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The Fire Rose

The Fire Rose

Fairy TalesFantasy
Pages
448
Published
1995
Language
English

Synopsis

In turn-of-the-century San Francisco, a young woman with few options takes a job reading for a reclusive alchemist. She soon discovers her employer is cursed by a werewolf spell, echoing the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast. This story explores a forbidden connection as she navigates a world of magic and mystery, where a monster might just win her heart.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

MysteriousRomanticAdventurous
Forbidden LoveReluctant Hero

Genres

Fairy Tales Fantasy Folklore Urban Fantasy

About the author

M
Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes Lackey is an American fantasy author, born on June 24, 1950. She is best known for the Valdemar series, set in the world of Velgarth, which began with Arrows of the Queen in 1987. She also writes the Elemental Masters and Five Hundred Kingdoms series, and has collaborated with authors including Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, Eric Flint, Piers Anthony, James Mallory and her husband, the artist Larry Dixon. In 2021 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association named her the 38th Damo...

Characters

The AlchemistProtagonist
All characters in The Fire Rose

Frequently asked questions

  • Is The Fire Rose part of a series?

    This novel is the first in Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series, which reimagines classic fairy tales within an alternate historical setting where magic is real.

  • Does The Fire Rose retell a specific fairy tale?

    The story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set in turn-of-the-century San Francisco, blending the familiar elements of the fairy tale with an alchemical and elemental magic system.

  • How does The Fire Rose connect to Mercedes Lackey's other works?

    While part of the Elemental Masters series, which shares a magical system, The Fire Rose is distinct from her Valdemar series and other fantasy worlds, offering a different historical fantasy flavor.