The Fortunate Isles

The Fortunate Isles brings together fourteen tales of myth and ancient magic from the shores of Barradoon, a frost-rimed village set against a storm-wracked sea where selkies, kelpies, mermaids, and other fey folk shape the course of human lives. Resources are scarce here; the sea takes as much as it provides. Fish, friends, families. Whatever seafarers can't fetch, landlubbers must bargain and scrounge to obtain. Young men wed the harpies hatched from eggs found on remote cliffs, witches warp the threads of fate, earthbound children dream of flight, and unfaithful spouses learn the fatal folly of betrayal. Seen through the eyes of mothers, daughters, lovers, and sailors, Barradoon is a town that refuses to be defined by any singular story. Each new corner hides something strange, angry, or touched by the ocean's strange magic, and tension simmers between the town's human and inhuman residents. Lisa L. Hannett's storytelling is deft, lyrical, and starkly beautiful even in its darkest moments, and the stories collected here are sure to please fans and new readers alike.