"Merlusine" is a 1997 fantasy and science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 novelette by Lucy Sussex

Lucy Sussex

Lucy Sussex is a fantasy and science fiction author, editor, academic and teacher currently residing in Melbourne, Australia.She is often associated with feminist science fiction.-Personal life:...

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Background

"Merlusine" was first published in Australia in 1997 in The Horns of Elfland

The Horns of Elfland

The Horns of Elfland is a 1997 fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman and Donald G. Keller.-Background:The Horns of Elfland was first published in April 1997 by Roc Books in paperback format. It was a nominee in the 1998 Locus Awards for best anthology, finishing eighth out of 17....

anthology by Roc Books

Roc Books

Roc Books is a fantasy imprint of Penguin Group, as part of their New American Library. The imprint was launched in April 1990 after Penguin Chairman, Peter Mayer, asked John Silbersack, the editor in chief of New American Library's science fiction program, to launch a new imprint that would draw...

. It was published alongside 14 other stories by the authors Jennifer Stevenson, Doris Egan

Doris Egan

Doris Egan is an American screenwriter, producer, and writer. She has worked on Smallville, Dark Angel, and House as well as many other television programs.-Gate of Ivory trilogy:...

, Gus Smith, Jack Womack

Jack Womack

Jack Womack is an American author of fiction and speculative fiction. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughter, and works as a publicity manager for the Orbit and Yen imprints of Hachette Book Group USA....

, Elizabeth E. Wein

Elizabeth E. Wein

Elizabeth E. Wein is an American author of historical fiction for young adults. She is best known for her three books featuring her version of the King Arthur stories and her character Medraut...

, Delia Sherman

Delia Sherman

Cordelia Caroline Sherman , known professionally as Delia Sherman, is a fantasy writer and editor. Her novel The Porcelain Dove won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award...

, Ray Davis, Michael Kandel

Michael Kandel

Michael Kandel is an American translator and author of science fiction. He received a doctorate in Slavistics from Indiana University, and is an editor at the Modern Language Association. Kandel is also a part-time editor at Harcourt, editing Ursula K...

, Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...

, John Brunner

John Brunner (novelist)

John Kilian Houston Brunner was a prolific British author of science fiction novels and stories. His 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar, about an overpopulated world, won the 1968 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel. It also won the BSFA award the same year...

, Susan Palwick

Susan Palwick

Susan Palwick is an American writer and associate professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno. She began her professional career by publishing "The Woman Who Saved the World" for Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in 1985....

, Roz Kaveney

Roz Kaveney

Roz Kaveney is a British writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and editor. She was born male but changed to and thereafter has lived as a female...

, Terry Windling, and Ellen Kushner

Ellen Kushner

Ellen Kushner is an American writer of fantasy novels, who for many years was the host of the radio program Sound & Spirit, produced by WGBH in Boston and distributed by Public Radio International.- Background and personal life :...

. In 2005 it was republished in A Tour Guide in Utopia edited by Lucy Sussex and published by MirrorDanse Books

MirrorDanse Books

MirrorDanse Books , founded in 1994, is one of Australia's longest running independent book publishers of science fiction and horror.MirrorDanse Books publishes the The Year's Best Australian SF & Fantasy anthology series, edited by Bill Congreve and Michelle Marquardt...

. "Merlusine" won the 1997 Aurealis Award for best fantasy short story

Aurealis Award for best fantasy short story

The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and SpecFaction NSW to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers"...

 and was a short-list nominee for the best science fiction short story

Aurealis Award for best science fiction short story

The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and SpecFaction NSW to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers"...

 but lost to "Niagara Falling" by Janeen Webb

Janeen Webb

Janeen Webb is an Australian writer, critic, and editor working mainly in the field of science fiction and fantasy.-Biography:...

 and Jack Dann

Jack Dann

Jack Dann is an American writer best known for his science fiction, an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, in the majority of cases as editor or co-editor of story anthologies in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres...

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