South Sea Tales vs Waifs and Strays: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: American Short stories, Short Stories, Fiction
South Sea Tales
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Despite the heavy clumsiness of her lines, the Aorai handled easily in the light breeze, and her captain ran her well in before he hove to just outside the suck of the surf. The atoll of Hikueru lay low on the water, a…
Waifs and Strays
“A TRESTLE burned down on the International Railroad.”
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Urban teens take center stage in a pair of edgy short story collections. Waifs and Strays presents 15 previously published works by Canadian fantasy writer Charles de Lint, including "May This Be Your Last Sorrow" from…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate South Sea Tales highest: South Sea Tales 3.8 · Waifs and Strays 3.6.
- South Sea Tales has the widest readership — 2682 ratings behind its score.
- Waifs and Strays reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 10 times.
How to choose
Scores by source
| South Sea Tales | Waifs and Strays | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (2682) | 3.5 (42) |
| Hardcover | 2.0 (3) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (104) | — |
Reception
| South Sea Tales | Waifs and Strays | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2682 | 42 |
| Editions | 70 | 56 |
| Citations | 5 | 10 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 2086 | 39 |
| Reading it now | 344 | — |
| Written reviews | 206 | 4 |
| Wikipedia attention | 212 | 46 |
| Pages | 157 | 78 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: South Sea Tales or Waifs and Strays?
South Sea Tales has the higher combined reader rating across sources (South Sea Tales 3.8/5, Waifs and Strays 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: South Sea Tales or Waifs and Strays?
Waifs and Strays is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Waifs and Strays (78 pages, ≈ 1 h 27 m); South Sea Tales (157 pages, ≈ 2 h 54 m).
Which is harder to read: South Sea Tales or Waifs and Strays?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — South Sea Tales: Challenging; Waifs and Strays: Challenging.