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Tales of Elemental Spirits #1
Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits
What magical beings inhabit earth's waters? Some are almost-familiar as mer-people; some as strange as the thing glimpsed only as a golden eye in a pool at the edge of Damar's 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.
Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson-- names well known to lovers of fantasy-- have given us six stories of the fabulous creatures associated with the element of water. Each story is as different from the others as are the creatures themselves, but all are vividly imagined and powerfully told in the way that their many admirers have learnt to expect from these two writers.
Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson-- names well known to lovers of fantasy-- have given us six stories of the fabulous creatures associated with the element of water. Each story is as different from the others as are the creatures themselves, but all are vividly imagined and powerfully told in the way that their many admirers have learnt to expect from these two writers.
266 pages, Hardcover
First published June 10, 2002
50 people are currently reading
2963 people want to read
About the author
Robin McKinley
43 books7,262 followersBorn in her mother's hometown of Warren, Ohio, Robin McKinley grew up an only child with a father in the United States Navy. She moved around frequently as a child and read copiously; she credits this background with the inspiration for her stories.
Her passion for reading was one of the most constant things in her childhood, so she began to remember events, places, and time periods by what books she read where. For example, she read Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book for the first time in California; The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time in New York; The Lord of the Rings for the first time in Japan; The Once and Future King for the first time in Maine. She still uses books to keep track of her life.
McKinley attended Gould Academy, a preparatory school in Bethel, Maine, and Dickinson College in 1970-1972. In 1975, she was graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College. In 1978, her first novel, Beauty, was accepted by the first publisher she sent it to, and she began her writing career, at age 26. At the time she was living in Brunswick, Maine. Since then she has lived in Boston, on a horse farm in Eastern Massachusetts, in New York City, in Blue Hill, Maine, and now in Hampshire, England, with her husband Peter Dickinson (also a writer, and with whom she co-wrote Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits in 2001) and two lurchers (crossbred sighthounds).
Over the years she has worked as an editor and transcriber (1972-73), research assistant (1976-77), bookstore clerk (1978), teacher and counselor (1978-79), editorial assistant (1979-81), barn manager (1981-82), free-lance editor (1982-85), and full-time writer. Other than writing and reading books, she divides her time mainly between walking her "hellhounds," gardening, cooking, playing the piano, homeopathy, change ringing, and keeping her blog.
Her passion for reading was one of the most constant things in her childhood, so she began to remember events, places, and time periods by what books she read where. For example, she read Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book for the first time in California; The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time in New York; The Lord of the Rings for the first time in Japan; The Once and Future King for the first time in Maine. She still uses books to keep track of her life.
McKinley attended Gould Academy, a preparatory school in Bethel, Maine, and Dickinson College in 1970-1972. In 1975, she was graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College. In 1978, her first novel, Beauty, was accepted by the first publisher she sent it to, and she began her writing career, at age 26. At the time she was living in Brunswick, Maine. Since then she has lived in Boston, on a horse farm in Eastern Massachusetts, in New York City, in Blue Hill, Maine, and now in Hampshire, England, with her husband Peter Dickinson (also a writer, and with whom she co-wrote Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits in 2001) and two lurchers (crossbred sighthounds).
Over the years she has worked as an editor and transcriber (1972-73), research assistant (1976-77), bookstore clerk (1978), teacher and counselor (1978-79), editorial assistant (1979-81), barn manager (1981-82), free-lance editor (1982-85), and full-time writer. Other than writing and reading books, she divides her time mainly between walking her "hellhounds," gardening, cooking, playing the piano, homeopathy, change ringing, and keeping her blog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
August 14, 2011
Six stories by married authors Peter Dickinson and Robin McKinley, to varying degrees themed around the element of water. Overall I liked McKinley's better (no surprise there), but Dickinson's "Kraken" was quite good too, making up for the dullness of his "Sea Serpent". The last three stories were better than the first three.
The final story, "Pool in the Desert," is set tangentially in the world of McKinley's Damar novels. It and Dickinson's first story, "Mermaid Song," both felt as if they would have been better as longer novellas. They also had in common that the role of water was not particularly essential to the story.
The final story, "Pool in the Desert," is set tangentially in the world of McKinley's Damar novels. It and Dickinson's first story, "Mermaid Song," both felt as if they would have been better as longer novellas. They also had in common that the role of water was not particularly essential to the story.
October 14, 2022
I savor Robin McKinley's writing. She speaks to me in a way that few other writers do, and the three stories she wrote here are no different. I read Fire, the other anthology she did with her husband, a while back and I kept bogging down in Dickinson's stories. I learned from my mistake and just skipped to the stories that were the real reason I picked up this book.
The Sea-King's Son - This was just beautiful. We've all been in a situation where we haven't been able to see someone's true character until it is shoved horribly into our faces, and I felt keenly for the main character. It was a sweet romance with a beautiful fantasy twist.
Water Horse - Just lovely. I fell in love with these characters even though we only knew them for a few dozen pages. And love for a horse helped save the world? What story could be written more for me? My only sadness is that we did not have longer with these characters.
A Pool in the Desert - Every person has felt that yearning to break out from the minutiae of everyday life, and for this main character even more so. Reading about her real world, I could feel how drab and awful it is with the only bright spot being Ruth, and how much life and color and hope was in Damar. A story well told, and another I wanted so much more of.
The Sea-King's Son - This was just beautiful. We've all been in a situation where we haven't been able to see someone's true character until it is shoved horribly into our faces, and I felt keenly for the main character. It was a sweet romance with a beautiful fantasy twist.
Water Horse - Just lovely. I fell in love with these characters even though we only knew them for a few dozen pages. And love for a horse helped save the world? What story could be written more for me? My only sadness is that we did not have longer with these characters.
