Steeped in the explosive passion and seductive power of Anne Rice, this novel is an unforgettable tale of modern love and ancient ritual. Within the imposing towers ofWashington, D.C.'s University of the Archangels and St. John the Divine, a clandestine order prevails. The Benandanti has secretly manipulated every government, every church, every institution in the world since antiquity. But now the Moon Goddess has returned. And she wants her world back.
**
### From Publishers Weekly
When Sweeney Cassidy, a naive freshman at the University of the Archangels and St. John the Divine in Washington, D.C., falls in with the wrong crowd, she is expelled for taking part in a lurid escapade. But Hand (Icarus Descending) offers no usual tale of adolescent antics in this full-blooded gothic fantasy. The university is a haven of the Benandanti, who for millennia have guarded against the return of their ancient foe, Othiym Lunarsa, the Moon Goddess. In Hand's post-feminist tale, however, the goddess is not a comfortable earth mother figure but a powerful destroyer. The Benandanti are unaware that Sweeney's friends Oliver and Angelica are the Chosen Ones, whose violent coupling under the moon will begin to wake Othiym. Oliver kills himself, Angelica disappears and Sweeney is whisked away by the Benandanti. Twenty years later, Sweeney's summer intern at the National Museum of Natural History turns out to be the son of her old classmates, the result of that wild moonlit night. Young Dylan's mother has become Angelica Furiano, a New Age author with a large following of goddess worshippers. As Angelica's power grows, fed by the blood of young men, she is gradually becoming the goddess. But Sweeney, vowing to thwart the transformation, confronts Othiym in an apocalyptic showdown. Blending the ancient with the modern, the fantastic with the real, Hand has created a violently sensual fable helped by smart pacing and vibrant prose.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
### Review
"A potent socio-erotic ghost story for our looming Millennium." -- *-- William Gibson, author of *Neuromancer* and *Virtual Light**
"An extraordinary work--An ambitious, erotically charged thriller" -- *-- Clive Barker, author of *Everville**
"Ms. Hand is a superior stylist." -- *-- *The New York Times Book Review**
"Superior. An author worth watching, not to mention recommending." -- *-- *Booklist**
"The tropic lushness of Hand's descriptions are only one reward awaiting her reader." -- *-- *The Cleveland Plain Dealer**
"A potent socio-erotic ghost story for our looming Millennium." -- *William Gibson, author of *Neuromancer* and *Virtual Light**
"An extraordinary workAn ambitious, erotically charged thriller" -- *Clive Barker, author of *Everville**
"Ms. Hand is a superior stylist." -- **The New York Times Book Review**
"Superior. An author worth watching, not to mention recommending." -- **Booklist**
"The tropic lushness of Hand's descriptions are only one reward awaiting her reader." -- **The Cleveland Plain Dealer**
Description:
Steeped in the explosive passion and seductive power of Anne Rice, this novel is an unforgettable tale of modern love and ancient ritual. Within the imposing towers ofWashington, D.C.'s University of the Archangels and St. John the Divine, a clandestine order prevails. The Benandanti has secretly manipulated every government, every church, every institution in the world since antiquity. But now the Moon Goddess has returned. And she wants her world back. ** ### From Publishers Weekly When Sweeney Cassidy, a naive freshman at the University of the Archangels and St. John the Divine in Washington, D.C., falls in with the wrong crowd, she is expelled for taking part in a lurid escapade. But Hand (Icarus Descending) offers no usual tale of adolescent antics in this full-blooded gothic fantasy. The university is a haven of the Benandanti, who for millennia have guarded against the return of their ancient foe, Othiym Lunarsa, the Moon Goddess. In Hand's post-feminist tale, however, the goddess is not a comfortable earth mother figure but a powerful destroyer. The Benandanti are unaware that Sweeney's friends Oliver and Angelica are the Chosen Ones, whose violent coupling under the moon will begin to wake Othiym. Oliver kills himself, Angelica disappears and Sweeney is whisked away by the Benandanti. Twenty years later, Sweeney's summer intern at the National Museum of Natural History turns out to be the son of her old classmates, the result of that wild moonlit night. Young Dylan's mother has become Angelica Furiano, a New Age author with a large following of goddess worshippers. As Angelica's power grows, fed by the blood of young men, she is gradually becoming the goddess. But Sweeney, vowing to thwart the transformation, confronts Othiym in an apocalyptic showdown. Blending the ancient with the modern, the fantastic with the real, Hand has created a violently sensual fable helped by smart pacing and vibrant prose. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. ### Review "A potent socio-erotic ghost story for our looming Millennium." -- *-- William Gibson, author of *Neuromancer* and *Virtual Light** "An extraordinary work--An ambitious, erotically charged thriller" -- *-- Clive Barker, author of *Everville** "Ms. Hand is a superior stylist." -- *-- *The New York Times Book Review** "Superior. An author worth watching, not to mention recommending." -- *-- *Booklist** "The tropic lushness of Hand's descriptions are only one reward awaiting her reader." -- *-- *The Cleveland Plain Dealer** "A potent socio-erotic ghost story for our looming Millennium." -- *William Gibson, author of *Neuromancer* and *Virtual Light** "An extraordinary workAn ambitious, erotically charged thriller" -- *Clive Barker, author of *Everville** "Ms. Hand is a superior stylist." -- **The New York Times Book Review** "Superior. An author worth watching, not to mention recommending." -- **Booklist** "The tropic lushness of Hand's descriptions are only one reward awaiting her reader." -- **The Cleveland Plain Dealer**