Circle of the Moon

by Barbara Hambly

Book Overview

The laws of magic have changedno one knows how or why. And with that change, new perils have arisen: deadly water-monsters from the depths of the Seven Lakes and a plague of madness in the desert. In the strongholds of human safety, anger and greed bloom as nobles and landchiefs fight for power. Raeshaldis, the only woman formally trained in the old systems of male magic, allies herself with the beautiful concubine Summerchild to found the Circle of the Moona motley group of women whose powers are untested, unknown, and unreliable. Faced with an attempt by the landchiefs to oust the King, and with the efforts of her own family to re-enslave her, Raeshaldis must play a deadly guessing-game, while an even more terrible threat awaits......

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446694045
• ISBN13: 9780446694049
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Aspect
• Length: 470 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Even better than the first book

I really liked Circle of the Moon. I liked it better than the book that preceded it, in which we first meet the Sisters of the Raven. That is, in part, because the ending was happier. I can't recall the last time I read a Hambly novel that had an upbeat ending. I liked what Hambly's done with Foxfire Girl, in particular. There were also two points in the story where I thought, 'yes, of course', as pieces I hadn't connected before slid into place, a thing few authors can manage. It was a FUN book to read. It was not perfect. Raeshaldis takes leave of her senses in service of the plot, and Oryn, who's no fool, displays a true inability to manage politics. I guess he didn't learn anything from the events of the first book.

Much better than the first book...

The world has changed since men lost their magic while women have gained a new form of magic.... Things are going awry in the Yellow City and its surrounding areas as water monsters have appeared and a plague of madness seems to be on the move along with a deadly green mist. The entire Realm of the Seven Lakes and King Oryn Jothek II's very life may be in jeopardy unless the Raven women (ie, the Crafty women newly empowered with magic) figure out a way to help Oryn with the deadly obstacles he must face in the newly proclaimed Jubilee- obstacles that were handled via magic in the past but no longer seem to be effective. Meanwhile, Raeshaldis finds herself torn between her loyalties to Oryn and her grandfather, who has demanded her assistance after a magical attack on his life. Will the Ravens be able to save Oryn and the Realm of the Seven Lakes in time? Barbara Hambly returns readers to the very ambitious world she first crafted in SISTERS OF THE RAVEN. Without a doubt, readers should first read SISTERS OF THE RAVEN in order to get a real grasp on the complex world building and the numerous characters. SISTERS OF THE RAVEN spent a lot more time initially on showing readers all the various politics within the Yellow City while CIRCLE OF THE MOON builds on those already established relationships and assumes the readers are familiar with the underlying issues. The strength of CIRCLE OF THE MOON makes the initial struggles with reading SISTERS OF THE RAVEN more than worth the effort! CIRCLE OF THE MOON is chock full of intrigue with a good dose of action to keep the plot flowing. The characters are so well drawn that readers will feel an instant kinship with many of them, including even Pomegranate's pig, Pontifer! However, CIRCLE OF THE MOON is really more Raeshaldis' story as she learns to grow in her magic and stretches herself in ways she had never previously imagined. Facing her grandfather again is a real test for her, as her grandfather had once thrown her out of the house for having the very same magic from which he now seeks to benefit. CIRCLE OF THE MOON continues to address some of the issues of prejudice that first manifested in SISTERS OF THE RAVEN. Readers will be thoroughly enthralled with this book in the series, as the depth and complexity is simply astonishing. Many questions regarding the changes in magic are answered in this sequel. Barbara Hambly demonstrates why she is one of the masters in the fantasy genre with CIRCLE OF THE MOON. COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

An excellent read

In the follow up to Sisters of the Raven, Barbara Hambly draws the reader into a mystical world where many gods are worshipped, and magical women draw their power from the Sun and the Earth. Ever since the men lost the ability to do magic ten years ago, and the women inherited this power, the Realm of the Seven Lakes has been changing. The magical women, few and unsure of their own abilities, are unable to bring the rains to the desert landscape of the Yellow City, and the lakes are beginning to choke with sand. When Reashaldis hears the cries of a distant Sister of the Raven--the term for women bestowed with the ability to carry out magic--begging for Raeshaldis' help in the face of the death of many of her townspeople, she is determined to find her magical "sister." And with the King facing his second Jubilee, where he must conquer crocodiles, charm snakes and overcome deadly poison, she needs all the help she can get in return. But as time begins to run out, and the deadly green mist looms ever closer, she begins to wonder whether she will be able to save the King, and the entire Realm, before they are lost forever. Barbara Hambly brings you into a world you have never seen before, breathing life into her characters, and keeping you guessing to the very last page. Armchair Interviews says: An excellent read for all fantasy fiction readers!!

