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Thread: Merfolk Books?

  1. #21
    Senior Member Pod of Texas Mermaid Delphinidae's Avatar
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    I'm also trying to find different types of merfolk books. I got the first Lost Voices book, so I'll see if that's any good. What I really want are merfolk books that take place primarily underwater. Seems like most of them are about merfolk going up on the surface and hanging out with humans for one reason or another. I wanna see merfolk doing merfolk stuff, ya know? The Waterfire Saga sounds promising, it looks like I can read the first one for free since I have Amazon Prime so if I don't like it, at least I only lost a little time, ha ha.

    I do write my own stuff, but I don't think it's good enough to post. At least not yet, maybe someday.

  2. #22
    The Waterfire Saga is one of better YA series I've read in a while, though I do agree there should be more books of mer hidden from humans beneath the waves and interacting with other mer.

    Merman Caspian

  3. #23
    Senior Member North Pacific Pod Mermaid Kane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid Delphinidae View Post
    The Waterfire Saga sounds promising, it looks like I can read the first one for free since I have Amazon Prime so if I don't like it, at least I only lost a little time, ha ha..
    It's pretty good. NOT perfect, for sure.

    Lots of mythology and made-up words (world building basically) if that's what you like.



  4. #24
    Senior Member Ransom's Avatar
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    Unfortunately mer fiction is still, like it or not, heavily influenced by The Little Mermaid (which I confess, I've never watched). Publishers have to make entirely subjective decisions as to what will sell, and a lot of the big hits like Harry Potter, Twilight, etc. were rejected many times until they were picked up on a gamble.

    There're also other factors, like protagonist identity (young teens like to read about older heroes, girls often want to read about boy heroes but not vice versa) and the editors you have access to.

    I've never read Waterfire, but if it did well some publisher might be willing to take a chance.

    Who knows, the next breakthrough could be lurking in someone's hard drive. Maybe yours.
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  5. #25
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Mermaid Holly's Avatar
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    Honestly, the waterfire book was okay (I only read the first one), but it really bothered me how they threw so many new characters in at the very end of the first book. Aside from the two main characters, it seemed like the author but off more than they could chew when it came to developing three other characters in so few pages. Also the idea that they are magically stronger together? A bit random. Maybe thus is cleared up in the other books, but based on the first one, I really had no interest in any of the others. I only picked it up because of the cool cover.

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  6. #26
    Senior Member North Pacific Pod Mermaid Kane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid Holly View Post
    Maybe thus is cleared up in the other books, but based on the first one, I really had no interest in any of the others. I only picked it up because of the cool cover.

    Sent from my SM-J327P using MerNetwork mobile app
    Not really tbh.... they are still just thrown around.



  7. #27
    Senior Member Pod of Texas Mermaid Delphinidae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ransom View Post
    Unfortunately mer fiction is still, like it or not, heavily influenced by The Little Mermaid (which I confess, I've never watched). Publishers have to make entirely subjective decisions as to what will sell, and a lot of the big hits like Harry Potter, Twilight, etc. were rejected many times until they were picked up on a gamble.

    There're also other factors, like protagonist identity (young teens like to read about older heroes, girls often want to read about boy heroes but not vice versa) and the editors you have access to.

    I've never read Waterfire, but if it did well some publisher might be willing to take a chance.

    Who knows, the next breakthrough could be lurking in someone's hard drive. Maybe yours.
    Yeah, The Little Mermaid is still the definitive merfolk story in popular media. Though it doesn't help that writing a story that takes place underwater requires much more work and worldbuilding. Plus it's difficult to make a live-action TV show or movie that takes place entirely underwater, so we're not gonna get those stories from there. (which is why I think audiences would benefit if animation was taken more seriously, but that's a rant for another day) I'm hoping that the popularity of merfolk stuff right now means maybe we'll get more stuff, but I'm not holding my breath.

