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Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits
Water Tales of Elemental Spirits
Author: Robin McKinley, Peter Dickinson
Haunting, captivating, and beautifully rendered, Water explores the magical creatures that inhabit the sea. Some are as almost-familiar as mermaids; others are as strange as the thing glimpsed only as a golden eye in a pool at the edge of Damar's Great Desert Kalarsham. And then there is the unknowable, immense Kraken who lives beyond the...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780441010561
ISBN-10: 0441010563
Publication Date: 5/6/2003
Pages: 272
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 20

3.6 stars, based on 20 ratings
Publisher: Ace Books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

althea avatar reviewed Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits on + 774 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A fantasy collection based on the theme of sea magic, from husband & wife Peter Dickinson and Robin McKinley.
Id say, as far as reading level, this book is probably aimed at young teens, but like classic fairytales, the stories are such as can be enjoyed by all Young women striving against repressive environments is a recurring theme hardly a new motif, but its generally done effectively. The ending of the last story made me cry!

Mermaid Song PD
A young girl in a strict, Puritan-type community is able to pay back a generations-old secret debt and also escape her abusive home life.

The Sea-Kings Son RM
A young woman narrowly avoids marrying a man who does not love her and finds a more magical future; in the process eliminating a curse that has lain on her village for years.

Sea Serpent PD
A fantasy of the end of the times of the chthonic goddess, and her replacement by the gods of men, and their courage and ingenuity. A surprisingly non-strident voice is used to describe the mens theft of the standing stones of the goddess, and their heroic battle against the priestess sea serpent.

Water Horse RM
A young and unappreciated woman travels from her village to apprentice as a Guardian one of the magicians who guards their island against the encroachment of the waves. Although unprepared and untried, her unconventional perspective may save her people.

Kraken PD
A pair of illicit lovers jumps into the sea as a last resort a young mermaid princess tries to save them, but the unknown kraken of the depths may take more than just the bodies of the drowned lovers

A Pool in the Desert RM
Set in the world of Damar (The Blue Sword, The Hero & the Crown). A young woman in a restrictive family environment has been having vivid dreams of a vibrant desert land it seems real, but when she looks up names and places on the Internet and in the encyclopedia, the nomenclature is out of long-ago legend and myth. Will she have to give up on her dreams and settle for obeying her father and keeping the accounts for his dreary shop?
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reviewed Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits on + 168 more book reviews
I don't often read short stories, but I made an exception for this book - mainly because I love McKinley. I had never read anything by Dickinson, but was willing to give him a shot too. In short, I really loved this collection. I'm really excited to read the next one (I think Fire is next). There was only one story in there that I thought was rather boring. Otherwise, all the stories held my interest and I liked all the characters.
reviewed Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits on + 168 more book reviews
Excellent short stories. Includes on Damar story.


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