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Earth, Air, Fire, Water: Tales From The Eternal Archives 2 Edited by Margaret Weiss
The Blurb On The Back:
The Eternal archives hold the secrets and histories of the universe ...
This is where the Seekers of Knowledge come to learn about the past, present, and future, about alternate realities, about the things mortals were never meant to know. Now, under the expert guidance of such Guardians of the Archives as Tanya Huff, Bruce Holland Rogers, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Michelle West, Jane Lindskold, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and their fellow keepers of wisdom, you, too, can venture into this most closely guarded citadel to discover the magic contained in the four elements - Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
So settle down for the adventures of a lifetime, magical journeys that will take you from: a fire elemental who has gotten so far into the habit of being human that when freed by her wizard's death her one desire is to find a mortal body of her own ... to a priest challenged by the wee folk to remove the curse they'd put on his village by beating them at their own game ... to a child who, claiming and claimed by the water, might call salvation from the heat of disaster ... to brothers of air, djinn, tempters of humankind, who face their greatest challenge when the man they have targeted for temptation proves to be the chosen of God ...
This collection was so disappointing that I honestly don't know where to begin. I think I'll start with those stories treated to a specific mention in The Blurb on the Back.
a fire elemental who has gotten so far into the habit of being human that when freed by her wizard's death her one desire is to find a mortal body of her own
This is actually the first story in the collection, 'Burning Bright' by Tanya Huff and I couldn't believe that such a good premise was told in such a trite, unbelievable manner. The set-up is interesting. Carlene Aswith goes to see her dying mum in hospital and discovers that far from being an average human being, she's a fire elemental caught in a human body. When her mother dies, the magic binding the elemental into the human form dissolves, setting her free, but Carlene thinks it's boring to be an elemental and wants to get another human body made for her.
The opening paragraphs setting up this premise are fine. Intriguing, a little heavy with the characterisation, but definitely make you want to read on. The problem comes when Carlene, in fire elemental form, tells her story to her best friend Alynne because far from asking questions or even being generally weirded out that the person she's known her whole life isn't human, Alynne's reaction is (and I quote): "Cool". The moment I saw that line was the moment I lost all interest in the story and even then, Huff continues to stretch credibility as Alynne and Carlene phone 7 wizards who would be able to make the spell using Carlene's mother's address book that she left in her attic. Yeah. It's that tedious. The wizards themselves are shown as bickering and arrogant who initially say they can't help Carlene and then, surprise surprise, can. But of course, they need a dead body to help with the spell but that's okay because Alynne just happened to date a morgue attendant at some point and is able to help Carlene steal one.
I think that the main theme of the story is supposed to be the friendship between Alynne and Carlene and how it doesn't matter that one of them isn't really human because OMG Best Friends 4Eva!!!111!!!. Unfortunately, I don't believe in either of them and I don't care about the theme because there is absolutely no sign of either of them questioning the premise of their friendship. In fact, based on this story, it was a miracle that I persevered with the rest of the book.
a priest challenged by the wee folk to remove the curse they'd put on his village by beating them at their own game
'How Golf Shaped Scotland' by Bruce Holland Rogers has two things going for it that Tanya Huff's doesn't. Firstly, it's very short (7 pages) and secondly, it's supposed to be a slice of whimsy, set in St Andrews where Father Ian takes on the King and Queen of Faery at golf. Whilst some of the "ye-ing", "ken-ing" and other examples of Scots dialect get a little grating, Rogers tells the tale well and we learn one legend as to why Scotland's landscape is so varied.
a child who, claiming and claimed by the water, might call salvation from the heat of disaster
Michelle West's 'Water Baby' is a tale of loss and sacrifice as Amelia, taught by a stern old woman who happens to be a fire guardian, learns what it is to be responsible for water and what responsibility really means. It's not bad - a little meandering and I think it would be interesting to see it developed further as a novel or novella as the relationship between Amelia and the fire guardian is an interesting one, but all in all it's pretty solid.
