Review: Skip it - there are other fish in the sea
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 25, 2010
The story is set in England, along the Dorset coast.  Our main character, Martin, is out in a boat one day and encounters a pair of dolphins (who knew there were dolphins in England??).  Some days later when a storm blows up unexpectedly, the dolphins come to Martin's aid when his boat engine fails.It turns out, the dolphins are a rare strain of shifters, who are born dolphin but can assume the form of a human.  The pair - George and Patrick - have come to like and trust Martin and they eventually share their secret with him.  For the dolphins, some abilities carry through each form, such as echolocation, and various quirky mating habits.  The latter comes up when the pair proposition Martin and he isn't shy about taking them up on the offer.  This isn't strictly ménage sex; for the trio, it's generally two of the guys, then two others in succession.  And after the first day, the sex very much moves into the background of the story.Because then, the story turns to Martin's interest in an abandoned house along the coastline, and we follow along - in detail - as he talks with the owner, and arranges to lease and fix up the place.  We spend WAAAAAY too much time pursuing cellar passageways, and cleaning windows, and checking wiring.  Chapters are spent describing arranging for a surveyor to come out, and inspection of the septic tank, and buying appliances.  This degenerated into a DIY project that went on forEVER.  This was a long book - more than 4000 location - but the middle 2000 was about fixing up this house.And then, there's the bestiality subplot that brings sex back in towards the end of the story.  See, the dolphin guys would be keen to have sex with Martin while they are in dolphin form, even though that would require Martin being underwater during the whole thing, and potentially harmful penetration by a dolphin-sized penis.  Martin is VERY not comfortable with the idea, and it takes quite awhile to work up to things.  Even the dolphins are concerned about harming Martin - it's mentioned that the activity could even prove fatal if things went badly - but that doesn't dissuade anyone.  When they eventually Do the Deed, it is REALLY not sexy or erotic and I spent most of the time trying to avert my eyes, simply because of how the whole thing was written.Ultimately, this is a very "English" book.  Rather straight-laced English characters, English dialogue, very conservatively-paced proper storytelling.  In a word, it was boring.  Not bad, just too much time spent on stilted conversations and detailed home repair.  In the end, Martin and George and Patrick have rather decided to pursue a relationship of three, though it's never much discussed, and there are no declarations of strong feelings - let alone love!  The story kind of pans away at the end and a lot of things are just left unresolved.  But hopefully not to leave room for a sequel, because I - at least - would not be buying that!