Winter Moon

Winter Moon (2005) Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee, and C.E. Murphy

Winter Moon contains three novellas all centered around the moon: Moontide by Mercedes Lackey, The Heart of the Moon by Tanith Lee, and Banshee Cries by C.E. Murphy. Moontide and Heart of the Moon are traditional fantasies, while Banshee Cries is an urban fantasy set in the modern world where magic–or power–is just out of the sight of most people.

Mercedes Lackey’s Moontide tells the story of Moira, whose father sent her away to Countess Venerable to be finished because he had no interest in dealing with her himself. But now she has been recalled to her fathers keep, and so she must determine why she has been called back, and whether her father is involved in treachery.

It’s been several years since I’ve read a Mercedes Lackey book, and somehow I had managed to forget how much I enjoy her writing. What I particularly liked about this story was the way that the keep became a character in the story. The stone building is as integral to the story as Moira. But most important is Moira. Although she has some power, as a female she is very much at the mercy of her father, and must use cunning and wit to circumvent him. Like other books in the Luna line, this is a romance, except that the fantasy is primary and the romance is secondary. And it isn’t a kissing story.

In Tanith Lee’s The Heart of the Moon, Clirando has been betrayed by her lover and the woman she considers her sister. Her reaction to the events–and the result of those events–cause her to be sent to the Moon Isle for the Seven Nights.

I initially didn’t care much for this story. I hate the main characters name–I kept reading Cilantro–and I just didn’t care much about her. But eventually the story drew me, and although I never developed much of a liking for Clirando, I did like the characters she met, and her adventures were intriguing. And although this was supposed to be a romance, the romance portion of the story was a problem for me. I just didn’t buy that this bitter woman could so easily fall in love. But the fantasy part of the story was interesting enough that I could ignore the mushy bits.

Although C.E. Murphy’s Banshee Cries continues the story of Jo Walker, I was easily able to slip into the tale and into the world, despite having not read the previous tale. I liked Jo Walker, although I initially found her resistance to her powers confusing (it became more clear as the story progressed, and I would think that having read the first book would have made it more clear.) And this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.

The only thing I find it important to mention is that these three stories are quite different. They are a good overview of the scope of the Luna line, but the thing holding this collection of novellas together is the theme of the winter moon. Not a similarity in theme or style.

If you have not read a Luna book before, I would highly recommend Winter Moon. This stories in this book are a good overview of the variety in the Luna line, and although not everyone will enjoy all three stories, there is such a variety in these stories that most readers should find something here to enjoy.
Rating: 7/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• Blind Justice » »
• « « The Water Room