Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.0876
EAN num: 9780373802395
ISBN number: 0373802390
Label: Luna
Manufacturer: Luna
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 400
Printing Date: November 01, 2005
Publishing house: Luna
Sale Popularity Level: 222490
Studio: Luna
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Mercedes Lackey
'She'll keep you up long past your bedtime.' --New York Times bestselling author Stephen King
In an isolated land where the lure of the 'Moontide' leads to shipwrecks, a woman is torn between obeying her father or her king. When she chooses to follow a Fool, she discovers magic she'd never expected . . . at a price that might be too high . . .
Tanith Lee
'Few writers yesterday can match the sheer beauty and inventiveness of Tanith Lee's writing.' --Millennium Science Fiction and Fantasy
Struggling under the curse of a dead comrade, Clirando, a warrior priestess unready to face the powers trapped within her, must face 'The Heart of the Moon' to reveal what has been hidden . . .
C.E. Murphy
'A swift pace, a good mystery, a likeable protagonist, magic, danger -- Urban Shaman has them in spades.' --Jim Butcher, author of the bestselling series The Dresden Files
In 'Banshee Cries,' ritual murders under a full moon lead Jo Walker to confront a Harbinger of Death. Maybe this 'gift' she has is one she shouldn't ignore -- because the subsequent life she has to save might be her own!
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Rated by buyers 
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It took me quiet long to get into all of the three stories!! The last one from C.E. Murphy was probly the one that i liked most but i was a liitle dissapointed. It did not really meet my expectiations
Rated by buyers -
Not the very first time I've read an anthology with stories by authors I love - for their full-length novels. Not the very first time I've been sorry about it. It's a real challenge to write a stand-alone story about a character with 3 novels out there - and a novella has very different pacing demands from a full-length. Anyway, if you've read the Walker papers, you'll find Banshee Cries duplicates an awful lot of explanations (with the identical same phrases, which really gets my goat, did she just use generic fill material?) Oh well, I'll stick to the novels (which are really, really excellent and you should go and buy any full length by C.E Murphy right now; you'll thank me.)
Rated by buyers 
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I really liked this book. Reading new authors gives me a chance to see how they write.
Rated by buyers 
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The very first story is "Moontide". Moira is the daughter of the lord of a sea keep who sent her to the Countess for fostering. The Countess has a reputation for turning out socially expert marriage bait. But she also turns out Gray Ladies who are spies and assassins. Moira is one. Overall the story is well written with a decent plot and it shows a side of the 500 kingdoms where the folks are not involved in the inner workings of The Tradition (a force that makes things come out the way it thinks they should). Her father calls Moria home with an obvious intent of marring her off To cement an alliance and gets more than he bargained for.
I had trouble swallowing a boat house that would withstand a 30'+ storm surge but hey this is a fantasy so a gimme. The plot is a little linear and predictable if sometimes funny. The principal characters are well drawn although Moira's father and his motives are never fleshed out. Unfortunately; there are a number of annoying editorial errors and I have the impression that review of this story was rather cursory. e.g. "the sigh of the phoenix embroidered..." (thats got to be some realistic embroidery) and then in one case the beacons are fulled with fish oil and then by magically treated sea coal.
3 1/2 stars, much better than average.
The subsequent story "The Heart of the Moon" Cliando is sent on a quest to a mysterious island by a priestess after being betrayed by friends. There she meets Zemetrioss who has similar issues. The symbolism is well done like something from The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion: A New Abridgement from the Second and Third Editions (Oxford World's Classics) or The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Mythos Books).
4 1/2 just misses a 5 star rating as the plot is a little predictable (at least if you are familiar with either or the above books).
With "Banshee Cries" Walker combats a supernatural serial killer. The story falls between Urban Shaman (The Walker Papers, Book 1) and Thunderbird Falls (The Walker Papers, Book 2). Walker is still trying to come to grips with her powers and is uneasy with them. The characters are well drawn with some good humour as well. The plot is good but no big surprises.
Overall 4 stars.
