A review by sashahc
Water Horse by Melissa Scott

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“Water Horse” by Melissa Scott is an epic fantasy of the old school.  There are folk beneath the hills, prophesies, talismanic weapons, alliances made between kingdoms, and invading hordes of religious zealots.  But it’s also about the bonds between parents and children and the responsibilities of leadership.  There is a multigenerational ensemble cast, mostly queer, of interesting finely drawn characters.  Like maybe if GoT wasn’t grim dark and full of assholes!.  Anyway, if you have a hankering for a good yarn, it’s a fine choice.

Melissa Scott: “ I wouldn't say that my work is written for a lesbian audience—I want as wide an audience as I can get—but it is all definitely written from a lesbian perspective. I mean, it really can't not be! It's a huge part of who I am. But I've been an out lesbian writer since the 1980s, and that perspective has meant different things and received very different reactions over those decades. It's a lot less fraught than it was when I started, that's for sure! And of course some of my stories are addressing issues that are most directly relevant to and subject to debate by a queer audience.”

Melissa Scott (she/her) is a white Lesbian author of over thirty books.  She was born and raised in Little Rock, AK. She has a PhD in comparative history and has been publishing SFF books for forty years.