This is the second short story book where Lackey has opened up her Elemental Magic world to other authors. She’s got a story in here as well, but it’s a bit of a disappointment, because it’s clearly the short story she expanded into Blood Red, so nothing new here.
There’s an interesting mix of stories, going back to Roman times, and expanding into the American West (the only rule for timeframe is that the Edwardian time period is the latest these stories can go.) Two of my favorites were “Arms of the Sea”, where a Water Master who’s lost the use of her legs is handicapped on land, but shows herself more than capable of saving countless lives when she’s in the sea, as well as “Fly or Fall”, where a young woman has to face up to her magic in order to save a little girl from her magic.
These are serviceable stories – I liked the other edition a bit better, and I still prefer the longer forms in the books.