Books 17-19: Elemental Logic Series
Fire Logic
Earth Logic
Water Logic
all by Laurie J. Marks
I have been truly delighted by the Elemental Logic series. CK introduced it to me, for which I am grateful, as my recent experience of fantasy fiction (outside known favorite authors such as Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Ursula K. Le Guin) has been that there is little original and creative being written these days. (I expect that I am wrong in this assumption, and am glad to be proved so - in fact, I welcome recommendations). I kind of wanted to wait to read the series until the fourth and last book, Air Logic, was out, but CK convinced me not to wait. I found the books to be wonderfully engrossing travel reading.
The story is set in the land of Shaftal, in the midst of a bloody crisis brought about by conflict between an invading force and the folks who have lived there. The Shaftalis have elemental magic inherit in their blood, and most of the main characters in the series are witches of one elemental line or the other. The conflict brings together a group of people who have important roles to play in the direction the country will take.
Three of the details of culture of Shaftal that I like: same-sex as well as opposite-sex romances are quite common (including several of the main characters), libraries and studying are important, and the Shaftalis have series of glyph symbols/cards which are both a form of writing and a type of oracle that felt much like Tarot to me.
Very highly recommended. I can't wait for the fourth book to be published.
Earth Logic
Water Logic
all by Laurie J. Marks
I have been truly delighted by the Elemental Logic series. CK introduced it to me, for which I am grateful, as my recent experience of fantasy fiction (outside known favorite authors such as Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Ursula K. Le Guin) has been that there is little original and creative being written these days. (I expect that I am wrong in this assumption, and am glad to be proved so - in fact, I welcome recommendations). I kind of wanted to wait to read the series until the fourth and last book, Air Logic, was out, but CK convinced me not to wait. I found the books to be wonderfully engrossing travel reading.
The story is set in the land of Shaftal, in the midst of a bloody crisis brought about by conflict between an invading force and the folks who have lived there. The Shaftalis have elemental magic inherit in their blood, and most of the main characters in the series are witches of one elemental line or the other. The conflict brings together a group of people who have important roles to play in the direction the country will take.
Three of the details of culture of Shaftal that I like: same-sex as well as opposite-sex romances are quite common (including several of the main characters), libraries and studying are important, and the Shaftalis have series of glyph symbols/cards which are both a form of writing and a type of oracle that felt much like Tarot to me.
Very highly recommended. I can't wait for the fourth book to be published.