  8. #28
    Senior Member Ransom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid Delphinidae View Post
    Yeah, The Little Mermaid is still the definitive merfolk story in popular media. Though it doesn't help that writing a story that takes place underwater requires much more work and worldbuilding. Plus it's difficult to make a live-action TV show or movie that takes place entirely underwater, so we're not gonna get those stories from there. (which is why I think audiences would benefit if animation was taken more seriously, but that's a rant for another day) I'm hoping that the popularity of merfolk stuff right now means maybe we'll get more stuff, but I'm not holding my breath.
    Apparently there's a remake of Splash with Mr Tatum in the lead. It's a step though not (imo) in the right direction.

    Some of our fellow mers here are writers trying to do exactly that -- and I'm hoping to put my own spin on it someday.

    Let's hope more good writers step up to the challenge -- after all, characters don't have to be human to be relatable to readers.
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  9. #29
    Senior Member Pod of Texas Mermaid Delphinidae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ransom View Post
    Apparently there's a remake of Splash with Mr Tatum in the lead. It's a step though not (imo) in the right direction.

    Some of our fellow mers here are writers trying to do exactly that -- and I'm hoping to put my own spin on it someday.

    Let's hope more good writers step up to the challenge -- after all, characters don't have to be human to be relatable to readers.
    I write about merfolk cause no one else is writing what I want. But my writing is pretty garbage so I'm not gonna be changing the industry, ha ha.

    Personally I have more hope for The Little Mermaid remake. Yeah, it's (obviously) another Little Mermaid story, but if it's as successful as the live-action Beauty and the Beast it might have some influence. Speaking of Disney, I'm surprised that they (or shoot, anyone else) never attempted a Mermaids franchise. Do like with the TV series and have it take place with Ariel before the events of the film, and she has a bunch of mermaid friends. Or they could pull a Lion Guard and make it about Melody, she joins the mermaid world and explores and make friends, shenanigans ensue.

    Anyway, I just finished the first Waterfire book. I thought it moved way too fast, but since the target audience skews young I understand why it was kept fast and short. It could have better established some of the characters, but other than those problems it was fine. It did a good job of creating a believable underwater world and only slipped up a few times.

  10. #30
    Senior Member Pod of The South Mermaid_Izzy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid Delphinidae View Post
    I write about merfolk cause no one else is writing what I want. But my writing is pretty garbage so I'm not gonna be changing the industry, ha ha.

    Personally I have more hope for The Little Mermaid remake. Yeah, it's (obviously) another Little Mermaid story, but if it's as successful as the live-action Beauty and the Beast it might have some influence. Speaking of Disney, I'm surprised that they (or shoot, anyone else) never attempted a Mermaids franchise. Do like with the TV series and have it take place with Ariel before the events of the film, and she has a bunch of mermaid friends. Or they could pull a Lion Guard and make it about Melody, she joins the mermaid world and explores and make friends, shenanigans ensue.

    Anyway, I just finished the first Waterfire book. I thought it moved way too fast, but since the target audience skews young I understand why it was kept fast and short. It could have better established some of the characters, but other than those problems it was fine. It did a good job of creating a believable underwater world and only slipped up a few times.
    I think it’s a good idea, but I hope they don’t make it like Lion Guard in what they did to the characters because it was bad enough they had to change Simba’s voice, but either the lines or the voice action did not capture his character.


    Side note: I am working on mermaid story called “The Cove.” It might not have enough for the plot to make it into a novel, but it will at least be a novella.



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  11. #31
    Senior Member Ransom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid_Izzy View Post
    I think it’s a good idea, but I hope they don’t make it like Lion Guard in what they did to the characters because it was bad enough they had to change Simba’s voice, but either the lines or the voice action did not capture his character.


    Side note: I am working on mermaid story called “The Cove.” It might not have enough for the plot to make it into a novel, but it will at least be a novella.