A Pool in the Desert - Every person has felt that yearning to break out from the minutiae of everyday life, and for this main character even more so. Reading about her real world, I could feel how drab and awful it is with the only bright spot being Ruth, and how much life and color and hope was in Damar. A story well told, and another I wanted so much more of.
August 18, 2025
I read about seventy-five percent, but I decided to finally DNF because it felt like it was targeted to a very young audience.
November 21, 2020
I normally don’t gravitate towards short story collections because I don’t like that they’re so short where often times you don’t get a good look into the world, the characters, and the overall plot is rushed. However, I think my mind is being changed on these collections due to a BookTuber I watch mentioning that she enjoys them when written by multiple authors to experience new authors and their writing. Very fair point and by reading this one, I’m interested in reading more from Peter Dickinson specifically. I would also possibly like to read more from Robin McKinley, but my favorite story in this was Kraken by Dickinson so I’m going to look up his other works. Not a bad, but not an overwhelmingly impressive collection in my opinion. Kraken made it worth it though I think.
March 2, 2022
I loved these collection of short stories!
November 3, 2019
There is so much great YA fantasy fiction now, but it was fun to go back to where it all started for me.
January 14, 2010
by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson
This is the first in a planned series called Elementals, all consisting of short stories by Dickinson and McKinley.* The second, Fire, has just come out.** So, naturally, I decided it was time for a re-read.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book.
While the opening story, "Mermaid Song" by Dickinson did bother me slightly (it all seemed very expected, somehow--repressive society, child rebelling against said society, etc., etc.), the second story "The Sea King's Son" by McKinley was in the best fairy-tale-but-not-quite tradition (note some content in this one, although it's not very explicit). "The Sea Serpent" confused me, to be honest--I never quite grasped the intricacies of landscape or society. "Water Horse" was nice, especially in its deviation from the normal fairy-tale-ish ending. "Kraken" was intriguing and had some lovely images. "A Pool in the Desert" was welcome as a return to Damar (for those of you who may not be aware of the fact, I read The Blue Sword ten times between 7th and 8th grade). I liked it, although I was jarred by the references to our authors, which seemed out of place somehow--they located me a little too firmly in reality.
There is a re-issued edition with a new cover and introduction, but I couldn't find it anywhere online, so I'll just have to wait and buy it eventually.
* they're married
** and what's with the overly-similar titles this year? There's Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins; Fire, by Kristin Cashore; and Fire, by McKinley and Dickinson. I give McKinley and Dickinson a pass because they've had this book coming out for years.
Book source: Inter-library loan
Robin McKinley's website [and blog, if you are a fan and didn't know:]
Peter Dickinson's website
This is the first in a planned series called Elementals, all consisting of short stories by Dickinson and McKinley.* The second, Fire, has just come out.** So, naturally, I decided it was time for a re-read.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book.
While the opening story, "Mermaid Song" by Dickinson did bother me slightly (it all seemed very expected, somehow--repressive society, child rebelling against said society, etc., etc.), the second story "The Sea King's Son" by McKinley was in the best fairy-tale-but-not-quite tradition (note some content in this one, although it's not very explicit). "The Sea Serpent" confused me, to be honest--I never quite grasped the intricacies of landscape or society. "Water Horse" was nice, especially in its deviation from the normal fairy-tale-ish ending. "Kraken" was intriguing and had some lovely images. "A Pool in the Desert" was welcome as a return to Damar (for those of you who may not be aware of the fact, I read The Blue Sword ten times between 7th and 8th grade). I liked it, although I was jarred by the references to our authors, which seemed out of place somehow--they located me a little too firmly in reality. There is a re-issued edition with a new cover and introduction, but I couldn't find it anywhere online, so I'll just have to wait and buy it eventually.
* they're married
** and what's with the overly-similar titles this year? There's Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins; Fire, by Kristin Cashore; and Fire, by McKinley and Dickinson. I give McKinley and Dickinson a pass because they've had this book coming out for years.
Book source: Inter-library loan
Robin McKinley's website [and blog, if you are a fan and didn't know:]
Peter Dickinson's website
March 3, 2013
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?
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?
June 21, 2013
Ok, McKinley rant coming on. Holy crap!!! I am SO TIRED of the lily livered female character who is trapped in her life and literally dreams of something better. And WHAT is with her weird obsession with DESERT of all God forsaken things? It's SAND. It's DRY. It's DEADLY. It's NOT an amazing wonderland of romance and mystique.
Whew! Ok, done with my rant. Onto a proper review. My apologies.
This book is a collaboration between McKinley and her husband Peter Dickinson. His stories are much better than hers. But I digress.
"Mermaid Song" was very good. It really captured, for me, the life of a Puritan community. Pitiable was definitely pitiable, but she was a child at the mercy of a guardian who flipped his lid due to loss. It was realistic and the ending of the story fit.
"The Sea-King's Son" was good, but unsurprisingly predictable. Nothing wrong with that. It was a gentle, non-annoying read.
"Sea Serpent" was actually rather sad. The old yielding to the new. While the reader roots for Iril, you kind of hope he does it and that Mel will fall flat on his face. Or at least gets punched in it. Definitely an interesting juxtaposition between the characters.
"Water Horse" was ok. Tamia's five years went by very quickly, with little to show of what she had learned in those years. Meh.
"Kraken" was the best in the bunch. The sense of forboding and the build up of suspense was masterful and the ending was fantastic. It leaves the reader wanting more, but not in a bad way.
