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3.5 

Water

By Robin McKinley & Peter Dickinson
Water by Robin McKinley & Peter Dickinson digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Master storytellers Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson share tales of mysterious merfolk and magical humans, all with close ties to the element of water. From Pitiable Nasmith's miserable existence in a seaside town whose inhabitants are more intertwined with the sea than most people know, to Tamia's surprising summons to be the apprentice to the Guardian who has the power to hold back the sea, each of the six stories illuminates a captivating world filled with adventure, romance, intrigue, and enchantment. Robin McKinley fans will recognize one of the worlds included-Damar, the setting of Newbery Medal winner The Hero and the Crown and Newbery Honor Book The Blue Sword.

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63 Reviews

3.5
“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.”

About Robin McKinley

Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword. Her other books include Sunshine; the New York Times bestseller Spindle's End; two novel-length retellings of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and Rose Daughter; and a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood. She lives with her husband, the English writer Peter Dickinson.


In 1927, Peter Dickinson was born in Africa, within earshot of Victoria Falls. When he was seven, his family moved to England, where he graduated from Eton and later Cambridge. After working on the editorial staff of the humor magazine Punch for seventeen years, Peter finally started on his career as a writer, which he knew he was meant for since he was five years old.

His first book was published in 1968, and since then he has written almost fifty novels, for adults and young readers. His children's books have won great acclaim here as well as in Great Britain, where he has received both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Award.

Peter lives in Hampshire, England, with his wife, Newbery Medalist Robin McKinley.

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