Something Rich and Strange

Megan has always been attracted to the sea, spending her days drawing its many faces from its roaring white caped waves to its calming living tidal pools. But now something is different, something had crawled out of the sea and into her life. More and more the sea is encroaching on her life, overtaking all she loves, and if she is not careful she will lose all she loves to the sea.

Jonah's passion is for the past, it lies in the rocks and fossils of the sea that crowd his thoughts and litter his home. But now the sea has offered up a new passion to Jonah, one that he cannot escape from, hard as he might try. For the song of the sea has captured his heart blinding him to all things but her song, and with this song in his heart he is in show more danger of losing himself to the sea he loves.

Something Rich And Strange has emerged from the sea, bewitching, enthralling, demanding to be heard. But the sea sings not just for love but for salvation for the seas are dying, pollution clogging its heart and killing its soul. A story of love and enchantment, this second book in the Fairyland series is passionately written by an expert storyteller bringing to life the dreamy images of a much loved illustrator. show less

actual fever dream but that is entirely to be expected of a collab between McKillip and Brian Froud. slow... beautiful... dizzying... I need a shelf for books about the sea tbh. the fae are unknowable.

A rather dreamy, slow book, this novella tells the story of an eccentric couple, Megan and Jonah, who live in a seaside town. Megan's an artist and Jonah runs an artsy souvenir shop. But a mystic couple arrive in town... Megan finds herself irresistibly drawn to a travelling jewelry-maker, and Jonah finds himself obsessed with a beautiful singer he sees in the local pub. Magic intertwines with reality as Megan and Jonah's relationship seems to be tearing apart, for these strangers are magical beings from the sea, and Jonah is drawn in like so many other of legend, by siren song. But today, the mermaids want for than sensual, cruel amusement - they want to draw attention to the ecological disaster being faced by the world's oceans.
I show more really love Patricia McKillip, but this novella gave me a bit of an 'unfinished' feel - there were a few loose ends, and the 'message' seemed awkwardly fitted in. show less

I still can't stomach reading McKillip's story - her writing style frustrates me to the point of incomprehension - , but, I figured that I should at least take a look at Froud's inspiring illustrations. This set doesn't speak to me as much as those that accompanied de Lint's The Wild Wood

I love everything about this book! I love the author's writing style which is dreamy and strange. I love the pieces of Brian Froud's work she chose. I love the story. It's beautiful and deep and, like the author's writing style, strange and dreamy.

It has been a while since I read this. I liked it enough to buy a copy. Fans of Brian Froud may want to read it. The concept of the series was intriguing - writers looked at Froud's drawings, selected ones that inspired them, and then wrote a story based on that inspiration.

one in a collaberative series, yet standalone. Modern story. About the sea and merfolk and people. Same style for sure, but not so enveloping as her others.