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Dark Of The Moon

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In her ongoing series centered (more or less) on the lost Kencyr Jame of Knorth, P. C. Hodgell has crafted some of the most compelling fiction that I have ever encountered in any field. She deftly weaves a background culture spanning thiry millenia of warfare into the tangled thread of a charming--but very, very dangerous--young woman's destiny. Full of flawed, human characters that readers can readily identify with--no shining, flawless heroines here!--and leavened with dark, whimsical humor, these books draw you into Jame's life and refuse to let you go. It is a terrible loss to the general fantasy-reading public that only the first two books (Godstalk and Dark of the Moon) have been widely published. Fortunately, the third (Seeker's Mask) and hopefully soon the fourth (Jame Goes to the Citadel) are available in limited editions from Hypatia Press, along with a Jame anthology, Blood and Ivory. I hope that some day, publishers will recognize these treasures for what they are, and help them to reach the larger readership they deserve.

If you've read God Stalk, you already know how incredible a writer P.C. Hodgell is. You're probably looking for Dark of the Moon, its sequel, to be in a setting as claustrophobic, bizzare, zany and ironic as Tai-Tastigon was in the last. Well, it's not. In leaving Tai-Tastigon in her search for her brother, Jame has moved into a harsher world, where her own identity is as lost as her trail. But it's just as compelling, if not more so, for being so different. Jame has to face hard truths about her life and her conduct, and the even harder truth that what she thought was true is only a small part of the reality that is the world of Rathillien. In Dark of the Moon, Tori, her twin, also appears, every bit as intelligent and as lost as Jame, but ten years older and the leader of the Kencyrath, their people. And what a people! Tai-Tastigon's denizens were often frustrating, but always colorful and generally intelligent. In the Kencyrath, the lords which Tori must control are mostly venal, deluded, vain, selfish, crafty, and you occasionally want to punch out even the nice ones-- Tori included. That's (oddly enough) the charm of this book. Hodgell has created a maze of personalities, intersecting in as intricate and deadly a labyrinth as Tai-Tastigon's streets, through which Tori and Jame must maneuver. Like both God Stalk before it and Seeker's Mask after it, Dark of the Moon is a witty, provocative, and dark look at a girl searching for her identity in a world where no one's is certain.

Dark of the Moon (1985) is the second fantasy novel in the Kencyrath series, following God Stalk. In the previous volume, Jame caused the destruction of the Skyrrman Inn, revived two dead gods and untempled all the rest of the gods in Tai-Tastigon for a night. The city will not be forgetting her for a while.

In this novel, Jamethiel is the daughter of Ganth Gray Lord and Jamethiel Dream-Weaver. She is Highborn and Shanir, with strange powers. She also has a nice set of retractable claws.

Torisen is Jame's twin brother. Since leaving his father's hold, he has trained as a randon and fought with the Southern Host. Three years ago, Tori announced his ancestry and became the Highlord.

Burr is a Kendar who was assigned to take care of Tori by Ardeth, one of the Kencyrath Council. When Tori became the Highlord, Burr stayed with him. Although Tori thinks of him as Ardeth's spy, Burr has long since been bound to the Highlord.

Marcarn is a Kendar who has become Jame's retainer. Seven feet tall, Marc is a formidable warrior. But he keeps getting hit in the head.

Jorin is a young ounce, a cat-like creature. He was born blind and has only partial use of his other senses. Jame sometimes is able to mindlink with Jorin, but the ounce can always see through her eyes.

In this story, Jame, Marc and Jorin head for the Blue Pass to cross the Ebonbane. They encounter wyrsan, a shaper, an Arrin-ken, and the Dream-Weaver herself before they even reach the pass. On the other side, they descend to the town of Peshtar.

They find the town remarkably crowded. The brigands have come down from the mountain to spend their loot. The town only lets one band at a time into the town to reduce the brawling.

Jame is eager to replace her boot, which had been shredded by a wyrsan kit. Since the incidence, she has been wearing one of Marc's mittens on her foot. After obtaining her new boots, they go into a tavern for food and drink.

Unfortunately, Black Band brigands are enjoying themselves in the tavern. One of the brigands is Bortis, who had lost both eyes because of Jame. In the ensuing fight, the townsmen -- with some help from Jame, Marc and Jorin -- eject the brigands from the town. Everyone celebrates until Jame tells them why Bortis wants her.

Meanwhile, Torisen has a group of young Kencyr traveling with him. He is trying to make himself familiar to the youngsters before they become set in their ways. After sending them to bed, Tori and Burr ride off to see Kithorn, where the Merikit had slaughtered a Highborn household.

There Tori finds destruction, but no bones. The young Highborn have been sneaking off to retrieve the bones for decades. It is a rite of passage for the local youths.

Then the Merikit enter the grounds. While escaping, Tori falls into a cellar and finds the bones of a young girl. Burr helps him gather them and then both escape over the parapet and down a tree.

After retrieving their horses, they are on the way out of the grounds when they encounter Caineron. As the Highborn is working up enough nerve to attack Tori, the Merikit rush them. In the confusion, Tori and Burr get away.

This tale includes an invasion of a million Wasters from the desert. The Southern Host goes forth to deter them, but messages sent from the front tell of their destruction. Tori calls for all the Kencyr forces to gather against the invasion. Caineron tries to foil these plans, but stumbles over his own foolishness.

