Book of Moons: A Bast Mystery

by Rosemary Edghill

Book Overview

Someone is stalking New York's occult underground in search of the Book of Moons, an ancient spell book that may have once belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots, and is willing to kill to find it. Can... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312856059
• ISBN13: 9780312856052
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Bast vs History of Wicca

BOOK OF MOONS by Rosemary Edghill is the second mystery staring Bast, a practicing witch from The Village. Like its predecessor, this volume treats magic as religious and therefore tries not to explain or rationalize certain events.Bast's beliefs are based on Gardnerism which gained its start earlier this century. Although Gardner claimed to have based the rituals on older sources, no historical evidence has been found to support this claim. But in this book someone has uncovered a Book of Shadows that purportedly belonged to Mary, Queen of Scotts. Certain forces would like to have this book and Books of Shadows are being stolen, Mary's among them. The plot escalates as murders are committed and Bast is drawn into the conflict.This book holds up well as a mystery, is light on the fantasy and does some interesting explorations into history. Although this volume was billed as a mystery, all of the references and in jokes point to an intended science fiction audience. I still find it worth reading.

Still good

While I still enjoyed reading about the further sleuthing adventures of Bast, I honestly thought the "moment of truth" took a whole lot longer than a moment. But, the denoument was a realistic and satisfying conclusion.One thing that I wish Edghill would do is develop the backgrounds of her principal characters. There's no mention of what brought Bast to the decision of joining the Craft. What was she in her pre-Craft existence?The villian was a bit contrived, as well. The motive for murder was fine, though typical. Edghill's fleshing out of the baddie was lacking, dare I say it, "human interest". Sure, the villian is a vehicle and foil for the hero's progression through the narrative; but, a villian should also be able to do something more than be mean and wave about a firearm.What I found more interesting was the interplay between Bast and her fellow coven members. Edghill once again blows up the myth that all pagans and Witches are loving and chummy with one another. Bast has to make a decision whether or not to "leave the nest" because, even in the best of circumstances, people do grow apart.A good book, but not as good as the first.

Don't buy this!

For less money, you can buy "Bell, Book, and Murder" instead, which is a compilation of all three Bast books (including this one). Wish someone had told me before I bought all four!

Another "must read" by Rosemary Edghill

The second book in Rosemary Edghill's Bast series is another winner. The plot involves a mysterious book, The Book of Moons, which is alleged to have belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots. It raises all sorts of delicious questions about whether she was a witch and is this book her Book of Shadows. It's also a great mystery. What is the secret behind this book that is causing someone to kill for it. By the end of the book I was convinced that Mary, Queen of Scots did have a Book of Moons and it's out there somewhere. I can't wait for the third book in the Bast series