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I expected this book to suck harder than a black hole. Previous titles in this series haven't had a good time with the critics, and they haven't aged well either. I am pleased to see that this one doesn't follow that path.

The book is about the Garou and their efforts against the Red Star, called "Anthelios", lest said star devour and consume Helios. It begins with the birth of a perfect metis cub--no deformities--and the prophecy surrounding such a birth. It continues with a trip through the Aetherial Reaches, and it ends with a struggle against the Wyrm forces involved.

The Introduction sets the stage. Here is where you're told what this book is all about, where you learn of the specialized jargon used in the body of the book, and everything else you need to know in order for the rest of the book to be useful.

Chapter One revisits the Aetherial Reaches. The book does this in the form of an in-character tour, starting with the Moon and going throughout the solar system. Each planet has a realm, with a ruling Incarna, and a reason to send Garou PCs there. I liked all of them, but I'm particularly pleased with the realms for Mars and the Asteroid Belt. Those really got my attention, and I immediately concieved of how to work quests to those realms into a campaign. Some of you will be pleased to notice that most of them will become totems, grant Gifts, award treasures, and provide other boons to deserving packs.

Chapter Two is all about Garou astrology. This is long overdue, as it is describes a astrological system and calendar that is unique to the Garou Nation. There is also information on Chinese astrology and how it relates to the Garou tradition, but that matters little either way. The Garou-specific stuff is reason enough for me to like this piece of the book.

Chapter Three is all about Storytelling. This time, the focus is on the use of prophecy and omens in role-playing. I've read about this in other places, so there's nothing here that I haven't seen before, but that doesn't mean that it's bad. It's solid advice, and I do recommend that you read and absorb this information if you've not done so already.

Chapter Four has the adventure. It's a doozy, and to say more would be to spoil it for your and your fellow gamers. I put this with the likes of "Under a Blood Red Moon". Your PCs are in the thick of a struggle so grand that it could doom all Creation, and if they succeed then the Garou Nation may well see a Renaisance. It's that important.

Chapter Five has all of the new toys. All of the Gifts, Abilities, Talens, Fetishes, and other things mentioned earlier in the book are here with all of the relevant game information required to play with them. All of them have anti-munchkin failsafes built into them, so you need not worry about imported characters carrying Ice Klaives or other such nonsense.

The appendix has our first Umbral sept, the Sept of the Stars, based in the Reaches. All of the important sept members have descriptions in this section, and so do all of the Black Spirals and spirits that earlier sections mentioned. This is keen because of the nature of the creation. When was the last Umbral sept published? Do you remember? I didn't think so.

The final word: It's worthy of a Werewolf fan's money. Get it.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Rage Across the Heavens
Author: Jackie Cassada, Nicky Rea Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Game Studio Line: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Cost: $17.95 (US) Page count: 128 pages ISBN: 1-56504-308-1 SKU: WW3110 Capsule Review by Bradford C. Walker on 08/03/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day Horror Conspiracy Gothic	I expected this book to suck harder than a black hole. Previous titles in this series haven't had a good time with the critics, and they haven't aged well either. I am pleased to see that this one doesn't follow that path. The book is about the Garou and their efforts against the Red Star, called "Anthelios", lest said star devour and consume Helios. It begins with the birth of a perfect metis cub--no deformities--and the prophecy surrounding such a birth. It continues with a trip through the Aetherial Reaches, and it ends with a struggle against the Wyrm forces involved. The Introduction sets the stage. Here is where you're told what this book is all about, where you learn of the specialized jargon used in the body of the book, and everything else you need to know in order for the rest of the book to be useful. Chapter One revisits the Aetherial Reaches. The book does this in the form of an in-character tour, starting with the Moon and going throughout the solar system. Each planet has a realm, with a ruling Incarna, and a reason to send Garou PCs there. I liked all of them, but I'm particularly pleased with the realms for Mars and the Asteroid Belt. Those really got my attention, and I immediately concieved of how to work quests to those realms into a campaign. Some of you will be pleased to notice that most of them will become totems, grant Gifts, award treasures, and provide other boons to deserving packs. Chapter Two is all about Garou astrology. This is long overdue, as it is describes a astrological system and calendar that is unique to the Garou Nation. There is also information on Chinese astrology and how it relates to the Garou tradition, but that matters little either way. The Garou-specific stuff is reason enough for me to like this piece of the book. Chapter Three is all about Storytelling. This time, the focus is on the use of prophecy and omens in role-playing. I've read about this in other places, so there's nothing here that I haven't seen before, but that doesn't mean that it's bad. It's solid advice, and I do recommend that you read and absorb this information if you've not done so already. Chapter Four has the adventure. It's a doozy, and to say more would be to spoil it for your and your fellow gamers. I put this with the likes of "Under a Blood Red Moon". Your PCs are in the thick of a struggle so grand that it could doom all Creation, and if they succeed then the Garou Nation may well see a Renaisance. It's that important. Chapter Five has all of the new toys. All of the Gifts, Abilities, Talens, Fetishes, and other things mentioned earlier in the book are here with all of the relevant game information required to play with them. All of them have anti-munchkin failsafes built into them, so you need not worry about imported characters carrying Ice Klaives or other such nonsense. The appendix has our first Umbral sept, the Sept of the Stars, based in the Reaches. All of the important sept members have descriptions in this section, and so do all of the Black Spirals and spirits that earlier sections mentioned. This is keen because of the nature of the creation. When was the last Umbral sept published? Do you remember? I didn't think so. The final word: It's worthy of a Werewolf fan's money. Get it. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Rage Across the Heavens