Episode 142: The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
From Of Slippers and Spindles - Fairy Tale Retellings and Adaptations in Books, Film, and Theatre by Cassie Greenlee, Daurie Rothhaar, Laura L, Matt Guion
June 3, 2026 · 1h 30m · Season 2 · Episode 36
About this episode
Matt and Cassie discuss Mercedes Lackey's The Fire Rose, exploring its gritty retelling of Beauty and the Beast and its historical backdrop.
Matt and Cassie wrap up our second Beauty and the Beast era with the podcast's very first Mercedes Lackey episode! The Fire Rose is book zero in the Elemental Masters series. We discuss Disney's influence on this gritty retelling, Mercedes Lackey's exceptional research and how it contributes to the vibes, and how the book uses the San Francisco earthquake as the backdrop for the fairy tale's climax. Episode book triggers: Suicidal ideation, drug use, violent and gory murder, period accur...
People in this episode
Hosts: Matt, Cassie
Topics covered
- fairy tale retellings
- literature analysis
- Disney influence
- historical context
- Elemental Masters series
Keywords
- Mercedes Lackey
- The Fire Rose
- Beauty and the Beast
- Elemental Masters
- San Francisco earthquake
- fairy tale
- literature
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Fire Rose, Beauty and the Beast
More episodes of Of Slippers and Spindles - Fairy Tale Retellings and Adaptations in Books, Film, and Theatre
- Episode 141: Beast Charming by Jenniffer Wardell · May 20, 2026 · 1h 9m
- Episode 140: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer · May 6, 2026 · 1h 24m
- Episode 139: La Belle et La Bete · April 22, 2026 · 1h 1m
- Episode 138: Snow White Wrap Up and Intro to Beauty and the Beast · April 8, 2026 · 54 min
- Episode 137: Disney's Live Action Snow White · March 25, 2026 · 1h 21m
- Episode 136: Mirrored by Alex Flinn · March 11, 2026 · 1h 21m
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