Once again, Mercedes Lackey has created a rich, lush depiction of England's Elemental Masters, combining elemental magic, fantastic creatures, coming-of-age elements, and the realities of war.

Renounced by her father, Susanne Whitestone has been raised by the servants around her; they've tried their hardest to teach her everything they know, but where they lacked knowledge, she had a more powerful instructor. Although Susanne lacks the pretty or fluffy attitude and aptitudes of a lady of her station, she is an Earth Master because of the interest of a particular teacher. However, despite her need to keep the area around her home from spreading with the blight caused by her father's increasing descent into darker magics, Susanne realizes her father's first interest into her life after twenty years does not bode well for her. Meanwhile, Lord Peter Almsley has been ordered to discover the paranormal evil stalking the land as the rest of the Elemental Masters prepare themselves for the more "mundane" evil of human war.

Filled with themes of class awareness, the devastation of war, and magical theory, UNNATURAL ISSUE is another excellent tale of the Elemental Masters. Novices to the series do not need to have read the prior works to understand this one, but they will get more joy if they know many of the characters already. It was about time for Lord Almsley to have a book all to himself, and his attempts at settling in the countryside in two guises are worth reading. Lackey's elegant wordcraft combines humor with the knife edge of desperation; she doesn't romanticize the horrors of war, but those horrors contribute to the development of her characters, so neither aspect gets lost in the telling. I highly advise people to read this book, and I desperately urge Mercedes Lackey to keep writing the Elemental Masters Novels.