Political Intrigue and Magical Dangers

Circle of the Moon (2005) is the second fantasy novel in the Raven Sisters series, following Sisters of the Raven. In the previous volume, the Raven Sisters were being abducted and then murdered. Raeshaldis investigated various sources of magic within the city, discovering the nature of the magical being within the idol of Nebekht and transporting herself to the site of the Raven's sacrifice. Luckily Summer Concubine, Pomegranate Woman and Oryn also figured out where the sacrificial site was located and arrived just in time to rescue Raeshaldis and Foxfire Girl from the murderer. But the teyn jenny had already been sacrificed. Three days later, the rains came to the Yellow City. In this novel, the Raven Sisters are trying to renew the magical protections within the kingdom. Assisted by some former mages, Raeshaldis is intensively studying and practicing the known sigils and chants. The traditional methods, however, seldom work quite the same way for Ravens. Cattail Woman is getting rich by selling love and hate potions that don't necessarily work as advertised. Ahure the former Blood Mage is also raking in money for amulets that are completely ineffective. Other male mages are continuing to hide the loss of their powers. Shaldis is called to her home because of a magical attack on her grandfather Chirak Shaldeth. She finds him little changed from the angry, abusive patriarch that she had fled two years before. Still, she checks for signs of magic use within the household and finds several traces of unknown origin. Maybe there is another Raven in the city that she has not met; with the burdens placed on the Ravens, another female mage would be a gift from the gods. Shaldis is also having strange dreams about dying children. Although trying to contact the source while awake, she has no success. Soth, the former Earth Mage, suggests holding thoughts of healing herbs in her mind before falling asleep and she tries this for many days. Finally she dreams again of the dying children and establishes contact with the faraway woman. Pomegranate and Soth discover that ancient wards are no longer working to constrain the lake monsters. Of course, none had previously known that these wards even existed, so what other ancient wards are no longer functioning? And what danger were they designed to prevent? This novel follows the Raven Sisters as they investigate several urgent mysteries, including the deaths at Three Wells and the unusual behavior of the teyn. Then Lord Akarian suggests that the gods have deserted the land and will only return after the Ceremony of the King's Jubilee. The king's uncle, Mohrvine, quickly agrees with the idea and the news is spread to every part of the city and beyond. Without magical help, maybe the king will be killed during the ceremony and then Mohrvine can become the king. Highly recommended for Hambly fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure, exotic cultures, and perseverance.

The women of the Yellow City have their magic groove back

When I reviewed Barbara Hambly's Sisters of the Raven, I mentioned how I would be disappointed if there was a sequel, because it seemed to end at the perfect place and didn't need a sequel. In fact, I said that a sequel would "cheapen the magic that this one carries." Of course, she had to go and prove me wrong. With Circle of the Moon, Hambly builds on everything that she created in the first book, giving a logical extension to the events there and writing a book that is almost better than its predecessor. Not quite, but very close. In a small desert society, the magic of men has disappeared. Sisters of the Raven detailed how some women discovered that they had some magical power of their own, and how that power became important. Circle of the Moon shows us the development of this magic as an even greater threat to the Yellow City emerges from the dead. As Raeshaldis, the only woman trained in the art of the old magics, works with the king's concubine, Summerchild, to discover why female magic works only sporadically, weird things start happening. Water monsters long thought extinct are terrorizing the coasts of the Seven Lakes. Some men are behaving in a monstrous fashion, turning into maniacs intent on nothing but destruction. Raeshaldis must figure out what is going on and how it relates to the various tombs scattered in the desert. Things become even more complicated when the King is challenged to a renewal of the ritual trials that proclaimed him King, and he discovers that it was the old magic, now seemingly non-existent, that stood in the way of the King dying. Can things get any worse? Of course they can. Hambly once again gives us an extremely interesting society, where women are still treated as chattel but some women hold more power than many of the men. Summerchild is the power behind the throne, along with King Oryn's charisma and intelligence. With women now working magic, they may become even more powerful, and Hambly shows us all the different facets of this. Some use it for monetary gain, a power that is easily gained. Others use it to try and get a family member on the throne, and will stop at nothing to obtain that power. Meanwhile, a small circle of women (the Sisters of the Raven) try to help the king as well as figure out how their power works. It's all extremely fascinating, and Hambly weaves all of these stories into a tapestry that includes this grand threat to everything in existence, and she manages not to lose her way doing it. It helps that many of these stories are tied together, of course. Once again, it's Hambly's power of setting that makes the book even better, though I can certainly see why some people wouldn't like it. She sets the scenes extremely well, describing everything that's going on around the characters as they walk and talk, or as they sit in the desert heat trying to keep cool. My mind's eye pictured every location vividly, and each character seemed even more human as they w