Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee, CE Murphy Winter Moon

Winter Moon

Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee, CE Murphy

Luna, Nov 2005, $13.95

ISBN: 0373802390

"Moontide" by Mercedes Lackey. At Sea Keep, Moira na Ferson must choose between what her father wants of her and what her king demands of her, but she has always been independent and strong. Whichever sire she obeys will cause harm, especially to her. So being independent and strong, and strictly adhering to the laws of marriage as they pertain to her, Moira heeds the advice of the Fool.

"Heart of the Moon" by Tanith Lee. Warrior priestess Clirando once sought love, but instead received pain and a curse. She wears a mask to hide her inner hurt until she meets Zemetrios. As she begins to feel love again, she expects him to betray her, as the curse will surely intercede, unless he can get her to join him in questioning what they hold to be true, the greater truth of love.

"Banshee's Cry" by. C E Murphy. Joanne Walker has vowed to never use her powers as a shaman, but soon has no choice but to rely on her "gift" for the good of her people. She must solve ritual homicides that have occurred under the full moon, and can only do so by using that which she detests employing.

These three romantic fantasies are well written tales of love between strong protagonists, with the powerful females having the more obvious flaws; in fact the men seem underdeveloped in comparison. Still sub-genre fans will enjoy each novella that has a different spin, making for a fine anthology.

Harriet Klausner