Halloween Bingo 2025
Patricia Briggs doesn't like to let a good idea get away, so she writes short fiction about some of the secondary characters in the Mercy Thompson universe. This collection features one of my favourite werewolves, Asil Moreno, otherwise known as Hussan the Moor. Asil played a pivotal role in the very first Alpha & Omega novel, Cry Wolf. While Anna and Charles were the main focus of the story, Asil was chewing the scenery right along side them.
I have learned a fair bit about Asil as the series has progressed. First, he is OLD. Like “hanging out in Europe when Charlemagne was crowned” old. In the third date of this collection, he informs Tami that he is descended from African Berbers and people of the Arabian Peninsula. His skin, a lovely teak colour, reflects this heritage. I knew from Cry Wolf that Asil has a high opinion of himself. He is powerful and he knows it. He is beautiful and he dresses to enhance it. This book reveals what a clothes horse he is. The guy must have an enormous closet.
But the most important thing to know about Asil is that he and his mate Sarai, took in a witch child during Inquisition times and attempted to raise her. She repaid their kindness by torturing Sarai to death and magically ensnaring Sarai's wolf as a guardian. (This is dealt with in Cry Wolf.) Between Asil's age and this painful loss, he has become a highly volatile werewolf who has come to the Marrock's pack to ensure that there is someone powerful enough to put him down should he fully short circuit. Many consider him to be insane and he often agrees with them.
And still, someone has had the nerve to set Asil up on 5 dates from various dating apps. They have produced ground rules to determine the “success” of each date and to protect the innocent. But they also inform Asil that there is a betting pool on the outcomes. These people know how to prick his pride, engage his protective instincts, and inspire his desire to win this “game.”
Three of these dating stories have been previously published in anthologies. The second and fifth dates are brand new. (Now I know the circumstances of the lioness of the second date, hinted at in the story of the third date.) In the acknowledgments at book's end, I learned that we have Kevin J. Anderson to thank/blame for this anthology. (I am somewhat regretting the purchase of the three short story collections that I bought in order to read these stories.) Briggs has cleaned up the previously published works and written connective tissue to smooth the transitions and to give a satisfactory ending. I was surprised at the identity of Asil's Concerned Friend and this has whetted my appetite for the next Alpha & Omega book next year.
This year once again I have the Magical Realism square on my Halloween Bingo card. I couldn't find a suitable book that appealed, so I utilized my Glimmer Potion, lit some candles, and grabbed this brand new book. It is also my 18th book in the 2025 Reading Your Hoard Challenge.
No comments:
Post a Comment