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Bast Mystery #2
Book of Moons
Karen Hightower--better known as Bast, a modern-day witch and amateur detective--follows a series of puzzling thefts to a shocking murder whose origins lie in a very old, very special book that someone is willing to do anything to get his or her hands on. Reprint.
220 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
4 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Edghill
91 books137 followersShe was born long enough ago to have seen Classic Trek on its first outing and to remember that she once thought Spock Must Die! to be great literature. As she aged, she put aside her fond dreams of taking over for Batman when he retired, and returned to her first love, writing. Her first SF sale (as Eluki Bes Shahar) was the Hellflower series, in which Damon Runyon meets Doc Smith over at the old Bester place. Between books and short stories in every genre but the Western (several dozen so far), she's held the usual selection of odd and part-time writer jobs, including bookstore clerk, secretary, beta tester for computer software, graphic designer, book illustrator, library clerk, and administrative assistant for a non-profit arts organization. She can truthfully state that she once killed vampires for a living, and that without any knowledge of medicine has illustrated half-a-dozen medical textbooks.
Her last name -- despite the efforts of editors, reviewers, publishing houses, her webmaster, and occasionally her own fingers -- is not spelled 'Edgehill'.
Also writes under the name Eluki Bes Shahar.
Her last name -- despite the efforts of editors, reviewers, publishing houses, her webmaster, and occasionally her own fingers -- is not spelled 'Edgehill'.
Also writes under the name Eluki Bes Shahar.
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October 27, 2017Kao i prethodna (a bogami i sledeća) knjiga u trilogiji o Bast, profi Vikanki i detektivki amaterki, i ova knjiga je umereno slab detektivski roman a vrlo solidan romančić o moralnim dilemama pojedinca koji se drži svoje religije ali gubi poverenje u svoju versku zajednicu. Šarena i vrlo raznorodna neopaganska scena u Njujorku devedesetih, za one koji to vole, plus dosta scena smeštenih u knjižarama specijalizovanim za okultno ali koje se (knjižare) prevashodno izdržavaju prodajući upečatljivo opisane njuejdžerske džidža-bidže od kristala do čarobnjačkih šešira (uvek je plus kad je nešto tako realistično prikazano) i... to je to.
July 26, 2019
So this is one of my favorite trilogys which I've probably read 5 or six times. Book of Moons is the second book in the Bast trilogy - there are some short stories as well by Edghill.
This is a fast read regarding a down to earth witch, living a mostly normal real life in New York. These are not Urban Fantasy books - and that's why they are good. The mysteries are decent, but what you'll look forward to his how Bast reflects upon her neopagan community and how her insight hampers or improves her situation.
I never get tired of reading these....
This is a fast read regarding a down to earth witch, living a mostly normal real life in New York. These are not Urban Fantasy books - and that's why they are good. The mysteries are decent, but what you'll look forward to his how Bast reflects upon her neopagan community and how her insight hampers or improves her situation.
I never get tired of reading these....
March 21, 2018
Productivity takes another critical hit, oh my. Work piles up. Minus one star because I thought the villain was immediately obvious and could not understand how our lovely protagonist didn't see it coming. Anyway. I don't know what I'm going to do when I reach the end of this series. It's not every day I stumble upon a series that is such a perfect love letter to my intense 90s woowoo nostalgia, Jewy humor, AND witchy tendencies.
May 17, 2011
Second in the "Bast" mystery series featuring Karen Hightower, a Wiccan and member of Changings coven in New York, and whose witch name is Bast. It's set in contemporary New York--although this was written at least 15 years ago--and deals with the life of contemporary Pagans.
In this book, Bast's friend Glitter calls her, distraught, because her BoS (Book of Shadows--a witch's own personal self-written "Bible" and spellbook as it were) has disappeared. Since Glitter tends to be a bit absent-minded, Bast helps her search but doesn't find the book. Life goes on, Bast assists Belle, her High Priestess, in informally interviewing a prospective new member. And then she starts hearing snippets of conversation at a communal picnic about other people missing their BoS as well, although most are simply writing it off to misplacing it. And when the prospective new member, Ned, makes a fool of himself by claiming to have an 'original' BoS from ancient times, he lis laughed out of the picnic by skeptical Pagans who've heard it all before.
When Ilona, the owner of a local Pagan bookstore, is found murdered, her assistant--none other than the aforementioned Ned--contacts Bast and gives her a package to hold for him. And when he turns up dead and she opens the package, to no one's surprise (or at least not mine!) it contains several stolen BoS and a very old book that claims to be the BoS of Mary, Queen of Scots.
This book wasn't as good as the first one--for one thing, the bad guy stood out like a sore thumb almost from the time of introduction into the book, and for another, it just seemed full of melancholy and angst. I do find this series refreshing because it's about the life of normal everyday Pagans and isn't treated as a "paranormal" mystery just because of the beliefs and practices the main character has. I enjoyed it though and look forward to seeing how the author ties up the trilogy with the next one.
