When it comes to astrology books, Noel Tyl’s The Missing Moon isn’t the first thing you would normally come to mind. It looks more like a paperback than something that would sit on an astrologer’s bookshelf. There’s a reason for that: This is astrology fiction, and it’s really enjoyable at that.
The Missing Moon is a collection of nine short stories with a consistent cast of characters throughout. The setting is the professional astrology practice of Michael Mercury and his faithful assistant, Callisto, though she spends most of the book being referred to as “Cally”.
The stories are a lot of fun and blend astrology with humor, with titles like “Case of the Partile Personality”, and “Case of the Thespian Mars, as well as the eponymous “Case of the Missing Moon”. It very much reminds me in some ways of the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew style of mystery, only told from an astrological perspective rather than the physical evidence or events.
Noel Tyl is a prolific astrologer whose work is well known in astrology circles. One of the things that makes the book so interesting is that the mysteries each revolve around astrology. Charts are also included in the book so you can follow along and see what’s going on for yourself.
The one caveat for this book is that to appreciate it fully, you need to have at least an intermediate level of astrology. The more astrology you know, the more you’ll enjoy it. So I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners; there are times when you really won’t know what’s going on if you don’t have a solid astrology foundation. And because the plot revolves around astrology charts and concepts, if you don’t know enough you will be disappointed.
This makes a great gift for intermediate astrologers and up, and while I was challenged at times I found it a fun read and a nice change of pace from nonfiction astrology texts: I learned a thing or two and had some fun.
~review by John Marani
Author: Noel Tyl
Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015 (first published in 1979)
pp.165, $11.50
