This was an odd little book of short stories that are only barely connected by the theme of water.

I didn't particularly like them. Not because they weren't interesting and well written but because they were just too short. I've never been much of a short story fan, they usually leave me feeling as if something is missing. I want more. If a story is interesting enough to grip me for 15 minutes then it's interesting enough to grip me for an entire novel. If it is interesting and then ends after 15 minutes I just feel cheated.

There were a couple of stories that were interesting. The first story was obviously an alternate reality of the Pilgrims, it was okay. I enjoyed the Sea King's Son, it was fun and complete in and of itself, but most of the others that I enjoyed left me with this empty feeling of wanting more. I quite liked Water Horse. I want to know more about the Guardians and what they do. I liked that particular world and a tiny novella wasn't near enough to satisfy me.

I did rather enjoy the short trip back to Damar though. Damar has a special place in my heart and has had ever since I was 14 and my eighth grade teacher recommended the Hero and the Crown and the Blue Sword to me. I'm 32 years old, I still re-read those books every year. I am always willing to read any scrap about that world, but the others...meh.

Short stories, some by Robin McKinley and some by her husband Peter Dickinson, all concerned in some way with the element of water. As usual with most story collections, I enjoyed some stories much more than others. I found 'Sea Serpent' (Dickinson) somewhat technical and a bit tiresome to read, but loved bitt ;Kraken' (Dickinson) and 'A Pool in the Desert' (McKinley) and to a slightly lesser degree, 'The Sea King's Son' (McKinley). My notes say I found the remaining stories 'OK'. :-)

I couldn't bear to give it any lower than 4. I think it deserves a 3++.

List of stories:

Mermaid Song (Dickinson)
The Sea King's Son (McKinley)
Sea Serpent (Dickinson)
Water Horse (McKinley)
Kraken (Dickinson)
A Pool in the Desert (McKinley)

All the stories were pretty cool. But the last one most of all!

I absolutely fell in love with A Pool in the Desert. My favourite story in this collection, by far. The contrast was spectacular. The writing was masterful. McKinley jolted me out of a grey, tedious, sad, everyday life to one of spice, splendour and suspense. (ooh, alliteration) (okay, maybe not so much the suspense) At any rate, I thought the way she explored reality vs fantasy and how you can step out and into either to be fantastic. Zasharan sounds really (ahem) cool. I loved how it ended.

Coming in second is Water Horse and Kraken, which makes McKinley my preferred author for this book, not that it really matters, but I saw some other reviewers doing it, so...

I felt that the magic in Water Horse wasn't well explained. Yes, i understand that this is a short story, but I really don't get how it works! It kind of messes with me. I like/need to know stuff like that.

For any fan of McKinley/Dickinson, or for any lover of fantasy, or for any person looking for masterful short stories.

Oh, and I realised afterward A Pool in the Desert was set in Damar, which was the same for the Blue Sword. I did read The Blue Sword, but very long ago, and I didn't really enjoy it.

It's difficult to rate anthologies, particularly the kind like this one with but two authors. I am more used to McKinley's writing style, so reading Dickinson's stories were a new experience for me. If I could rate each story individually, I would, but Goodreads only allows me the overall - so for the stories I really liked, the ones I disliked, and the ones that I only found okay, I ended up liking the book, although I can't imagine ever revisiting it again. (But the stories I really liked, like "The Water Horse" and "The Kraken" will likely stay with me!)

These two authors balance each other nicely. The book is arranged so each tells every other short story and it all fit into place in a wonderful way. Reading this is like listening to a great grandparent telling a mysterious family secret, or listening to folk tales. Notice I'm saying "listening", because that's really what it felt like, with the rhythm of the stories and word choice. I would love to have these as an audiobook; I think it would work very, very well.

Even when I admire Dickinson's stories, I don't love them in the visceral way I love McKinley's, so this collection is a little uneven for me. Of Dickinson's contributions, I like "Kraken" the most; of McKinley's...mmm, hard to say, because I love all three, but maybe "A Pool in the Desert", because it's partly set in Damar.

A fun collection of stories.

McKinley seems to do better with short stories than with full-length novels- the stories flowed well and came to a natural end, instead of her typical ending: "...and then *MAGIC* happened and fixed everything! THE END". The exception here would be Water Horse, in which she pulled her usual stunt and pretty much ruined the story.

Dickinson seems like a decent writer. I might give more of his books a go.

Robin McKinley is one of my favorite authors and always will be. I picked this book up a long time ago when I saw that it is written by Ms. McKinley and her husband and it just took a while to make it to the top of my to-read pile. As often happens, I wish I had read it sooner.

This set of short stories is very strong. My favorite tale was "Water Horse". I wish so much that it had been written as a novella and we could have gotten to know the characters better. Among other things, what changed in the stepfather that made his opinion so different at the end of the story than at the beginning? "A Pool in the Desert", which brings us back to Damar and Tor and Aerin and gives us a glimpse of the desert nation in the "present", was a close second. Before beginning this book, I would have assumed that I would like all Ms. McKinley's stories the best, but "Kraken" was my third favorite and another I would have liked to see fleshed out more. Who was the earth princess supposed to have married and why? What becomes of our sea princess as she comes into her adult role?

The only story I did not enjoy was "Mermaid Song", but that has to do with the subject matter of child abuse and neglect rather than the quality of the writing. I enjoyed Peter Dickinson's other stories in this collection and will try to read some of his other works.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy story.

Several short stories all with water as a main element. Each one is quite different, one happening mostly in a desert, one almost entirely underwater, and the others in both air and water. I've enjoyed this elemental series so far. Fire had a very different feel to the tales, and I wasn't as aware of who wrote which. In Water, it was very apparent, which I find interesting.

I enjoyed "Sea Serpent" and "Kraken" by Peter Dickinson, as well as "Water Horse" by Robin McKinley.

I loved the first two stories and the prolog. The one where the girl helps a mermaid made me cry. But the other stories, I had a hard time paying attention. The last one, I actually had to stop reading. I don't know if it was just the timing of reading this book or if I wouldn't like the stories, but I just couldn't get into those other tales.

For fairy tale fans and those who like McKinley's other works, there is much to enjoy in this collection of stories. Centering around a water theme, you'll find a Kraken, a sea prince, ancient gods and goddesses, drowned lovers returned to life, and much more. McKinley's entries were the stronger of the set for me, but she did not overshadow her husband Dickinson's work all that much. A relaxing, enjoyable read.