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Review of Book of the Weaver
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The Book of the Weaver describes in greater detail than I've seen elsewhere the role and function of the Weaver in the Werewolf mythology. I found most of the information presented in the book a logical, almost obvious, extension of material which has been presented elsewhere. If one spends any time reading and thinking about the Werewolf history, it is obvious that the Weaver is at least as, if not more, dangerous than the Wyrm. After all, the Weaver was the one who sundered the Wyrm; clearly she was the first to fracture the harmony of the triat. The Book of the Weaver outlines this rather delicious irony. The Garou's obsession with the Wyrm has blinded them to the Weaver's threat. Not only do the Garou fail to notice the threat posed by the Weaver, but many Garou, particularly the Glasswalkers, are active, albeit unwitting, partners.
Several years ago, I contemplated writing an adventure based on this thesis. An adventure in which the Garou, faced by a threat, continually escalated their warfare against the Wyrm until they compromised everything they held dear. Only at that point would I have revealed that the Weaver had manipulated them throughout and now she was unstoppable. The climax would have been a Ragnarok, wherein the Garou had the chance to fight one last epic battle. I think there would have been the chance for some real drama, the chance for players and characters to examine their reactions to hope and despair. I never wrote that adventure, both because I didn't think I could find enough players willing to trade their spandex for viking horns, and because there simply wasn't enough detail in teh Werewolf universe to make the story work. The bad new is there still isn't enough. I'll grant that conveying what J. Campbell calls "creative myth" is a difficult job. James Joyce didn't succeed at making "Ulysses" accessible. Neither has White Wolf. The Werewolf myth, like all myths is huge, complete with ornament and contradiction. The problem is that while it may be OK for Joyce's works to be read by esoteric appreciations societies, White Wolf wants to make it possible for storytellers and players to extend the Werewolf myth, to fill in the spaces and the edges. This book doesn't really help do that.
That's what leads me to compare St. Paul with Ethan Skemp. Paul took a vision which was shared by a small community of people and repackaged it for mass consumption. Unfortunately, in the process he created an institution which was in tension with its origins. [Those of you who wish to argue my interpretation of Paul and Jesus are welcome to write me at wumpus@/dev/null.] The Werewolf books take a vision shared by the White Wolf writers and try to communicate it to a mass audience. [Some of my pagan friends argue that the vision is actually real - that Mr. Skemp has accurately described their journeys in the otherworlds. I'll avoid taking a position there, except to note that it supports my view that the vision is available only to the initiates.] When one tries to convey a vision, the listeners inevitably get confused about which details are important.
Book of the Weaver adds dozens, perhaps hundreds of details here and there. The quality of those details range from the very useful (e.g. a description of what kind of biotech and cybernetics are possible for each of the players in the Werewolf universe) to the simply evocative (e.g. some of the items, which are many words describing a simple idea). The backhistory and the fiction are interesting parables which initiate us into the myths of the Weaver and Gaia's children. Unfortunately, the vision of the Werewolf universe is Gotterdamerung, and apocalypse. That vision is inspiring to the potential storyteller, but there is insufficient framework to allow most storytellers to operate within the vision.
Book of the Weaver is rich with irony, and humor, both intentional and accidental. For example on one page it criticized the worshippers of Yahweh for intolerance. This would be amusing enough coming from the Garou, who are after all the KKK of the White Wolf Universe, but on the same page they offer unthinking fundamentalist praise to Gaia which is precisely as dogmatic as the accusations against the worshippers of Yahweh. Alternatively one can consider the reaction of the Weaver to the technology used to print and distribute this diatribe against her.
This book transforms the Glasswalkers into one of the more interesting tribes. A tribe of tragic heroes, rich with pathos, flawed in a classically satisfying fashion. This is a masterful touch, and probably the best part of the book. If you're a Glasswalker fan, you'll probably want your storyteller to read this; I know I wanted to play a Glasswalker while I was reading it. The notion that factions within the Glasswalkers' kidnap Lupus and install cyberware on them against their will is as rich dark and droll as anything White Wolf has written. They are portrayed as a tribe sliding slowly and perhaps inexorably into a quisling relationship with the Weaver. The pages in this part of the book are roiling with with stories, struggling to get free of the page and into play.
There are new critters and new items. Some are clever, most simply use up ink. Compliant with the industry standard there is a proto-adventure, complete with verbose sketches of the NPC's which any competent story teller wouldn't bother to read. The critters are described with sketchy details to suggest that they're actually capable of interacting with someone not wearing spandex, but we all know that a White Wolf player not wearing spandex is about a likely as an honest president.
Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)
