callipsofacto's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hiatus of nearly two years in the middle of this book, during which I read very little of anything. When I finally did resolve to finish it, I found it a bit of a trudge to the end. I find that strange, because I think most of these stories are good. A couple of them are very good. But to me, the anthology suffers a bit from the components being too much the same. While they are about slightly different creatures and mythologies (mermaids, selkies, rusalka, sirens, etc.), set in different places and times, and employ styles ranging from modern and realistic, to antiquated and fantastical, to outright poetry, the emotional tone of every story is almost identical. Melancholy, loss and regret dominate this book. And while it can be very effective for an individual story, when you string a dozen or more together, it becomes wearying. I suspect if I had used these stories as palate cleansers between other books, I would have enjoyed each of them much more than I did trying to power through the lot all at once (or twice, as it turned out).
effingunicorns's review
3.0
Like most anthologies, this one is a mixed bag with different stories likely to appeal to different readers. It delivers on the premise, though, with underrepresented things like the rusalka and selkie filling in the edges around a plentiful collection of mermaid stories, and I've come away with a few new ideas.
book_realm_revisions's review against another edition
4.0
This collection keeps you on your toes the whole time. Never knowing what the end will be
sallyepp's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the stories were quite good, but the tone of the entire anthology was a bit too one-note. Mermaid stories don't ALL have to be downers.
chramies's review against another edition
4.0
A good and varied selection of treatments of this theme. I can think of a couple of approaches which didn't come up and which might be worth a punt for the second volume if there is one; however the stories that stuck most for me were the ones where the theme was treated most obliquely. As someone else has said it is unfortunate that the overall tenor of the book is rather downbeat; perhaps that is the nature of merfolk, that they are tragic creatures at least when they try to interact with humans or humans try to have dealings with them. Neither creatures of land nor fully of sea they are forever stuck at low tide. Two stories take that classic TS Eliot line "I have heard the mermaids singing each to each" for a title either in whole or in part and the elegiac nature of that poem ("The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock") is appropriate (even if "I have seen them riding seaward on the waves" never quite made sense to me).
sapphirestars's review against another edition
3.0
I think my favorites were Swell, Miss Carstairs and the Mermaid and Margritte's Secret Agent. Not all good or interesting but glad to have read
twylghast's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
greymalkin's review
4.0
Overall an excellent anthology. A few clunkers but those were more than balanced by generally good stories and a few that had some really interesting twists on mermaids and ties to aquatic creatures. Some of the images were deeply disturbing and creepy.
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