"A Pool in the Desert". Return to Damar, nuff said. If I never read about that dammed desert again, it'll be too soon. I skipped this one, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth, making this a four star book, solely on Dickinson's contributions, as I don't think I can read another word by McKinley, at least not soon, without wanting to hurl the book with extreme violence across the room. I will not attempt to re-read "Beauty" or "A Knot in the Grain" for a very long time, just in case those get ruined by my apparent anti-McKinley mood.
Whew! Ok, done with my rant. Onto a proper review. My apologies.
This book is a collaboration between McKinley and her husband Peter Dickinson. His stories are much better than hers. But I digress.
"Mermaid Song" was very good. It really captured, for me, the life of a Puritan community. Pitiable was definitely pitiable, but she was a child at the mercy of a guardian who flipped his lid due to loss. It was realistic and the ending of the story fit.
"The Sea-King's Son" was good, but unsurprisingly predictable. Nothing wrong with that. It was a gentle, non-annoying read.
"Sea Serpent" was actually rather sad. The old yielding to the new. While the reader roots for Iril, you kind of hope he does it and that Mel will fall flat on his face. Or at least gets punched in it. Definitely an interesting juxtaposition between the characters.
"Water Horse" was ok. Tamia's five years went by very quickly, with little to show of what she had learned in those years. Meh.
"Kraken" was the best in the bunch. The sense of forboding and the build up of suspense was masterful and the ending was fantastic. It leaves the reader wanting more, but not in a bad way.
"A Pool in the Desert". Return to Damar, nuff said. If I never read about that dammed desert again, it'll be too soon. I skipped this one, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth, making this a four star book, solely on Dickinson's contributions, as I don't think I can read another word by McKinley, at least not soon, without wanting to hurl the book with extreme violence across the room. I will not attempt to re-read "Beauty" or "A Knot in the Grain" for a very long time, just in case those get ruined by my apparent anti-McKinley mood.
April 15, 2010
A collection of short stories about creatures of the deep. I didn't realize until just before writing this review, however, that the authors are husband and wife--pretty cool. Each contributes three stories, and overall I think I liked Dickinson's better. If I had to rate just the McKinley pieces, I'd probably just give it two stars. Sea Serpent and Kraken were my two favorite stories. I liked it well enough that I'll probably read the next one in the series, which has a theme of fire.
I thought it was interesting that none of the main characters (except one) came from a function family. Sad, but I guess it fits the "fairy tale" genre.
-Mermaid Song: Loved the ending, but had a heartbreaking middle.
-The Sea-King's Son: Enjoyed some of the elements of the story, but a little gushier than I like.
-Sea Serpent: Perhaps my favorite story of the compilation. Scary monsters, adventure, magic... this one had it all.
-Water Horse: My favorite of McKinley's--interesting ideas of the guardians and how their magic works.
-Kraken: Good story, archetypal facing of the unknown. It worked out in the end a little better than I would have expected, but I was expecting more Lovecraft and less Disney.
-A Pool in the Desert: This was just weird. Sucky home life for the main character who has crazy parents, enough that I can understand her desire to leave. But I didn't really get why she formed such an attachment for where she was headed (nothing particularly good there for her) and the pacing in the last two pages was so much faster than earlier that it threw me off. McKinley's total shift of momentum left me feeling slightly confused and unhappy about the ending. She should have just cut out one or two paragraphs, or fleshed them out to a few pages worth.
Rating: PG-13, for some mild sexuality.
I thought it was interesting that none of the main characters (except one) came from a function family. Sad, but I guess it fits the "fairy tale" genre.
-Mermaid Song: Loved the ending, but had a heartbreaking middle.
-The Sea-King's Son: Enjoyed some of the elements of the story, but a little gushier than I like.
-Sea Serpent: Perhaps my favorite story of the compilation. Scary monsters, adventure, magic... this one had it all.
-Water Horse: My favorite of McKinley's--interesting ideas of the guardians and how their magic works.
-Kraken: Good story, archetypal facing of the unknown. It worked out in the end a little better than I would have expected, but I was expecting more Lovecraft and less Disney.
-A Pool in the Desert: This was just weird. Sucky home life for the main character who has crazy parents, enough that I can understand her desire to leave. But I didn't really get why she formed such an attachment for where she was headed (nothing particularly good there for her) and the pacing in the last two pages was so much faster than earlier that it threw me off. McKinley's total shift of momentum left me feeling slightly confused and unhappy about the ending. She should have just cut out one or two paragraphs, or fleshed them out to a few pages worth.
Rating: PG-13, for some mild sexuality.
August 12, 2010
I couldn't bear to give it any lower than 4. I think it deserves a 3++.
List of stories:
Mermaid Song (Dickinson)
The Sea King's Son (McKinley)
Sea Serpent (Dickinson)
Water Horse (McKinley)
Kraken (Dickinson)
A Pool in the Desert (McKinley)
All the stories were pretty cool. But the last one most of all!
I absolutely fell in love with A Pool in the Desert. My favourite story in this collection, by far. The contrast was spectacular. The writing was masterful. McKinley jolted me out of a grey, tedious, sad, everyday life to one of spice, splendour and suspense. (ooh, alliteration) (okay, maybe not so much the suspense) At any rate, I thought the way she explored reality vs fantasy and how you can step out and into either to be fantastic. Zasharan sounds really (ahem) cool. I loved how it ended.
Coming in second is Water Horse and Kraken, which makes McKinley my preferred author for this book, not that it really matters, but I saw some other reviewers doing it, so...
I felt that the magic in Water Horse wasn't well explained. Yes, i understand that this is a short story, but I really don't get how it works! It kind of messes with me. I like/need to know stuff like that.
For any fan of McKinley/Dickinson, or for any lover of fantasy, or for any person looking for masterful short stories.
