Reader's Review: "Severance" by M. A. Smith

Synopsis from Amazon:

With the earth long diseased, humanity has evolved back into creatures of the water. Beneath the waves, the folk, fearing the corrupted land, remain within the boundaries of their world. One among them, though, is different. One of them is prepared to make a bargain. A life for a life. A severance for a blood debt. The truth for one deep breath.

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My Review:

For as much as I enjoy a good mermaid tale, there have only been a few that have made it onto my radar for Reader's Reviews.

One such is of course this, Severance, an innocent-looking novella that I knew involved mermaids at some point--but that was all that I knew about it. I've been looking forward to it, curiosity duly piqued--what I didn't want was just another story of a mermaid who becomes curious about the surface world and ends up falling in love with someone from there, until the twist comes and she finds out that the love will never be requited.

This is not your typical mermaid tale.

First of all, Smith sets up her fantasy world with the epic grace and poise of a master world-builder. References are made of a nuclear/radiation/pollution cataclysm that drove some humans down below the water, where the radiation couldn't reach them, and there they adapted and became the creatures commonly known as merfolk. But Smith does all this in such a way that when you are reading it from the perspective of the narrator, the young mermaid who fills the role of main character, you are plunged into the depths of The Keep and you find your breathing patterns matching those of the merfolk. The descriptions of the ravaged surface world are so real, it makes your skin crawl. You start to smell that briny sea scent.

Second, I love the detail and immersion Smith pours into her writing, using terminology and metaphors that only someone who has lived underwater would use, right down to the scientific jargon that lends credibility to her fantastic theories. This is a technique I attempted to use when writing my own retelling of Little Mermaid, but Smith takes it to a whole new level that I absolutely loved! From the technique of using kelp butter to keep her scales smooth out of the water, to referring to crucifix necklaces as "souls", everything about this story was beautiful and fascinating! The distinctive characters she has designed are pretty awesome as well.

I was spellbound through the whole thing. Severance earns itself a full *****5 STAR***** rating, and I'll add to that the Upstream Writer Certified DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED endorsement. It rings true with Hans Christian Andersen's original, but told entirely from the perspective of the mermaid herself, rather than a "land-dweller" attempting to write how one might assume a mythical creature might feel. M. A. Smith is a talented author with incredible skill to her credit!

Further Reading: (Mermaids/Fantasy/Immersive World-Building)

Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden
       -Scales 
       -Submerged 
       -Salt 
       -Surfacing

The Valiant Series--Joanna White

       -Hunter 

-Cracks in The Tapestry--The Tapestry Group

-The Captives--Precarious Yates

The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
       -Gutshot (Novellette) 

       -The Alcatraz Coup (Novella) 
       -Vulnerable (Short Story) 
       -Jacq of Spades 
       -Queen of Diamonds 
       -Ace of Clubs

-Adaline--Denise Kawaii 

The Vemreaux Trilogy--Mary E. Twomey
       -The Way 
       -The Truth 
       -The Lie

The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster
     -City of A Thousand Dolls 
     -Empire of Shadows