The Touch of the Sea Edited by Steve Berman
Title: The Touch of the Sea 
Edited: Steve Berman
Authors: Vincent Kovar, John Howard, Jeff Mann, 'Nathan Burgoine, Brandon Cracraft, Matthew A. Merendo, Damon Shaw, Alex Jeffers, Chaz Brenchley, Jonathan Harper, Joel Lane
Tags: Anthology, Short Stories, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Mythology, Review, November, M/M Slash, MM Romance, Good, Adventure
Length: 196 pages
Rating: Good
Blurb: Greek myths held that Oceanus to be a massive river surrounding the land. A Titan, son of sky and earth, he was depicted as a handsome, muscular man whose torso ended in a scaled tail. As the Olympians emerged, Oceanus retreated, his domain restricted to strange and dangerous shores, the realm of sailors' fortunes and worries.
So, too, are the eleven tales within the pages of The Touch of the Sea: fantastical, at times eerie, with sightings of mermen, water spirits, and sea beasts (even
the fabled ''living island,'' the aspidochelone) as well as a smattering of pirates.
What makes these stories memorable is that they affirm the masculinity of the sea, the taste of brine on another man's lips.
I really liked this anthology. The range of stories was great. Within the pages of this book you will find adventure, love, angst and happy endings. I think there is a little bit of everything in here wrapped up in stories that aren't absent of sex but aren't all about the physical aspect of relationships.
I have always loved stories that surround the sea and the mythology there in. For myself, I think it has something to do with growing up beside the sea. Thus stories with mermaids and other wild things appeal to me. So, this collection of stories was a joy to read. On another note, if you do read this book I would highly suggest that you read the forward by Steve Berman. I do not often read forwards or introductions to books but this one caught my attention and held it.
Of all the stories in here, I think that the first two were among my favorites:
Time and Tide by 'Nathan Burgoine and The Calm Tonight by Matthew A. Merendo both of these stories were about finding, recognizing and eventually giving into love. So I guess you could say they were both romances. :) I liked the way that both stories were written and enjoyed the characters there. I think that I also really liked the uncertain ending of "The Calm Tonight"; it is both hopeful and ultimately uncertain.
All of the stories contained within the pages of this anthology were well written and interesting. However, there were two that did not appeal to me that much. The first one was The Bloated Woman by Jonathan Harper.... This is a story that makes you think but ultimately the mental image surrounding the story got to me. In the end I simply did not find myself satisfied with this story but it does make you think.
The second work I did not enjoy as much was, Wave Boys by Vincent Kovar. Now, I wanted to talk about this work on purpose because I think that this is actually a really interesting work. Kovar's written this work in a very stylized manor, which makes it somewhat hard to read and follow. However, there is a lot going on in it. In the end, I honestly wasn't really sure what the point of the work was. This is the reason that I came away from it feeling rather irritated. That being said, I was impressed with this story and the consistency of it.
Alright, so if you enjoy short story anthologies, I do think that this one has a lot to recommend it. Enjoy. :)
Edited: Steve Berman
Authors: Vincent Kovar, John Howard, Jeff Mann, 'Nathan Burgoine, Brandon Cracraft, Matthew A. Merendo, Damon Shaw, Alex Jeffers, Chaz Brenchley, Jonathan Harper, Joel Lane
Tags: Anthology, Short Stories, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Mythology, Review, November, M/M Slash, MM Romance, Good, Adventure
Length: 196 pages
Rating: Good
Blurb: Greek myths held that Oceanus to be a massive river surrounding the land. A Titan, son of sky and earth, he was depicted as a handsome, muscular man whose torso ended in a scaled tail. As the Olympians emerged, Oceanus retreated, his domain restricted to strange and dangerous shores, the realm of sailors' fortunes and worries.
So, too, are the eleven tales within the pages of The Touch of the Sea: fantastical, at times eerie, with sightings of mermen, water spirits, and sea beasts (even
the fabled ''living island,'' the aspidochelone) as well as a smattering of pirates.
What makes these stories memorable is that they affirm the masculinity of the sea, the taste of brine on another man's lips.
I really liked this anthology. The range of stories was great. Within the pages of this book you will find adventure, love, angst and happy endings. I think there is a little bit of everything in here wrapped up in stories that aren't absent of sex but aren't all about the physical aspect of relationships.
I have always loved stories that surround the sea and the mythology there in. For myself, I think it has something to do with growing up beside the sea. Thus stories with mermaids and other wild things appeal to me. So, this collection of stories was a joy to read. On another note, if you do read this book I would highly suggest that you read the forward by Steve Berman. I do not often read forwards or introductions to books but this one caught my attention and held it.
Of all the stories in here, I think that the first two were among my favorites:
Time and Tide by 'Nathan Burgoine and The Calm Tonight by Matthew A. Merendo both of these stories were about finding, recognizing and eventually giving into love. So I guess you could say they were both romances. :) I liked the way that both stories were written and enjoyed the characters there. I think that I also really liked the uncertain ending of "The Calm Tonight"; it is both hopeful and ultimately uncertain.
All of the stories contained within the pages of this anthology were well written and interesting. However, there were two that did not appeal to me that much. The first one was The Bloated Woman by Jonathan Harper.... This is a story that makes you think but ultimately the mental image surrounding the story got to me. In the end I simply did not find myself satisfied with this story but it does make you think.
The second work I did not enjoy as much was, Wave Boys by Vincent Kovar. Now, I wanted to talk about this work on purpose because I think that this is actually a really interesting work. Kovar's written this work in a very stylized manor, which makes it somewhat hard to read and follow. However, there is a lot going on in it. In the end, I honestly wasn't really sure what the point of the work was. This is the reason that I came away from it feeling rather irritated. That being said, I was impressed with this story and the consistency of it.
Alright, so if you enjoy short story anthologies, I do think that this one has a lot to recommend it. Enjoy. :)