Oh, and I realised afterward A Pool in the Desert was set in Damar, which was the same for the Blue Sword. I did read The Blue Sword, but very long ago, and I didn't really enjoy it.
List of stories:
Mermaid Song (Dickinson)
The Sea King's Son (McKinley)
Sea Serpent (Dickinson)
Water Horse (McKinley)
Kraken (Dickinson)
A Pool in the Desert (McKinley)
All the stories were pretty cool. But the last one most of all!
I absolutely fell in love with A Pool in the Desert. My favourite story in this collection, by far. The contrast was spectacular. The writing was masterful. McKinley jolted me out of a grey, tedious, sad, everyday life to one of spice, splendour and suspense. (ooh, alliteration) (okay, maybe not so much the suspense) At any rate, I thought the way she explored reality vs fantasy and how you can step out and into either to be fantastic. Zasharan sounds really (ahem) cool. I loved how it ended.
Coming in second is Water Horse and Kraken, which makes McKinley my preferred author for this book, not that it really matters, but I saw some other reviewers doing it, so...
I felt that the magic in Water Horse wasn't well explained. Yes, i understand that this is a short story, but I really don't get how it works! It kind of messes with me. I like/need to know stuff like that.
For any fan of McKinley/Dickinson, or for any lover of fantasy, or for any person looking for masterful short stories.
Oh, and I realised afterward A Pool in the Desert was set in Damar, which was the same for the Blue Sword. I did read The Blue Sword, but very long ago, and I didn't really enjoy it.
September 26, 2010
Very lovely short stories, but which really feel directed to a young reader, perhaps not even YA quite yet. My favorite stories were actually those by Peter Dickinson, particularly the Kraken - loved his take on that story.
Mermaid Song - puritans and mermen, and a little girl who really is Pitiable (but smart and kind). One of my favorites of the anthology.
The Sea King´s Son - very very simple and very McKinley-esque if you know what I mean.
Sea Serpent - prehistoric! Stonehenge getting built (maybe stonehenge. or something like that, 20 stones yes, but there are other big stones monuments). Really exciting and original.
Water Horse - I loved the setting, the universe, which reminded me of Earthsea and the island of Madeira. The story was nice, but it was the worldbuilding I loved.
Kraken - my favorite of the lot, did not see where this is going, and the love the original twist to that old myth.
A Pool in the Desert - just did not work for me. I loved the little sister and the freedom fantasy it represents but the story in all not so much. Something petty which drove me crazy the Homeland described sounded like America but with englishified placed names, it just baffled me.
Mermaid Song - puritans and mermen, and a little girl who really is Pitiable (but smart and kind). One of my favorites of the anthology.
The Sea King´s Son - very very simple and very McKinley-esque if you know what I mean.
Sea Serpent - prehistoric! Stonehenge getting built (maybe stonehenge. or something like that, 20 stones yes, but there are other big stones monuments). Really exciting and original.
Water Horse - I loved the setting, the universe, which reminded me of Earthsea and the island of Madeira. The story was nice, but it was the worldbuilding I loved.
Kraken - my favorite of the lot, did not see where this is going, and the love the original twist to that old myth.
A Pool in the Desert - just did not work for me. I loved the little sister and the freedom fantasy it represents but the story in all not so much. Something petty which drove me crazy the Homeland described sounded like America but with englishified placed names, it just baffled me.
February 15, 2016
Damar! Damar Damar Damar. Damar and a character named Ruth. Damar!
So, yes, this collection had a new Damar story which I loved, but I thought the collection as a whole was kind of erratic, but that is maybe partly due to the fact that I adore Robin McKinley and don't have the same reaction to Peter Dickinson. The three McKinley stories in the collection were my favorite, and I ended up skimming one of Dickinson's (The Sea Serpent) because I couldn't get into it. McKinley simply paints images in my head that refuse to go away, no matter how long it has been since I have read the story that sparked the painting.
Definitely worth reading if you love McKinley, and if you want to give the others a try, I think Mermaid Song is his strongest offering in the volume.
So, yes, this collection had a new Damar story which I loved, but I thought the collection as a whole was kind of erratic, but that is maybe partly due to the fact that I adore Robin McKinley and don't have the same reaction to Peter Dickinson. The three McKinley stories in the collection were my favorite, and I ended up skimming one of Dickinson's (The Sea Serpent) because I couldn't get into it. McKinley simply paints images in my head that refuse to go away, no matter how long it has been since I have read the story that sparked the painting.
Definitely worth reading if you love McKinley, and if you want to give the others a try, I think Mermaid Song is his strongest offering in the volume.
November 25, 2025
I've read Water several times over the past decade or so. Each time, I appreciate Dickinson's contributions to the anthology more than I did on the reading before, and each time, I rediscover one of my great literary regrets--that there will, almost certainly, be no more Damar books or stories to discover. All of McKinley's contributions to this anthology are lovely, but A Pool in the Desert hits me in the gut (in the best way) every time.
Update, 11/24/25:
A quick re-read to decide if this one was going to make it into the pre-teen's Jolabokaflod basket. As much as I love Mckinley, this is one collection that is going to wait a couple more years.
Update, 11/24/25:
A quick re-read to decide if this one was going to make it into the pre-teen's Jolabokaflod basket. As much as I love Mckinley, this is one collection that is going to wait a couple more years.
May 14, 2013
A collection of short stories, half by Peter Dickinson (Mermaid Song, Sea Serpent, Kraken) and half by Robin McKinley (The Sea-King's Son, Water Horse, A Pool in the Desert). The Dickinson stories were imaginative but a bit dull (especially Sea Serpent), but I thought the McKinley stories were almost transcendentally beautiful and powerful. Water Horse (a young girl is the last thing standing between her island and destruction, and she is but a disobedient apprentice) and A Pool in the Desert (a woman has two lives, one in our world and one in a magical desert kingdom) were my favorites of the collection.
April 10, 2012
A collection of six stories themed around water, written well but not exactly connecting with me. The Sea King's Son was easily my favorite, with its sweet, earnest romance. I feel very sure that I've read this before elsewhere, but can't think of where. It didn't matter, I still liked reading it. The rest of the stories just weren't for me. But then, I'm not a big fan of Robin McKinley, so it's not really surprising.
June 23, 2017
Even when I admire Dickinson's stories, I don't love them in the visceral way I love McKinley's, so this collection is a little uneven for me. Of Dickinson's contributions, I like "Kraken" the most; of McKinley's...mmm, hard to say, because I love all three, but maybe "A Pool in the Desert", because it's partly set in Damar.
December 17, 2021
Mixed feelings on this one - this was one of the times in a short story collection where some stories worked a lot better than others for me. I loved 'The Pool in the Desert' (which to be fair was the whole reason I picked up this collection - since it was a return to Damar) and 'The Sea-King's Son', and 'Kraken' was interesting - but the other three weren't really my thing.
May 4, 2025
The first major collaboration between Robin McKinley and her husband, Peter Dickinson, Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits features six short stories centered on, well, water and the magic and fantasy inherent in it.
Dickinson and McKinley alternate writing the stories and while it was easy to pick up the differences in writing styles between the two, they were also similar enough that it wasn’t a jarring transition.
“Mermaid Song” (Dickinson) – The tale of Pitiable Nasmith who finds herself in trouble after her grandmother dies, leaving her with an unstable grandfather in a Puritan village. The child abuse descriptions in this one was a bit much and the ending predictable, but I smiled all the same.
“The Sea-King’s Son” (McKinley) – Fleeing from the betrayal of a man she loves, Jenny finds herself facing the Sea King, who has sworn to drown any earth-dweller who approaches a specific bridge. I loved this one, it’s classic Robin McKinley and very sweet.
“Sea Serpent” (Dickinson) – Iril agrees to help a priest of one of the new gods transport standing stones that have been taken from a priestess of an old goddess, but the priestess’ revenge summons a sea serpent that threatens Iril’s livelihood. Although the premise was interesting, the action scenes were far too confusing for a story so reliant on them.
“Water Horse” (McKinley) – An unappreciated young woman is taken by the Guardian of the West Gate to be her successor, where she learns the ancient magic that keeps the seas at bay. Another sweet story with an interesting magic system, albeit held back slightly by a rushed ending.
“Kracken” (Dickinson) – Ailsa, the daughter of the mermaid king, sees a human couple jump into the sea to escape from pirates, but her efforts to pull them from the darkness of the deep sea awaken something very old and powerful. This story was a perfect mix of creepy and mysterious and adventurous with some interesting worldbuilding.
“A Pool in the Desert” (McKinley) – Hetta, trapped by her overbearing parents into taking care of her toxic family, begins having strange and exciting dreams of a desert land that seem to be a bit more than just dreams. This one had me from start to finish, with a lot of tension in the contrast between Hetta’s homelife and the dreams she’s trying to make real.
This collection started off a bit slow, but picked up quickly and the last two stories in particular were fantastic. I love when short story collections have a theme like this and seeing the different takes that can come out of it. Overall, I think I liked McKinley’s stories better than Dickinson’s, but there was nothing in here that I actively disliked.
While it might not be the most “wow factor” book I’ve ever read, this was a pretty solid set of stories and well worth a read for those who enjoy cozy, comforting stories.
Warnings: Those who are sensitive to depictions of drowning will want to avoid this one – while none of them are very graphic, the topic does come up given the subject matter. In addition, three of the stories deal with abusive family dynamics (one physical and two emotional).
Dickinson and McKinley alternate writing the stories and while it was easy to pick up the differences in writing styles between the two, they were also similar enough that it wasn’t a jarring transition.
“Mermaid Song” (Dickinson) – The tale of Pitiable Nasmith who finds herself in trouble after her grandmother dies, leaving her with an unstable grandfather in a Puritan village. The child abuse descriptions in this one was a bit much and the ending predictable, but I smiled all the same.
“The Sea-King’s Son” (McKinley) – Fleeing from the betrayal of a man she loves, Jenny finds herself facing the Sea King, who has sworn to drown any earth-dweller who approaches a specific bridge. I loved this one, it’s classic Robin McKinley and very sweet.
“Sea Serpent” (Dickinson) – Iril agrees to help a priest of one of the new gods transport standing stones that have been taken from a priestess of an old goddess, but the priestess’ revenge summons a sea serpent that threatens Iril’s livelihood. Although the premise was interesting, the action scenes were far too confusing for a story so reliant on them.
“Water Horse” (McKinley) – An unappreciated young woman is taken by the Guardian of the West Gate to be her successor, where she learns the ancient magic that keeps the seas at bay. Another sweet story with an interesting magic system, albeit held back slightly by a rushed ending.
“Kracken” (Dickinson) – Ailsa, the daughter of the mermaid king, sees a human couple jump into the sea to escape from pirates, but her efforts to pull them from the darkness of the deep sea awaken something very old and powerful. This story was a perfect mix of creepy and mysterious and adventurous with some interesting worldbuilding.
“A Pool in the Desert” (McKinley) – Hetta, trapped by her overbearing parents into taking care of her toxic family, begins having strange and exciting dreams of a desert land that seem to be a bit more than just dreams. This one had me from start to finish, with a lot of tension in the contrast between Hetta’s homelife and the dreams she’s trying to make real.
