Earth and Air: Tales of Elemental Creatures
As Dickinson explains in his preface, the idea for a series of volumes about mythical beasts inhabiting each of the four elements—earth, air, water, and fire—began 20 years ago in a brainstorming session with his wife, novelist Robin McKinley. Their first collaborative volume in the series, Water, appeared in 2002; the second, Fire, in 2009. This solo effort by Dickinson focusing on both earth and air concludes the series. The six long stories here deal with such mythical beings as trolls, witches, ancient gods, wood demons, and more. One story is a loose reimagining of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth; another presents a bewildering variety of creatures on a distant planet. The prevailing tone of all six is somewhat dark, even saturnine, though not without flashes of hope. In content and style, they are sophisticated and challenging to the extent that the volume might have been published as an adult book. Certainly it has strong crossover appeal. Older teens and Dickinson fans of all ages will find the stories rewarding despite the investment of effort in the reading experience. Grades 9-12. --Michael Cart