Speaking of mermaids, check this action out. The lovely Christine sent this to me and by God, I haven’t been able to stop staring at it. What’s with the influx of hairless, prepubescent-looking men on romance novel covers? Is this really what we readers have been asking for? According to the reviews of this book that I’ve read, this is supposed to be a role reversal Little Mermaid. That would explain the hairlessness, of course. My sister used to hang out with these water-polo playin’ dudes and they would shave their legs to reduce the friction in the water and because it helped with aerodynamics. Or those damned kids just liked having satin-smooth legs (who doesn’t?). According to the author, the hero was inspired by Johnny Depp and oddly enough, I can see Johnny Depp playing a weird, hairless mermaid. Anyway, I was intrigued enough by the blurb to buy it ’cause I can’t get enough of mermaids, man. If it’s truly like the Little Mermaid, I wonder if the hero is also mute. Don’t you just love the idea of a male who is forced to listen to you because he is unable to speak himself? Yes, that little joke was brought to you by the same folks who came up with “Take my wife, please!”
Oh, and Christine also wants to know what the title means and I gotta admit, so do I. Does the heroine in this story like to wear stiletto heels and if so, is there a scene in this book where she walks in them all over the naked mermaid? And what’s with the font, anyway? It makes the cover look like the title screen for one of those chopsocky films. Heh. Mermaid Testicles of Fury.
Thanks for the cover, Christine!
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July 19, 2006 at 11:15 pm
That cover font is truly heinous. As for the meaning of the title… I have read the original version of the Little Mermaid by HCA, but I’ve mostly blocked it out because I like the Disney version much better. (Singing crabs! Happy ending!) BUT… somewhere in the deep recesses of my memory I seem to recall that when the mermaid transforms into a human, every step feels like she has knives stabbing her, or something like that. Of course this could also just be a false memory induced by the emotional damage caused by seeing The Brother’s Grimm, so I might be wrong.
July 19, 2006 at 11:56 pm
I am surprised to see that “Changeling Press” isn’t on it.
July 20, 2006 at 12:19 am
No, you got the knives thing right. Not bad enough to have no voice, but every move she makes has to hurt. Great story! What a role model for the kiddies!
July 20, 2006 at 12:21 am
I think ‘Mermaid Testicles of Fury’ would make more sense than the current title. It did take my poor old brain a few seconds longer than usual register this font. Is it hard to read or is it just me? Hmm, maybe my eyes were still getting over the freak on the bottom of the cover.
July 20, 2006 at 12:21 am
Huh. Didn’t know about the knives thing. I’m so totally ignorant sometimes. Where would I be without you, my delightfully intelligent bitches?
July 20, 2006 at 12:44 am
Mermaid Testicles of Fury is SOOOO getting stuck to my computer screen on a little green sticky note.
I think it will confuse the children somewhat, but I’m laughing too hard to care.
(And I remembered the “steps like knives” from the original Little Mermaid more than I did the whole “I lost my voice” thing. I was fairly confused when I saw the Disney film.)
July 20, 2006 at 2:43 am
I had forgotten about that part of the Little Mermaid story – thanks for the clarification.
“But every step you take will feel as if you were treading upon knife blades so sharp that blood must flow.”
http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vae.....aid_e.html
July 20, 2006 at 2:52 am
inspired by Johnny Depp! dont soil the mans name with those words! the hero on front looks more like a chubby faced Vince Neil or a Davil Lee Roth if he didnt look so haggard!
bad cover choice… and the head dosent even look like it belongs on the body… disembodies head! ahhh!
Stella
July 20, 2006 at 7:11 am
Um, eeww. I would *not* want to see this guy crawling up out of the sea at me. This may keep me away from the beach for months and I live in Florida!
I think the saddest thing about the original little mermaid isn’t that with every step she feels knives in her feet, it’s the fact that she doesn’t even get the guy in the end. No HEA at all. She just melts into seafoam and gets carried away on the tide, I belive. Ugh, not a good way to end a story. Let’s hope this one has a happier ending.
Evangeline
July 20, 2006 at 7:20 am
“Dude, humping the sand is just NOT RIGHT, m’kay?”
July 20, 2006 at 7:31 am
OOooOOO I’m a sucker for books based on old “crappily-ever-after” or the “and then the wolf gobbled them all up” fairy tales vs. the cleaned up HEA versions. This one is on my list.
Although a couple of years back there was a version of Beauty and the Beast (“Beast” maybe) that had an unnecessary unhappy ending. WTF?
July 20, 2006 at 8:43 am
Okay, is anyone else creeped out by the fact that this guy is crawling to us like the undead girl from “The Ring” crawled out of the TV? I think he is going to plunge out of the book cover at any moment!
July 20, 2006 at 9:02 am
I have a big book of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales and stories. The original story of The Little Mermaid is very, very sad. It’s really kind of an allegory. Andersen is the mermaid. He became smitten with a woman of the upper class, and he knew that she was way beyond his sphere and that his love could never be requited. That’s what the original story is really about, and that’s why the mermaid doesn’t get the prince in the end.
July 20, 2006 at 9:09 am
darling e’d.trix, if this dude had longer hair and had it covering his face like a curtain, I do believe I would have pissed myself.
July 20, 2006 at 9:16 am
After I posted my comment, I looked up Andersen’s biography to verify what I wrote. Yeah, AFTER not BEFORE. Stupid. Found on Wikipedia that it wasn’t a woman he was longing for but a man. I guess the teacher who told me about Andersen’s true meaning in The Little Mermaid dressed it up for us kiddies! Allegory still applies, though.
July 20, 2006 at 1:20 pm
I do love Christian Andersen’s tale collection but I think even he would revolt in view of this baby arse. While I do enjoy hairless men from time to time (without reading the shaving story of different body parts) this covermodel does look like a wannaby teeny rock-idol that brushed his hairs. The ideal face to advertise anti pimpel lotion *G*.
July 20, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Ups, I think it’s called brushed his hair, isn’t it? Hairs would mean the uh nether region if I remember correctly *G*. I always confuse those two, in German we use the word differently.
July 20, 2006 at 5:50 pm
I was thinking of The Ring. Either that or the horrible worm-thing that Craig T. Nelson vomited up in Poltergeist 2.
Blech!
July 21, 2006 at 8:03 pm
THAT is one of the most unsexy things I have ever seen. YUCK.
July 23, 2006 at 1:31 am
Ummm okay this cover seriously freaks me out…no like SERIOUSLY! The head doesn’t match the body and it’s just creepy. You shouldn’t put things like this on your site because now I am going to have nightmares. Thanks a lot Dee
Still love ya though. Oh by the way, I love that leaving a comment is handicap accessible, makes me feel special 
August 2, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Johnny Depp? Looks more like this guy. Which is just all kinds of frightening, if you know (and lovingly mock) The Sentinel. As some people do.