The Book of Spirits

After reading Book of Shadows, the first entry in the Herculine trilogy, I thought that it was a Gothic novel on par with the ultimate in the form, Melmoth the Wanderer. After reading the second I'd say even that book has been surpassed. Slowly, SLOWLY reading these books -- I lingered over this one for six months -- has been one of the most pleasurable experiences of my life. The Herculine trilogy is nothing less than revolutionary for many reasons. Let me just rattle off a few off the top of my head -- they are winding, labyrinthine, messy, rich and detailed in an era of workshopped pre-fab boredom -- they are politically incorrect and show witches for what they really are, not sympathetic victims of religious bigots a la The Crucible and every single book about witches that came after it -- they are more historically accurate than any of the junk you'll find in the "history" section of your local propaganda outlet i.e. bookshop -- they are incredibly evocative, and this book recreates miasmic, Dantesque visions of colonial American cities in your mind in such detail that it feels like virtual reality. In fact these books are so good, and "James Reese" is so vague in his one interview that exists, that I actually suspect these of being written by a secret society of some kind, or maybe even a vampire using a pen name. "Reese" is just too knowledgeable about the occult engine of recent history, and it strikes me as fairly unbelievable that any single human could have written 1,500 or so pages of exquisite prose with this much research in such a short space of time. But if he did, prosit. The Book of Spirits sensuously carries you, like Mephistopheles flying with Faust through the air, through setpiece after setpiece, each one more grisly and unsettling than the last. After Herculine's arrival in America, and her misadventures trying to free the mulatto slave-girl Celia, Reese unveils two unforgettable sequences. The first plays out in a place called Cyprian House, a witchly brothel that not only caters to the politicians of Old New York, but makes their careers as well. It seems you're no one in politics until you've given a witch the power to blackmail you -- keep that in mind next time you waste your day voting! The madam of this brothel is a lazy, fickle woman who forgets promises made to her charges, and puts them into situations that could even turn a witchly stomach, all the while pretending to be their best friend and surrogate mommy; witches in general do not seem big on loyalty or compassion. But she is nothing compared to Sweet Marie, a hag with a Prospero-like command of the animal kingdom, as well as an army of undead. Truly, the stench of hell rises from these pages. What Reese shows so well, in increasingly extreme forms, is how the witch, detached from spirit, sinks into materiality, physicality, a kind of corruption and rot that turns humans into animals, and then into some kind of psychopathic fungus, worse than

THE BOOK OF SPIRITS is the sequel to James Reese's THE BOOK OF SHADOWS, the first volume in the saga of Herculine, a child of Hermes and Aphrodite and a timid witch with a dual gender who is unaware of the strength of her powers. We join Herculine in the year 1826 on a long ocean crossing from France to Virginia. Aboard the ship, Herculine becomes entranced by violet-eyed Celia, a young slave possessed of an astounding beauty. After a grueling voyage, during which Herculine keeps a steady eye on Celia and her master, the ship docks in Richmond. There, Herculine is led to a damaged old seeress, Mother-of-Venus. She tells Herculine what the future holds, a future entwined with that of Celia's. Recognizing Herculine as a witch of some peculiar uniqueness, Mammy Venus prepares her for the difficult task of freeing Celia. Aiding in the plot for flight is none other than Edgar Poe, his sister Rosalie, and his mother Eliza Poe, all of whom figure prominently into the story. Poe's mother makes an appearance as the ghost she is by 1826, recounting her part in the horrific Richmond Theater fire, in which it is said that over 70 people died. James Reese has taken the events of this tragic night and imagined a whole new set of circumstances for the fire's origin, one involving mischievous spirits. Old Mammy Venus was there that long-ago night with her owners, for she was also a slave, whole and healthy. By the end of that dreadful day, she was clinging to life by a thread, severely burned and disfigured from her heroic attempts to save trapped and disoriented victims. Mammy's past, so full of agony and cruelty, has made her adamant that Celia must be wrenched away from her abusive master, and Herculine is the one who must do it. Herculine succeeds, but finds herself tempted to abuse Celia similarly, for she grievously has been smitten since first she laid eyes on her. Driven by this obsession, Herculine casts a love spell over her, bewitching her completely, but soon shrinks in self-disgust. Horrified at what she has done, she flees to Manhattan to seek the counsel of a host of witches at a place called Cyprian House. During her quite extended stay there, dressing in female attire, Herculine learns the ways of the House, entertaining herself --- and her colorful housemates --- in a cornucopia of sexual experiments and delights. Once Herculine has been given an answer to her dilemma --- how to unbewitch Celia --- she begins her return trip home. Finding that Celia has fled their house back in Florida, Herculine embarks on a search that takes her into Indian country, where she beseeches everyone she meets to give her word of Celia's whereabouts. Her journey becomes a penance of sorts, during which her desire to set things right begins to outweigh her love for Celia. As she traces Celia's trail, she is warned about Sweet Marie, an inaptly named and very nasty witch of impressive power. Nonetheless, she seeks Sweet Marie's aid in finding Celia. Herculine may

Fans of the tales of Herculine can finally rejoice that we have her back in our midst! Mr. Reese has triumphed with the sequel to his dark and lovely "Shadows." "Spirits" is an extraordinary plunge into the further adventures of the witch Herculine, who has now made it Stateside. One can almost feel the humidity in Mr. Reese's descriptive prose -- the sentences are pure poetry and his characters are so vividly drawn that we just dive in.

I was really sad when I finished reading this book. I wanted it to go on forever! But I guess I shall just have to wait for Reese's next book. This story was quite poignant, bringing Herculine's character out even more vividly than in the first book. Seeing her growth as she forges into a new country was exciting; through her eyes we witness haunting new places, and new characters stunningly visualized by Reese's great skill. The author took many liberties with historical characters, events, and places, but that was more than okay with me! After all, that's what creative writing is all about, right? I love Herculine even more after reading this book. Her flaws and tragic blunders only make her more likeable. I only hope Mr. Reese will come up with more adventures from Herculine SOON!

I have waited many months for this book - the sequel to The Book of Shadows, which I loved. I have to say the wait was worth it. The Book of Spirits continues to tell the story of Herculine, this time in America in the early 1800's. Lots of history here, plenty of "other-worldliness", and a story that kept me turning the pages. Anne Rice, who is quoted on the front of the book, is right. It is wonderful to have James Reese exploring and transcending the gothic genre.