The Serpent's Shadow FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Maya's father was a perfectly respectable British doctor in Victoria's Army, which was stationed in India. While the British were despised by most of the people of India, her father was liked and even admired by those he cared for. But then he fell in love with Surya, a beautiful, compelling, and magical native. They ignored the taboos of both their cultures, married, and produced a child. Her name was Maya, and she was instantly an outcast in both cultures.
Although Maya's parents tried to raise her awareness of the realities of being a Eurasian child, even they were unprepared for the hatred of Shivani, Surya's twin sister. Shivani hated all things British -- and half-British. She first caused the death of Maya's mother, and then her father. Maya knew she was next.
Escaping to London seemed the only real choice for her -- after all, she was half-British. To complicate matters, her aunt was a powerful Indian sorceress with far-reaching powers. Although Maya was positive that she had her mother's gifts as well, she felt out-gunned, having never received any serious training in the "arts" from her mother. Before her death, however, Surya often told Maya that her gifts ran through her father's line, and that she would have to study among his people.
Having inherited both the skills of her father as a doctor and the magical abilities of her mother, albeit without the proper training, she felt she had no choice but to move to England. There, she felt she would be safe from her aunt and able to practice the medicine that she loved.
Once in England, Maya's drive to learn more about magic and medicine propels her forward into some unlikely situations and revelations. She discovers that her mother was right about one thing: Maya is, in fact, the prophesied Earth Master. The story line that leads up to Maya's eventual confrontation with her evil aunt Shivani is both exciting and surprising, especially the scenes taking place in London. Lackey really outdoes herself when describing life in a London that none of us will ever know; the sights, sounds, and smells are rich and intense.
The surprises have more to do with character development than heart-pounding action. And, as usual with a Mercedes Lackey story, there is romance. But please don't judge this as a romance; there are also aspects of mystery, suspense, and historical fiction. And in the end, you get a great fantasy.
One of the most interesting characters in the story was Peter Scott, water mage and member of the society of magicians known as the Council of Elemental Masters, who is put on the scent of "...new magic in town. Earth Magic, but not our Earth Magic." He is put on the trail of locating the untrained mage who will become his soul mate, an equal in magical power and stature among Britain's greatest magic wielders.
The Serpent's Shadow has terrific pacing -- it's one of those books that you just can't seem to put down. This fantasy is well worth your time, especially if you're already a Mercedes Lackey fan. (Stephen Patterson)
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Maya Witherspoon had lived most of the first twenty-five years of her life in her native India. As the daughter of a prominent British physician and a Brahmin woman of the highest caste, she had known only luxury. Trained by her father in the medical arts since she was old enough to read, she graduated from the University of Delhi as a Doctor of Medicine by the age of twenty-two. Welcomed into her father's lucrative practice, she treated many of the wives and daughters of the British military personnel who made up a large percentage of their patients in the colonial India of 1909." "But the science of medicine was not Maya's only heritage. For her mother was a sorceress - a former priestess of the mystical magics fueled by the powerful and fearsome pantheon of Indian gods." "Though Maya felt the stirring of magic in her blood, her mother had repeatedly refused to train her. Yet Maya suspected that something far more sinister than the virulent disease had overcome her powerful mother." "But it was Maya's father's death shortly thereafter which confirmed her darkest suspicions. For her father was killed by the bite of a krait, a tiny venomous snake. In the last hours of her mother's life, in the seeming delirium of her final fever, Surya had repeatedly warned Maya to beware "the serpent's shadow." With the sudden loss of her father, Maya knew she must flee the land of her birth or face the same fate as her parents."--BOOK JACKET.
