The story begins with quite an explicit and not really required sex scene and goes on from there. The book is meant to be erotic - a weird love story which takes a long while to actually bring the characters together - and yet isn't, because the male protagonist turns into a ravening mindless monster at every full moon and the female protagonist who has a weird lamb-fixation is turned on by it, even though she finally realises too late that her long-suffering husband was actually a friend and someone she should not have betrayed.

I didn't like the characters apart from a more minor one who I felt sorry for and who bows out in a rather masochistic manner. Nearly all the characters come to a nasty end even if they are on the male protagonist's side and not only the people who might "deserve" it such as his drunken brother who, copying the deceased father's behaviour, hits his frail elderly mother.

There are quite a lot of unexplained appearances by certain esoteric characters who turn up but don't really do a lot, a real deus ex machina episode at the end involving a hot air balloon, and a good lesson in why it's not a good idea to eat a steak and mushroom pie baked by a maidservant who feels unappreciated. That sequence in particular felt random and not really relevant to the story.

Some of the prose is powerfully descriptive but that includes extended and repeated descriptions of evisceration and slaughter. Sadly not one for me hence the 1-star rating. ( )

3.5 stars

It's hard to categorize this one - it starts as complete fantasy, then delves into a horror-fantasy type, then seems like it's edging towards a little romance before quickly running from any love interest again. Whatever hintings it seemed to take in that department fall apart swiftly, as this is not a romantic book in any form. The storys pace is slow at first, unfurling at an unrushed pace. It is not a book which is high in action or suspense, yet much happens within the pages anyway. You could almost imagine a haunted orchestra playing in the background while reading this one, but rest assured it not melodramatic or emo in any way.

The writing style stands out as nearly gothic, beautifully poetic, with the writing approach of telling it from a characters point of view, but staying distant from them at the same time. Neither the hero nor the heroine are likeable in the story. Their relationship was mesmerizing, however, and ended strangely with bizarre imagery and almost peacefully. I'm not sure yet what I think of the very end, as I did end up liking Daniel more than Laura. As odd as that sounds considering who the beast of the story is and how the legend surrounds him, Laura was unlikeable from the start to me and I couldn't sympathize with her. She seemed to be left haunted and in the cold but it is no matter since she herself can't really seem to feel. The lamb sticks out in the mind as one of the best examples of the bizarre imagery I mentioned above.

I'm a big moon gal and it's played up to all its glory in this one, which of course matches considering it's a werewolf theme. I have to say it's one of the more unique werewolf books I've read and beautifully done. The moon is always focused on with lycanthropy, but with this book it's taken to higher planes. There is much mystery here, enshrouded what the creature is exactly, how it came to be, what the stone is about, and I'm still not sure I grasp their draw to each other and the results of that. If all the mystery had been solved, then much of the glamor of the book would be lost.


There's a decent amount of blood - violence is not shied away from, and when it's there it's short and fits to the purpose. The ferocity of the beast is told instead through the matter of fact power and presence. Religion, as almost always with shape-shifting tales, plays its role. Overall a book worth reading if you run across it, especially if you love horror shifter books or Gothic fantasy types.


( )

I have never read anything by Tanith Lee that I would rate as less than good but in my opinion, this is not her best work. Having said that, I still enjoyed it. She has the amazing ability to transport the reader to worlds that are impossibly fantastic, yet somehow credible. A peculiarly feckless heroine and an unfortunate and tragic hero set in a bleak, largely arctic landscape give this tale a strongly Victorian feel on a par with the best in gothic fantasy; Dracula springs to mind. As with much of her work, the plot (such as it is) does not predominate. This, in no way, affects reading enjoyment. Tanith Lee's strength lies in her mastery of the language and the stark beauty of her prose. This may not be her best work but I would be proud to be able to write half as well. Frankly, I am more than happy to read anything she writes. ( )

*note to self. (copy from Al).