Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Rating:  263 reviews
Sales Rank: 1936
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0441013813
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780441013814
ASIN: 0441013813
Publication Date: January 31, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: GREAT BUY!Brand New From US Distributor! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3,500,000 BOOKS SOLD!!! OVER ~ 600,000 FEEDBACKS ~ POSTED!!!
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Product Description
Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
 Everything that LKH's books should be... but aren't. January 25, 2006
ReadMoreBooks (Georgia)
503 out of 568 found this review helpful
Great mystery. Plenty of red herrings and twists to keep on interested. A great feel for werewolf, vampire, and fae politics - without being preachy.
The heroine is very likeable. Tough without being a "Mary Sue". Smart without feeling a need to make the men around her feel stupid. Funny without being camp.
All in all, a very good read. None of the so called "erotica" that Laurell K. Hamilton insists on brow beating us with, but lots of romantic interests and possible future romance.
I particularly like that this heroine is a self confident business owner, who accepts what she is. She recognizes her limitations of size and strength (against both men and wolves), and accepts that it's okay to leave the fight to others every once in a while.
I will definitely be reading this author again.
A new, dark urban fantasy heroine May 25, 2006
Tom Knapp (Lancaster, PA USA)
55 out of 58 found this review helpful
Authors the likes of Tanya Huff, Laurell K. Hamilton and Charlaine Harris have successfully peopled our modern world with vampires, lycanthropes and other supernatural beings who, to some extent, coexist politely among us mere mortals, living within complex hierarchies, bureaucracies and clan protocols.
Add Patricia Briggs to the list. In Moon Called, she gives us a world where lesser fae beings such as brownies have "come out" to an incredulous public -- were forced out, more accurately, because of increasing advances in technology and forensic investigations -- while the greater fae and supernatural buildings -- werewolves, vampires and such -- remain hidden from popular view. Briggs, best known for high fantasy, makes a smooth transition to its dark, contemporary counterpart with this novel.
Based in the Pacific Northwest, Moon Called focuses on an apparent clan war among werewolves, and Briggs outlines a creative, highly detailed society in which they live. The focal point, however, is Mercy Thompson, auto mechanic and shifter.
Most of the fae population originated in Europe, emigrating to North America along with colonial settlers. Shifters, however, have their roots in Native American traditions, and their powers don't always work by the same rules. Mercy shifts at will to and from coyote form, and even in human form she has enhanced senses and speed.
Mercy becomes involved in the story when a teenager walks into her garage looking for work. She gives him one -- warily, because her senses tell he's a werewolf, and he's not from the local clan. But all too soon, men and werewolves come looking for him, the local Alpha has been attacked in his own home, and a dead body has been left as a warning on Mercy's front porch. The action just heats up from there, as the local seethe of vampires and at least one local witch take an interest. Fortunately, Mercy is quick on her feet and has a keen, analytical mind when it comes to sorting out conspiracy theories.
A gutsy, believable preternatural thriller! January 20, 2007
Snowbrocade (Santa Barbara, CA)
75 out of 84 found this review helpful
Mercy Thompson is a new entry in the tough-chick, alternate universe, preternatural fantasy/thriller genre. In a world where vampires, the fae and werewolves co-exist with humans, Mercy straddles the line as one of the few remaining "walkers" from a Native American magical bloodline whose scions can shift at will into the shape of a coyote.
As a child, Mercy was orphaned and was raised by a pack of werewolves. She ran away from the pack and an early marriage in her teens. Now she lives alone, the owner of her own car repair shop. When Mercy takes in a newly made teen werewolf she unwittingly takes on a whole world of hurt from those who are performing experiments on werewolves. She seeks refuge in her childhood pack and gets to the bottom of the evil cabal preying on young shapeshifters.
Blood Bound is a tautly written action thriller in a believable alternate universe. Her characters are well written, sympathetic and entertaining. Briggs manages to convey the intricacies of this alternate universe without long detailed explanations. There is some romantic tension between Mercy and her old flame, but in mercifully small doses. Very enjoyable and looking forward to the next installment in the series!
It made me a Briggs fan August 24, 2006
Anthrophile (New York, NY)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
This is the least-crappy light/pop werewolf-based novel I have ever read. That is to say, it's GOOD.
I've long been a fan of werewolf mythology -- they always seemed cleaner (morally if not physically; predators instead of sociopaths), wilder, more "natural," and less... well ... pretentious than their vampire counterparts. (Plus, there are far fewer writers doing werewolves, so they're fresher. Even though vamps will always have their Goth-y charm, for me.) But all too often, unless we're talking "literary," Samuel Delaney-esque sci-fi (or something by Dennis Danvers, try "Wilderness," it's BEAUTIFUL), what I've actually seen most often is thinly disguised, substandard romance, Harlequin-book-of-the-month style.
