The Book of Shadows

by James Reese

Book Overview

An extraordinary new literary voice makes a stunning debut in a darkly sensual, powerfully told tale of strange destiny and miraculous reawakening.

Herculine is only six-years-old when she watches her mother die horribly and inexplicably. A child alone in the nineteenth-century French countryside, she makes her way to the secluded convent, where she is taken in as a foundling orphan and raised by nuns who teach the children of the privileged...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0066210151
• ISBN13: 9780066210155
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great book, 3 seperate stories

After reading the other reviews, I felt compelled to write this review. This is one of my favorite books. The people who are "searching for a storyline" don't seem to get the book. There are basically 3 seperate stories within, each unique and enjoyable.

A wonderfully written, historical gothic fiction novel

Most books on Witchcraft today (be they fiction or non) tend to stick to either the actual Wiccan/Pagan religions, or rely on the most characteristic 'Hollywood Witch'- the beautiful woman with a broomstick who flies, is instantly powerful, etc. This book surprised me in many ways- most of all the main character's...interesting state. That and the authors' identification of a 'true Witch' by a certain mark in the eyes. This book is written with a very historical idea of Witches in mind- the wild sex of a Sabbat (which Reese terms an esbat, but I'm not complaining, fiction has a certain amount of allowance for poetic changes), the accompaniment of an incubus and succubus, the shape changing familiar, and most of all, the superstitions and spells/charms that were passed between the sisters were all of historical note. =) Take this from a modern day, real Witch- this is an excellent fictional read, and may educate you into France's, and some of Witchcraft's more bloody side of history. My hat's off to James Reese. I want a sequel, now, please....

Pleasantly surprise by how good it was.

I bought this book for my wife thinking that this book was about the TV show Charmed because she is a closet fan, but I found out at the last minute that it was not at all conected to the show. So out of gratitude for me, my wife read it, and enjoyed it tremulously. She then wanted me to read the book as well. So I finally got around to it, and I was pleasantly surprise by how good it was. James Reese creates a daring fantasy on the same leave as Anne Rice does for her Vampire tales that is daunting, erotic, and horrifying all at once, and the book takes you though a passage of self discovery and rebellion all while you are turn the page in record speed. This is the first novel I have read by James Reese, and for certain, it will not be the last.I hope he writes a sequel.

Rich, rewarding, I've read it twice--so far

When I read, I do so for the oppportunity to "get away", to go someplace in my imagination that -- but for the book I am reading--would be inaccessible to me. That was The Book of Shadows -- I relished the utter richness of the language that James Reese has such facility with and vividly visualized the imagery that he creates. The story is evocative, disturbing, and challenging. The Book of Shadows is a novel well-worth reading, by a young novelist at the beginning of what promises to be a promising career.

Wonderful Read - More, Please!

I love this novel and Mr. Reese's writing style. The vocabulary and imagery here was exquisite. Everything is not laid out for you nor always explained, which I find refreshing. At times, I felt like I was reading a travelogue of France, and since I've always wanted to go, that was great. More from Reese, please!