Amazing

I love this duo! The stories they weave are wonderful if you don't want to get caught up in a long saga. Beautiful short stories for a quick fix for your fantasy adventure junkies! Always worth reading!

by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson

This is the first in a planned series called Elementals, all consisting of short stories by Dickinson and McKinley.* The second, Fire, has just come out.** So, naturally, I decided it was time for a re-read.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. n  n While the opening story, "Mermaid Song" by Dickinson did bother me slightly (it all seemed very expected, somehow--repressive society, child rebelling against said society, etc., etc.), the second story "The Sea King's Son" by McKinley was in the best fairy-tale-but-not-quite tradition (note some content in this one, although it's not very explicit). "The Sea Serpent" confused me, to be honest--I never quite grasped the intricacies of landscape or society. "Water Horse" was nice, especially in its deviation from the normal fairy-tale-ish ending. "Kraken" was intriguing and had some lovely images. "A Pool in the Desert" was welcome as a return to Damar (for those of you who may not be aware of the fact, I read The Blue Sword ten times between 7th and 8th grade). I liked it, although I was jarred by the references to our authors, which seemed out of place somehow--they located me a little too firmly in reality.

There is a re-issued edition with a new cover and introduction, but I couldn't find it anywhere online, so I'll just have to wait and buy it eventually.

* they're married
** and what's with the overly-similar titles this year? There's Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins; Fire, by Kristin Cashore; and Fire, by McKinley and Dickinson. I give McKinley and Dickinson a pass because they've had this book coming out for years.

Book source: Inter-library loan
Robin McKinley's website [and blog, if you are a fan and didn't know:]
Peter Dickinson's website

2.5 stars

First story, ok but not a big fan. Expected more about the merfolk. Second was good, albeit predictable. Still nice story. Third couldn't get into. Fourth, struggled. Fifth (Kraken) was excellent. Wish there was more of this world. Sixth, I haven't read the blue sword so the excitement was lost upon me.

Overall, I don't think I'll continue with this elemental spirits series.

A series of short stories centered around water spirits.

Really an incredible range of stories for such a narrow and yet liquid wide subject.

“Mermaid’s Song” the story of a young girl named Piteable in an alternate reality Puritan community. The power of women’s stories and of mermaids singing.

“The Sea King’s Son” a love story taking place in between. The paths between breathing air and water.

“Sea Serpent” the passing of the matrilineal world. Caves and serpents passing away to stonyhenges.

“Water Horse” a story with a very earthsea vibe. Islands and water horses and kindness

“Kraken” a story of playing hooky on the last day of school, for beyond lies responsibility, of lovers perfectly poised and beautiful, of the growing up in the under sea.

My favorite was the final story, “A Pool in the Desert,” which is a short story involving Damar and choices, being trapped in a life in a lush green land and yet starved for the water of the internal.