THE BLACK MOON

In a brief preface Graham touches on his present involvement with the 18th century Cornwall Poldark family and its tributaries who have appeared in four much earlier novels: ""It became necessary for me to see what happened to these people. . . ."" Indeed Graham's characters do seem to exist in a more substantial continuum than merely the mind of Graham. And the families of Poldark, Chynoweth and the upstart Warleggans are tangling and spreading like day lilies. Porcelain Elizabeth, of the ancient Chynoweths, and young widow of Francis Poldark, is by this time settled in marriage with icily pragmatic George Warleggan and the fissures are just beginning to show in their careful relationship. Decent, generous Ross Poldark, starting to prosper with his mine, is married to appealing Demelza of the working class Carnes. It is one of Demelza's young brothers, Drake, who loves beyond his station, causing difficulties. Ross is the prime mover here -- as he rescues a man from a French prison, rehabilitates Drake, and crosses into hostile Warleggan territory to converse with ancient Aunt Agatha (nearing one hundred), barely tolerated, and ill used at the house she grew up in. The story opens with a ""Black Moon"" (eclipse) birth of Elizabeth's ""premature"" child, and ends with the death of Agatha, who in a brilliant dying parry at the cruelty of George, destroys his peace of mind forever. A distinct pleasure and outstanding in the genre.