Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits

Written by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson

Narrated by Bianca Amato

What magical beings inhabit Earth’s waters? Some are as almost-familiar as the mer-people; some as strange as the thing glimpsed only as a golden eye in a pool at the edge of the Great Desert Kalarsham, where the mad god Geljdreth rules; or
the unknowable, immense Kraken, dark beyond the darkness of the deepest ocean, who will one day rise and rule the world.

Here are seven tales from the remarkable storytellers Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson. Vividly imagined and written, they transform the simple element of water into something very powerful indeed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705031780

Robin McKinley

Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown, a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature for Sunshine. Her other books include the New York Times bestseller Spindle’s End; two novel-length retellings of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and Rose Daughter; Deerskin, another novel-length fairy-tale retelling, of Charles Perrault’s Donkeyskin; and a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood. She lives with her husband, the English writer Peter Dickinson; three dogs (two hellhounds and one hell terror); an 1897 Steinway upright; and far too many rosebushes.

Reviews for Water

[bjappleg8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Six stories by Dickinson and McKinley alternately, with a story concerning merfolk or sea creatures of some sort – all except the last story which was by McKinley and concerns her mythic country of Damar. The water element is that a pond in the main character’s backyard is used as her magical means of transport to the desert. Stretching the point a bit. Decent but not wonderful.

[liscarey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of short stories, some by Dickinson and some by McKinley, all involving water spirits in one form or another. One of McKinley's is another Damar story (The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown). Several of them, by both writers, involved merpeople in what's at least somewhat a shared world. Overall, I find McKinley's characters more likable and enjoyable to spend time with, but all the stories are entertaining.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars? I do appreciate the talents of both these writers and have enjoyed other workds by them, and will seek out more. But for some reason this wasn't as wonderful as I wanted it to be. I have to admit that I kept having to check as I was reading to see which author wrote which story.

Ok, my only guess about why I, personally, didn't rate it higher is that I thought each story was a little too long. I'm more comfortable with stories that are highlighting an idea or an episode. These stories actually each built a world and gave us most of a character's life story. Each could have been easily developed into a full-lenght novel. So, kudos to the authors for making them so rich and yet so tight and concise, and lovely.

If you see the different editions, the all blue cover is stunning, but makes it look (imo) like a novel for adults. The cover with the orange banner across the top and the image of the merman (which is the one I have) is more fitting, I think, because it is a YA book. But it can also be read by any good reader above age 8 or so - the 'yuck factor' of mature issues is very low.

Btw, the descriptions of some editions of this book claim seven stories. The pb I read has six stories. I have attached this review to the ISBN of the book I have, but if you request my book from swap you will get six stories, trade pb, merman cover (just to be clear).

[altheaann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fantasy collection based on the theme of sea magic, from husband & wife Peter Dickinson and Robin McKinley.
I’d 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 it’s 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-King’s 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 men’s 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?

[krumbs_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[phoebesmum · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Adequately written, but generally dull.

[dimrain23 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I know that this book sounds like it could be really cool and interesting, but it really sucks in my opinion

[xicanti_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of six stories that focus on the element of water. Each author contributes three stories.I came to this collection through the sixteenth edition of THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR, which reprinted two of the stories. Those two, ("A Pool in the Desert" and "Mermaid Song"), were definitely the best this book has to offer, but I enjoyed almost all the others, too. The only piece I found tedious was "Sea Serpent," which throws the reader right into the centre of things without much of an introduction and with few telling details until later on. It just didn't work for me.Dickinson's stories are all rather abstract. He's working with some larger, less concrete themes, and he doesn't give the reader any handouts; she has to work for the payoff. This approach works very well with "Mermaid Song" and "Kraken," but as I've already mentioned I just didn't care for "Sea Serpent." McKinley, in contrast, provides three stories with firm roots in the realm of the emotional. Her tales draw the reader in and tug at the heartstrings in a way that I found impossible to resist. I enjoyed all three stories very much.Overall, this was a good, quick read. I definitely recommend it.