I was expecting what the genre all too often presents, which is a scant excuse for forced, clunky, fanfiction-y erotica. This book was different -- it was engaging and charming, with just enough "sexy" thrown in to be a seasoning to the tale, instead of "trying too hard." What we have here is essentially a murder mystery -- a detective story. (It's what I love about fantasy/sci-fi/spec fic in general -- you can take any genre and hang it upon the supernatural framework: two for one.) Twists and turns and people who you think are going to live...
I bought the book for the most flighty of reasons -- because of the cover. The woman depicted on the front struck me as extremely atypical. Not your normal hot, big-eyed, busty, bookcover material. She's rangy, and tough, and it takes you a long while to decide if she's pretty or not. But she looks like there might be some depth to her, something unexpected. She's obviously thinking, but you're not sure what. Funnily enough, this has wound up being the pretty much the same opinion I have of the book itself. It's pithy and spare, the prose is strong, and it has a couple of new ideas up its sleeves to boot. There is no sap here.
I love the idea of Native American "walkers" (coyote-shifters) being as strong as, and standing in opposition to, the standard Euro-mythological werewolves. I'd love it if Briggs revisited the concept of these walkers in subsequent novels.
After I bought this book I started looking up everything Briggs has written. Really, the woman has a gift. The best I can explain it is, she manages to write "light," fast-paced, easy and quick to get through books without them being dumb. I read this book (and then immediately after, "Dragon's Bones," which... oh, Oreg breaks my heart!!) and felt like they had actually tried to teach me a little something about humanity, something real about people and their psyche, rather than just diverting me for a couple of hours. (Or titillating me to distract me from the lack of plot and logic.) There's real soul here.
I'd say this one's a four-star plot (it IS pop after all), with five-star characters and prose, and knowing more of Briggs now, I'll definitely call her a five-star author. Her characters give you something to hook your heart onto, something to love about them, a reason to root for them, without that feeling that you've seen their type a thousand times before. Briggs is, at the heart, a true storyteller. It's pop with a brain.
Over The Moon Classic February 1, 2006
Alex Devine (GCS, FL USA)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
If I could give this book ten stars, I would. This book was a smattering of 'Kitty and the Midnight Hour', a dollop of Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan books, a dash of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels and a sprinkle of 'Urban Shaman'. This book had everything I could possibly want and more: great characters, a wonderful story and enough intrigue to keep me wanting more.
Moon Called is about a new breed of shapeshifter who has the ability to turn into a coyote. Her name is Mercedes 'Mercy' Thompson. She owns and runs her own garage in The Tri-Cities, Washington. Our story begins when a runaway werewolf, Mac, finds himself at Mercy's garage looking for work for a few bucks. When another werewolf accompanied by a human comes trailing after Mac, Mercy learns that Mac was drugged, encaged and sold to another Alpha Male of another area. That's when the trouble starts. Soon Mercy is involved in a scheme to have the Marrok (The Ulrfic or Werewolf King, for better terms) killed. Who also just happens to be her foster father.
More is the fact that the night that Mac turns up dead on her porch, her sexy neighbor Adam, who is the local werewolf Alpha, is attacked by unknown visitors. Mercy, going with her gut instinct, takes Adam on a roadtrip bleeding and wounded to get help, traveling to her old hometown where she grew up and facing memories she would rather forget, namely a studmuffin werewolf by the name of Samuel.
As the story winds along, Mercy ends up seeking the help of her old boss, Zee, who you learn is a metalworking goblin. (The fey make appearances in this book, just so you know, but only as a shadowing part of the story) Mercy also ends up seeking the help of her vampire friend Stefan. She then finds herself toe to toe with the Mistress of the local vampire sithen, and not in a good way when the mistress tries to take a bite out of Samuel. Wait, there's more.
Just when you think Adam's pack is behind his attack, all the peices start to fall together and you learn the enemy is a little closer to home than you think.
This was an awesome read, one that I know I will read over and over. If Patricia doesn't make a series for Mercy, I think alot of fans will be more than just a little disappointed. She has to! Mercy's character was everything I was hoping it to be: down to earth, couragous and powerful in her own right. Hands down, I can tell you this character is going to give Anita Blake a run for her money! (Much like C.E Murphy's Joanne Walker aka Siohban Walkingstick) Since I had never read any of Patrici's work before this, I was very impressed. Excellent job!
I'm always on the look out for new authors and different perceptions on the whole werewolf/vampire world. Patricia's perception was refreshing and totally captivating. If you are looking for something new in this type of genre, I recommend picking up this book. You won't be disappointed. I promise.
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