In this book, Bast's friend Glitter calls her, distraught, because her BoS (Book of Shadows--a witch's own personal self-written "Bible" and spellbook as it were) has disappeared. Since Glitter tends to be a bit absent-minded, Bast helps her search but doesn't find the book. Life goes on, Bast assists Belle, her High Priestess, in informally interviewing a prospective new member. And then she starts hearing snippets of conversation at a communal picnic about other people missing their BoS as well, although most are simply writing it off to misplacing it. And when the prospective new member, Ned, makes a fool of himself by claiming to have an 'original' BoS from ancient times, he lis laughed out of the picnic by skeptical Pagans who've heard it all before.
When Ilona, the owner of a local Pagan bookstore, is found murdered, her assistant--none other than the aforementioned Ned--contacts Bast and gives her a package to hold for him. And when he turns up dead and she opens the package, to no one's surprise (or at least not mine!) it contains several stolen BoS and a very old book that claims to be the BoS of Mary, Queen of Scots.
This book wasn't as good as the first one--for one thing, the bad guy stood out like a sore thumb almost from the time of introduction into the book, and for another, it just seemed full of melancholy and angst. I do find this series refreshing because it's about the life of normal everyday Pagans and isn't treated as a "paranormal" mystery just because of the beliefs and practices the main character has. I enjoyed it though and look forward to seeing how the author ties up the trilogy with the next one.
December 22, 2008
Much like Speak Daggers to Her, its predecessor, Book of Moons is a tight, thoughtful little mystery. Its selling point isn't necessarily the complexity of the crime at hand; since this book's only a couple hundred pages in length, there's not much time for things to get too complex. Rather, what makes it interesting is Bast and her interactions with everyone in her neopagan community, and in particular as a followup to the events of Book 1.
Several of Bast's fellow Wiccans are noticing strange disappearances of their personal Books of Shadows. But the strangeness of this is nothing compared to the claim by one Ned Skelton that he has discovered the Book of Moons-the tome with the secrets of Mary, Queen of Scots, which can prove that modern Wicca's lineage extends back much farther than anyone had ever proved before. When a shocking death overshadows both these events, though, Bast is pulled unwillingly into dealing with all three.
All in all, a not very surprising book; the astute reader will figure out fairly quickly who the culprit is, given the nature of Bast's community and who she interacts with on a regular basis. But I actually liked this in some ways better than Book 1. Since Bast and her community are now established, there's less of the obligatory addressing the reader about her (presumed) misconceptions about the religion, and more story as a result. Three stars.
Several of Bast's fellow Wiccans are noticing strange disappearances of their personal Books of Shadows. But the strangeness of this is nothing compared to the claim by one Ned Skelton that he has discovered the Book of Moons-the tome with the secrets of Mary, Queen of Scots, which can prove that modern Wicca's lineage extends back much farther than anyone had ever proved before. When a shocking death overshadows both these events, though, Bast is pulled unwillingly into dealing with all three.
All in all, a not very surprising book; the astute reader will figure out fairly quickly who the culprit is, given the nature of Bast's community and who she interacts with on a regular basis. But I actually liked this in some ways better than Book 1. Since Bast and her community are now established, there's less of the obligatory addressing the reader about her (presumed) misconceptions about the religion, and more story as a result. Three stars.
June 20, 2010
The entire trilogy of the Bast Mysteries is very good, but this is my favorite. All three books follow a similar pattern - classic murder mysteries, but with a Pagan subculture twist. What greatly appealed to me was that there are REAL Pagans in this book - everything from the New Ager hippy to the sci-fi geeks blending fandom with faith to the perpetually frustrated faith-seeking outsider. The main character, Bast, is easy for me to connect with.
These are quick books to read, although getting harder to find. The omnibus "Bell Book and Candle" is the only copy I know of that's readily available.
These are quick books to read, although getting harder to find. The omnibus "Bell Book and Candle" is the only copy I know of that's readily available.
August 21, 2008
This book is FABULOUS. Any Pagan who is part of "the community" will recognize the characters who show up to the Beltane festival.
And enjoyable, exhilarating, and quick read. I can't wait to read the other Bast mysteries.
And enjoyable, exhilarating, and quick read. I can't wait to read the other Bast mysteries.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2007
read 02.15.06
June 13, 2009
This is the sort of urban mystery that just might save your life someday. Seriously. Do not be afraid to make a scene when push comes to shove.
May 11, 2012
The second in Edghill's series of Wiccan/Neopagan-themed mysteries. Better than the first one (there is an actual mystery, even if Our Heroine is too dense to solve it in a timely manner).
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews