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Title: Low Red Moon
Author: Caitlín R. Kiernan
Published: New York: Roc, 2003
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 337
Total Page Count: 92,312
Text Number: 264
Read Because: fan of the author, purchased from Powell's Books
Review: Married, living in a new apartment, with a child on the way, Chance and Deacon are trying to make a go at a normal life. But when Chance begins to have vivid, violent visions and Deacon, a gifted psychic, is pulled into a police search for a serial killer, their peace and safety are utterly destroyed. Low Red Moon is the second in a loose series featuring these characters, and it's a story of otherworldy forces, approaching madness, and the people that try to survive within this chaos. It has a number of unequivocal strengths: The cast is beautifully realized, and recovering alcoholic Deacon and murderous Narcissa steal the show—a combination of destructive personalities and compelling motivations makes each stand out. The ghouls, vampires, and gods which haunt the edges of Kiernan's world give the plot depth and intrigue. And, as always, Kiernan's prose is rich, artful, and a pleasure to read.
But while I enjoy all of Kiernan's novels, some—like Threshold, like The Red Tree—strike me as superb: they are arresting, terrifying, and I return to them again and again. Low Red Moon is not such a book. Rather, like Daughter of Hounds, it is enjoyable, and good, but not quite great. It doesn't seem to contain quite enough. The aspects which haunt the fringes of the text, from the ghouls which construct the fantasy landscape to the characters which tie it to Kiernan's other novels, sometimes distract from or overwhelm the plot at hand—a problem exasperated by the fact that Chance, although apparently the protagonist, lacks agency, and the book's pacing is at first too leisurely and then too rushed, which makes for slow buildup and an abrupt conclusion. Many aspects of the novel shine, but too much in Low Red Moon feels overshadowed or underexplored—as if the heart of the action (and the best of the book) is occurring offstage and, rather than intrigued by the mystery, the reader is simply left disappointed. That not all of Kiernan's novels meet the high standard of her best work is hardly a failing. Low Red Moon is still enjoyable, thoughtful, and artful—just as I would expect from Kiernan. I do recommend it. But it's not my new favorite.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Caitlín R. Kiernan
Published: New York: Roc, 2003
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 337
Total Page Count: 92,312
Text Number: 264
Read Because: fan of the author, purchased from Powell's Books
Review: Married, living in a new apartment, with a child on the way, Chance and Deacon are trying to make a go at a normal life. But when Chance begins to have vivid, violent visions and Deacon, a gifted psychic, is pulled into a police search for a serial killer, their peace and safety are utterly destroyed. Low Red Moon is the second in a loose series featuring these characters, and it's a story of otherworldy forces, approaching madness, and the people that try to survive within this chaos. It has a number of unequivocal strengths: The cast is beautifully realized, and recovering alcoholic Deacon and murderous Narcissa steal the show—a combination of destructive personalities and compelling motivations makes each stand out. The ghouls, vampires, and gods which haunt the edges of Kiernan's world give the plot depth and intrigue. And, as always, Kiernan's prose is rich, artful, and a pleasure to read.
But while I enjoy all of Kiernan's novels, some—like Threshold, like The Red Tree—strike me as superb: they are arresting, terrifying, and I return to them again and again. Low Red Moon is not such a book. Rather, like Daughter of Hounds, it is enjoyable, and good, but not quite great. It doesn't seem to contain quite enough. The aspects which haunt the fringes of the text, from the ghouls which construct the fantasy landscape to the characters which tie it to Kiernan's other novels, sometimes distract from or overwhelm the plot at hand—a problem exasperated by the fact that Chance, although apparently the protagonist, lacks agency, and the book's pacing is at first too leisurely and then too rushed, which makes for slow buildup and an abrupt conclusion. Many aspects of the novel shine, but too much in Low Red Moon feels overshadowed or underexplored—as if the heart of the action (and the best of the book) is occurring offstage and, rather than intrigued by the mystery, the reader is simply left disappointed. That not all of Kiernan's novels meet the high standard of her best work is hardly a failing. Low Red Moon is still enjoyable, thoughtful, and artful—just as I would expect from Kiernan. I do recommend it. But it's not my new favorite.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