This collection started off a bit slow, but picked up quickly and the last two stories in particular were fantastic. I love when short story collections have a theme like this and seeing the different takes that can come out of it. Overall, I think I liked McKinley’s stories better than Dickinson’s, but there was nothing in here that I actively disliked.
While it might not be the most “wow factor” book I’ve ever read, this was a pretty solid set of stories and well worth a read for those who enjoy cozy, comforting stories.
Warnings: Those who are sensitive to depictions of drowning will want to avoid this one – while none of them are very graphic, the topic does come up given the subject matter. In addition, three of the stories deal with abusive family dynamics (one physical and two emotional).
April 16, 2018
This was the first time I’ve ever really read a short story collection, so it was a new and interesting experience for me. Each story is unique and (from what I can tell) takes place in an entirely different universe from the last. Going through each story was a little bit of a roller coaster, because one would leave me feeling really satisfied, and the next I wasn’t so happy with, but then I loved the one after that! Whew! I need to lie down. And there’s a really cool but simple artistic thing done at the beginning of each tale that I thought was a neat detail.
There was a lovely, quick way of indicating to the reader which author—Robin McKinley or Peter Dickinson—had penned the story that followed in the form of the graphic at the start of each tale. Overall, the writing was beautiful. Both writing styles are very similar. I don’t know if that was intentional or not, but it did add a nice flow to the book on the whole. And I am absolutely in love with Robin McKinley’s writing. She’s been my favorite author for a long time now. Specifically, I didn’t care for Sea Serpent. I didn’t like the main god-priest character very much, and I liked the fact that he won in the end even less. On the flip side of that, I really liked The Sea-King’s Son. If you’re looking for a straight-up fairytale love story, that’s your ticket. I appreciated that the protagonists’ relationship develops without physical contact for a long time and just focused on talking and sharing and getting to know one another first. They’re both very different, but they admire their differences and love one another for the people they are. Seriously, such a good love story. As much as I liked The Sea-King’s Son, I absolutely adored The Water Horse! If you liked Uprooted by Naomi Novik (which is another fantastic book you should definitely read), allow me to unabashedly pull you towards McKinley's The Water Horse and place it in your hands. It's beautiful and sweet, and there's a strong thread of self-empowerment and community running through it.
I really enjoyed the experience of reading through this entire book, though. Each story is really different, and they're all incredibly well done. Now go read The Water Horse and Uprooted. :-)
There was a lovely, quick way of indicating to the reader which author—Robin McKinley or Peter Dickinson—had penned the story that followed in the form of the graphic at the start of each tale. Overall, the writing was beautiful. Both writing styles are very similar. I don’t know if that was intentional or not, but it did add a nice flow to the book on the whole. And I am absolutely in love with Robin McKinley’s writing. She’s been my favorite author for a long time now. Specifically, I didn’t care for Sea Serpent. I didn’t like the main god-priest character very much, and I liked the fact that he won in the end even less. On the flip side of that, I really liked The Sea-King’s Son. If you’re looking for a straight-up fairytale love story, that’s your ticket. I appreciated that the protagonists’ relationship develops without physical contact for a long time and just focused on talking and sharing and getting to know one another first. They’re both very different, but they admire their differences and love one another for the people they are. Seriously, such a good love story. As much as I liked The Sea-King’s Son, I absolutely adored The Water Horse! If you liked Uprooted by Naomi Novik (which is another fantastic book you should definitely read), allow me to unabashedly pull you towards McKinley's The Water Horse and place it in your hands. It's beautiful and sweet, and there's a strong thread of self-empowerment and community running through it.
I really enjoyed the experience of reading through this entire book, though. Each story is really different, and they're all incredibly well done. Now go read The Water Horse and Uprooted. :-)
September 24, 2020
This is a very enjoyable collection of fantasy stories all based around water in some way.
Mermaid Song - 3 stars - A poorly-treated young girl discovers a mermaid. Just OK. I think this was just warming us up to the style of the book.
The Sea-King's Son - 4 stars - My favorite --a romance between a land-based girl and a sea-based man. First, she had gone through a love trauma, then she accidentally found herself in a position to meet the sea king himself. Eventually, as she and the son find each other, they discover many barriers between them, of course. But they are determined to figure out a way that they can be together. A sweet romance with true love determined to win.
Sea Serpent - 3 stars - An interesting look at a family of rafters whose job is to transport goods across a large body of water. Their latest controversial job is being blocked by a sea serpent who has been sent by a powerful goddess. This one got a little confusing from time to time because I just couldn't picture the waves and the raft and how they worked. But the basic story was interesting--the small and weak must outmaneuver evil.
Water Horse - 4 stars - A young girl is apprenticed to a Guardian, someone who protects the land against the water. But when she breaks the rules, she discovers what the consequences are--for both her and the world she is protecting. Loving someone or something to your own detriment will often bring the unexpected.
Kraken - 3 stars - A mermaid princess witnesses a moment of true love between humans and tries to save them from the beast at the bottom of the ocean, but she ends up facing the evil herself. This didn't engross me as much as I thought it would. Just OK.
A Pool in the Desert - 4 stars - A young woman--the drudge of her family who has had to give up her dreams of an education--begins dreaming about the desert and the people who live there. But are they real or just legends? This kept me interested right up until the end and rounded out this book nicely.
I will definitely look for more from these authors.
Mermaid Song - 3 stars - A poorly-treated young girl discovers a mermaid. Just OK. I think this was just warming us up to the style of the book.
The Sea-King's Son - 4 stars - My favorite --a romance between a land-based girl and a sea-based man. First, she had gone through a love trauma, then she accidentally found herself in a position to meet the sea king himself. Eventually, as she and the son find each other, they discover many barriers between them, of course. But they are determined to figure out a way that they can be together. A sweet romance with true love determined to win.
Sea Serpent - 3 stars - An interesting look at a family of rafters whose job is to transport goods across a large body of water. Their latest controversial job is being blocked by a sea serpent who has been sent by a powerful goddess. This one got a little confusing from time to time because I just couldn't picture the waves and the raft and how they worked. But the basic story was interesting--the small and weak must outmaneuver evil.
Water Horse - 4 stars - A young girl is apprenticed to a Guardian, someone who protects the land against the water. But when she breaks the rules, she discovers what the consequences are--for both her and the world she is protecting. Loving someone or something to your own detriment will often bring the unexpected.
Kraken - 3 stars - A mermaid princess witnesses a moment of true love between humans and tries to save them from the beast at the bottom of the ocean, but she ends up facing the evil herself. This didn't engross me as much as I thought it would. Just OK.
A Pool in the Desert - 4 stars - A young woman--the drudge of her family who has had to give up her dreams of an education--begins dreaming about the desert and the people who live there. But are they real or just legends? This kept me interested right up until the end and rounded out this book nicely.
I will definitely look for more from these authors.
August 1, 2018
Generally, the stories in this anthology were fine. I just wasn't overwhelmed by any of them. It's probably partially due to the evolution in my tastes, as there was a time I loved McKinley without question. In recent years, I've been more judgemental with her books. Pegasus nearly killed me to get through it.
So, the stories in this anthology were fine. I have never been a big fan of Dickinson, and the stories he wrote did nothing to turn me. Of the stories in the book he wrote, the first was probably the one I liked most. I found the others got into so much technical jargon about the subject matter that I was bored or confused. Yes, I assume you did your research about boats, but I'm quite happy to not share in that knowledge so can you edit out some of those "yawn" details and get to the story please?!
The McKinley stories were better, but even there, I wasn't dying to finish any. Of her stories, the Sea King's Son was the one I liked the best. The Damar story was the one I bought the book for and was most excited by when I bought the anthology, but it fell very flat for me. The time travel (or whatever it was - smelled of time travel which my family knows I hate) and the fact that Damar figured very little in the story. It was just weird.
If you like McKinley and/or Dickinson this won't be a wash. But if you don't know either, not sure this is the piece to start with.
So, the stories in this anthology were fine. I have never been a big fan of Dickinson, and the stories he wrote did nothing to turn me. Of the stories in the book he wrote, the first was probably the one I liked most. I found the others got into so much technical jargon about the subject matter that I was bored or confused. Yes, I assume you did your research about boats, but I'm quite happy to not share in that knowledge so can you edit out some of those "yawn" details and get to the story please?!
The McKinley stories were better, but even there, I wasn't dying to finish any. Of her stories, the Sea King's Son was the one I liked the best. The Damar story was the one I bought the book for and was most excited by when I bought the anthology, but it fell very flat for me. The time travel (or whatever it was - smelled of time travel which my family knows I hate) and the fact that Damar figured very little in the story. It was just weird.
If you like McKinley and/or Dickinson this won't be a wash. But if you don't know either, not sure this is the piece to start with.
December 24, 2021
Robin McKinley is one of my favorite authors and always will be. I picked this book up a long time ago when I saw that it is written by Ms. McKinley and her husband and it just took a while to make it to the top of my to-read pile. As often happens, I wish I had read it sooner.
This set of short stories is very strong. My favorite tale was "Water Horse". I wish so much that it had been written as a novella and we could have gotten to know the characters better. Among other things, what changed in the stepfather that made his opinion so different at the end of the story than at the beginning? "A Pool in the Desert", which brings us back to Damar and Tor and Aerin and gives us a glimpse of the desert nation in the "present", was a close second. Before beginning this book, I would have assumed that I would like all Ms. McKinley's stories the best, but "Kraken" was my third favorite and another I would have liked to see fleshed out more. Who was the earth princess supposed to have married and why? What becomes of our sea princess as she comes into her adult role?
The only story I did not enjoy was "Mermaid Song", but that has to do with the subject matter of child abuse and neglect rather than the quality of the writing. I enjoyed Peter Dickinson's other stories in this collection and will try to read some of his other works.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy story.
This set of short stories is very strong. My favorite tale was "Water Horse". I wish so much that it had been written as a novella and we could have gotten to know the characters better. Among other things, what changed in the stepfather that made his opinion so different at the end of the story than at the beginning? "A Pool in the Desert", which brings us back to Damar and Tor and Aerin and gives us a glimpse of the desert nation in the "present", was a close second. Before beginning this book, I would have assumed that I would like all Ms. McKinley's stories the best, but "Kraken" was my third favorite and another I would have liked to see fleshed out more. Who was the earth princess supposed to have married and why? What becomes of our sea princess as she comes into her adult role?
The only story I did not enjoy was "Mermaid Song", but that has to do with the subject matter of child abuse and neglect rather than the quality of the writing. I enjoyed Peter Dickinson's other stories in this collection and will try to read some of his other works.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy story.
July 2, 2023
This book was fine. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it. I enjoyed all of the short stories except for one, and they all went by pretty quickly (at least when I bothered to pick up the book). But I didn't love anything in this book. None of the short stories left any lasting impression on me, and I'm really struggling to think of specific things to say about them even though I only read the last one two days ago.
Some of them felt kind of fairytale-esque. Characters felt like archetypes and the stories a little too nonspecific with a lot of focus on the overall moral. It was fine, just not really my thing.