[rhinoa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Six tales from husband and wife team Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson. They are all based on water, it is subtitled "Tales of Elemental Spirits" and each story has a different magical water being. It is a very powerful collection and I found something to enjoy in all six tales.Mermaid Song - Peter DickinsonPitiable lives with her grandparents. Her mother was expelled from the People when she chose to marry outside her clan and died giving birth. Her grandmother Mercy tells her the story of their ancestor Charity Goodrich who met some sea-people as a child who helped save her life. After Mercy's death, her grandfather treats Pitiable like a slave beating her and expecting her to work like a dog. One day her life is changed when she meets a sea-child herself.The Sea-Kings Song - Robin McKinleyJenny is hard working and intelligent, but not beautiful and is hidden by her shyness. She becomes betrothed to a beautiful young man who is more interested in her inhertiance than her. He ends up breaking her heart as predicted leading her to take a short cut home over a bridge that has been cursed by the Sea King after he was treated badly by the landfolk. Instead of killing her he lets her go after she speaks so highly of her love for her family. His son is intrigued by the girl who helped his father let go of her rage and strives to meet her.Sea Serpent - Peter DickinsonIril chews the leaf and dreams the wave. He takes ona contract for Mel, a Priest for the Father-God to take stones from Siron a Priestess of the Earth-Mother whose religion is dwindling. Doing so causes Siron to unleash a fearsome sea serpent which tries to stop them taking the stones. Iril and his son Jarro need to work together to defeat it.Water Horse - Robin McKinleyTamia lives with her family where she isn't appreciated before leaving to be an apprentice to the Guardian Western Mouth. The Guardians keep the sea from drowning their island and the lands behind. When Western Mouth has a stroke Tamia summons help using the gold stones in the water pool, but accidentally opens the way for a ferocious water horse which is dealing a vast amount of damage to the land. She opened the way and so she must be the one to send it back to the sea. Perhaps her affinity with animals, especially horses will help her.Kraken - Peter DickinsonWhen two lovers dive off a boat being boarded by pirates rather than be captured, mermaid and King's daughter Ailsa and her blue-fin Carn decide to save their bodies. On diving below the limit Ailsa feels the limit, cold and deadly. As she tows the bodies back to her father the limit begins to rise and she senses a dark, other presence following her. A kraken has awoken and is interested in the humans as well as Ailsa and is keeping the couple alive in a suspended animation.A Pool in the Desert - Robin McKinleyHetta dreams of the desert and begins to travel there in her dreams. She is saved from a sandstorm by a Watcher named Zasharan. The dreams are so vivid and in her waking life she begins to research the strange land she emerged in that felt so life like. It turns out to be a real place, but she is meeting people from legend rather than real history. She tries to find a way to get there and one day her sister helps her notice an unusual newt in their pond which opens the way.My favourite was Water Horse, it was a great story filled with magic but of a practical nature and was something a little different. Other favourites were The Sea-King's Son and Sea Serpent. My least favourite was Kraken which started like a rip off of The Little Mermaid which is a story I love. They are supposed to be teaming up to do a series of these anthologies of different elements and Peter's site says he has written some of them. I do hope they complete the series as this was an extrememly enjoyable collection.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'd read the Damar story - the last one - before, but I don't think I read any of the rest. They're all good - range from good to excellent. Many are written in a fairy-tale style - very little about why the characters do what they do - but that doesn't detract from the stories. Mermaid's Song is OK - unpleasant events while it's going on and a bit of a deus ex machina at the end (though it wasn't a great surprise), but even so interesting. The Sea King's Son is a little dull - pretty obvious what was going to happen next, but a nice story regardless. Kraken was weird, with an interesting conclusion. The Guardian story was good too - though I got a little tired of her self-doubt, it really was reasonable. And I love the Damar story - it's at least as unpleasant as Mermaid's Song what's happening to her (parental abuse, in both), but Hetta actually moves to save herself, with her sister's help. And of course it's another light on Damar - wonderful for that alone. I think I'm missing one but I can't remember - so it can't have been all that good, could it? Overall, very good.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Always fresh and unique ideas and worlds.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An interesting series of stories rotating around the theme of water, split 50/50 between Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson. Explores the role of water with fantasy and mythology.