBR list, and will not be wasting my time on them. If I want to read a good story from this series, I'll stick with #0-3, with the occasional inclusion of 6 & 7. show less

Lots of interesting characters and a plethora of bad spirits and their ilk, the game was on. Certainly, a different world for Sherlock Holmes to be in. However, It never seemed to come together

The twelfth Elemental Masters books stars returning characters Nan Killian, Sarah Lyon-White, Sherlock Holmes, and Dr. John and Mary Watson. It is Christmas time and all are determined to make the occasion special for Nan and Sarah's ward Suki. But while they are attending the Panto and window shopping, Alexandre Harcourt is planning on calling on a dark power to get himself power.

Alexandre Harcourt hates the Christmas season but this year a new occult book he finds at his favorite bookstore gives him an idea for a way to increase his power and wealth. He is a resentful man who hates that his father left him under the supervision of his lawyers. He learns about an entity who will grant his wishes if he just follows the entity's show more instructions. The entity instructs him to find victims for him and sends Harcourt and his loyal man Alf out to find pure young people to feed to him.

People go missing in London every day, but when a young woman from the prosperous middle class goes missing and is found wandering mindlessly, Sherlock Holmes is called in. Sherlock asks Nan to look at the young woman. Nan discovers that the girl is little more than an automaton. Her soul is missing!

When other girls go missing and are found in the same condition, and when a young women the Watsons, Nan and Sarah have rescued from an institution for the insane because of her visions sees a London in ruins, forces are gathered to try to find out what is happening and how the forces for good can stop it.

The story is richly detailed and filled with amazing images. It drifted a little bit more to horror than I am usually comfortable with, but the compelling storytelling kept me reading and listening. Gemma Dawson did a great job with the variety of accents and characters and also did an excellent job with the story's pacing. show less

Oh my! The Elemental Series, London at Christmastime, Sherlock Holmes, and a frisson of horror -- how could I not like this one? Sherlock isn't as much front and center in this book, but he floats on the edges. The elemental magic isn't as much an element as is the horror. Fortunately for me, the horror is in the lines of Lovecraft with a touch more occult, so it isn't overwhelming. Do be aware that the bad guy is really creepy and nasty with typical dark magic overtones of involving sacrificing virgins.

I read this through quickly and was very happy. I'll gladly buy the next book in the series. If you enjoy Victorian era alternate fantasy history, you would probably enjoy the series.

A quite decent Elemental Masters book - like many recent ones, though, it's about mixing forms of magic more than about the Elementals themselves. Puck and a couple Hobs are the most visible Elementals...and they're not the usual sorts of creatures. The enemy is one whoopie warlock - a dabbler in magic who wants power and is willing to sacrifice - others, of course, not himself - to get it; and what he manages to call up. It's a very nasty situation - less nasty for the readers than for Nan and Sarah and the rest, because we know what's going on. They're groping in the dark, and that always makes things worse. It is Nan, and Sarah, and Sherlock, and Watson and his wife, and Sahib and M'sahib, and Alderscroft...and eventually, Mycroft, a show more good many of the White Lodge, and a royal battalion trained and experienced in dealing with...weird stuff. Plus Puck and who/what he can call up. There's actually rather little to the story; it's gradually growing creepiness, and (from the point of view of the characters) a deep mystery. From the point of view of the readers, it's a series of very dark events, but there's no mystery, and even the horror...isn't very horrific. Nasty, yes, but there's no point at which the good guys truly feel helpless, or at least not for long. Not bad, not a favorite in the series.
Reread - Weeeird. The enemy this time is... Something Lovecraft might have written about - dark and foul and very mysterious. And way too powerful. The human(s) involved are small potatoes and nearly as stupid as they are nasty; one got his comeuppance and the other will as soon as Sherlock follows the traces he left. This takes everyone - Elemental Mages, psychics, Puck and some very strange allies from that side of things - and soldiers and rifles and simple physical battle. Those poor girls, I don't know what will happen to them - hopefully they can forget, or accept. Complicated, very nasty - we spend much more time than I'm happy with with the bad guys (the humans). And... What in heaven's name can the next story be? This is kind of a climax to the entire series, or at least the English section. Not a favorite, despite seeing many people I like (the hobs are great). Oh, and Sherlock finally has to admit there's magic - empirical and absolute proof. Silly man. show less

The Elemental Masters join forces with Sherlock Holmes again, when an other-dimensional evil threatens Victorian London. Holmes fans will be disappointed that he has only a minor role, with no detection on-screen, although his contacts come in very handy for the denouement. The Watsons, being Mages themselves, play larger roles, as do Nan Killian and Sarah Lyon-White. The villain, however, has the largest part. Fortunately, it's an interesting one.

Christmas is a time of wonder, but it is also a time of danger. When the dark of the moon coincides with Christmas Eve, the walls between the worlds grow thin. A rogue magician, who has found a certain mysterious book promising great power, calls on a being from another dimension. This being show more has certain...demands. Soon young women are going missing, then turning up as mindless automotons. And another young woman is having strange and terrifying dreams.

Not the best in the series, but certainly worth reading. show less