brothers of air, djinn, tempters of humankind, who face their greatest challenge when the man they have targeted for temptation proves to be the chosen of God
'Sons of Thunder' by Edward Carmien is an interesting take on the temptation of Christ in the desert, but told from the standpoint that it was not the devil who tempted Jesus but an air spirit, angry that his brother had succumbed to Christ's teaching and taken human form, abandoning his brother djinn. It's not particularly subtle, and I thought the way in which the djinn is portrayed as having a vendetta against Christians (and strongly hinted at being a pornographer) more than a little heavy handed. The conversation between him and a young woman missionary bent on confronting him would have worked better had we known how the missionary came to know where to find him and how she knew what he was, but apart from the pro-Christian message of forgiveness (trite at the best of times and a cop out in this story), it's not a bad read. Incidentally, it's the only story in the collection that deals with the element of air, which I think is a little ridiculous given that we're promised tales of all the elements.
These were the stories specifically mentioned in The Burb on the Back and you would think that this was because they were the best in the collection. As my reviews hopefully show, in my opinion they were at best average. However, there was one story that stood out head and shoulders above the others, which I think does deserve a mention. 'Strange Creatures' by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is set in a small seaside town in Oregan called Whale Rock. The story begins with local sheriff, Dan Restler, sitting on a beach viewing the devestation caused by a massive storm. Through flashback and a conversation with his friend, local coroner Hamilton Denne, we learn what led to the storm. I really don't want to ruin the story for anyone, but I will say that it involves selkies and animal mutiliation. There are references to other mysterious goings on in the town and I got the impression that this is one of a series of tales by the author set in that location. There is some nice characterisation of Restler in particular and whilst Denne starts off in a stereotypical 'rich boy trying to do the right thing' mode, he's got some nice dialogue and a lot of potential. The pacing of the story is certainly a lot better than the others in this collection and I was particularly impressed by the way Rusch doesn't shy from her dark theme whilst at the same time, not making it too gory.
The Verdict:
Most of the stories in this collection strive to be average. There's nothing inherently offensive about them, I just didn't think they were particularly good or particularly enjoyable. This is the second in the Elemental Series apparently, but it certainly doesn't motivate me to check out number 1 or see if there are any more follow-ups. With the exception of Kristine Kathryn Rusch, there was nothing outstanding in what's offered.
The Eternal archives hold the secrets and histories of the universe ...
This is where the Seekers of Knowledge come to learn about the past, present, and future, about alternate realities, about the things mortals were never meant to know. Now, under the expert guidance of such Guardians of the Archives as Tanya Huff, Bruce Holland Rogers, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Michelle West, Jane Lindskold, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and their fellow keepers of wisdom, you, too, can venture into this most closely guarded citadel to discover the magic contained in the four elements - Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
So settle down for the adventures of a lifetime, magical journeys that will take you from: a fire elemental who has gotten so far into the habit of being human that when freed by her wizard's death her one desire is to find a mortal body of her own ... to a priest challenged by the wee folk to remove the curse they'd put on his village by beating them at their own game ... to a child who, claiming and claimed by the water, might call salvation from the heat of disaster ... to brothers of air, djinn, tempters of humankind, who face their greatest challenge when the man they have targeted for temptation proves to be the chosen of God ...
This collection was so disappointing that I honestly don't know where to begin. I think I'll start with those stories treated to a specific mention in The Blurb on the Back.
a fire elemental who has gotten so far into the habit of being human that when freed by her wizard's death her one desire is to find a mortal body of her own
This is actually the first story in the collection, 'Burning Bright' by Tanya Huff and I couldn't believe that such a good premise was told in such a trite, unbelievable manner. The set-up is interesting. Carlene Aswith goes to see her dying mum in hospital and discovers that far from being an average human being, she's a fire elemental caught in a human body. When her mother dies, the magic binding the elemental into the human form dissolves, setting her free, but Carlene thinks it's boring to be an elemental and wants to get another human body made for her.
