Title: The Gates of Sleep
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First published January 1, 2002
446 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9780756401016 (ISBN10: 0756401011)
Rating: 3.87
Overview
In the countryside of Victorian England, Marina Roeswood has spent her whole life surrounded by the magic of the bohemian artists who raised her. But as she grows older, Marina begins to question her past and the mysteries that shroud it.
Why have her wealthy parents never been a part of her life? And why have her Elemental Magic abilities been kept secret from her true family?
With the sudden passing of her birth parents, Marina is introduced to her new guardian, her father’s eldest sister, Arachne. But Marina soon realizes that her aunt exudes a dark magical aura that threatens her very existence.
As she delves deeper into the secrets of her past, Marina must race against time to uncover the truth before the evil that has been seeking her for nearly eighteen years consumes her entirely.
About the Author
Mercedes was born in Chicago on June 24, 1950, and had a typical childhood before graduating from Purdue University in 1972. In the late 70s, she worked as a model and later entered the field of computer programming, ultimately landing a job with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Along with her work as a fantasy writer, she has also written lyrics and recorded close to fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company that specializes in science fiction folk music.
As Mercedes sees it, her job is to tell stories. Her characters drive her narratives, and she tries to imagine how they would react to different situations.
This approach seems to appeal to a wide range of readers, from teenagers to senior citizens. Mercedes also writes song lyrics because they offer a concise way to convey a story or capture a pivotal moment.
When she’s trying to get to the heart of a scene, she often composes a lyric to clarify her thoughts.
Mercedes’s novels fall under the fantasy genre, with settings that resemble other-worldly, semi-medieval societies. She believes that music was fundamental to people’s lives during the medieval era and that bards were the primary bearers of news.
By writing songs that might be sung by her characters, she feels that she’s adding depth to her fictional worlds.
Mercedes began writing out of boredom, but she has continued out of a sense of addiction. She can’t imagine not writing, and as a result, she has virtually no social life.
She writes fantasy because she loves it, but she approaches her world-building with the same care and attention to detail as a science fiction writer. For example, she applies the principle of TANSTAAFL (“there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”) to magic, meaning that in her worlds, magic comes with a cost.
Mercedes tries to make her characters as multidimensional as possible, even the evil ones. She believes that there’s no such thing as one true way and that the answers that matter most are the ones you discover for yourself.
She thinks that leaving the world better than you found it is a worthy goal. Finally, she believes that love, freedom, and the chance to do good are the things worth living and dying for.
Editoral Review
In “The Gates of Sleep,” Mercedes Lackey takes readers on a journey to a magical world, filled with danger and adventure. Lackey, a prolific and popular writer within the fantasy genre, weaves together a rich tapestry of mythology and magic to create a captivating story that will appeal to both young and old readers.
The book takes place in the same world as Lackey’s popular Valdemar series, but readers do not need to be familiar with that series to enjoy this book. The story follows the adventures of three young women–collaborators Lelia, Sasha, and Carol–who are on a quest to save Lelia’s true love from the nightmarish realm of the Gates of Sleep.
The Gates of Sleep is a place of terror, where the very worst of nightmares come to life. With the help of various magical creatures, the girls embark on a perilous journey to traverse the dangerous landscape and rescue Lelia’s beloved.
Along the way, they encounter threats both physical and emotional and must use all their wits and courage to survive. “The Gates of Sleep” is a classic quest story, but Lackey gives it a unique twist by incorporating elements of mythology and folklore.
She has a gift for rendering magical worlds and imbuing them with a sense of wonder and mystery. The story progresses at a good pace, with plenty of action and suspense to keep readers engaged.
The characters are well-developed, with each of the three women having unique personalities and motivations. The different magical creatures are also well-drawn, with their quirks and idiosyncrasies making them come to life on the page.
Lackey’s writing is engaging and accessible, making this book perfect for young adult readers. The themes of friendship, love, and courage are universal, and the book has a powerful message about the importance of facing one’s fears.
While the book is enjoyable overall, there are a few weaknesses. The plot is somewhat predictable, and the villains are somewhat one-dimensional.
The book also has a somewhat simplistic view of good and evil, which may not appeal to all readers. Overall, “The Gates of Sleep” is an enjoyable read for fans of fantasy and mythology.
While it may not break any new ground, it is well-written, engaging, and full of heart. Readers who enjoy classic quest stories and magical worlds will find much to enjoy in this book.
I give it four out of five stars.
