Blue Moon Rising

Blue Moon Rising (1991) Simon R. Green

I believe it was Tania who was shocked that I had not read Blue Moon Rising. After all, I love the appalling John Taylor of Nightside, so why hadn’t I read Blue Moon Rising? Especially since I own a used copy of it?

Two not very good reasons. First, I bought it used, and I got a beat-up copy. I try not to break the spines of my paperback books, so you can see how this might bother me a bit. Second, it’s 476 pages. Yeah, it’s only a single book, not a series, but that’s a lot of book to hold, and I find myself more and more reluctant to read larger books, as they often hurt my hands to hold. (I’m looking at YOU Neal Stephenson.) But I finally broke down and read it.

And it was fun!

Rupert is a second son who has been sent out in a quest, mostly to get him out of the way, since his family doesn’t have any money or a kingdom to bestow upon extra. So he sets out with his unicorn to cross the Darkwood to slay a dragon. While there he inadvertently rescues a princess. And discovers that the Darkwood is getting far more dangerous than anyone had realized.

Blue Moon Rising definitely plays with the idea of the fantasy quest adventure. As well as the idea of princesses who need rescued, and who the bad guys in a story really are.

Rupert and Julia are a lot of fun, and the fact the book is set in a magical realm allows him to play around with the idea of what princesses can and cannot do, even if they aren’t doing what is expected of them. In other words, he doesn’t overplay the fact that the princess stands up for herself, which can be a hard line not to cross. She is the way she is, and people may be horrified by it, but that’s just the way it is.

The writing style, although not the Simon Green of the Nightside books (appalling!) is still light and fun. He doesn’t take himself or his story too seriously, which makes the read a fun romp. If you like your fantasy to be serious and with Great Meaning, then you probably won’t enjoy Blue Moon Rising. Otherwise, you may want to check it out, because it’s fun.
Rating: 8/10

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