weird wet magic

E. nesbit is one of my personal favorite writers (for children or otherwise). Over my winter break, at a fantastic bookstore in Sarasota, Florida called Main Bookshop (http://www.mainbookshop.com/ ), I discovered Wet Magic, nesbit's last fantasy novel for children. somehow i had never heard of this one before, or else blocked it from my memory. Either way, i snapped it up immediately.

and it was very peculiar. It's an underwater fantasy, featuring a variety of merpeople who have removable tails (legs underneath, i guess). but it was quite an odd little novel. In particular, Nesbit includes an exeedingly dismal description of a fair the children go to (on land) that rivals anything lemony snicket ever included in his Series of Unfortunate Events.

What i liked best about Wet Magic is its anti-war message. Nesbit was a member of the Fabian Society in england, a socialist organization, and most of her novels have some kind of socialist/progressive message. The Fabians still exist - their website is http://www.fabian-society.org.uk/int.asp.

I need to read Wet Magic a few more times to really process its oddness - there was something uncommonly grim and drawn-out in the Beachfield Fair scenes, and i really don't know what to do with it.

My favorite nesbit novel is The Magic City. it's absolutely marvellous and dreamy and wonderful. Go read it!