Waking the Moon
core novel 1994 Waking the Moon
Record
| First published | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.81 (2,463 ratings, collected 2026-09-28) |
| Page count | 390 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780061052149 |
Synopsis
Katherine Sweeney Cassidy arrives as a freshman at the University of the Archangels and St. John the Divine in Washington, D.C., a Gothic campus of towers and shadowed cloisters, expecting only to drink, party and drift. In her first class she is transfixed by two charismatic students, the beautiful Angelica di Rienzi and the brilliant, strange Oliver Crawford, and to her surprise they draw her into their circle. What none of them yet understands is that the university is a stronghold of the Benandanti, an ancient brotherhood of scholars and mages who have secretly steered civilisation for thousands of years and who have watched for the signs of the return of the Moon Goddess they once suppressed. Now the signs have come, and Angelica and Oliver are her chosen ones. Sweeney witnesses a murder that binds her to their fate, and the struggle that follows will run on for decades.
Where it sits
- Universe: Waking the Moon
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Elizabeth Hand
Awards (verified)
- James Tiptree, Jr. Award, 1995: won; Co-winner; some sources give 1996, the year of presentation.
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 1996: won
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 1995: nominated
Notes
- First published as a 598-page UK paperback (HarperCollins, 1994); the 1995 US hardcover (HarperPrism) was revised with cuts and is the author's preferred text. ISBN recorded is the US edition's.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Elizabeth Hand (official site)
- https://metaphysicalcircus.com/waking-the-moon-by-elizabeth-hand-a-review/
- feministsf.org
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