Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Waking the Moon

Waking the Moon
Waking the Moon
Author: Elizabeth Hand
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Horror
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on + 141 more book reviews


Rich, textured, depth, realism, emotion.


Despite a few clumsy transitions from description to action here and there, and despite an awkward timesharing between super-magical and super-real, this book is excellent. The characters are vivid, real enough to touch. The historical magic is handled intelligently and with a sense of high drama (if even well-done melodrama turns you off, beware). The book has style and strength. The prose is evocative, richly texturely, deeply involving. The topics range from practical love and human conflict to cultural issues spanning time and country. There's enough romance - of people, of place - to fill your head until you're breathless. I highly recommend it. Highly.