The Elemental Masters
#3843.97 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 21 books Status Ongoing 1995–present Reading commitment High Mercedes Lackey Last reviewed 2026-08-30
Overview
A sequence of loosely connected historical-fantasy novels, each a retelling of a classic fairy tale set mostly in an alternate late-Victorian or Edwardian Britain (with excursions elsewhere), unified by a shared system of elemental magic worked by Masters of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth rather than by a continuous cast of characters.
Historical fantasy, Fairy-tale retelling · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (21 works) counts toward ranking
The Elemental Masters Mercedes Lackey
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Fire Rose | 1995 | 1 | core | 3.99 (11,146 ratings) |
 | The Serpent's Shadow | 2001 | 2 | core | 4.04 (11,516 ratings) |
 | The Gates of Sleep | 2002 | 3 | core | 3.90 (8,975 ratings) |
 | Phoenix and Ashes | 2004 | 4 | core | 4.06 (8,638 ratings) |
 | The Wizard of London | 2005 | 5 | core | 3.85 (7,696 ratings) |
 | Reserved For the Cat | 2007 | 6 | core | 3.93 (7,687 ratings) |
 | Unnatural Issue | 2011 | 7 | core | 3.87 (5,335 ratings) |
 | Home from the Sea | 2012 | 8 | core | 3.93 (4,916 ratings) |
 | Elemental Magic | 2012 | 9 | core | 3.85 (1,476 ratings) |
 | Steadfast | 2013 | 10 | core | 3.89 (3,941 ratings) |
 | Elementary | 2013 | 11 | core | 3.78 (1,201 ratings) |
 | Blood Red | 2014 | 12 | core | 3.98 (3,882 ratings) |
 | From a High Tower | 2015 | 13 | core | 4.03 (3,070 ratings) |
 | A Study in Sable | 2016 | 14 | core | 4.01 (2,808 ratings) |
 | A Scandal in Battersea | 2017 | 15 | core | 3.93 (2,147 ratings) |
 | The Bartered Brides | 2018 | 16 | core | 4.01 (1,792 ratings) |
 | The Case of the Spellbound Child | 2019 | 17 | core | 4.04 (1,593 ratings) |
 | Jolene | 2020 | 18 | core | 4.17 (1,996 ratings) |
 | The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley | 2022 | 19 | core | 4.00 (1,534 ratings) |
 | Miss Amelia's List | 2024 | 20 | core | 4.02 (1,272 ratings) |
 | The Cyprian | 2025 | 21 | core | 4.16 (823 ratings) |
Loosely connected fairy-tale retellings unified by a shared elemental-magic system rather than a continuous cast.
Library / Expanded (1 work)
- Grey (1995) ; Short story companion to The Fire Rose; not part of the main numbered sequence.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Elemental Masters? The Elemental Masters's Core Canon is 21 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for The Elemental Masters? Publication order, starting with The Fire Rose. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Elemental Masters finished? Ongoing (1995–present).
- How much reading does The Elemental Masters take? High reading commitment (estimated from 21 Core Canon books · ~7,216 pages).
- How is The Elemental Masters ranked? #384 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 93,444 reader ratings across 21 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #384?
Ranked #384 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.97 across 21 core books.
- A smaller readership (93,444 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #383, Secret Histories (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 21 books · Ongoing · 93k ratings · Ranks #384 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running historical fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (21 Core Canon books)
- The Fire Rose (1995)
- The Serpent's Shadow (2001)
- The Gates of Sleep (2002)
- Phoenix and Ashes (2004)
- The Wizard of London (2005)
- Reserved For the Cat (2007)
- Unnatural Issue (2011)
- Elemental Magic (2012)
- Home from the Sea (2012)
- Elementary (2013)
- Steadfast (2013)
- Blood Red (2014)
- From a High Tower (2015)
- A Study in Sable (2016)
- A Scandal in Battersea (2017)
- The Bartered Brides (2018)
- The Case of the Spellbound Child (2019)
- Jolene (2020)
- The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley (2022)
- Miss Amelia's List (2024)
- The Cyprian (2025)
Documented internal/story order
- The Fire Rose (1995)
- The Serpent's Shadow (2001)
- The Gates of Sleep (2002)
- Phoenix and Ashes (2004)
- The Wizard of London (2005)
- Reserved For the Cat (2007)
- Unnatural Issue (2011)
- Home from the Sea (2012)
- Elemental Magic (2012)
- Steadfast (2013)
- Elementary (2013)
- Blood Red (2014)
- From a High Tower (2015)
- A Study in Sable (2016)
- A Scandal in Battersea (2017)
- The Bartered Brides (2018)
- The Case of the Spellbound Child (2019)
- Jolene (2020)
- The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley (2022)
- Miss Amelia's List (2024)
- The Cyprian (2025)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Elemental Masters and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Singing Hills Cycle Mythic fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.01
- Temeraire Historical fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 3.99
- Five Hundred Kingdoms Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · High commitment · 3.91
- Crown of Stars Epic fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 3.87
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.97 across 93,444 ratings on 21 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Elemental Masters (Mercedes Lackey), Dread Empire (Glen Cook), Alpha and Omega (Patricia Briggs) accepted 2026-08-30
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-31
Rule: Core Canon is the 21-novel numbered sequence (The Fire Rose, 1995, through The Cyprian, 2025). The short story “Grey” is Expanded companion fiction.