Short Story Saturday: The Star of David

Title: The Star of David (from the anthology Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson)

Author: Patricia Briggs

Date of Publication: September 2, 2014

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Number of Pages: 34

Synopsis: "So I was asked to write a Christmas story about werewolves. David Christiansen, who appeared in Moon Called, had such a tragic history, I couldn't help but write a Christmas story for him. A fellow army ranger, he and Adam were the only survivors of a mission gone bad in the Vietnam War. They returned stateside, only to discover that they had been turned into the beast they had defeated. David is, more than my of my wolves, suffering from the traditional curse of the werewolf. A good man who, while in his wolf form was in control, killed the very last person he wanted to hurt." - Patricia Briggs, Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson

My Review:

The Star of David was my other least favorite of this collection. Though it had a heart warming message, I didn't particularly enjoy the story and I wasn't as caught up in the action as I was during other stories in this anthology. The characters in this one felt a little distant and I just didn't connect to them the way I usually connect to Briggs's characters.

I don't remember David at all from the series, but it's been awhile since I read Moon Called. However the farther I read into the story it became obvious why I had forgotten him, David definitely isn't my favorite character and though his story is sad I just didn't feel any connection to him. Because David seemed so detached from the tragedy around him it made it hard for me to really get into his character and relate to him.

The most interesting part of the story was getting introduced to a seldom seen type of character in the Mercy world, wizards. Though the series has its fair share of female witches I'm excited to see how wizards differ and learn more about Devonte and his powers. While the plot taking place in the hospital after the attack was okay I was much more interested in how Devonte discovered his powers and the circumstances that caused him to use them.

Even though The Star of David wasn't my favorite it was an enjoyable story nevertheless and a nice addition to the Shifting Shadows anthology. However, if you only have limited time I would suggest reading this one last.

3/5