Eddystone Light

by Amelia Smith

Jack is a proper young man of the Victorian era. He studies accountancy, lives with his maiden aunt, and smells like a fish. The fishy smell drives girls away faster than they can be introduced.

One night, Jack visits his lighthouse-keeper father on the Eddystone rocks. There, he meets his mother for the first time since he was a baby. She's a mermaid. Jack's mother sends him on a quest to find his two lost brothers, a porpoise and a porgie fish.

Jack's quest transforms him from lonely boy to glamorous merman. Along the way, he falls in love, battles carnival hucksters, and is scolded by a porpoise... and that's before he meets the mermaids.

ebook

First published December 27, 2012

About the author

Thanks to my grandmother, Nancy Woollcott Smith, I started out in life with the delusion that writing was a thing grown-ups did. Becoming a writer seemed almost as realistic an ambition as becoming an accountant, though less lucrative. That delusion led me to a couple of decades of irregular and mostly profitless work, but it's also kept me going.

In high school I wrote two novels with a friend. We passed chapters back and forth in between classes. They were written on paper, the first book long-hand, the second on computer. That was before the internet. During the fall and winter after I graduated from college, I wrote a novella/poetry collection, still unpublishable or at least unmarketable. I sent it to about a half dozen agents and collected their more-or-less gentle rejections.

At age 31, I launched into my current project, a multi-volume epic fantasy about the last generation of a land animated by dragon-gods. I set it aside when I had my first baby, and I'm not 31 any more. I've also written a stand-alone Regency romance, a historical fantasy novella, and a screenplay.

Reviews

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I would enjoy this novella when I first took a look at it but decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did! It is based on a type sea shanty of the same title that has been recorded many times about the keeper of the Eddystone lighthouse and a mermaid having three children (porpoise, porgie, and a human). When the human grows up he meets his mermaid mother who sends him on a quest to find his missing brothers.
I found it to be a very fun read. This will definitely appeal to people of a wide variety of ages from older people who will remember singing the shanty to young people who may have never heard of it. In fact, as I was reading it, I found myself thinking that my daughter (almost 10) would definitely enjoy this and I have already recommended it to her. I also think it is great that the author took a folk tale that is sung and has introduced it in another medium that will hopefully reach many readers. The author kindly sent me this novella through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable read. The story concept was interesting, unique and fast-paced. I enjoyed the twist and turns the story took, the predicaments the hero found himself in and the secondary characters. The paranormal/fantasy aspect made the story all the more enjoyable. What's also interesting is that this story was based off of an old folk song. The fact that there is a song with this concept is pretty cool!

I'd recommend for most ages, for those that like adventure with a twist and those that like quick, fast reads.

Received a copy of this novella via LibraryThing.com member giveaway.

[JT CAREY · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quirky novelette that is a gem. Although it deals with the fantastic (mermen), the characters are very believable. The humorous plotline kept me interested and the subplots kept me turning the pages. Since it is a short, it's ideal for a weekend read, or when you have a couple of hours to curl up and indulge yourself with a little fantasy.