I always enjoy these collections. There are some truly bizarre folkloric stories in this one. The editors expanded the definition of "mermaid" a little bit but still enjoyable.

If you are like me, when someone says "mermaid" images of Ariel from Disney's <em>The Littlest Mermaid</em> film, or Daryl Hannah from the film <em>Splash</em> come to mind. Though lately the other image might be a creature looking half human, half fish, with piranha-like teeth - from Mira Grant's excellent book <em>Into the Drowning Deep</em>. But if you are expecting a collection of these sorts of mermaids, you will be sadly disappointed.

Editors Cristina Bacchilega and Marie Alohalani Brown have gathered mermaid stories and legends from all over the world. The term 'mermaid,' however, is quite loosely defined for the purposes of gathering the stories for this book. Any human-like creature that lives primarily in the water is acceptable here.

It did take me awhile to get used to this concept that the idea of a 'mermaid' could be so drastically different from culture to culture. For instance, this book contains a tale from the Passamaquoddy tradition, here titled "Of the Woman Who Loved a Serpent Who Lived in a Lake" in which the 'mermaid' is more snake than fish, and male. It's an odd tale as the woman who interacts with the serpent/mer-being is a vessel for the serpent's poison, transferring it to her husband's (multiple, as they die shortly after being with her). My note from the reading is simply: "Mermaid?"

I enjoyed this collection quite a bit, and I enjoyed expanding my knowledge of the mermaid concept, but at the same time, I can't say that this was overwhelmingly 'good.' Only one story/legend stood out for me: "Julnar the Mermaid and Her Son Badar Basim of Persia." Wait ... does this sound familiar? It should ... it's more commonly known as "Julnar the Sea-Born and Her Son Kind Badr Basim of Persia" and it's the 23rd chapter from <em>Tales from the Arabian Nights</em>.

This is actually one of the things I really appreciated about this book ... the research of so many different sources for mermaid/sea-creature stories. I also learned a few things ("Ningyo, the Japanese word for mermaid, has no gender.") and it did occur to me that the purpose to read a collection like this is not so much for 'pleasure' but for knowledge or perspective or cultural significance or social significance (which is not to say some of us don't take great pleasure in expanding our knowledge or perspective or ...).

Looking for a good book? If you are willing to expand your horizons and your concept of what a mermaid is, you should give <em>The Penguin Book of Mermaids</em> (edited by Cristina Bacchilega and Marie Alohalani Brown) a read. But don't expect too many stories that project a Daryl Hannah style creature.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked that these stories weren't the typical mermaid stories that we've heard of before. Each story was great and I'm really glad to have these stories collected.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley.

I was really excited for this book when I originally discovered it, but I ended up being very underwhelmed. But that probably was due more to my expectations than the actual content.

I was thinking more actual mermaids and probably retellings. However, it was more of a history lesson on the evolution of mermaids in culture. It was an interesting read, but I don't think I'll be going back to it again and again, like I had anticipated.

You can't go wrong with a Penguin Classics collection! This volume includes tales and legends from around the world and through the centuries of not just mermaids, but other watery creatures as well. There is so much more here than what you'll expect to find, and it's fascinating to see how change from culture to culture, and how the stay the same. Definitely entertaining and recommended!

#ThePenguinBookOfMermaids #NetGalley

I like mermaids, don’t love them, but this was a very cool anthology dealing with the multiple myths surrounding these creatures,

"The Penguin Book of Mermaids" is a lot of fun. I always look for the Penguin collections; they never disappoint.

The Penguin Book of Mermaids is a collection of Mermaid stories from various cultures. I loved reading this one and cannot wait to own a copy of my own. I had no idea that there were so many cultures with Mermaid Lore.

Disclaimer: I received the Kindle copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My opinions remain respectfully my own. Huge thanks to Penguin Classics for approving this book even when it was requested a month past the publication date.

----My Thoughts----

The book is packed with legends, folktales, fairytales, etc. about the mermaid and other water creatures. Not a lengthy volume and can be easily finished in a few hours for the typical book enthusiast.

Some of the fairytales are dark in nature, portraying the mermaid as a symbol of great beauty and misfortune.

Tales were collected from all around the globe and there were many that I hadn’t heard of.

The Little Mermaid’s tale by Andersen was perhaps one of the most tragic, heavily intermixed with Christianity.

Some fairytales spoke of hungering sea creatures that were dramatically different from the innocent portrayal we are used to.

A little background information is given in regards to the legend or anecdote along with what to expect from it, what version was chosen, etc.

Kurahashi’s parodic rewriting of the Little Mermaid wasn’t one I was particularly familiar with but it was certainly a bizarre read.

Specially eerie were some oral tales where the narrator chose to omit names such as the village where it originated as well as the water deity involved.

“Abyssus Abyssum Invocat.” was a story that was downright chilling with modern elements mixed in. The mermaid is portrayed as a strange but alluring creature capable of feats of deadly seduction.

This book gets a 4.5/5 from me. I expected a book about mermaids, water deities and monsters either by a collection of legends, myths, folktales, etc. and this book met all my expectations. It left me fulfilled but with a subtle craving of wishing it was a longer read.
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Who would enjoy this book?
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys reading about water deities, monsters and mermaids. It would also suit the folklore and legends enthusiast or someone seeking a change from their typical nonfiction literature.