Another book that hovers between 4 and 5 stars for me. I love RMcK and enjoyed each of the 3 stories she contributed very much. She is just a master of creating fantastic settings and grounding them enough to make them believable. I liked the merman story and loved both the mountain apprentice and the desert pond stories. I find myself more and more impressed by her the more I read other fantasy writers. What was more of a surprise to me was that I also quite enjoyed her husband's stories - well, 2 of them; the one about the sea serpent I just couldn't quite follow. But the mermaid and kraken stories were both very good - very similar storytelling to his wife, but definitely more of an edge to the story and a little bit less happily ever after. I can't wait to read the other elemental tales - not sure how many others they've done together but I will definitely be reading all of them.

Had this on my shelf for eons; finally got around to reading it. I liked the three by McKinley better than the three by her husband, but I've been a McKinley fan for the better part of 30 years, and her stories and style were more immediately recognizable and familiar. His stories are quote different in style--starker, and more ambiguous. I did enjoy them; just not as much as hers. Added bonus: the last story in the book is a Damar story--I've been waiting forever for another Damar story, and I didn't know I had one on my shelf all along!

Some of the short stories are clearly better than others. I hadn't read Peter Dickinson's work and I really liked two of his stories (I honestly got too confused with "Sea Serpent"), so I'll be looking for some of his books this year. My favorite by far, however, was McKinley's "The Pool in the Desert", which took me right back to the wonderful Damar in a way I did not expect.

I just read, well, re-read this, I think. I bought it recently and read it, not finding any of the stories familiar--and you'd really think I would have remembered the one set in the same world as The Blue Sword--but when I went to shelve it, there was already a copy on the shelf.

I enjoyed the stories here very much and the theme of water woven through them made a nice connection. I do have to wonder about the continuing theme of daughters whose relationships with their families range from under-appreciated to abused.

I do wish that McKinley and Dickinson had gone on with their plans to do the other elements!

Gorgeous, gorgeous stories. This book was given to me by my counsellor (ahem, yes, a bit strange, but I believe it was intended as a birthday present) after I mentioned loving mermaid stories. This book is completely wonderful, and with different ideas than just people with fishy tails. There are fish with human ears and merfolk who look just like people but with gills, and even kraken and newts.

Normally I'd review each short story separately, but honestly, I loved all of these. There was only one low point for me in this collection, and that was Sea Serpent. I couldn't really follow it, perhaps because I'm not big on action writing, which this story mostly comprised of. I can't pinpoint a favourite, but I did love the story of two lovers drowning and being saved somewhat by the kraken (titled Kraken, ironically enough), and of a merman and land girl swapping places (The Sea King's Son). I also loved a different take on the water creatures, which appears in A Pool In The Desert.

This is definitely a must-have for all mermaid fans.

Maybe its because my family is Irish, and I grew up with a father that loved the old Celtic tales. But all these short stories are so great. I have a few favorites. . but i will keep those to myself. I dont like spoilers.
Not all these stories are happy-ever afters. Which is fitting because most, if not all the original stories were certainly not happy endings.
I enjoyed these tails immensely and shared them with my dad.

Each story was wonderful and easy to read. The only one that I did have a bit difficulty finishing was Sea Serpent, but every other story was so good. Each had their own little twists and little flavors that popped into my mind while I was reading it, most of which I also put with my "continuous updates".

Water Horse - confusing, but got better, petrichor and pine
Kraken - intriguing, pink pearls and carbonated water
Sea Serpent was a bit weird. I'm not quite sure what story it was supposed to tell.
Sea-King's Son is more like a reversal The Little Mermaid with a good ending. Felt like green pearls and pine wood. Very cute.
Mermaid Song was sad. Slightly melancholic but cute. With the taste of mist and smoke.

I don't generally enjoy short stories, but this was decent. I think what helped is that there was a theme throughout each story so they kind of flowed together (pun intended). Sure, some of the stories were a miss for me (Water Horse for one, although I stopped in the middle of that story), but it was a good time-passer. The last story, A Pool in the Desert, was pretty intriguing and while it was wrapped up well, I wanted to read more of that tale.

I have owned this book for years and years and I think never read it, even though Robin McKinley is my favorite author. Why? Who knows. But I'm glad I finally made time to finish it! Some of Peter Dickinson's stories were less my style (especially Kraken... why would you describe the sailing in such minute detail, just say they got from one side to the other, it's fine) but overall this was such a lovely, fairy tale-esque collection.

Very lovely short stories, but which really feel directed to a young reader, perhaps not even YA quite yet. My favorite stories were actually those by Peter Dickinson, particularly the Kraken - loved his take on that story.

Mermaid Song - puritans and mermen, and a little girl who really is Pitiable (but smart and kind). One of my favorites of the anthology.

The Sea King´s Son - very very simple and very McKinley-esque if you know what I mean.

Sea Serpent - prehistoric! Stonehenge getting built (maybe stonehenge. or something like that, 20 stones yes, but there are other big stones monuments). Really exciting and original.

Water Horse - I loved the setting, the universe, which reminded me of Earthsea and the island of Madeira. The story was nice, but it was the worldbuilding I loved.

Kraken - my favorite of the lot, did not see where this is going, and the love the original twist to that old myth.

A Pool in the Desert - just did not work for me. I loved the little sister and the freedom fantasy it represents but the story in all not so much. Something petty which drove me crazy the Homeland described sounded like America but with englishified placed names, it just baffled me.

Rating extra low for disappointment. This might be - objectively - a three-star book. But Water makes me feel gross — or perhaps more accurately, Dickinson makes me feel gross.

The first story was a little off-putting for its fetishizing treatment of child abuse, the second was a fairly trite romance. The third seemed slightly interesting when it became clear that it was in an entirely different voice and vein, but ultimately devoted pages and pages to the gleeful take-down of female/serpent power by white male. Then all the women in the story (who communicate chiefly via freighted glance) come to a clam acceptance and bland forgiveness of the perpetrator of this rape. A delightfully Trumpist kind of story, indeed! Anyway, that's where I stopped with Water.

Having perused some other reviews in an effort to figure out which stories are by which author, I see the last story is set in Damar. Will possibly skip ahead. Will not be reading any more Dickinson.

I haven't been reading much lately so this was a good book to help me get back into the swing of reading. It was just a bunch of short fantasy-type stories based on water and water based myths. Quick and easy read. Some stories seemed to end a little abruptly but overall they were all pretty entertaining.