As you splash in the waves this summer, just remember that the ocean’s depths hold all sorts of horrors. And not least among them are … mermaids. That’s right, these mythical fish folk aren’t necessarily as cute and cuddly as Disney has led us to believe. Mermaids, and their singing sisters the sirens, have long been known for cruelty, cannibalism, and luring sailors to their certain death. Below are four of my favorite tales that tackle the darker side of these sea creatures:
1) The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova
Just off the shore of New York’s Coney Island lies a kingdom that isn’t on any map—a kingdom of terrifying, razor-toothed merfolk. Oblivious to these aquatic neighbors, Tristan leads a normal life, hanging out with friends and spending his summers working as a lifeguard. Until one day he gets swept out to sea for three days by an enormous freak wave. When Tristan wakes up, he doesn’t remember anything that happened out in the water, apart from brief flashes in his nightmares. But as he starts noticing some strange changes in himself, Tristan realizes there may be more to his family history than he knows.
2) Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
Mira Grant is a pseudonym used by one of my absolute favorite writers, Seanan McGuire. This series grew out of a short novella called Rolling in the Deep, in which a film crew disappears while shooting a mockumentary about mermaids around the Mariana Trench. Now, seven years later, marine biologist Victoria Stewart is determined to find out what happened to her sister, one of the crew members who never returned from that voyage. Victoria joins a new crew full of other scientists, each with their own motivations for participating in the investigation. As they return to the site of the disappearance, they soon find what they’re looking for—and immediately regret it. This is a legitimately terrifying thriller with killer mermaids, and I’m all about it.
3) Wake by Amanda Hocking
Picture Mean Girls, but with cannibalistic sirens. Gemma is intrigued when three beautiful and mysterious new girls show up in her little beach town of Capri for the summer, but something about them sets off alarm bells in her head. Still, she can’t resist when she finds them partying in her favorite cove and they invite her to join in. After participating in a strange ritual with them, however, Gemma begins to notice herself going through some changes. She’s a better and stronger swimmer than ever, and her beauty starts attracting more attention. But overpowering it all is a strange new hunger.…
4) Fathomless by Jackson Pearce
Part of a series of fairy tale retellings, Fathomless puts a unique spin on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. The story follows two central characters: Celia, one of three magical sisters whose special power is seeing into the past, and Lo, an ocean girl who is slowly losing her hold on what used to make her human. The two form an instant friendship when together they rescue a handsome boy who falls off the pier. But while Celia competes to win his affection, what Lo really wants is his soul, which she can steal to win back her humanity.
Have you read any of these books? Do you have any other dark mermaid tales to add to this list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I’ve been trying to decide whether I want to read Into the Drowning Deep for ages! The concept seems like it could either be really horrible or genuinely fresh and thrilling. I gather that the book scored highly plot-wise for you, but was the writing really good?
I personally adore Seanan McGuire a.k.a. Mira Grant’s writing style in general and have been devouring as much of her writing as I can.