Dark bleatings! Dark festive bleatings, actually! A couple of weeks ago, Teika and I attempted to do an online joint book launch. It went awry. However, tech issues be damned, Waterlore was unleashed unto the world! Of course, a Happy Goat Horror review was its initial destiny, so here it is!
You might not know this about me but the sea freaks me out. I’m not an especially strong swimmer and water just tends to scare me if I think there might be something lurking in it, if there’s enough of it to drown me, or if I think it might somehow have gotten into an indoor power point to electrocute me as I innocently switch on a lamp. So I knew this book was the perfect read to scare me!
Enjoy a small summary of each story:
LADY SEAWEED OR TRISTESSE
Do mermaids give birth or lay eggs? ‘Tis the age-old question. Venture in, but don’t go near the nest!
GOLDEN DREAMS
One of my favourites because the protagonist is soooo relatable. Annie reaches out to an old friend, Nadia, with whom she was once close. Nadia used to be selfish and their friendship fizzled out, but now Annie is on top of the world and Nadia is terminally ill. There *might* be a reason for this though…
THE PIRATE AND THE SELKIE
A fantastical, sea-bound tale of mystical creatures and nasty pirates! Excellent, arrrrrrr!!!
SCREAMING SUE
It’s never too late for a happily ever after…
THE SEA WASPS
Ah, the cycle of life… sort of.
GHOST FISH
My favourite in the collection. A struggling, stressed, single mum is doing her best, but she keeps hearing about these damn goggles! Her son gave them to a much more well-off kid to borrow, never got them back, and despite mum’s best efforts, it doesn’t look like they’ll ever see that precious pair of water eyes again. What seems like small stresses escalate in a totally understandable way, and the results are dire.
RUSALKA OR WATERLORE
Guilt will always get you in the end.
Overall, a great mix of tone and themes, and I enjoyed it verily! I’d recommend it to fans of psychological horror, especially if you like a dash of mythology and fantasy thrown in. If you’d like to get your own copy or check out the author, there are some links below for you:
Happy Goat Horror 
Leave a comment