Sorcerer’s Son (Book of Elementals, book 1) by Phyllis Eisenstein

[james_davis_nicoll]

Sorcerer’s Son (Book of Elementals, book 1) by Phyllis Eisenstein

Comments

[affreca]

Thank you for the review.

[(Anonymous)]

See also Tanith Lee’s ‘Black Unicorn’ where the sorceress isn’t exactly evil but even a benignly-absent-minded mad scientist can be as (accidentally) frustrating as she is terrifying...

[lampwick]

I had to check that article about "The Worst Monarch in History," and, somewhat ridiculously, pretty much every monarch that's mentioned is British, even though the poll didn't specify nationality. I mean, I can think of a lot worse than Henry VIII if choice is from any country in history.

[(Anonymous)]

Or "Shalott's Web". :-)

At first sight I dismissed the cover as too close to "Help me, Obi-Wan", but the trouble has been taken to have the lady appear through an unusually large spider-web. Which is still, as you note, icky. Especially in implying an unusually large spider.

Also of note: https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/laird-o-cockpen/

Robert Carnegie

[daidoji_gisei]

I clearly remember seeing this on my local drug store racks when it came out originally and passed on it because it didn’t seem interesting. Your review makes me want to track down a copy now.

[oh6]

By some mischance I read the (a?) sequel to this, The Crystal Palace, which had some of the strangest characters I'd encountered in my reading life up to that point. I've been curious as to what the first book was like.

[james_davis_nicoll]

There was supposed to be a third book but it was caught up in the Meisha Merlin collapse and never appeared.

[(Anonymous)]

I remember seeing this when it came out and between the cover art, the title, and the back copy, deciding it was Extruded Fantasy Product and skipping it. Perhaps that was a mistake.

--
Nathan H.