I was truly and deeply enamored with the collection of short stories that served as a tribute to Jack Williamson. So much so that I simply couldn't contain my excitement and couldn't wait to explore some of Williamson's own work. This particular book was my very first venture into his literary world, but alas, it turned out to be a tremendous struggle.

To be honest, this book really meandered aimlessly. There were three stories unfolding simultaneously, yet none of them managed to take a firm hold and capture my interest. At times, it felt as if Williamson himself wasn't entirely certain which story to focus on, resulting in a rather disjointed reading experience.

I do take note that this book was written near the latter part of his life. However, I'm willing to give his work the benefit of the doubt. I plan to read some more of his early works from the beginning of his career. I hope that those will offer a different and more engaging perspective.

All in all, based on this initial experience, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. It failed to meet my expectations and left me somewhat disappointed.

I have been revisiting the books I read during my youth to assess how they fare in the present. In truth, this particular book did make an impression on me back then. At that time, the final resolution truly blew my young mind. The unicorns, in particular, captivated my imagination. They were alien and intelligent in a manner that reminded me of Pern's dragons, which I would read a year or two later.

After reading it as an adult, I believe the only reason I remembered this book is that I had not yet read many others similar to it.

In short, it's mediocre. I have read better books, and I have also read worse. If by some chance you have this book and some time to spare, you can give it a try.

Now for the detailed analysis. The aspect that frustrates me about this book and prevents it from being a truly excellent one is the author's decision to write the story mainly from the point of view of one of the least influential characters in the plot. There are numerous instances where other characters are informing him through dialogue about other, far more interesting events that occurred to them. Seriously, I would have much rather read about those events! An entire siege takes place off-page while the "story" dwells on several days of uneventful boat travel. Williamson should have reduced most of Zorn's page time and more thoroughly committed to the multi-POV approach.

It's truly a pity because when he is not describing one guy's worst cross-country road trip, his writing is rather interesting. The scene from the perspective of the invading demon was genuinely compelling. Something I had remembered about Demon Moon was the genre twist. The author does a fairly good job of keeping his cards close to his chest, constructing that bridge between fantasy and science fiction. I think that part still holds up reasonably well. However, that ending was a bit too neat and tidy, haha.