Daughters of the Moon (Book 1)

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally a fictional book comes along that gives you the feeling of medieval magic. Complete with hidden covens, underground meeting and secret liaisons. The setting is Paris 1894, a time when magical groups flourished, like the Theosophists, Ceremonial Magicians, kabbalists and alchemists. The French are also imbued with an easier attitude toward love. Marriage is official and dalliances are for passion.

Sandrine Salome is a young Jewish woman from New York who descend matrilineal from La Lune, a courtesan witch. She built the La Lune mansion and it has been inherited from mother to daughter for generations. Sandrine is fleeing from a bad marriage and a family tragedy. Upon arriving in Paris she discover that her grandmother is turning the mansion into museum and is living in an apartment. During her sojourn in Paris she explores, with architect Julian, the bell tower where painting are stored and old grimoires of magic. The grandmother warns her that danger is lurking and Sandrine must leave. Meanwhile she falls in love with Julian, wears La Lunes jewelry and pretty soon a change come over. Slowly she becomes more artistic and seductive. Tragedy also ensues. Deaths occur and accidents. The danger come from La Lune. One of the deaths comes from a rabbi trying to banish the ghost of La Lune. The grandmother’s conditions worsen and the husband comes to Paris looking for her. Might be good to know that her father is the son of the grandmother.

There is a pleasant ending to this book and magical seekers will enjoy some of the insights. The reading is very entertaining and I would recommend this book for adults over 18 due to some of the sensual content. Many details have been left out but I would not wish to spoil the plot now would I?


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Dracula the Librarian

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Persistent rumors abound of Dracula’s grave being located at the monastery island of Snagov. Mysteriously enough when the grave in front of the alter was unearthed all they could find were animal bones, which begs the question, what happened to Dracula’s body? The facts speak for themselves, Bram Stokers novel which depicts him as a vampire is nothing but fiction. The real Dracula was much like a blood thirsty warlord defending his land from the blood thirsty Ottoman Empire. Dracula had foes everywhere.
This book too, is work of fiction, albeit more elaborate than Bram Stokers work. Telling a different story and forgoing Bram Stoker’s predecessor, the book does not devampirise this historical character. It has some element in common in that not only is Dracula a vampire, but it is also told from several points of view, mostly in letter and journal form. Dracula has a love of books and he admires other historians.
The book is a mystery about a three generational search for Dracula or at least his resting place. Chronologically speaking it starts off with Prof. Rossi receiving a woodcut book the image of a dragon. This mysterious book is kind of casually left at his side while doing research. This propels him to search out Dracula leading him ultimately to Istanbul here he find that Dracula is not really buried at Snagov but rather somewhere else. Sometime after discovering this a Turkish looking official confiscates the documents. Rossi goes back to his university and pursues other things. But life does not remain quiet forever.
Paul, a student of his, finds a similar book. O it is exactly the same. What is going on here? Paul consults his professor and does some research in the local library. Some unseen hand is messing things up, Rossie is kidnapped and his assistant is killed. This propels Paul to search not only for Dracula’s grave but also for his mentor. His search takes him though Istanbul, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. He meets Helen Rossi’s illegitimate daughter and they search together. Helen is connected by blood to Dracula but I will let you read this book to find out more.

The book really starts off later in the future when Paul’s daughter happens upon some letters. Paul explains them to her little bit by little bit. As they penetrate the mysteries of Dracula new things emerge. People disappear including Paul so now the daughter must search out her father using clues. The girl is also motherless as her mother supposedly died by falling off a cliff. The happy ending will leave you with a warm feeling. A mystery solved and there is so much to learn. Dracula is a librarian, warrior and vampire.


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The Human Origins of UFO's

Origin: The 19th Century Emergence of the 20th Century Breakaway Civilizations by Walter Bosley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1897 a UFO supposedly crashed somewhere in Texas. Everyone assumed that these flying saucers were from another planet. According to this author nothing could be further from the truth. Those saucers were part of mankind on Earth's invention. That is right people made them based on very ancient principles. The does subscribe to the theory that along time ago there was a technologically advanced society of humans, who built something like Atlantis. These humans may have come from another planet but that was a long time ago. So the question remains , how did we get this technology and manage to put flying bells and disks in the air before we had the Wright brothers airplane?

Back along time ago these humans came to ur planet and they were far more advanced that we are. Early Earth man thought they were gods and these humans from outer space wanted early earth man to think that. THey may have lived in the sea or underneath the ground. THey are called Nymza which means "name;less ones" In any case they had this tech to build things and then some cataclysm came abut and the society was wiped out. Yet the knowledge remained hidden in ancient teaching hidden form mankind. The author believes that the knowledge was housed in the library of Alexandria. After that library was burned he believes that most of the manuscripts found their way into other large repository of ancient text. One f those places was the great library in Constantinople. THe fourth crusade saw German knights marching with the Templars in Constantinople and sacking the Christian city. THe Knights brought something back with them. THe knowledge would flow through Masonic teaching and end up in the hands of Bavarian or Saxon nationalists. This group which incidentally calls itself Njmza was a German nationalist group that may have been behind the Nazis. Their goal was a unified German state and world domination. With the help of German bankers and finding land in the AMericas they worked on their project . These were the airships. THey gave rise to another group in California , mostly Italian immigrants and they would use energy lines to fly the ship. There was also a special field which helped them build gravity defying machines. Their work began in 1856. Even Lincoln wanted to use these ships for aerial reconnaissance . In 1897 one of these ships crashed. This group in Califrnai was a competing group against the Nuymza. Interest in gold, land and archeology are pursued with gusto. It is believed that in 1903 they managed too fly a ship to Mars and decided to stay there. THe organizations are still around.

Pretty fascinating stuff. Most of it is believable especially the way se3cret societies operate. THe knowledge was always there it was just waiting for the right time to be expressed. I find it difficult to believe that people have already made it to Mars though .

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into the magisterium

The Iron Trial by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The story starts off with the Mage Allistairs hunt scaling a cliff to save his family and other. When he reaches the top he finds to his horror that everyone is dead except his child , Callum. Beside his dead wife is a message exhorting him to kill the child. Allistair wants nothing to do magic. But Callum has a destiny.

Here is where things get Harry Potter like. Callum is selected to take a test in order to be admitted into a magic school called Magisterium. Callum tries to fail, only to find himself an apprentice to the Mage Rufus. Together with Aaron and Tamara the explore the world to world of magic and the caves of the magisterium. Along the way they meet new friends and make new enemies. Callum befriends a fire lizard and a chaos driven wolf.

Callum has a special destiny as does his friend Aaron. All is revealed at the end. Callum finds out why his father does not want him learning magic. Constantine Madden has plans for Callum. The enemy of death, Constantine, brings foul magic into our world so as to cheat deTh. But immortality comes with a price.


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