Circle of the Moon

September 1, 2005
In Hambly's mystical sequel to The Sisters of the Raven, the Crafty Women of Yellow City continue to hone their new-found healing and magical powers while the men of this patriarchal society adjust to the loss of their own wizardly abilities. Set against a desert landscape that evokes Egyptian myth, Hambly's tale unwinds like a skein of multi-colored silk, illustrating her talent for well-drawn characters and fantasy rooted in many cultures. Young Raeshaldis, a powerful Sun Mage-in-training, has received a psychic dream plea for help from a Crafty woman on a faraway island. Raeshaldis rushes to help, but another crisis in Yellow City complicates matters-a deadly green mist referred to as the Eater of Dreams has been released from grave amulets stolen by tomb robbers. The mist kills many, infects Summerchild (Shaldis's fellow Raven Sister and King Oryn's beloved concubine), and enthralls Raeshaldis' tyrannical grandfather. Hambly nimbly brings the Yellow City and the faraway healing crises together, and she works in a surprise about the teyns, animal "slaves" to the humans, suggesting a sequel.

September 15, 2005
In the lands ruled by the Yellow City, only men practiced magic; women were expected to be subservient. All that changed, however, when men lost their powers, and magical energy came to the downtrodden women. As the only female formally trained in men's magic, Raeshaldis helps form the Circle of the Moon in order to teach women new to magic how to work their art. When a series of crises comes to the Yellow City in the form of madness and a plague of water monsters, the Circle must put its newly awakened powers to the test. Hambly's sequel to Sisters of the Raventakes place in an exotic land that borrows from Middle Eastern and Native American cultures to produce a unique cultural blend. Strong female characters and a vividly imagined world make this a good choice for most fantasy collections.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.