This review is part of Melody’s Summer Reading: Diversity Spotlight. Enjoy!
The Fisher Queen by Alyssa Wong
Release Date: May/June 2014 Issue
Publisher: Fantasy & Science Fiction
Genre: Fantasy, Short Story
Source: Read Online
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The Fisher Queen, a 2014 Nebula Awards nominee for Best Short Story is written by Alyssa Wong who I found out about on Twitter and am so glad that I did! In the story, we follow Lily, a deckhand as she goes on another job out on the sea and finds a mermaid unlike any other. One who says, “Daughter” the first time she sees Lily.
If you like The Little Mermaid, that’s great but this right here isn’t a fairytale. This is a different kind of mermaid tale, one where mermaids are delicacies. One still where mermaids have no power but this time, humans know about them and they make the choice to treat them less than. This is a story you’ll find equally captivating and much more…dare I say, meaningful. It’s a story about the terrible things we do to non-humans because we know they’re not one of us and the power we hold over everything we value more than ourselves. It’s a moving story about the monsters we create and the monsters we destroy.
“And are you content with the way things are supposed to be, L¯uk¯s¯aw?”
I loved the world building details. I really appreciated the the realities of the sibling dynamic brought to the page as Lily has two sisters and I have two sisters and we’re all so different and seeing that on the page was really cool. I was also quite appreciative seeing how exhilarated Lily was by doing honest, hard work. We don’t see that enough.
Now this is a short story so I definitely don’t want to spoil anything for you but I will say that The Fisher Queen is a beautiful tale about finding the beauty of what’s deep below, what’s in us and has been with us all along. It’s about challenging the stories we make up to deal with the pain around us and dealing with whatever’s conflicting us so that we can be content with today. And finally, the wishes we have and the consequences that come with some dreams really coming true. The sacrifices people make to be whole never ceases to amaze me so watching Lily on a journey to heal what’s troubling made for such an engrossing read. I’m so glad I read this and I can’t wait to see what Alyssa Wong writes next.
The Fisher Queen by Alyssa Wong is available today.