A work of fiction with Gothic undertones shifting between present-day and colonial New England, Memoirs of a Shape-Shifter contains within the third-person narrative of Nikki Helmik the found journal of her ancestor, Anne Cleves, written strikingly in first-person. A dramatic story of love, loss, and Druid magic, Anne’s journal strangely echoes Nikki’s own struggle to resolve the crises in her life. Haunted and inspired by her ancestor, Nikki becomes a Druid magician, resolving for herself the deadly attraction between power and love.

Memoirs of a Shape-Shifter
By Thomas Kaplan-Maxfield
Kepler Press (2005)
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (3/06)

I thoroughly enjoyed “Memoirs of a Shape-shifter.”  Most gothic type stories
tend to be to short for me, just as I am getting into the story, it is over.  Not
so with “Memoirs.” The story takes you from modern times, through early
America, then back into ancient Ireland. The journey follows a modern
woman, Nikki, on her journey of self-discovery as a woman and as a Druidic
priestess, down the path of her ancestor Anne Cleves.

At 40 years of age, Nikki starts exploring her past and how experiences in
her childhood, especially with her abusive father have affected her
emotionally.  These experiences have especially affected her ability to love.  
As Nikki explores her past she learns about the women in her family’s
involvement with witchcraft and druidism.  She begins to follow this path and
is able to heal herself.

This story is very suspenseful and the characters are well developed.  I
highly recommend this book to people who enjoy suspenseful novels that
have a touch of magic in them.   The way that the author is able to intertwine
the past with the present really allows for some rich reading.  His descriptive
text makes the reader feel more like they are enjoying a movie instead of
reading printed material.