MORRIGAN'S CROSS

Author: Nora Roberts ISBN: 0515141658 9/2006 PARANORMAL Publisher: BERKLEY

In the last days of high summer, with lightning striking blue in a black sky, the sorcerer stood on a high cliff overlooking the raging sea ... Belting out his grief into the storm, Hoyt MacCionaoith rails against the evil that has torn his twin brother from their family's embrace. Her name is Lilith. Existing for over a thousand years, she has lured countless men to an immortal doom with her soul-stealing kiss. But now, this woman known as vampire will stop at nothing until she rules this world—and those beyond it... Hoyt is no match for the dark siren. But his powers come from the goddess Morrigan, and it is through her that he will get his chance at vengeance. At Morrigan's charge, he must gather five others to form a ring of power strong enough to overcome Lilith. A circle of six: himself, the witch, the warrior, the scholar, the one of many forms and the one he's lost. And it is in this circle, hundreds of years in the future, where Hoyt will learn how strong his spirit—and his heart—have become ...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Roberts' latest offering, MORRIGAN'S CROSS, the first of her Circle Trilogy, is a different take on the form. While Roberts has frequently brought elements of the paranormal into her fiction, this is her full take on the vampire genre. To the vampires and slayers, she has added her frequent favorites of gods and witches and Ireland. The mix is a bit overwhelming at times, but she pulls it all together.

The goddess Morrigan sees the great vampire queen, Lilith, is about to take over the world, so Morrigan forms a circle of six to defeat her. They come across time and space—a sorcerer, a witch, a warrior, a queen, a shapeshifter, and oh, yes, a vampire. In Roberts' version of the vampire legend, they still seemingly retain much of who they were, but are consumed by tremendous bloodlust once they are turned, and usually become hopelessly vicious. It is obvious that Roberts had great fun with the vampire queen and gives the vampires overall intelligence, which makes them a daunting foe for a small, non-cohesive group.

There is a romance between two of the main characters, but so much is going on as the circle forms that it is a bit more perfunctory than usual.

Roberts' trademark language and flair is evident here as always, and no one who reads this book will be able to avoid picking up the complete trilogy. And why should you? No one does a trilogy like Nora!

Heather Hiestand