The opening paragraphs setting up this premise are fine. Intriguing, a little heavy with the characterisation, but definitely make you want to read on. The problem comes when Carlene, in fire elemental form, tells her story to her best friend Alynne because far from asking questions or even being generally weirded out that the person she's known her whole life isn't human, Alynne's reaction is (and I quote): "Cool". The moment I saw that line was the moment I lost all interest in the story and even then, Huff continues to stretch credibility as Alynne and Carlene phone 7 wizards who would be able to make the spell using Carlene's mother's address book that she left in her attic. Yeah. It's that tedious. The wizards themselves are shown as bickering and arrogant who initially say they can't help Carlene and then, surprise surprise, can. But of course, they need a dead body to help with the spell but that's okay because Alynne just happened to date a morgue attendant at some point and is able to help Carlene steal one.
I think that the main theme of the story is supposed to be the friendship between Alynne and Carlene and how it doesn't matter that one of them isn't really human because OMG Best Friends 4Eva!!!111!!!. Unfortunately, I don't believe in either of them and I don't care about the theme because there is absolutely no sign of either of them questioning the premise of their friendship. In fact, based on this story, it was a miracle that I persevered with the rest of the book.
a priest challenged by the wee folk to remove the curse they'd put on his village by beating them at their own game
'How Golf Shaped Scotland' by Bruce Holland Rogers has two things going for it that Tanya Huff's doesn't. Firstly, it's very short (7 pages) and secondly, it's supposed to be a slice of whimsy, set in St Andrews where Father Ian takes on the King and Queen of Faery at golf. Whilst some of the "ye-ing", "ken-ing" and other examples of Scots dialect get a little grating, Rogers tells the tale well and we learn one legend as to why Scotland's landscape is so varied.
a child who, claiming and claimed by the water, might call salvation from the heat of disaster
Michelle West's 'Water Baby' is a tale of loss and sacrifice as Amelia, taught by a stern old woman who happens to be a fire guardian, learns what it is to be responsible for water and what responsibility really means. It's not bad - a little meandering and I think it would be interesting to see it developed further as a novel or novella as the relationship between Amelia and the fire guardian is an interesting one, but all in all it's pretty solid.
brothers of air, djinn, tempters of humankind, who face their greatest challenge when the man they have targeted for temptation proves to be the chosen of God
'Sons of Thunder' by Edward Carmien is an interesting take on the temptation of Christ in the desert, but told from the standpoint that it was not the devil who tempted Jesus but an air spirit, angry that his brother had succumbed to Christ's teaching and taken human form, abandoning his brother djinn. It's not particularly subtle, and I thought the way in which the djinn is portrayed as having a vendetta against Christians (and strongly hinted at being a pornographer) more than a little heavy handed. The conversation between him and a young woman missionary bent on confronting him would have worked better had we known how the missionary came to know where to find him and how she knew what he was, but apart from the pro-Christian message of forgiveness (trite at the best of times and a cop out in this story), it's not a bad read. Incidentally, it's the only story in the collection that deals with the element of air, which I think is a little ridiculous given that we're promised tales of all the elements.
These were the stories specifically mentioned in The Burb on the Back and you would think that this was because they were the best in the collection. As my reviews hopefully show, in my opinion they were at best average. However, there was one story that stood out head and shoulders above the others, which I think does deserve a mention. 'Strange Creatures' by Kristine Kathryn Rusch is set in a small seaside town in Oregan called Whale Rock. The story begins with local sheriff, Dan Restler, sitting on a beach viewing the devestation caused by a massive storm. Through flashback and a conversation with his friend, local coroner Hamilton Denne, we learn what led to the storm. I really don't want to ruin the story for anyone, but I will say that it involves selkies and animal mutiliation. There are references to other mysterious goings on in the town and I got the impression that this is one of a series of tales by the author set in that location. There is some nice characterisation of Restler in particular and whilst Denne starts off in a stereotypical 'rich boy trying to do the right thing' mode, he's got some nice dialogue and a lot of potential. The pacing of the story is certainly a lot better than the others in this collection and I was particularly impressed by the way Rusch doesn't shy from her dark theme whilst at the same time, not making it too gory.
The Verdict:
Most of the stories in this collection strive to be average. There's nothing inherently offensive about them, I just didn't think they were particularly good or particularly enjoyable. This is the second in the Elemental Series apparently, but it certainly doesn't motivate me to check out number 1 or see if there are any more follow-ups. With the exception of Kristine Kathryn Rusch, there was nothing outstanding in what's offered.