Book Review: The Serpent's Shadow by Mercedes Lackey

Maya Witherspoon is not your typical Snow White. In fact, in this retelling of the classic tale, the heroine is half-Indian, making her life as a female doctor in historical London doubly difficult.

The Serpent's Shadow is the first book in Mercedes Lackey's "Elemental Masters" series. This book is a well-crafted retelling of Snow White in the form of historical fiction. If you are wary of stale, retold fairy tales, fear not. Which tale it is based on is not obvious until close to the end of the book, and then the connections are very loose. In fact, that is part of what I enjoyed about this novel.

The tale draws you in from the first page. Maya, the heroine, is a strong and courageous woman, but she has enough humanity in her to connect with a reader. She fights her own battles, but learns that is also good to have the help of others. After the first paragraph, you are hooked, and anxious to learn more about this woman.

Maya was born in India. Having a white father and Indian mother meant that she had difficulty fitting into Indian society. However, she studied medicine under her father from a young age, making her a well-educated and competent doctor. After the deaths of both of her parents, Maya flees to London to escape an unknown enemy.

Maya must make her way as a female doctor in a time when women were considered property of men, as well as defend herself from the magical attacks of an enemy she does not understand. She handles both of these challenges well, earning the respect of the reader. I found her to be a character that I admired and would like as role model. She is not afraid to be unconventional to the extreme, while at the same time makes very intelligent decisions.

Mercedes Lackey fills shelves with her fantasy novels at bookstores, but this series is unique in that it is historical fantasy. Apart from the obvious fictionalized elements, such as magic, the book is generally based on historical facts. Lackey did an admirable job of researching the historical side of this book. She shows how a hospital might be run during this time period, and includes many details about surgical practices, technological advancements, and medicines available at this time.

In fact, my only complaint about the novel is that from time to time, description seems a little awkward, or a little too detailed. The attempt on the part of the author to tell the reader about these historical details is a shade too obvious. The details are interesting, but the fact that it is unlikely that the character would be noticing them makes reading over these bits a little bumpy. However, most of the details are placed carefully and cleverly, and you can learn a little about historical London without losing the story.

A long-time fan of Lackey's Valdemar and Dragon Riders series, I found myself hunting for yet more of her books. After being frustrated by Lackey's newest series, The Five Hundred Kingdoms, I was excited to discover this wonderful older series that I had not yet read. This book showcases some of Lackey's best writing. The best part is that Lackey is still working on the series, so you can look forward to more books set in the same fascinating world.