ISBN: 0-441-00544-6 Order from: Amazon.com
A time-travel romance with occult rituals, mildly interesting characters, and predictable plot.
Reviewed by David on May 16, 1999
Genre: Fantasy (ESP, Time Travel, Romance, Occult)
Synopsis: A young woman, Deirde MacCollum, reluctantly accedes to the wishes of her family, and comes to stay with her great-grandmother Bridget as she lies near death in New York City. Bridget has decided to pass her legacy to her descendant—the legacy of unbelievable magic that lies behind the tightly draped doors of the family house on Washington Square, the house haunted by strangely vague and shifting memories of painful events in the past—as though the past hasn't quite settled down.
A formidable and wealthy woman all her life, Bridget now has only a few days to impart her secrets to her great-granddaughter. For Deirde, her new inheritance is a chance to find independence, excitement and happiness, but not without deadly risks. For the house once hosted the notorious charlatan, swindler and womanizer Aleister Crowley. However, not all of Crowley's tricks were bogus, and the price of some of his rituals will be collected decades after his death.
Full Review: Deirde starts as somewhat of a wimp. Haunted by nightmares, and her unhappy childhood, she has dubious success in finding a home, career or a lover. Her new, reluctant adventure makes her a more interesting person, full of curiousity and persistance. Her dying ancestor emerges as a fascinating, and largely ambigious figure, the most intriguing character in the book. Even Crowley is treated here with some sympathy and respect (not unalloyed by contempt for his ruthless selfishness).
The novel, while skillfully written, suffers from a predictable plot, and lack of truly engaging characters. The conflicts encountered on the way to romance are almost an afterthought, and the occult rituals, half tricks and half invocation of terrifying power, are annoyingly fuzzy.
In general, the novel is only mildly entertaining, and is perhaps most enjoyable for the fans of paranormal or time-travel romances.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5; World-building: 4.5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1998, Berkley Publishing Group (Ace), August 1998, Mass market paperback, 360 pages
ISBN: 0-441-00544-6 Order from: Amazon.com