FROM THE CRITICS
VOYA
Maya's mother was a Brahmin aristocrat of the highest caste and a powerful sorceress. Her father was a prominent British physician who married for love and never regretted it. Magic begins to stir in Maya before her mother, who died in a cholera epidemic, had a chance to prepare her daughter for her heritage. Nevertheless she did warn her, "Beware the Serpent's Shadow." Soon after, her father dies from the bite of a tiny, venomous serpent, and Maya flees to Victorian London, taking her mother's pets—Indian gods in disguise—and loyal household servants with her. Trained in medicine by her father and at the University of Delhi, Maya was a respected doctor in India. In England, she faces a narrow-minded, prejudiced society and medical administration but wins the right to practice medicine even so. Using her healing arts, however, brings her to the attention of powerful adepts, who send a Water Master to investigate. He recognizes her talent as an untrained Earth Master, begins to instruct her, and falls in love. Meanwhile, the Serpent's Shadow—actually her mother's sister and a powerful practitioner of the arts—has followed Maya to England. She plans to kill her niece as she did Maya's parents. East meets West and right prevails in a work of romantic suspense that is fast-paced, diverting fun. The novel is a treat for fairy tale fans as well as those who love an intriguing fantasy or a satisfying romance. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P J S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2001, DAW, 343p, $23.95. Ages 12 to Adult. Reviewer: BonnieKunzel
KLIATT - Liz LaValley
It's 1909 and intelligent, talented Maya Witherspoon wants to practice as a doctor in London with two major strikes against her�she's female and of mixed blood. In her favor is that she's already a licensed physician in her native India, knows the proper dress and manners of her British father, and has a determination to help those in need. She also knows some minor sorcery from both her British and Brahmin heritage. Her patience in wearing black wool and corsets, combined with a promise to help the poor (rather than competing with the young male doctors), gain her the certification to work at the hospital, as well as opening a clinic in her own home. She must use her wits to protect against losing her position and faces harassment at the hospital where she works. At night, she can relax in her solarium of tropical plants with her parents' manservant, Gupta, and his family along with various animal friends, each with their own hint of magic. Then, her magical abilities come into play not just for healing, but also for protection. For Maya has an enemy, a dangerous one, who killed her parents and forced her to flee India. Maya's enemy plans to bring the vengeance of Kali down on the British invaders of India, a sweeping massacre beginning with the blood sacrifice of Maya herself! This is an intriguing variation on the "Snow White" story, but much more important, it's a great refresher course in human rights as told in an entertaining tale of magic and romance with a real respect for the material presented. It's an excellent way to introduce contemporary teenagers to how only 100 years ago, women were intentionally kept short on resources for freedom to travel, to leave abusiverelationships, to seek fulfilling employment, and to determine the treatment of their own bodies. Intelligent, well rounded and highly recommended for initiating classroom discus- sions of prejudice and progress. KLIATT Codes: JSA�Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2001, DAW, 398p.,
Library Journal
As a physician operating among London's poor in the early years of the 20th century, Dr. Maya Witherspoon has two strikes against her her gender and her status as the half-breed daughter of an Englishman and a Hindu woman. The magic she possesses, however, assists her not only in her work but also in fighting off an assassin bent on destroying her through the use of dark powers. The author of the popular "Valdemar" series turns her hand to historical fantasy in this intriguing and compelling re-creation of England in the waning days of its imperial glory. (This is also the first volume in a new three-book series inspired by classic fairy tales.) A good choice for Lackey's large readership as well as fans of period fiction. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Internet Book Watch
When the sun never set on Britannia, many disgruntled natives living in India turn to the dark side by worshipping the evil Goddess Kali-Purga. Most of the followers joined the deadly thugee cult, a group that used force to obtain their demands. Shivani is a high priestess who loathes the English. She uses her powers to kill her sister who had the audacity to marry a British doctor and to make matters worse, she had a daughter with the foreigner.When Shivani murders her father, Maya flees India for the relative safety of London where she tends to the medical needs of the poor. Shivani follows her to London, planning to cause mass chaos, trepidation, and death in order to force the infidel English from her country. Shivani also plans to kill Maya, but that proves difficult as she is closely guarded and has own powers. The Serpent's Shadow is a beautiful fantasy tale that leaves the audience believing in a happily ever after. Mercedes Lackey's latest novel will please romance fans as well. This adult fairy tale is brilliantly crafted just as the previous tale in this series, The Summer Rise is. A secondary character deserves his story be told in a future edition. Recapture the innocence and pleasures of youth with this fabulous novel.
Kirkus Reviews
Snow White variant set in Edwardian London, from the author of Brightly Burning (2000), etc. Dr Maya Witherspoon, her Indian mother dead, her English father mysteriously killed by snakebite, sets up a practice in London, having fled the vengeful fury of her aunt Shivani, a magic-powered devotee of Kali. Shivani apparently regarded the mixed marriage as a deadly insult to her Brahmin family. Maya inherited a coterie of animals from her mother—they may be avatars of various Hindu gods and goddesses. And she possesses huge Earth Mage magic potential, but lacks training. Her strong but amateurish magical defenses come to the attention of London's White Lodge, who send along former sea captain and Water Mage Peter Scott to investigate. The Lodge master, however, won't consider admitting women or lower-class individuals, so Peter undertakes to teach Maya basic techniques. She already uses magic in healing. Shivani, meanwhile, takes up residence in London, sending forth her magic and her Thuggee servants to seek out her quarry. A promising start, with plenty of solid period detail and a splash of feminism, but disappointingly developed, with a thin, poorly motivated plot and a showdown that just hangs out to dry.
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