There has been an explosion in explicitly Pagan and Pagan-friendly literature. Science fiction and fantasy, and their attendant sub genres, children’s books and teen books, mystery and historical fiction and romance (especially of the paranormal variety), are rich with Deities and mythologies and practitioners of the Old/New Ways. This anthology — the second following A Witch Among Wolves, and Other Pagan Tales — continues the tradition of Pagan authors writing Pagan tales for a Pagan audience. “Black Leopard” is a contemporary magical realism tale centering on Dionysus, while “Crossroads” finds a young girl voicing a heartfelt prayer to Hekate. “Hysthaany” follows a small community of Sekhmet devotees into outer space on a mission of mercy, while “Mr. West” finds Osiris paying a visit to a modern-day mortician. “Seeds” is set in a dystopian future of environmental degradation, while the title story, “The Serpent in the Throat,” is an adventure-horror tale set in ancient Canaan.