As a book I would rate this anthology at 4 stars.
Rated by buyers -
Moontide - Author: Mercedes Lackey
This novella, Moontide, is set in the world of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, from the books The Fairy Godmother: A Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms (Book 1) and One Good Knight (Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Book 2),but does not involve Tradition and stand alone.
Moira na Ferson, was sent away by her father at a young age to foster with the King's sister, Countess Vrenable. The intent was that she be taught to be a proper lady and learn the running of a keep, but Countess Vrenable teaches a select few of her charges so much more. The countess is in charge of the Grey Ladies, a group of young ladies who are trained to be everything a lady should be, but are also trained as spies and assassins. Moira has been invited to become a Grey Lady, but before she can complete her training, her father calls her back home, where Moira suspects he intends to marry her off. Before Moira leaves Viridian Manor the countess informs her that her father is suspected of treason. Moira, having had no real love for her father, readily agrees to be Countess Vrenable's eyes and ears. Once she returns to Highclere, she begins to see how right the countess' suspicions are. Her father seems to be planning to marry her off to an enemy prince and they make many sly comments about ships sinking in the storms that frequent Highclere. Here father's new Fool seems very interested in all the goings on, but is he a spy for the King or is he working for her father and the prince? Could trusting him see her married to the prince and imprisoned in his harem or will it lead to salvation?
For some reason, of all the characters in this story, the Fool was my favorite. I would have liked to have seen some of the story from his point of view. We were told about his wit, but never got a chance to see it. I liked how Moira handles her role as a spy and the whole confrontation with the prince. It's a lot more realistic than having her be blasé about it, as if it's something she does all the time. And really, no matter how much you train or prepare for a situation, you aren't truly ready for the reality of it until it's there in your face.
The Heart of The Moon - Author: Tanith Lee
Clirando is a warrior woman, strong and honorable, who's happy with her life. And why not? She's leader of a band of warriors, of which her best friend from childhood, Araitha, is one and she's got an attractive lover, Thestus. Things couldn't be better! That is, until the night lighting strikes the Temple of the Maiden and, in the scramble to save the roof, she discovers that Araitha and Thestus are having an affair. She challenges them both in battle and wins. They are both shamed and must leave the town of Amnos, but before her ship sails Araitha visits Clirando for a parting shot. She curses Clirando to be filled with emptiness, to find joy in nothing and to sleeplessness, that she may find no rest. Clirando shrugs off the curse and goes on with her life. Until she hears that the ship Araitha was on has sunk. Suddenly she can not sleep, she finds joy in nothing, and there is a burning emptiness inside of her. Clirando and her band are called to go to Moon Isle for the Seven Nights, a festival to honor the moon being full for seven full days. Strange things happen on this island and sometimes people don't return. The very first night there her band sets up camp and Clirando takes the watch, but the impossible happens, she falls asleep. When she wakes up, her band is gone and there is no sign of where they could be. Clirando sets off to find a village or some sign of her girls, but she finds odd creatures who follow her and haunt her with their strange cries. In her trek through the forest she meets Zemetrios, a fellow traveler also looking for a village who wants to share her fire and travel with her. Is he who he says he is? He has a past more painful than hers, which he shares with her. Is he telling the truth or is this some trick. Can she trust him in this place full of ghosts and illusions when those closest to her have betrayed her?
I can't think of a thing that I've read of Tanith Lee's that I did not like. This novella was no exception. I liked that his was about a journey of self-discovery and forgiveness. Both Clirando and Zemetrios had to go a long way to deal with their ghosts and to accept themselves as they were. And I liked that Zemetrios' issues weren't easily settled.
Banshee Cries - Author: C.E. Murphy
This story was describes as 1.5 in "The Walker Papers" series. I didn't read Urban Shaman (The Walker Papers, Book 1), though it is on my TBR list, so I felt that I was a bit behind. It wasn't that I couldn't follow the story, but I did feel that some of the interpersonal stuff was really lost on me.
I won't give summary bit about the story because there's so much back story that I'm just missing. ... Read More
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