Water Horse was my favorite, and honestly the only one I remember in its entirety. It was a really lovely story that touched my heart, but that wasn't enough to knock this book up to 4 stars.
I preferred McKinley's to Dickinson's by a pretty wide margin. Definitely want to read more Robin McKinley in the future, but I may stick to her novels. Not a bad read, but I just have so little to say about it.
Some of them felt kind of fairytale-esque. Characters felt like archetypes and the stories a little too nonspecific with a lot of focus on the overall moral. It was fine, just not really my thing.
Water Horse was my favorite, and honestly the only one I remember in its entirety. It was a really lovely story that touched my heart, but that wasn't enough to knock this book up to 4 stars.
I preferred McKinley's to Dickinson's by a pretty wide margin. Definitely want to read more Robin McKinley in the future, but I may stick to her novels. Not a bad read, but I just have so little to say about it.
August 26, 2018
Rating extra low for disappointment. This might be - objectively - a three-star book. But Water makes me feel gross — or perhaps more accurately, Dickinson makes me feel gross.
The first story was a little off-putting for its fetishizing treatment of child abuse, the second was a fairly trite romance. The third seemed slightly interesting when it became clear that it was in an entirely different voice and vein, but ultimately devoted pages and pages to the gleeful take-down of female/serpent power by white male. Then all the women in the story (who communicate chiefly via freighted glance) come to a clam acceptance and bland forgiveness of the perpetrator of this rape. A delightfully Trumpist kind of story, indeed! Anyway, that's where I stopped with Water.
Having perused some other reviews in an effort to figure out which stories are by which author, I see the last story is set in Damar. Will possibly skip ahead. Will not be reading any more Dickinson.
The first story was a little off-putting for its fetishizing treatment of child abuse, the second was a fairly trite romance. The third seemed slightly interesting when it became clear that it was in an entirely different voice and vein, but ultimately devoted pages and pages to the gleeful take-down of female/serpent power by white male. Then all the women in the story (who communicate chiefly via freighted glance) come to a clam acceptance and bland forgiveness of the perpetrator of this rape. A delightfully Trumpist kind of story, indeed! Anyway, that's where I stopped with Water.
Having perused some other reviews in an effort to figure out which stories are by which author, I see the last story is set in Damar. Will possibly skip ahead. Will not be reading any more Dickinson.
December 27, 2018
I was actually surprised at how much I wound up liking this, including Peter Dickinson's stories (and sometimes I actually preferred the emotional depth of his). My favorite was probably The Sea-King's Son because I'm a sucker for that sort of story. That said, I'm always hungry for any remnants of Damar I can find, so I was happy to hear about it in A Pool in the Desert, as esoteric and far-flung from the main Damar canon as it was.
That said, and as much as I adore Robin McKinley, I really only give this a 3.5--maybe I'm not much of a connoisseur of short stories, but I did find myself bored at times and McKinley's last two stories really were almost too esoteric for comprehension. I like magic with mysterious properties and a mind of its own, but it was difficult to even understand what was happening in those two. Still, I thought there were gems in here that I could feel confident recommending.
#ReadDownYourBookshelf verdict: Keeping it.
That said, and as much as I adore Robin McKinley, I really only give this a 3.5--maybe I'm not much of a connoisseur of short stories, but I did find myself bored at times and McKinley's last two stories really were almost too esoteric for comprehension. I like magic with mysterious properties and a mind of its own, but it was difficult to even understand what was happening in those two. Still, I thought there were gems in here that I could feel confident recommending.
#ReadDownYourBookshelf verdict: Keeping it.
August 23, 2025
Mixed bag of magical but grounded stories, most with a female lead and each offering a tiny window into a different world. My favorites were the Kraken (a split-view story where a tuna-riding mermaid princess catches a couple falling from a shipwreck and is drawn by something in the depths) and Water Horse (about a new apprentice to a guardian of the land in a world dominated by water). Interesting but sufficient as short story: Mermaid Song (female Puritan settlers have fateful meetings with sea people), the Sea Serpent (waterman tribesman takes on a job in a vaguely Celtic setting) and the Sea-King’s Son (fairytale-like story with a girl set to inherit a farm in a cursed village), a Pool in the Desert (Damar-adjacent - oppressed girl in the 60s dreams of the desert).
August 4, 2017
"I believe there is no other place like it in all the wide world, though there must be other places just as strange. It is our strangeness to be a threshold between land and water; and the boundary between us is striven for, and fought over, and it shifts sometimes this way, and sometimes that."
Mermaids, krakens, and water horses, oh my! A really cool collection of stories based on an element rather than any specific creature.
"The Kraken" and "A Pool in the Desert" (bringing us back to Damar! yay!) are both fantastic. The best two stories in the whole set.
Mermaids, krakens, and water horses, oh my! A really cool collection of stories based on an element rather than any specific creature.
"The Kraken" and "A Pool in the Desert" (bringing us back to Damar! yay!) are both fantastic. The best two stories in the whole set.
January 10, 2023
I have owned this book for years and years and I think never read it, even though Robin McKinley is my favorite author. Why? Who knows. But I'm glad I finally made time to finish it! Some of Peter Dickinson's stories were less my style (especially Kraken... why would you describe the sailing in such minute detail, just say they got from one side to the other, it's fine) but overall this was such a lovely, fairy tale-esque collection.
August 2, 2024
I don't generally enjoy short stories, but this was decent. I think what helped is that there was a theme throughout each story so they kind of flowed together (pun intended). Sure, some of the stories were a miss for me (Water Horse for one, although I stopped in the middle of that story), but it was a good time-passer. The last story, A Pool in the Desert, was pretty intriguing and while it was wrapped up well, I wanted to read more of that tale.
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