Moonshine (novel)

For other uses, see Moonshine (disambiguation).

Moonshine
Author(s)	Rob Thurman
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Roc Fantasy
Publication date	March 6, 2007
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	352 pp
ISBN	0-451-46-1398
OCLC Number	85479295
LC Classification	CPB Box no. 2704 vol. 16
Preceded by	Nightlife
Followed by	Madhouse

Moonshine is the second fantasy novel by Rob Thurman, and the second in her series featuring the monster hunter/private investigator Cal Leandros.

Plot summary

Moonshine is the sequel to Nightlife. The plot revolves around Caliban Leandros (Cal), and his older brother, Niko, as they and their friends try to rescue the psychic Georgina from a mysterious gangster.

The gangster being Caleb, who incites the brothers to attempt to steal one of a pair of mysterious crowns called the Calabassa. Caleb informs the brothers that the current owner of the crown is an under boss in the Kin, the werewolf mafia, called Cerberus. After the initial meeting with Caleb, a werewolf called Flay is used to contact the brothers with information regarding George. Cal ends up having to work for Cerberus in order to find the crown, and finds that Flay also works for Cerberus under Caleb's orders. Caliban finds the crown, but is attacked by Cerberus. To his surprise, Flay ends up assisting him in killing the Kin boss. After killing Cerberus, the crown is stolen by one of the Auphe, who were thought to have all been killed by the brothers the previous year.

The brothers then visit Abbagor, the troll under the Brooklyn bridge, in order to possibly find out about the whereabouts of the other crown. While there, Abbagor tells the brothers that the crown is used to steal from others, and is among gypsies, but then once again shows his tendency towards violence when he attacks Cal and Niko. Caliban discovers he has the ability to tear a wormhole in space, a trait handed down from his Auphe father, and escapes the disaster. Niko also escapes. They then find out that Flay is forced to work for Caleb, who is holding Flay's son Slay as a hostage. They allow Flay to help them in retrieving the crown for that reason. The task to discover the crown's location is then passed to Goodfellow because of his numerous friends and connections, and he discovers the whereabouts of the crown in a gypsy clan in the Everglades. They then go to acquire it.

Once back in New York, Caleb contacts them to make the exchange at the werewolf bar Moonshine. Cal, Niko, Goodfellow, Promise, and Flay lead an all out assault on the bar only to realize that Georgina isn't being held there, but they do find Slay. In a twist, they also find Caleb, dead. After Caleb's employer, the most powerful and oldest puck named Hobgoblin or Hob, takes Niko and the crown, the remaining use Flay's wolf sense of smell to track Hob down. They find out that Hob wants the Calabassa and George in order to steal her psychic ability, and Niko's blood is going to be used to steal George's ability. Caliban has an idea from his earlier escape from Abbagor, and, after separating Hob from the others, he opens a portal to Tumulus, the Auphe realm, and throws the evil puck through before sealing it.

Once home, Cal and George are talking about their relationship together. George is trying to get Cal to realize that she loves him and wants to be with him, but Cal is reluctant because he feels that he is a danger to her, especially after everything that has happened. The book ends with Cal closing the door on Georgina after telling her to use her ability to look into the future to assure her own safety.

Characters

Main characters

• Caliban "Cal" Leandros

Caliban is the result of his mother mating with an otherworldly creature, a Grendel (Auphe). Although Cal is half-monster, he is also half-human and therefore looks like every other inhabitant of Manhattan. Cal inherited his Greek-Romani mother's raven hair, but has the pale skin of his father. Realistically, Cal should be 18-years-old, but wherever he went when he was kidnapped aged him about two years, so he's now 20. He used to work at a local bar, but has since switched to working as a body guard with Niko.

• Promise Nottinger

Promise is a vampire living in the Upper East Side. She has had five wealthy husbands who have all died of natural causes. She is a co-partner of the brothers' bodyguard service. She is described as being beautiful and elegant.

• Niko Leandros

Niko is Cal's older half-brother and only sibling. He is described as being handsome, with the nose of a Roman soldier. Because of this he is often referred to by Cal as Cyrano. As their mother was neglectful and really didn't pay much attention to them, Niko took to looking out for his younger brother at a young age. Considered the "practical" one of the pair, Niko is calm, enjoys meditating and natural foods. Until recently, he was known for his long, blond hair that was usually worn in a braid, but he chopped it off (in traditional Romani mourning style) when he believed he had lost Cal the previous year. He is now sporting a goatee to make up for that. Although Niko has no relation to the Auphe, he is as tough as nails and practices many types of martial arts. Niko also works as a body guard with Cal.

• Rob Fellows

Rob Fellows, more commonly known as Robin Goodfellow, is one of the last known Pucks in existence. He poses as a car salesman and due to his sly, sneaky nature, fits in very naturally. Goodfellow is described as good-looking with a constant look of mischief on his face. Although seemingly perverted and selfish, he eventually proves to be useful to the brothers and becomes a good friend.

• Flay*

Flay is a member of the Kin and an obligated pion working for Caleb. He has a mutual dislike for the others, except promise, and only helps them in the hope of finding his son who Caleb kidnapped. He is described as being an albino werewolf who is "stuck with a paw in both worlds", meaning that his appearance is never completely human, nor wolf.

• Georgina "George" King

George is a 18-year-old psychic who befriended the brothers when they first arrived in Manhattan. Small and biracial with curly red hair, George is one of the only people aware of Cal's secret of being half Auphe. She's very mature for her age and Cal often finds himself fascinated and attracted to her. George has made Cal aware of her feelings toward him, but he refuses her because he's afraid of hurting her. She adamantly refuses to use her psychic gift to look into her own future, or to change any prominent points in any one else's future.

Secondary characters

• Slay*

Slay is the young pup of Flay, who was kidnapped by Caleb. Unlike his father, he is able to change from completely human to completely wolf.

• Abbagor*

Abbagor is a troll living under the Brooklyn bridge. Though he completely isolates himself from the world above, he seems to have knowledge of almost everything ancient. He claims to live for fighting and actually likes the Auphe to a degree because they are the only ones who give him a real challenge. He is made of gray tubules and has acidic blood, and is very vaguely shaped like a man. Abbagor is around 9 feet tall and almost that wide, with a small head, and only small indentations in his head for eyes. His voice, surprisingly, is very clear and human in sound, contradicting his overall monstrous appearance and personality.

External links