S. Andrew Swann
Specters of the Dawn (1994)
Moreau #3
Reviewed: 2000-10-03

The third novel in Swann's original Moreau trilogy sees the return of Angelica Lopez, the streetwise rabbit from Forests of the Night. Six years have passed since. Angel has moved from Cleveland to the rather more liberal city of San Francisco. Moreaus are still ghettoized second class citizens, but Angel has a job waiting tables and doesn't need to live on the street anymore.

Of course this wouldn't be a Swann novel if our dear protagonist didn't get quickly into big trouble. Angel's peaceful mode of living comes to an abrupt end when her romantic attachment to a moreau fox ends with the canine dead and several mysterious parties leaving a trail of dead bodies in their wake while they try to get hold of something the fox carried. As usual, lots of gory action ensues, Angel's life goes to hell, while all around her racial violence errupts, and eventually she realizes that she has stumbled into something much, much bigger than everybody expected at the outset.

Specters of the Dawn follows the formula of its two prequels. The setting is familiar and there is the customary mix of genetically modified sentient animals (moreaus) and humans (franks), as well as plain humans (pinks). The pacing is more leisurely than the breakneck speed of the previous book. If you ignore the details of her physical traits and previous life history, Angel doesn't come across as a character much different from Nohar or Evi. Her genetically engineered superhuman abilities give her keen sense of smell and superior lower body strength.

An entertaining, if unambitious action yarn with few surprises for readers of the series.

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