Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley, Peter Dickinson ISBN: 0-441-01056-3 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 06 May, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.12 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent Short Stories
Comment: As a disclaimer, I only read all of the stories in it by McKinley and just a few by her husband.
I felt that this collection was quite good; much better than her aweful "Spindle's End" and the somewhat trying "Door in the Hedge." To me these stories were more true to the nature of her books "Beauty," "Rose Daughter," "The Blue Sword," and "The Hero in the Crown." The book does contain a short story related to the later two. Overall I think that I enjoyed the "Water Horse" story the most. It was about a young girl named Tamia who is apprenticed to a guardian who protects the land from the ocean. She is surrounded by different kinds of horses during her life that impact her in different ways. Her childhood pony was her first friend, the Water Horse is a destructive monster that is flooding the land and killing people, and the mare and foal at the end save her and her people.
I liked the strong female heroines in her stories and am thankful that she is back to her rolicking and not trudging way of telling a story. Overall a good book for a Robin McKInley fan; I can't wait to see the other books in the series when they come out!
Rating: 1
Summary: Robin McKinley, you missed your mark this time...
Comment: wow I found this book a major disappointment. I am a short-story fanatic usually, but i could not even get through all of the stories in this book. The stories lacked character definition and were utterly unoriginal.
I would recommend Outlaws of Sherwood, also by McKinley, instead.
Rating: 4
Summary: I enjoyed this book
Comment: I am a major Robin McKinley fan. What I love best is her facility with the English language. For someone who reads with an internal ear to the music of the written word, her prose is rich with melody and grace.
If you expect Peter Dickinson's writing to be like McKinley's, you will be disappointed. His voice is very different - a sparer cello & oboe melody compared to her dancing flutes and trumpets. It's not better or worse, but it is different. His stories are more stark. The themes are darker. But they have their own beauty.
I also really enjoyed the one Damarian tale. As McKinley's writing has matured, her female heroines have become less fairy princesses, and more survivors who find it within themselves to meet challenges and endure. Her heroes also have a few more realistic warts. This story is about a survivor. A woman who keeps her soul intact against all odds, and ultimately finds it within herself (with her sister's encouragement) to follow her dreams and change her destiny. I also liked that it was set in the present day. Perhaps there's just to much realism in it for some - we all know creeps like Hetta's parents - but I think that makes it even more satisfying. Who needs dreams more than those whose reality is a prison?
In any case, if you read the book, read it one story at a time, and enjoy the changing voices.
 |
Title: Sunshine by Robin McKinley ISBN: 0425191788 Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title: A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories by Robin McKinley ISBN: 0064406040 Publisher: HarperTrophy Pub. Date: 30 September, 1995 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
 |
Title: The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley ISBN: 0698119606 Publisher: Puffin Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley ISBN: 0441005837 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 01 December, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
 |
Title: Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley ISBN: 0064404773 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Pub. Date: 01 June, 1993 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