Shapers also work against Tori. Although few in number, they sow fear and confusion among the forces. Jame tries to reach Tori with their father's sword and ring, but shapers are also working against her.

This story is a direct continuation of the previous volume. More is revealed, but much is still left unexplained. The next volume is Seeker's Mask. Read and enjoy.

Highly recommended for Hodgell fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high magic, deadly artifacts, and persevering women.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Dark of the Moon by P C Hodgell is one those books that you put down after you've read it. And consider this burning question why the HELL! isn't she more widely known and acknowledged as one of the leading writers in fantasy? Her world building, construction of characters and plot and most importantly her beautiful fluid prose are matched only by the sparse brilliance of LeGuin's original Earthsea trilogy and Michael Moorcock's original Elric series. In recent times Only Paul Edwin Zimmer's world of the Dark Border rivals her creation for completeness of vision. Though it must be said despite some of the savagery of the action that takes place, it lacks his sense of relentless pressure that his heroes constantly face at least Hodgell has a sense of humour. To cut to chase it is a sequel to Godstalk, where we first met Jamie. In this book we meet her twin Tori mysteriously 10 years older than she. He now leads her people while she tries to link up with him bearing the symbols of heirloom that she has acquired. I found both characters engaging Jamie with her almost naive veiw of the world and strict code of honour and Tori an older version of her, age has given him a cynical sense of deprecating humour. Hodgell skilfully weaves their two stories into a flowing tapestry filled with battle, angst and a resolution of sorts. Its not often that you find a story where the heroes are every bit as interesting as the villians. Hodgell is to be complimented on her handling of magic it exists, it is powerful but it is not convenient. There are strict rules that govern it with echoes of LeGuin in the way it's used. I hope that more people read her books just for her writing...it's that good well enough of my rant guys- read it and enjoy!

Five or six years ago I was going through a stack of about fifteen or twenty books. They were SF Book Club monthly shipments that I had never gotten around to reading. There was one by C.J. Cherryh(sp?) but most of them weren't memorable. With one BIG exception.

Dark of the Moon from the very first chapter captured my imagination. This book was able to pull some deep chords in my psyche. Some of the written passages gave me the most indescribable feelings of having been through this before, in a nightmare. The plotline itself isn't as strong as some other books but it is good and the action is very good. The main attraction of this book to me though is the world it's set in. I could imagine countless stories set on this ghostly and fantastic plane. I liked the portrayal of evil in this book as what was once good but is now lost. Evil is sort of a distorted reflection of good so the beauty you see in one is also there in the other.

Even if the book doesn't resonate with you on a deeper level it's still just a very good read. In my opinion the best thing that happened in fantasy in the eighties(weis and hickman are good but I like resolution).

Unfortunately Mrs. P.C.Hodgell's name is so hard to remember, it sounds like an English historian, barrister, something other than a writer of fantasy. The books might come out again in paperback around this time next year. I hope so and I hope you can get a chance to read this book and find out for yourself how good it is.

Dark of the Moon is the fantastic second book of an outstanding trilogy from an author who certainly deserves to be better known and more widely published. The world created is vibrant and powerful, with characters that seem as real as family members. To top it all off, there is a wonderful sense of humour which adds to an already amazing read. This trilogy may be hard to find, but is certainly worth the effort! (There's also a set of short stories out there about Jame.)

If you're a real fan, look for the Kencyr website, which has interesting facts and some book-finding advice! (Reviews aren't allowed to list URL's, so you'll need to do a web search to find it.)

If you enjoy well-written fantasy, DON'T MISS THESE BOOKS!

The second book in a 3 book series (not included the compluation of short stories) this is a spectaular follow-up to her first work: God Stalk! Where God Stalk took place in a city, Dark of the Moon takes place in the World! And in the halls of the Great House as well. The characters are vibrently alive and you can almost see them. Ms. Hodgell is truely a gem that should have been the "Jewel in the Crown" of some publishing house; she is defenatly of higher calibure than Mercedes Lackey, or Kate Elliot, or Melanie Rawn.

I read this book originally in 1983. It was the best introduction to the world of Fantasy writing I could have gotten. I have re-read it dozens of times over the years. When I discovered the first book Godstalk, I was thrilled. It has been a source of great sorrow that this amazing author hasn't been able to publish the rest of this fine, epic story. The characters come alive, you loose yourself in the reality of the world within moments of opening it's pages. From beginning to end you empathize with Jame, her story pulls you along. Jame is a strong heroine without loosing a youthful neivite. The world she inhabits is a rich canvas for her personallity. The detail is wonderful, at the end I almost feel I have walked Tai-Tastigon, and her journey in the mountains leaves me with chills. I have rarely read fiction that is so complete. P.C. Hodgell is one of the best fantasy writers I have ever encountered and unfortunatly one of the least know.

I've been a fan of PC Hodgell's books since I first came across a paperback copy of Godstalk in my teens. I spent YEARS looking for a copy of the sequel, only to find one in my own public library. D'OH!
While not quite as gripping as God Stalk or Seekers Mask, this book illuminates much of the history of both Jame and the Kencyrath...a MUST read!

Although this book lacks the crispness, depth and beauty of God Stalk, it is still one of the better fantasy books I have read. Although the plot is disappointingly linear and stereotypical the characters, dialogue and descriptions make this a wonderful read.