In Great Waters

September 28, 2009
Whitfield (Benighted
) creates a fantasy Earth both instantly recognizable and drastically changed: history was altered by the deepsmen, merfolk who first made an appearance at Venice during the Middle Ages and now, a few centuries later, control the seas. They insist that earthly rulers be part-deepsmen, placing halfbreed children such as Henry, terrified to be washed up on shore after five years underwater, and Anne, a king's clumsy granddaughter, in play for the English throne. The tale's style is formal and historical, packed thick with detail both overt and subtle. Anne is convincing as “inconvenient” royalty, the kind the family would rather forget, while Henry embodies the deepsmen's unhuman priorities and desires. Supporting characters, most neither wholly good nor wholly wicked, are given in stark, memorable detail. Fans of English history, dense prose and high-level political maneuvering will love it.

October 1, 2009
Whitfield (Benighted, 2006) delivers a tale of royal intrigue and undersea fantasy.

The British author's brand of alternate history offers a blend of genres rarely seen. In this version of medieval Europe, every human kingdom that isn't landlocked must form alliances with tribes of"deepsmen" (mermen and mermaids) to defend against invasion by sea. As with many political alliances of the time, this means intermarriage, which produces human-deepsmen hybrid children. Two such hybrids—Anne, a blue-faced young princess of England, and Henry, the illegitimate product of an unsanctioned union—become pawns in a plot to take over the English throne. However, the pair prove more savvy than anyone expects. The book's early sections are the most effective, detailing the origins of the alliance between deepsmen and humans ("landsmen") and showing Henry's difficulties acclimating to human ways after a childhood underwater. Whitfield's insights are often fresh and sharp:"Land was simply where the water ran out and there was nothing left to hold you up." The royal-politics plot tends to bog down after a while, but the story's startling originality shines throughout.

Refreshingly unusual work from a writer to watch.

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November 15, 2009
In a fantasy Europe, a race of merfolk guards the coasts. To keep it loyal, the monarchs on land agree to interbreed with it. Hence, those kings are only half human and, as such, handicapped both on land and in the sea as well as subject to the dangers of interbreeding. For any young bastard, as the crossbred are called, may challenge the king of any land. The half-breed Whistle is abandoned on the English coast by his merwoman mother. As he matures, he becomes the center of a plot to claim the English crown. Whitfields premise is quite original, and she develops it through the insights of Whistle, aka Henry, and a princess, Anne of England. This isnt a romance novel, despite the Whistle-Anne relationship, but is as realistic as fantasy can be. If in her second novel Whitfield seems a bit studied, she is a competent enough storyteller, and this is a very interesting read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)