Rating: 
Summary: The most captivating book I've read in awhile.
Review: I have read this book about 10 times. It gives so much information about Goddess religions in regions of the world. The charachters are interesting and you will find you cannot put the book down, just like me.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good, but...
Review: I liked this book the first time....when it was Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned. Only that book had huge philosophical themes that had little to do with gender: beware the pure idea, etc, whereas this book seems a simplistic recasting of Rice's novel purely in terms of recent gender politics and dubious archaeological research. Camille Paglia's work is used in an extremely careless way: the novel seems to be an elaboration on CP's infamous (and calculatedly hyperbolic) statement to the effect that if civilization were left in female hands, we'd still be living in grass huts. The novel leaves behind a sour taste of misogyny despite Hand's device of a 'heroine' saving the world from matriarchy. That said, I thought the book was entertaining and very interesting both for its obviously deep research and its bizarre Patricia Cornwell-esque internal tensions. Hey, if Hubert Selby gave it a blurb, it's worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and effective
Review: Elizabeth Hand has an enthralling writing style that captured me immediately with "Waking the Moon." I've subsequently tracked down as much of her previous work as possible, devouring it as quickly as I could find it. Despite the genre-defying nature of her work, the story and characters easily absorb the reader--even if the story is supernatural, verisimilitude comes naturally thanks to her deft handling. Just enough of all the right elements, and some rare quirks and perks that I've never before encountered in fiction. Thank you, Ms. Hand!
Rating:
Summary: Not up to Elizabeth Hand's usual standards
Review: I just finished reading "Waking the Moon," and I have to say I am disappointed in the ending. The book starts well, and captures the reader's interest with a vivid depiction of "the college experience," but the book loses steam midway through. The big scares all come at the beginning of the book, and both the plot and characters fizzle long before the story is over. Read "Winterlong" instead - it is more typical of Hand's unique and powerfully evocative style.
Rating:
Summary: Imagination inspiring
Review: This was the first of Ms. Hand's work I had read- after I finished, I bought two more of her novels. The whole plot utterly fascinated me and awoke a long dormant passion for mythology. Ms. Hand has quite a talent for interjecting the quite ordainary with an intangibly intoxicating magic. As a fan of Oscar Wilde, I was happily surprised to see a character, Oliver, clearly based on him as well as the lush development of each character. As a 15 yr. old writer-to-be, Ms. Hand's decadent descriptions and vivid imagery give me a level of perfection to aspire to. One catch- if you're too lazy to break out a dictionary for a few esoteric words, you'll miss out on a lot. I'm currently reading Glimmering and enjoying it as well.
Rating:
Summary: Great first read...then you think about it
Review: I admit, I loved the first half of the novel. My first year in college was the slightest bit like Sweeney's, and I related to the overall bizarre new life she stumbled across. The characters in college are vivid and (almost) real but dissipate in the second half, as adults. Ms. Hand did a good deal of research, but she bases her goddess-centered world primarily on what Camille Paglia has said on the subject (so "chthonic"). Taking Paglia too seriously dooms a novel that could have been pretty good. The novel did re-awaken my interest in Minoan art and civilization. The merits outweigh the flaws, and it's a good, fast read. Go for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Skip it!!!
Review: Although Ms. Hand's writing style is quite good, I would sugggest passing on this novel. She started out very well, but toward the middle, I had trouble suspending my disbelief. After that, it was all downhill. I couldn't relate to (nor did I even care about) the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Sure cure for insomnia
Review: Remember that student-published "literature/poetry" journal from your college days? Overwrought "deep" symbolism, so obvious and clumsy it hurts? Well, if you liked that, you'll LOVE this! I stuck with this book for 100 painful pages hoping that, sooner or later, something would happen that wouldn't have me cringing at the ridiculous situations, unbelievable and unlikeable characters and horrible writing. I should have quit after the first chapter. Skip this one, believe me.
Rating:
Summary: An ambitious and extraordinary work
Review: Albeit, this novel is ancient, 1995, but I have just finished it. What a brilliant seque into the clash of cultures we have all been exploring since homosapiens have existed. A metaphor of life from the perspective of just about every profession and slacker, this novel tackles the ubiquitous relationship of the goddess with contemporary society. It appears that through Sweeney and Dylan's union, there may be a possibility of consenusual ameiability. I was awestricken by some of the Odeyium experiments and often horrified. It exemplified the reality that extremes don't work -- we need to establish a joyful, or at least tolerable, equilibrium.
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Review: This was a very good book. I recommend Mists of Avalon though if want a really good tale about Arthur told from women's points of view (Manely Morgaine and Gwen).
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