Killing with the Edge of the Moon

by A.A. Attanasio

Book Overview

The speaker is a hickory-faced crone trying to explain to Chet, a shy kid with eyeglasses and pocket protector, why he can't take her granddaughter to the high school dance. For quiet, elfin Flannery is not like other kids. A living Blud-eye-eth, she has caught the attention of the faerie, beautiful evil creatures from a mysterious Otherworld, who seduce their victims with moonlight raves before feeding them to a dragon and hunting souls with a supernatural...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809556987
• ISBN13: 9780809556984
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Wildside Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.3" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher

Customer Reviews

A lovely modern fairy tale

At 151 pages, _Killing with the Edge of the Moon_ is an evening's read, but what an enchanted evening it is! I think Attanasio intended _Killing_ as a young adult novel, though I'm not absolutely certain of that. If you're a parent, though, there's nothing in here that's inappropriate for your teen. Despite the cover copy's mention of the "erotic Otherworld," all sexual content is of the briefly-implied sort. Attanasio's Otherworld is seductive, but he does it without filling the tale with smut. The plot draws upon several old myths: Orpheus and Eurydice, Tam Lin, the Wooing of Etain, and a dash of the Mabinogion. I'm always up for a good "rescuing a loved one from the Otherworld" story. _Killing_ has a deeply archetypal feel due to its basis in the myths, and at the same time, the story is made fresh and individual by the delightful protagonists. Chet is my favorite; I love his leap of faith into a world he doesn't quite believe in, his sense of duty, and little details like the bad poetry he writes for Flannery and his musings about the proper swearwords to use when lost in Elfland. Flannery is also great, a defiant girl who cares more for animals than people; and Nedra, Flannery's Wiccan grandmother, who is more than she seems. Attanasio is a strongly visual writer. He bills _Killing with the Edge of the Moon_ as "A Graphic Novel (without illustrations)." The prose sets the scene well, whether he's describing an idyllic meadow or a hellish volcanic cavern. Attanasio uses simpler prose for scenes that take place in our world and lush prose for Otherworldly scenes, and it works well. Like the ritual gown that Nedra makes for Flannery, the prose is studded with bits of shining beauty. _Killing with the Edge of the Moon_ feels more like a fairy tale than a traditional novel, and will be enjoyed by anyone who likes stories of teens confronting the Otherworld.

It's a great story, but not as ambitious....

While I like the story and finished it in like two nights, it just didn't grab hold and warp my mind like A.A's other books have. I didn't expect that this book would or could do that with what is essentially a novella length release, but, one can always hope. If you're reading this A.A, please don't stop writing and continue to fight the 'man'. Your books are better than 90 percent of what's on the market today. 'Last Legends of Earth' is such an amazing book, I know it's weird to say, but it changed my life, or at least what I come to expect from a great Sci-Fi novel, and it has never been topped yet (some of the takeshi kovach stuff is a good second though). Another great A.A read is 'Wyvern', it's not really sci-fi, but mind boggling in scope none-the-less. One of my top five authors of all time!

A beautiful story

As always, Attanasio's writing is rich and lyrical and a joy to read. The subscript on the title page really says it all - A graphic novel (without illustrations). If that doesn't describe his writing I don't know what does. Although there is some dark and even hellish imagery in the book, the story itself is actually much lighter than in his other novels. One thing I love about his books is that you are often unaware that you are learning about actual mythology. This is a fantasy novel through and through, and lacks some or all of the existentialism found in his other works. However, I was delighted to find reference to the planetary dragon used in his Arthor series. There is one important thing to note here: This book is SHORT! Currently the title is only available in hardcover, and the price for this does seem a bit much for the length. If you aren't a fan, wait for the paperback.

An excellent read

I thought that this was an excellent novel. Mr. Attanasio,s books are always filled with vivid imagery and this was a prime example. The climatic scenes were very exciting to read and the entire book is like reading a dream.