The Touch of the Sea

<p>Greek myths held that Oceanus to be a massive river surrounding the land. A Titan son of sky and earth he was depicted as a handsome muscular man whose torso ended in a scaled tail. As the Olympians emerged Oceanus retreated his domain restricted to strange and dangerous shores the realm of sailors' fortunes and worries. So too are the eleven tales within the pages of The Touch of the Sea: fantastical at times eerie with sightings of mermen water spirits and sea beasts (even the fabled living island the aspidochelone) as well as a smattering of pirates. What makes these stories memorable is that they affirm the masculinity of the sea the taste of brine on another man's lips. Become mates with such award-winning authors as Joel Lane and Jeff Mann--seasoned storytellers 'Nathan Bourgeoine and Chaz Brenchley--and a wide array of coxswains: Brandon Cracraft Jonathan Harper John Howard Vincent Kovar Matthew A. Merendo Damon Shaw--under the helm of editor Steve Berman.</p>