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  12. #32
    I’ve been looking for good books also, and here are two trilogies I beg you to try
    the first is The vicious deep trilogy written by Zoraida Cordova, and it is my favorite merman story to date, it is about a guy who learns he’s actually a merman and heir to the throne, but must go through a few trials to prove he deserves the throne. Huge part takes place under the ocean, and by book three it wrapped things up more or less for the better I really want more books like that

    the second I read book one in high school and took me a while to track down the other two as they are out of print
    the water trilogy by Kara Dalkey, book one takes place fully underwater i believe it’s honestly a nice little series and if you like medieval stuff the end has a nice little plot twist I didn’t see coming but gave a character far more depth than anyone ever thought about it is in the perspective or a mermaid though but I still really liked the series

  13. #33
    Check out Mermaids Are Real: The Mystiq Prong. It's a coming of age story about a boy who grows up "Topside" after a fisherman finds him during a storm. He finds out he's a merman from the animals who follow him when he's surfing. He returns home and must deal with his father's old nemesis while he discovers his own powers.

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...99D27Q1D69NQXM

  14. #34
    The Mermaids Three Wisdoms by Yolen. Such a sweet story about a girl who has hearing issues (representation! Yay!) meets a mermaid who was cast out of her pod and is stranded as a human, and can’t speak.
    "I wish I was away in Ingo
    Far across the briny sea
    Sailing over deepest waters
    Where neither care nor worry trouble me"

  15. #35
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania Mermaid Jaffa's Avatar
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    Daughters of the Sea by Kathryn Lasky. I've read Hannah. It was a pretty good read. I've yet to find the other two books in the local bookshops.
    https://www.kathrynlasky.com/book-se...ers-of-the-sea
    Formerly known as ireneho

  16. #36
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania Kwilena's Avatar
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    Something old: The most poignant Merfolk book I read was The Merman's Children by Poul Anderson.

    Something new: Now the scariest mermaid book I ever read was Into the Drowning Deep. It's not from the mermaids' point of view, but rather of the cryptozoologists searching for them. It's written by Seanan McGuire under the pen name Mira Grant.
    Seanan McGuire's other works are definitely worth a look - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seanan_McGuire

  17. #37
    Junior Member Pod of Texas selkie.astraea's Avatar
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    Hey there! This is a bit of an old thread, but I feel like it's worth mentioning a mermaid book I got a hold of and am currently about 30 pages into. It's called Poor Unfortunate Soul and it's basically the story of Ursula, but a LOT darker than the Disney movie so far. It ties in with other fairy tales, and so far I love it. I've never heard anyone mention it, and I found it for three dollars on sale at the back of a book shop. Hmmmmm....
    Upon looking it up, I've come to the realization that the version I have has a different cover, one of Ursula's human form. Not the sea witch appearance. And I didn't realize it was part of a series until now!
    Edit: sigh. It seems to be more about the author's own characters than Ursula herself. This is pretty disappointing. I was hoping for more sea witch mayhem. But I did find another interesting, more promising book called Part of Your World with, again, a darker premise than the original Little Mermaid movie, but much better reviews.
    Last edited by selkie.astraea; 02-08-2019 at 07:45 PM.

  18. #38
    That is a really good read I’ve read almost all of the ones in the series need to read the last two currently in the series but I agree the weave famous Disney characters together love fairest of them all best still

    i actually have been working on writing a book but it’s slow process I want some good merman books lol

  19. #39
    Senior Member Pod of Texas Mermaid Delphinidae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NeverlandMerman View Post

    i actually have been working on writing a book but it’s slow process I want some good merman books lol
    I know how that is! What kind of stuff do you want to have in your book?

  20. #40
    It’s a mix of my own reality main guy is part merman and lives on land, like me he shares medical issues, but I altered reality some to let him be able to do stuff I couldn’t along with ability to transform.
    his best friend finds out and accepts it.

    I’m just having trouble figuring out where I want the story to go

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