Título: The Serpent's Shadow: Elemental Masters #1
Autor: Mercedes Lackey
Sinopse: 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. Some of Maya's challenges come from the fact that she is not "snow white," and she has fled India for her father's English homeland after the suspicious deaths of her parents. Establishing her household in London, she returns to her profession as a physician, working among the poor. Her "pets" and loyal servants stand guard, and Maya herself uses what bits of magic she managed to pick up in childhood to weave otherworldly defenses as well. But the implacable enemy who killed her parents has come to London to search for her; if Maya can be enslaved, her enormous potential powers can be used to the enemy's ends. Fortunately, English magicians of the White Lodge have also noted a new, powerful presence in their midst, though they're having trouble locating her, too. They send Peter Scott, a Water Master, to track her down. He finds Maya beautiful and benign, and is determined to teach her to use the Western magic she is heir to, before her enemy discovers her. Some will find the author's Kiplingesque descriptions of India and Hindustani culture offensive. Lackey describes Maya's enemy as a powerful devotee of the goddess Kali-Durga, though she carefully shows that the avatars of the other deities will not attack her, and has Kali-Durga repudiate her servant in the climactic confrontation. And, though the story is layered, its surface is as glossy and brightly colored as an action comic. But readers who enjoy late Victorian London, Sayers, Sherlock Holmes stories, and a page-turning tale will want to take this one home.
Contexto da obra
Quando a classificação é mais ampla, o contexto do livro costuma depender ainda mais de autoria, tema e edição. “The Serpent’s Shadow: Elemental Masters #1”, de Mercedes Lackey, publicado pela editora DAW, em 2002 e com 394 páginas, integra a categoria Livros Variados. Por isso, autoria, edição e tema acabam tendo ainda mais peso na forma de apresentar o livro.
Editora: DAW
Páginas: 394
Ano: 2002
Edição:
Linguagem: inglês
ISBN: 0756400619
ISBN13: 9780756400613
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora DAW costumam transportar o leitor para mundos onde magia, poderes sobrenaturais e conflitos épicos são o centro da narrativa. As histórias frequentemente exploram personagens que enfrentam desafios ligados a habilidades ocultas, batalhas entre forças místicas e dilemas morais em cenários que vão desde universos fantásticos até realidades alternativas com elementos fantásticos. O ritmo tende a variar entre aventuras intensas e tramas que aprofundam a construção de mundos e relações complexas, com um tom que pode oscilar entre o sombrio e o esperançoso. O catálogo indica uma preferência por narrativas que mesclam fantasia épica, urban fantasy e ficção científica com elementos de fantasia, atendendo a leitores que buscam imersão em universos detalhados e tramas de tensão crescente.
