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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780312867683
ISBN number: 0312867689
Label: Forge Books
Manufacturer: Forge Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 448
Printing Date: August 15, 1998
Publishing house: Forge Books
Sale Popularity Level: 205469
Studio: Forge Books
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Product Description:
Like Susan Isaacs, Rosemary Edghill cast a keenly observant, friendly, yet faintly amused eye on an intriguing American micro-culture. Like The Witches of Eastwick, the Bast novels offer a very new view of the practitioners of a very old faith. Like Alice Hoffman, Edghill allows that there's still magic in the air.
Rosemary Edghill's Bast novels are a real treat. Bell, Book, and Murder contains all three Bast novels, Speak Daggers to Her, Book of Moons, and the very first softcover edition of The Bowl of Night (excerpted in USA Today).
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Rated by buyers 
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First, the criticisms: The author used stream of consciousness writing, i.e. proper punctuation goes out the window. It is a first-person, present tense narrative; hence, I felt like I was reading a comic book. The author used a lot of modern slang that I am unfamiliar with and upper level vocabulary, as if the author had a thesaurus handy.
Second, the positives: The books were humorous and the best Wicca/Witchcraft fiction books I have read so far.
Speaks Daggers to Her: This is one of three books in the compilation Bell, Book, and Murder, and the very first book I have ever read by Rosemary Edghill. I liked the mystery, even if it was a little disorganized. There is a moderate amount of magic(k) in the book, but frequent references to the Goddess, Wicca, and covens. One important issue that this book addresses (and I feel correctly so) is the Wiccan Rede. The main character's struggle with wanting to do the "right thing" and yet defend her dead friend is similar to the daily struggles we witches face, always trying to do what is best, but finding it necessary to harm for self-preservation. The ending is abrupt, but does provide closure. This is a book that the non-fluffy bunnies will enjoy.
Book of Moons: This is very much a re-hashing of the very first book in style and in some plot points; I felt irritated, having solved the mystery right away and having to wait for Bast, the main character, to catch up. I kept thinking, how can she proclaim to be a witch and be so dumb??? Overall, it was a little more of a struggle to read than the very first book, because of its tiresome redundancy. It still contained the same wittiness I enjoyed in the very first book, but I found Bast's character to be weaker. For instance, Bast disregards her instincts (Why? I don't know.) about a man curious in joining her coven. She does not like the guy, but continues to downplay her gut feeling and even tries to defend him, because she feels guilty that she may not be giving the man a fair chance. A little too fluffy, if you ask me. I prefer stronger main characters, more like Bast was in the very first book. I would think after being right in the very first novel, this would propel Bast to be even more certain of herself, but unfortunately, that is not the case.
Bowl of Night: What could be better than a Pagan festival of several days at a campground with a lot of murder suspects? Of the three, I like this book the best, mainly because of Bast's two love interests, though there was little actual action going on there. I felt most absorbed in this vividly-described tale, but was sorry to find that the killer was who I suspected from the beginning. The clues were quite obvious, but I wanted so badly for the villain to be someone else. The themes of religious intolerance and bigotry were predominant. This book was a more personalized "religious" experience for Bast, and the final book on this character (that I am aware of). It is sad to see the end of a likeable character, who seems like a real person. I hope Rosemary Edghill will write more books along this line.
Rated by buyers -
This collection of Rosemary Edghill's "Bast" mysteries is a wonderful introduction to a talented writer and a no-nonsense look at modern Pagans.
Edghill's wonderful observations on the human condition elevate "Speak Daggers to Her" from a curiosity to a keeper. Modern witchcraft, murder by magic, and Goddess-given justice take a back seat to the wonderful and complex character of the protagonist.
In "Book of Moons", Bast continues to ponder the imponderables while solving murders, this time involving a purloined antique that could prove Mary Queen of Scots to be a practitioner. And underneath it all, the question -- if there's something you want, something you think you need to have to survive as the person you think you are, what price is too high to pay for it? (By the way, if you think that question only refers to the thief ... you haven't been paying enough attention.)
"The Bowl of Night" is the darkest of the three books that make up the trilogy. As in all three, the main character's doubts and inner conflicts play just as large as the murder and mayhem that propel the story into the "mystery" genre. (Because there is, after all, no mystery / occult / New Age / feminist / metaphysical / inner growth / self help genre. Yet.)
Rated by buyers -
The book arrived promptly and in perfect condition. It was a perfect transaction.
Rated by buyers -
the authour has made an interesting twist on the standing idea
of the night time detective. the shame is that it is now some years since according to the copywrite she has yet to return
to add to more stories to a rich tapestry.
Rated by buyers -
I was introduced to this trilogy through "The Book of Moons," and immediately fell in love with Ms. Edghill's writing style. I've read the entire trilogy over and over, and they've now become cozy friends when I just need to relax for a little while with a cup of tea.
What I find refreshing in her novels is how real and everyday most of the characters are. Contrary to the normal media portrayal of those who follow Pagan faiths as either dark, sinister people who scurry into dark corners and live in a strange "underground" reality OR... whacked out New Agers who are stuck in the hippie era, Ms. Edghill writes them honestly-- real people. Working real jobs. Wearing everyday clothes. Talking like everyday people. With no preaching whatsoever.
Amazing.
Each of the story is a murder mystery. The fact that the community involved in each of these books is Wiccan/Pagan is the flavor for the setting, but the easy route to blame the murders on unseen forces isn't used, which I greatly appreciated.
My non-Pagan friends have also enjoyed the books, and appreciated the subtle explanations for faith-specific terms that they might not have known otherwise.
I highly recommend the series. They're fun, easy to read, and easy to escape into-- just what leisure reading is all about.
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