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Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits
 
 
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Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits [Paperback]

Robin McKinley (Author), Peter Dickinson (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Each highly respected authors in their own right, husband and wife Dickinson (The Ropemaker) and McKinley (Spindle's End) collaborate for the first time on a collection of enchanting tales linked by an aquatic theme. Infused with selkie legends and Greek and Roman underworld myths, the tales possess a consistently compelling, rhythmic tone, despite the fact that the authors alternate in the tellings. Dickinson's opening "Mermaid Song" sets the tone for a tenuous relationship between those who dwell on sand and in sea; only the landsman who has listened to the stories passed down through generations can accord the sea its proper respect. McKinley's "The Sea-King's Son" builds on the traditional tale of the Sea-King's daughter who falls in love with a musician, but with a satisfying twist. Taken together, the installments also raise some thought-provoking issues. In "Mermaid Song," for instance, Pitiable Nasmith must lie in order to escape her grandfather's abusive home, while Hetta in "A Pool in the Desert" struggles with what constitutes truth. The workings of the Guardians' magic in McKinley's "Water Horse" remains mysterious, and Dickinson never entirely explains the gender-divided mythology in "Sea Serpent" but fans of myths won't mind filling in the gaps. These creative interpretations brim with suspenseful, chilling and wonderfully supernatural scenes, from Iril's daring plan to kill the murderous sea serpent to Hetta's literal leap of faith. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-Two generally brilliant writers alternate first-rate tales in this six-story collection. McKinley allows hearts' desires to be achieved in all three of her contributions: one young woman braves a curse and falls in love with "The Sea-King's Son"; another discovers her own subtle kind of magic in defeating a giant, wildly destructive "Water Horse." A third dreams of Damar, the setting of McKinley's Blue Sword (1982) and Hero and the Crown (1984, both Greenwillow), then finds a way to travel there, escaping through space and time from a soul-deadening existence. In Dickinson's tales, which are darker in tone, a "Mermaid Song" helps an abused child escape her violent father; a lame ferryman, caught in a struggle between old gods and new, battles an immense "Sea Serpent"; and while helping to save human lovers from drowning, a mer-princess draws the attention of an immortal, coldly alien "Kraken" from the deeps. The masterfully written stories all feature distinct, richly detailed casts and settings, are free of the woodenly formal language that plagues so much fantasy, and focus as strongly on action as on character. There's plenty here to excite, enthrall, and move even the pickiest readers.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Short Stories, Jun 5 2004
This review is from: Water (Hardcover)
As a disclaimer, I only read all of the stories in it by McKinley and just a few by her husband.

I felt that this collection was quite good; much better than her aweful "Spindle's End" and the somewhat trying "Door in the Hedge." To me these stories were more true to the nature of her books "Beauty," "Rose Daughter," "The Blue Sword," and "The Hero in the Crown." The book does contain a short story related to the later two. Overall I think that I enjoyed the "Water Horse" story the most. It was about a young girl named Tamia who is apprenticed to a guardian who protects the land from the ocean. She is surrounded by different kinds of horses during her life that impact her in different ways. Her childhood pony was her first friend, the Water Horse is a destructive monster that is flooding the land and killing people, and the mare and foal at the end save her and her people.

I liked the strong female heroines in her stories and am thankful that she is back to her rolicking and not trudging way of telling a story. Overall a good book for a Robin McKInley fan; I can't wait to see the other books in the series when they come out!

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1.0 out of 5 stars Robin McKinley, you missed your mark this time..., Mar 11 2004
By 
"rebbit" (Fairbanks, Alaska United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Water (Hardcover)
wow I found this book a major disappointment. I am a short-story fanatic usually, but i could not even get through all of the stories in this book. The stories lacked character definition and were utterly unoriginal.
I would recommend Outlaws of Sherwood, also by McKinley, instead.
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4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this book, Oct 2 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Water (Paperback)
I am a major Robin McKinley fan. What I love best is her facility with the English language. For someone who reads with an internal ear to the music of the written word, her prose is rich with melody and grace.

If you expect Peter Dickinson's writing to be like McKinley's, you will be disappointed. His voice is very different - a sparer cello & oboe melody compared to her dancing flutes and trumpets. It's not better or worse, but it is different. His stories are more stark. The themes are darker. But they have their own beauty.

I also really enjoyed the one Damarian tale. As McKinley's writing has matured, her female heroines have become less fairy princesses, and more survivors who find it within themselves to meet challenges and endure. Her heroes also have a few more realistic warts. This story is about a survivor. A woman who keeps her soul intact against all odds, and ultimately finds it within herself (with her sister's encouragement) to follow her dreams and change her destiny. I also liked that it was set in the present day. Perhaps there's just to much realism in it for some - we all know creeps like Hetta's parents - but I think that makes it even more satisfying. Who needs dreams more than those whose reality is a prison?

In any case, if you read the book, read it one story at a time, and enjoy the changing voices.

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