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The Man Who Loved the Sea [TPB]
326 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2025
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4 people want to read
About the author
Alan Brennert
75 books2,203 followersAlan Brennert is the author of the historical novels Palisades Park, Honolulu (chosen one of the best books of 2009 by The Washington Post), and Moloka'i, which won the 2006 Bookies Award, sponsored by the Contra Costa Library, for the Book Club Book of the Year (and has sold over 600,000 copies since publication). It was also a 2012 One Book, One San Diego selection. He has won an Emmy Award and a People's Choice Award for his work as a writer-producer on the television series L.A. Law, and his short story "Ma Qui" was honored with a Nebula Award. His new novel, Daughter of Moloka'i, will be published by St. Martin's Press on February 19, 2019. Follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alan.brennert.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 7, 2025
The problem with Alan Brennert being a writer of many talents is that his talent is spread across different forms and media, and some forms of the author’s output get less attention than others. This conundrum explains why he is fairly well known (in recent years anyway) for his excellent historical novels of Hawai’i (MOLOKA’I, HONOLULU, DAUGHTER OF MOLOKA’I) and to some extent his genre writing in television (The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits) and comic books (Batman, Daredevil), but (I believe) somewhat less known for his brilliant short fiction. The unfortunate reality is that other forms of writing get much more critical attention and a larger readership or viewership.
His new book THE MAN WHO LOVED THE SEA attempts to remedy this by collecting his best short fiction, a mixture of fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories with one non-genre story in the mix. I’ve been wanting this collection for years, so thanks to the author and PS PUBLISHING for making it a reality. This collection proves that Brennert is a true master of short fiction, exhibiting a wide-ranging and diverse imagination combined with excellent characterization and stylish prose that together delivers a powerful emotional impact. I would certainly rate it as one of the best collections of this century so far.
Each story in this collection is a beautifully polished gem that makes you wish that the author was a more prolific short fiction writer. However, there are far more prolific short fiction writers who have never written stories as great as ”Ma Qui,””Puowaina,” “Skin Deep,””Echoes,” “The White City,” “Steel,” and “Her Pilgrim Soul,” among others. Given the choice, I’ll pick quality over quantity any day. Now, a brief synopsis of some of the highlights:
• The Nebula award winner “Ma Qui” is a devastating horror story narrated by an American soldier killed in Vietnam who finds himself trapped in a Vietnamese vision of the afterlife and forced by circumstances to play a horrifying role in that mythology.
• “Puowaina” is set in early twentieth century Hawai’i where a young girl’s ability to predict the future becomes a gift and a curse, as some events cannot be prevented.
• “Skin Deep” is set in the Wild Cards universe where an alien virus that hits New York in 1946 eventually spreads to the West Coast and changes a teenage girl’s life forever. She becomes a “joker” with a hideously transformed face and is forced to live a segregated life with others of her kind, until she is given an opportunity to help make a difference for her community. One of Brennert’s greatest attributes as a writer are his empathy and compassion for his characters, and they are on ample display in this poignant story.
• “Echoes” is a moving story about a genetically enhanced girl with musical talent who is able to see parallel versions of herself, revealing possible lives that are better or worse than her own life. These visions disturb and unsettle her life, threatening to derail her promising future. Can she find a way to accommodate these visions and still find a fulfilling life path? Read this story to find out.
• “The White City” is a disturbing story about a far future serial killer who discovers a novel way to prolong a victim’s suffering.
• The 1977 story “Steel” is one of the earliest examples of a grittier, more mature approach to superhero mythology, and forecast Brennert’s scripting of some of the greatest Batman comic book stories of the 1980s.
• Finally, “Her Pilgrim Soul” is a prose adaptation of one of Brennert’s most famous episodes of the 1980s revival of the Twilight Zone. Set in a laboratory, it tells a story of love, loss, grief, and moving on from the shadow cast by tragedy, but in a wholly unique manner. I watched that episode when it first appeared in 1985 and knew immediately it was one of the best television episodes I would ever see, and that is still true 40 years later. I have never experienced anything like it before or since; it is simply a masterpiece. The prose version collected here is equally wonderful, fully capturing all the nuances of emotion and characterization of the original script.
Note that although I only selected 7 of the 13 included stories to discuss (mostly for the sake of brevity), there are no weak stories in this collection; all of them are worth reading. Common denominators of all of his stories include great characterization, thought-provoking ideas and powerful emotional impact. These are stories that will stay with you long after you read them.
His new book THE MAN WHO LOVED THE SEA attempts to remedy this by collecting his best short fiction, a mixture of fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories with one non-genre story in the mix. I’ve been wanting this collection for years, so thanks to the author and PS PUBLISHING for making it a reality. This collection proves that Brennert is a true master of short fiction, exhibiting a wide-ranging and diverse imagination combined with excellent characterization and stylish prose that together delivers a powerful emotional impact. I would certainly rate it as one of the best collections of this century so far.
Each story in this collection is a beautifully polished gem that makes you wish that the author was a more prolific short fiction writer. However, there are far more prolific short fiction writers who have never written stories as great as ”Ma Qui,””Puowaina,” “Skin Deep,””Echoes,” “The White City,” “Steel,” and “Her Pilgrim Soul,” among others. Given the choice, I’ll pick quality over quantity any day. Now, a brief synopsis of some of the highlights:
• The Nebula award winner “Ma Qui” is a devastating horror story narrated by an American soldier killed in Vietnam who finds himself trapped in a Vietnamese vision of the afterlife and forced by circumstances to play a horrifying role in that mythology.
• “Puowaina” is set in early twentieth century Hawai’i where a young girl’s ability to predict the future becomes a gift and a curse, as some events cannot be prevented.
• “Skin Deep” is set in the Wild Cards universe where an alien virus that hits New York in 1946 eventually spreads to the West Coast and changes a teenage girl’s life forever. She becomes a “joker” with a hideously transformed face and is forced to live a segregated life with others of her kind, until she is given an opportunity to help make a difference for her community. One of Brennert’s greatest attributes as a writer are his empathy and compassion for his characters, and they are on ample display in this poignant story.
• “Echoes” is a moving story about a genetically enhanced girl with musical talent who is able to see parallel versions of herself, revealing possible lives that are better or worse than her own life. These visions disturb and unsettle her life, threatening to derail her promising future. Can she find a way to accommodate these visions and still find a fulfilling life path? Read this story to find out.
• “The White City” is a disturbing story about a far future serial killer who discovers a novel way to prolong a victim’s suffering.
• The 1977 story “Steel” is one of the earliest examples of a grittier, more mature approach to superhero mythology, and forecast Brennert’s scripting of some of the greatest Batman comic book stories of the 1980s.
• Finally, “Her Pilgrim Soul” is a prose adaptation of one of Brennert’s most famous episodes of the 1980s revival of the Twilight Zone. Set in a laboratory, it tells a story of love, loss, grief, and moving on from the shadow cast by tragedy, but in a wholly unique manner. I watched that episode when it first appeared in 1985 and knew immediately it was one of the best television episodes I would ever see, and that is still true 40 years later. I have never experienced anything like it before or since; it is simply a masterpiece. The prose version collected here is equally wonderful, fully capturing all the nuances of emotion and characterization of the original script.
Note that although I only selected 7 of the 13 included stories to discuss (mostly for the sake of brevity), there are no weak stories in this collection; all of them are worth reading. Common denominators of all of his stories include great characterization, thought-provoking ideas and powerful emotional impact. These are stories that will stay with you long after you read them.
January 20, 2026
Fine collection of SF and fantasy stories. Anyone who enjoys tales of the imagination will love this book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews