Product Description
"The soul is a magician. Only living flesh hampers it."
-- from Death's Master

Death's Master, winner of the August Derleth Award for Fantasy, is the second book of the stunning arabesque high fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth, which, in the manner of the One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales.

Long time ago when the Earth was Flat, beautiful indifferent Gods lived in the airy Upperearth realm above, curious passionate demons lived in the exotic Underearth realm below, and mortals were relegated to exist in the middle.

Uhlume, Lord of Death, second of the Lords of Darkness, King of Shadow and Pallor, makes an unusual bargain which sets in motion an intricate sequence of events that entangle men and gods, queens and kings, sorcerers and witches, and lowly wanderers. When the secret to immortality falls into human hands, dark magic and wickedness are unleashed, testing the bounds of mortal love and sanity, and questioning the nature and purpose of life itself.

Come within this ancient world of brilliant darkness and beauty, of glittering palaces and wondrous elegant beings, of cruel passions and undying love.

Rediscover the exotic wonder that is the Flat Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

My favorite of the Flat Earth books.
I honestly could not tell you how many times I have read this book (or the entire series, in fact). While I liked all of the books in the series, Death's Master is the one that has stayed most clearly in my memory. The stories of Zhirem, Kassafeh and Simmu have stayed with me for many years.

For those of you not familiar with Tanith Lee, she writes lush prose and in this series focuses on creating a cycle of stories which interconnect. Although it would be easy to go over the top, she somehow manages to always stay on the good side of going too far. Although any of the books in the Flat Earth series can be read as stand alone novels, I believe that you will be more quickly immersed in her world if you begin with Night's Master (the first in the series).

I first read it as a pre-teen (snuck home from a garage sale). However, it is not for nothing that these books are called "adult fantasy". Caution recommended for younger readers.

Death's Master
This was the second book I ever read by Tanith Lee, the first was the Silver Metal Lover.I stumbled across it in used book store, read it in a couple of hours and then ran out to find the rest of the series.I love Lee's fantasy novels and this series is probably her best.

The story takes place over an extended period of time and tells the tales of several different characters and how they relate to dying, death and immortality.The common thread is the Lord of Death and how humanity perceives him.There is also the side story of how he interacts with the Lord of Night and the demons.The entire series has a mythic quality, like these were the tales of some long lost culture.

The books in this series are:Night's Master, Death's Master, Delusion's Master, Delirium's Mistress, & Night's Sorceries.

You could read the first 3 books out of sequence and not have any spoilers.Don't read Delirium's Mistress until you have finished the first 3.The last book is a collection of short stories and can be read at any time, but it is assumed that you are familiar with the mythos of the flat earth.

Nothing else compares
I have read this volume several times.Each time I read it, it moves me beyond what mortal life can do.Through the first half of the book, I feel light and carefree as if it strips my sorrows. After the end, I drip intothe bleakest, blackest melancholy, despair unlike any other.After aperiod, My despondence lifts and I feel free.I am cleansed of all humanpressures and woes. I highly value the tome for it's pureunadulterated emotions.

This volume is unexpressibly beautiful work of somber art.
Death's Master ultimately clutched me by the heart and reeled me intospirals of emotions, reviving deep regions within which I almost doubted Ihad.The characters are so magnificently described that you actually ableto feel at one with them, experiencing their joys and weeping when tragicirony had its will (the misfortunes of beloved Zhirek and Simmu...).

Thisis definately one of Tanith Lee's most brilliant ventures yet.

The Master of Death faces off with the Demon Lord
Tanith Lee addresses some disturbing questions in this book.One is, what would you do with immortality if you have it?The other, what would you do if you were invulnerable?

The androgynous Simmu, (he actually could change body forms too), the son of a lesbian queen and, for lack of a better word-- a corpse, was adapted by demons after he was left to die in his mother's tomb.He later meets Zhirem, a boy made invulnerable at the cost of his mother's beauty.The novel addresses their tortured love story in the context of the Demon Lord's mischievious plans to entertain himself, and the Death Master's fight to preserve his supremacy over humans.

Character development was excellent in the case of Simmu and Zhirem.You could read into why they ended up doing what they did, but you could never guess what they were about to do before ithappens. Simmu gains immortality and becomes the King of Simmurad (City of the Immortal).Zhirem, the invulnerable, becomes th! e greatest sorcerer in theworld, but was directionless until he was taken up by the Death's Master to take on and destroy Simmurad.

The other characters in the story are no less fascinating.Simmu's mother, Narasen was inflicted with a curse by a spurned sorcerer (would-be lover), but her cleverness saved her.Unfortunately, she was felled by treachery in her moment of weakness.Having struck a deal with the Death's Master, she was bound to serve him as the undead. Lylas, the witch, was the Death's Master's handmaiden.Her schemes drive the story forward. Kassafeh, Simmu's wife and the daughter of a sky elemental, was the key to Simmu's immortality. However she finds herself trapped in her immortality. Ironically, she breaks out by betraying Simmu, thus becoming the key to the destruction of Simmurad.

The other questions addressed include, why do people chose to do good, to the point of becoming saints?Is it because they are afraid of being evil?What is evil? ! And so on...

The story is of course, a LOT more complicat! ed than that. After all, it is about how unusual people dealt with unusual circumstances. I totally loved it.It's a great example of Tanith Lee's work, it's brilliant and if I had more space, I will keep on babbling on about how wonderful this book is.

If you've never read Tanith Lee's stuff, this could be a great intoduction for you. ... Read more

Product Description
Disturbed By Her Song collects the work of Esther Garber and her half-brother Judas Garbah, the mysterious family of writers that Tanith Lee has been channeling for the past few years. Possibly autobiographical, frequently erotic and darkly surreal, their fiction takes place in a variety of eras and places, from Egypt in the 1940s, to England in the grip of the Pre-Raphaelites, to gaslit Paris and to the shadowy landscapes carved by the mind and memory. The themes of youth and age stream through these tales of homosexual love and desire. These stories recall, at times, the work of Lawrence Durrell, Colette, and Angela Carter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Tanith Lee-Brilliant
Tanith Lee has been my favorite author for well over twenty years. She never fails to enthrall me with her writing and her storytelling. I own quite a bit of her work, however I am still missing several pieces. Back in the day I never had trouble purchasing her works, over the last few years it's been difficult in obtaining Tanith's books. I don't understand why it is difficult to get British writers works here.
As for Tanith, Amazon lately has been the only place when I can find her. I wish they had more available.
She never fails to amaze me and keep me entertained.I am waiting for Tanith to do a sequel to her Mortal Suns book, it was outstanding.

A Brilliant Collection
Tanith Lee's Disturbed by Her Song is a linked collection of stories by Tanith Lee, writing as and with Esther Garber and Judas Garbah. The introduction explains how this curious relationship works and provides an intriguing opening for the collection, laying the ground for the coming tricks and evasions when it comes to such matters as identity and time. The theme of love, and particularly erotic love, runs through the stories, love the light shining through the prism of youth and age - innocence, loss and regret - and love's ability to illuminate, inspire and shape, even when it is unrequited, painful or lost.
The collection contains nine stories, set in various times and various settings, including Paris, Egypt and England. Each place is beautifully evoked, and as you would expect from Lee, the writing is exquisite. Variously lush, wry, tender, moving, darkly surreal, deliciously erotic, the stories possess some of the tropes of fantastic fiction (a maybe ghost, a possible werewolf) but it isn't a fantasy collection per se. Instead, as in Angela Carter's fiction, intrusions of the strange and unearthly seem to be perceptions skewed by wishing, memory and desire, as though the internal landscape of dreams and fantasies drift into the mundane world - a 'real' world already coloured by the whims and wishes of the one-step-away minds of Garber and Garbah.
Lee's writing is rigorously intelligent. In this collection, I responded particularly also to the strong undercurrent of compassion, and especially compassion for the indignities and losses associated with age,as in the stories 'Black-eyes Susan' and 'Fleurs en Hiver'.
Disturbed By Her Song far transcends any needless compartmentalisation as fantasy fiction, or gay fiction - it is a rare gem, a beautiful, puzzling, fabulous collection by a writer at the height of her powers. It deserves widespread, serious attention. Yes I love it - highly recommended.

Gay and Lesbian Life in a Magical Realist mode
"The Crow," "The Kiss" and "Ne Que V'on Desir" are among the finest texts Ms. Lee has written--magical, dark and erotic. "Black Eyed Susan" and "Death and the Maiden" are a kind of lesbian gothic fiction, while the title story will bring a tear to the reader's eyes.

Surreal and Erotic
Lee, Tanith, Esther Garber and Judas Garbah. "Disturbed by Her Song". Lethe Press, 2010.

Surreal and Erotic

Amos Lassen



"Disturbed by Her Song" is a collection of the work of Esther Garber and her half-brother, Judas Garbah, the mysterious family of writers that Tanith Lee has been channeling for the past few years. Some think that the stories are autobiographical and they are erotic and surreal. Set in different places and time periods such as Egypt in the 1940s, England during the time of the Pre-Raphaelites, Paris and in the mind and memory. The themes are also varied and include stories tales of homosexual love, lust and desire.I do not know what genre these stories belong to but it does not matter as they will sweep you in.
... Read more

Product Description
Norilana Books is proud to present timeless works of dark beauty and imagination by the award-winning beloved British author Tanith Lee, via the new imprint TaLeKa, dedicated to showcasing the literary works of Tanith Lee and the art of John Kaiine.

Tanith Lee is the author of 77 novels, 14 collections, and almost 300 short stories, plus 4 radio plays (broadcast by the BBC) and 2 scripts for the TV cult UK SF series Blake's 7. Her work, which has been translated into over 17 languages, ranges through fantasy, SF, gothic, YA and children's books, contemporary, historical and detective novels, and horror. This year she was awarded the prestigious title of Grand Master of Horror 2009. Major awards include the August Derleth Award for Death's Master, the second book in the Flat Earth series.

Sounds and Furies collects seven singular, gorgeous tales of lingering atmospheric horror from the masterful pen of Tanith Lee. These seven faces of darkness cast a wide shadow and burrow deep within...

The collection includes six short stories and a full-length novella The Isle Is Full of Noises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wow!


I've been a Tanith Lee fan since I first read "The Birthgrave" back in 1990. When she's on her game, I don't think there's a finer writer anywhere. With "Sounds and Furies," Ms. Lee consistently hit the mark. The stories are wonderfully varied, almost feeling as if they were written by different people while still carrying her trademark word-paintings and gut-punch impact. I enjoyed every one of them.

Some of the stories also feel more personal, touching perhaps on her own health concerns (if you visit her web page, you will understand), and that element brought more than one sigh - along with many prayers that she will long remain with us and continue to gift us with her dark and beautiful visions. ... Read more

Product Description
NIGHT'S MASTER is the first book of the stunning arabesque high fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth, which, in the manner of The One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales.

Long time ago when the Earth was Flat, beautiful indifferent Gods lived in the airy Upperearth realm above, curious passionate demons lived in the exotic Underearth realm below, and mortals were relegated to exist in the middle. Azhrarn, Lord of the Demons and the Darkness, was the one who ruled the Night, and many mortal lives were changed because of his cruel whimsy. And yet, Azhrarn held inside his demon heart a profound mystery which would change the very fabric of the Flat Earth forever...

Come within this ancient world of brilliant darkness and beauty, of glittering palaces and wondrous elegant beings, of cruel passions and undying love.

Discover the exotic wonder that is the Flat Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

A master's magnum opus.
Tanith Lee is one of the great masters of fantasy fiction, and the "Flat Earth" cycle is arguably her finest work (though the "Paradys" and "Venus" cycles are right up there, too).The new Norilana/TaLeKa editions are lush reprints of this cycle, with Night's Master the first out (they are also issuing her other works as well in uniform editions).The best news is that down the line will be two wholly new Flat Earth titles, the novel Earth's Master and the story collection The Earth is Flat.

Lee's fantasies tend to be rich in mood, usually somber and exotic mood, but she's no one-trick pony: her characters are deep and full-fleshed, and her plots Byzantine (sometimes more or less literally) amd her prose suitably rich without ever being purple.

Finally, none of her work is cookie-cutter: you will not have been to the lands of the Flat Earth before, or anything like them, in anyone else's fat fantasy.Read: enjoy.

Strange and Lovely
Night's Master reads like a twisted fairy tale for adults.Lee's writing is very elegant and compelling.The world of the demons is wonderfully imagined, and full of vivid, dreamlike imagery.It's affecting and thought-provoking, and I was able to totally immerse myself in Lee's world.This is a wonderful escape from reality, far beyond the typical sword-and-sorcery shenanigans.

Dark and Magical...
...and you have the strange feeling that you are reading something that is a dream, and yet it is so magical and fairytalish, but in a dark and twisted way.

In this book we meet the Prince of Demons, Azhrarn, who plots and schemes to his own dark ends. He is an evil, selfish antagonist, and yet Sivesh, his adopted son is the 'good guy', falls prey to his evilness and in the end...

The book is written like a myth, with strange and wonderful things like silver collars woven of tears, and demon horses that ride the night...

Enjoy it!

Strong prose and a richly imagined world
Fantasy, ultimately, depends on description to carry it.The more alien the landscapes and psychologies an author wishes to describe, the more she must rely on her style and vocabulary to carry it off.

-Night's Master- kicks off the Flat Earth series, about a richly imagined, glittering, world of cruel and proud daemons.What ultimately carries off the story of Azhrarn is Tanith Lee's strong prose style.You can tell that she must have been the victim of a classical education.

One of the all time best books I've ever read!
Night's Master was my first introduction to Tanith Lee nearly ten years ago and ever since I have been addicted to her work.Her writing is beautiful and seductive filled with lush imagery and descriptions that willhave you longing to enter the pages of her novels.This is not yourtypical "fantasy" novel.It is powerful and moving and unlikeanything else I have ever read. Of all of Tanith Lee's books, I wouldrecommend the Flat Earth series and The Silver Metal Lover as the best. They never fail to transport me to another world, and really isn't that thegreat joy of reading novels? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Two novels
This book club edition contains two novels: "Sabella, or Blood Stone" (1980) and "Kill the Dead" (1980). ... Read more

Product Description
Once upon a time there was a mirror. . . .

So begins this dark, unusual retelling of the story of Snow White by the writer reviewers have called “the Angela Carter of the fantasy field”—a whole novel based on a beloved story, turning it into a dark and sensual drama full of myth and magic.

Arpazia is the aging queen who paces the halls of a warlord’s palace. Cold as winter, she has only one passion—for the mysterious hunter who courts the outlawed old gods of the woodland. Coira is the princess raised in the shadow of her mother’s hatred. Avoided by both her parents and half forgotten by her father’s court, she grows into womanhood alone . . . until the mirror speaks, and blood is spilled, and the forest claims her.

The tragic myth of the goddess Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, stolen by the king of the underworld, is woven together with the tale of Snow White to create a powerful story of mothers and daughters and the blood that binds them together, for good or ill. Black queen. White maid. Royal huntsman. Seven little folk who live in the forest. Come inside, sit by the fire, and listen to this fairy tale as you’ve never heard it told before.

Once upon a time there was a mirror, and a girl as white as snow. . . .
Amazon.com Review
After a hiatus of some years, the Fairy Tale series of novels by variousauthors, edited by Terri Windling, has made a welcome return. The firstpost-hiatus book is fantasist extraordinaire Tanith Lee's White asSnow, a retelling of Snow White darkly intertwined with the myth ofDemeter and Persephone. If you're familiar with both Lee, winner of theAugust Derleth Award and several World Fantasy Awards, and Windling, alsowinner of several World Fantasy Awards, and the premier fantasy editor ofmodern times, then you would expect White as Snow to be a terrificnovel. And you would be right.

In an alternate-history medieval Europe, the noble maiden Arpazia, raisedin an isolated castle, finds herself the captive of the conqueringgeneral-king Draco. The only remnant of her former life is an exotic glassmirror possessed of witchy powers. She feels no connection to Coira,daughter of her forced marriage to the brutal Draco. She becomes the lover of a woodsman, Klytemno, who embodies the divine Hunter King in pagan rituals. Then Klytemno requires her to send her black-haired, snow-pale daughter Coira into the woods as a sacrifice.... --Cynthia Ward ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

Darkly beautiful.
This is a dark spin off of Snow White. It's not a re-telling, because it is nothing like the traditional version of Snow White. There is much more interwoven workings and macabre. This is not a happy book, so if gothic and strange isn't your style then you may not want to venture here. I have read some reviews that noted the characters have "no depth" or aren't "colorful" enough. The characters are diffcult to understand unless you have been in some truly dark places yourself, and only through analyzing their psyche will you come to understand and respect them as they are. This is one of my favorite books. I love fairytales, and this is a wonderfully gothic fairytale. You will know why the wicked witches are always so evil and angry. You will know why the princess is always so helpless. This book will tie everything together for you. The ending is gratifying and sound, but you will still long for more.

Disappointing
I certainly didn't expect this book to be a chore when I first picked it up. It sounded intriguing. A retelling of Snow White? With the Queen's perspective? Told with some of the Persephone myth thrown in? Sign me up!

And I think having my hopes way up is worse, somehow, than not being sure what to expect. Because I got two-thirds through this before I realized how much I disliked it, and then I was invested in finishing it.

I didn't like that almost all the female characters are raped. I guess it was supposed to add a layer of gritty realism, but it only served to sap my enthusiasm to continue reading.

I didn't like the voice. Yes, fairy tales are often told in the same omniscient, detached voice. But fairy tales aren't over 200 pages long, with character development.

This didn't have much character development, either, for that matter. Why did the characters act as they did? I don't know. Apparently because the story made them. There was no real insight into anyone's characters, no motivations, no actual change except in where they were and who they were with. There are two love stories within this book, but danged if I know what any member of either couple saw in his/her beloved. We get a few sentences of how hot the ladies found their suitors, and then they're having sex, with lots of references to magic and rituals, and things that made me think maybe even these supposedly consensual encounters were coerced.

I heard a lot of good things about this book, and now I'm really annoyed at everyone who recommended it. It could've been done so much better. Instead, I had to force myself through this mess.

Lovely voice and setting, but overly ambitious mythic influences sap character autonomy, and the book collapses. Not recommended
Captured from her father's sacked castle, Arpazia is wed to the warlord Draco and bears his child, Coria. Isolated and maddened, Arpazia abandons her daughter--but as Arpazia ages to cronehood and Coria comes of age, the two are tied together by their competing, opposing roles. Mixing the fairy tale of Snow White with the Greek myth of Persephone and early Christian liturgy, White as Snow is bursting with imagery that sometimes weaves a complex, symbolic tapestry and sometimes tangles upon itself in an excess of influence. White as Snow nails its voice and setting and is often an immersive read, but the confused symbolism and unmotivated characters hold it back from being all that it could be. In all, a disappointment and not recommended. (Terri Windling's introduction, on the other hand, is a joy to read.)

What Lee writes best in White as Snow is the voice and setting, a combination which brings the story to life: detailed, haunting, ancient, and utterly convincing, the book is a step back in time and into another, more magical world. And so from the onset, and for its greater part, White as Snow feels like a successful book. It is certainly compelling and immersive, and only gets better when Lee introduces familiar mythic aspects: Snow White and the jealous Queen, Persephone's relationship with the seasonal cycle and the underworld, and the temptation of the deadly sins and the tree of knowledge. But as the book goes on, the convincing setting and voice are not enough: it begins to fall apart.

The glut of symbols and myths is ambitious, but overly so: it's an excess of outside influence which doesn't always mesh together. (An example: is the queen's apple the fruit of the tree of knowledge, or a poison, or the gateway to the underworld? Though similar, these symbols are not all one and the same--and it takes more than 300 pages and two characters to unite them.) To compensate, Arpazia and Coria lack motivation, that they are better able to conform to the influences that dictate the courses of their lives. But an unmotivated protagonist rarely makes for a compelling book, and so when the characters are passive figures in the most important events (in particular, Snow White's death) the book collapses in on itself, a victim of too many symbols and not enough of its own plot or characters. I wanted to enjoy White as Snow, and for the most part the writing style and good intentions won me over. But the more I read, the more my doubts grew--and I came away disappointed. It's a good try, but not a success, and I don't recommend it.

Weak characters and horrid grammer make this worthless
The beginning of this book had me in and I was prepared to love the whole thing only to come across let down after let down. The characters have no depth too them, save for one or two, and they end up dead or screwed over anyways. The female characters are all too passive, and granted the faux time period of it all may be coming into play, but even for women of that age these characters are dull, depressing, and uninteresting.

The writing itself is choppy at best. There are sentences in the book that seem they were written by a child and edited by an infant. At times whole pages may need to be re-read to understand what Lee's point is, and most of the time there is no point.

I set the book down after attempting to force myself to finish it. I could not do it. I did not care what happened to Coira (Snow White) or her mother or any of the dwarves or that lunatic prince. The only interesting character was killed off in the middle, and that is when things just went gross. Even moments where there might be some hint of emotion there were none and it was instead replaced with sleazy sex that should be reserved for very low class romance novels.

This book is something that you can keep yourself warm by the fire during winter with only if you are using it as fuel for the flames.

Dark and obscure; delves into the feminine mystique
Reading Tanith Lee is a little different than reading other modern-day authors.Her stories are replete with psychological undertones, more Jungian than Freudian, although they also rely heavily on the sensuous side.There is a dark and obscure tone to her stories that reveals the feminine mystique that is in all of us.

I have really enjoyed Lee's other books like The Secret Books of Venus, and I noticed that White as Snow has a similar theme, where misfits come together and fall in love, despite the seeming odds against them.In essence, this is a true fairy tale with a happy ending, despite it all. ... Read more

Product Description
Paradys--the city--was a place of decadence and decay, of luxury and lasciviousness, and, after the revolution, a graveyard peopled by the insane and the dead... and by those who preyed on both. The strange and the tormented dwell in Paradys - prowling its dark streets and twisted alleyways, passing the endless hours in the city's elegant mansions and smoke-tarnished inns, wandering in moldering graveyards and the stark surrounding countryside. For the land here is bound by a timeless, soul-chilling magic, and that power has cast its spell over all who have ever lived in this foreboding and dangerous place.

All who came to Paradys were forever touched by its dread magic. The City was not one place but three, bound together by a labyrinth of ice yet separated, perhaps by time, perhaps by some long-forgotten enchantment, into Paradise, Paradis and Paradys--each cursed in an entirely different way...

Witness the city of Paradys' life and history through theeyes of its provocative and perverse citizens - a darkly fascinating odyssey as only World Fantasy Award winner Tanith Lee could imagine it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Lee at her best
I'm very glad the Paradys series has been reprinted in a single book, as newer Tanith Lee fans like myself can find it easier and brand new. All the books are set in the city of Paradys, an alternate, very dark version of Paris. This is one of the best series by Lee, I think it compiles all the qualities that made me like Lee in the first place. Much like the Flat Earth series, the combination of suspense, erotism, dark fantasy and horror, each administered in its right dose, makes the books very appealing. But let's go one by one:

The Book of the Damned: it presents 3 unlinked novellas depicting 3 very different characters. The first story, Stained with Crimson, is a gothic vampire story, but not your regular vampire story, presented with such beauty, decadence and wit that it is a winner. Malice in Saffron, the second story is, I think, the best of the lot, where we follow a young girl, Jehanine, going from victim to exeecutioner. This one has it all: it's gory, sensual, over the top and adventurous. Story #3, Empires of Azure I didn't like it much, it's set in a modern-day Paradys and it reads more like a detective story with fantasy tones, but I think it was too messy in the end.

The book of the Beast: This is the book I liked the least, but that doesn't mean it's not a good one. Divided in two books (the green book and the amethyst book), it tells the story of a centuries-old curse set upon a family. Told in reverse chronological order, the green book is set in a renaissance Paradys, while the amethyst book is set in a Roman-time Paradys. This is probably the darkest book of them all.

The book of the Dead: This book is a collection of short stories set in Paradys. Each story has an introduction which gives the feel of a tourist guide in Paradys' graveyard, hence the book's name. I believe this is the book fans think it's the weakest, but it's the one I read the quickest, as I always like more the short fiction by Lee than her books. But it's easy to see the reason of the fans' dislike. The stories are sometimes very loosely based in Paradys, and don't offer much in terms of the Paradys mythology. Still, there's some good stories in here, best of the lot must be The Moon is a Mask (vampire owls, deffinitely different), Beautiful Lady (presenting a Typhoid Mary-like sory), and Morcara's Room (very good, ironic story).

The book of the Mad: This presents 3 different stories set in different places (Paradis, Paradise and Paradys) and times, which, as the novel progresses, they become interlinked with each other. This was my favourite book of the four, as all 3 stories are very enthralling (although Smara and Felion's story is a bit uneven at times), and the linking is magistrally done.

In the end, this is a wonderful series which deserves to be rediscovered by old Tanith Lee fans and if someone is a neophyte on her work, this is one of the books I'd suggest reading first. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Atmospheric and original adult fantasy.
Delusion's Master is the third book in the Flat Earth books by Tanith Lee. While the first two (Night's Master and Death's Master) stand very much on their own, Delusion's Master is the beginning of a story that will take the Flat Earth stories through two more volumes.

In Delusion's Master, Lee introduces us to Chuz, the eternal master of insanity. He stage manages the fall of a great nation which indirectly leads to the strange love affair between the Master of Night and the Daughter of the Comet.

The Flat Earth books are structured more as a series of linked stories than as traditional character-oriented narratives. They are short and pleasant to read. Lee herself is a master of dark fairy tales and uses the structure admirably.

While you can begin with Delusion's Master, it probably makes the most sense to go back and read Death and Night first. Although the sexual content seems rather tame by the standards of today (this was written in 1981) these are still adult-themed books and probably not suitable for very young readers.

Cruel Beauty
From the first scene of the woman cradling the finger bone of her dead son to the final stoning in the city of dreams, this book is what fairy tales and fantasy should have been all along. Mystical this book puts you into a completely different universe and wakes you to possibilities unimagined. More profound is the painter's aesthetic running through the book. Color, lights, shading, description without running into the awful Victorian novel trap.Tanith Lee is definitely a voice to be reckoned with.

The third book in the Lords Of Darkness series.
In the third book of the Tales of the Flat Earth, Tanith Lee once again takes us into the dark and mystical world where five Lords Of Darkness reign over the inhabitants of the Flat Earth. One is Azrharn, Night's master, whose beauty and cruelty riddle the lives of the mortals with living nightmares and sensuous wickedness. Another, Uhlume, Lord Death...and a third - Delusion's Master. He is Prince Chuz, and he plagues the world with madness. When his sights are set on touching Azhrarn with a bit of lunacy, he begins a war of the titans, which cannot be resolved until justice has been served.. ... Read more

Product Description
Emerging from the burned remains of their old home, the ancient, elegant Scarabae ready themselves for a new life of seduction and feasting, until little Ruth ignites a blaze of chaos through the streets of London that threatens them all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

My Favorite Book in The Blood Opera Sequence
While "Dark Dance" (the first and previous book in this series) was told from Rachaela's point of view, "Personal Darkness" is split between her and her homicidal daughter, Ruth. It begins shortly after 12-year-old Ruth has slaughtered and burned several of their family members. She is now free to roam London, searching for an elusive woman nobody remembers (Mrs. Watt, Ruth's nanny) and murdering those who invite her into their home. (Remember, readers: never welcome a vampire into your home unless you intend to have your blood sucked. ;)

The Scarabae soon hear about Ruth's heedless killings on the news, and they realize she must be stopped for good. Malach takes the responsibility of locating Ruth, and upon finding her, keeps her as a prisoner until he decides to release her--if he ever chooses to do so.

Meanwhile, Rachaela has been seduced by another Scarabae: a beautiful young woman named Althene who has a lot more in common with Rachaela's late father/lover (Adamus) than she realizes. This whole situation is quite shocking, and I should warn you now: if you're offended by incest and/or cross-dressing, then maybe this book isn't for you. But if you could care less or are even more interested, then I highly recommend this book and series--"Personal Darkness" being the second installment, "Dark Dance" the first and "Darkness, I" the third.

"Personal Darkness" was the first book I ever read by Tanith Lee (after being hooked by her writing in a short story, "Bite-Me-Not", in "The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories" edited by Alan Ryan) and is still my favorite book in this trilogy. I loved the seemingly randomness of this story, and, of course, I loved the subtle vampire presence. This is definitely a must-read for all gothic vampire-lovers. You'll love it!

Vivid and beautifully dark...
It took me over three months to get ahold of this book, but it was WELL worth the effort. The ending of "Dark Dance" dissapointed me, because I wished for more of the story. "Personal Darkness" picksup right where it left off, which pleased me extremely much.

Let's justsay that I've never in my entire life read a better author than Tanith Lee.Her writing is exemplary, managing to be dark without being melodramatic.Her skill with words is unsurpassable -- she creates SUCH vivid images thateverything else looks dull in comparison. Her characters are rich andexotic, the storylines of her books are beautifully dark.

Read "DarkDance" first, but then by all means, read "PersonalDarkness." It's perfect for vampire lovers that can't seem to find agood enough book. I'm half in-love with Malach (one of the characters thatpremieres in Personal Darkness), and can't see why they'd categorize thisbook as horror when you've got such a gorgeously yummy character like that.My only advice is to set aside alot of your spare time for this book --it's meant to be read in one sitting, or you'll go insane from thesuspense. And this is the kind of book that leaves you thinking for awhileafter reading it. You really just can't be disapointed after readinganything by Tanith Lee. This is the kind of book that I can see satisfyingeveryone. It's morbid enough for the horror readers, fantastic enough forthe fantasy readers, and erotic enough for the romance readers. As foreveryone else, well, you really can't hate this writing style, it'smagnificent. ;)

Good For A Horror Novel, Poor For A Tanith Lee Novel
Rachaela our heroine from the first book in this series bears a child named Ruth who grows to become an abstracted murderer on a serial rampage through London. Few of the characters in this book really grab you because there are just too many of them to properly develop. For me this bookspoiled the lovely mood of Dark Dance. ... Read more

Product Description
At last, Claidi and her beloved Argul are free to get married. But before they can start their life together, Claidi must face her past. They return to her birthplace, the House, to rescue the other slaves—and find that there has been a revolution, sparked by Claidi’s escape. Then the two are urgently summoned by Ironel Novendot of the Wolf Tower, who tells them that Ustareth is alive. Ustareth, the mother of Argul and Venn, the science-sorceress, who has perhaps manipulated each of them for their entire lives. Now she wants them all to visit her—but to what end? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Ehh...
It wasn't as good as the other books... Perhaps it's because I read the others as a group years before, but this seems to just be tagged on the end.

Not as good as the first three
I was really looking forward to this book because I liked the first 3 so much. Once I read it, I was a little disappointed. Kind of boring....

A great fantasy read!
This is the last in the series but certainly not the least entertaining. Witty and funny it keeps you on you toes the entire time. It is great to see Claidi finally accept who she is and settle down (finally) with Argul. I recommend that you read this book last and start with Wolf Tower, otherwise you will be completely lost. Have fun reading this book, it is great.

A bad ending to a series with a great start
The first book of this series was definitely the best, in my opinion. As the series continues, the plot twists get infinitely more confusing, and you find yourself lost in the happenings. This last book was such a disappointment - the reasons for everything were almost too complicated to understand, and I had to cross reference all the other books in order to remember what exactly was going on and what had happened.

If you're looking for a great read, read the first book. If you want to continue into a series that you will eventually extremely dislike, keep reading.

5th book please!
This along with the first 3 books was an excellent read. I couldn't put it down. I felt like I was Claidi, experiencing her frustration and grief. Although there probably won't be, I hope that there will be a 5th book, even though this one is said to be the final installment, but it said that in the back of my second book for the third one. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

twisted tales
I was sooo happy to find this book offered on Amazon!I bought this years ago, read it and loaned it to someone who never returned it to me. This is a book of twisted retellings of the fairy tales of our childhood.This is a book of nightmares!!I never forgot how much that I enjoyed these stories.I searched for this book for years.Thank you, Amazon!

Extraordinary Reimagining of Classic Tales
There's a reason why the title story, "Red as Blood," was nominated for both Nebula and World Fantasy awards, and why the collection was also nominated for a World Fantasy award:this is dark, compelling, beautifully written and evocative story-telling.Twenty-five years after first reading this collection, the images and stories remain with me in vivid detail.While other reviews have made much of the admittedly dark and twisted aspect of the stories, I would like to point out that these tales are not unrelentingly bleak.Some are bitter-sweet, some darkly humorous, and one or two are achingly hopeful.There may be fantasy collections out there that are as good, but I'm not sure there's anything better.

Dark and Rich...Like Decadent Chocolate!
Tanith Lee's 1983 anthology of re-fashioned fairytales is a treasure for connoisseurs of dark fantasy...or excellent writing in general.Her work is not only imaginative and eloquent, but thought-provoking and, to be honest, a challenging read (I often found myself reading and re-reading certain passages in order to grasp what she is really saying).
These stories take the fairytales that we all know and love and weave them into something dark, sensual and quite original.These bedtime stories are for adults only! :-)
My personal favorites:
"Red As Blood" - The title story is a re-telling of "Snow White" blended with the lore of the vampire.
"Thorns" - Ms. Lee's version of "Sleeping Beauty/Briar Rose" is decidedly creepy with a less-than-happy ending.
"When the Clock Strikes" - "Cinderella" has a not-so-innocent reason for attending the ball.
"The Golden Rope" - The author's version of "Rapunzel" is mysterious and romantic...in a demonic sort of way.
"The Princess and Her Future" - Very brief but unsettling story that revolves around a 17th-century Asian princess.
"Wolfland" - Undoubtedly my favorite."Little Red Riding Hood" gets turned on its head.The wolf is frightening, but it's not the villian in this tale.
It is very much worth the hunt for this rare, out-of-print book!

FROM BACK COVER
BLACK AS INK

How would it be if Snow White were the real villain and the "wicked queen" just a sadly maligned innocent?What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty should be the mistake of a lifetime - of several lifetimes?What if the famous folk tales were retold with an eye to more horrific possibilities?

Only Tanith Lee could do justice to it, and in RED AS BLOOD, she displays her soaring imagination at its most fantastically mischievous.Not for nothing was the title story named as a Nebula nominee.Not for nothing, was the author of THE BIRTHGRACE and THE STORM LORD called by New York's Village Voice, "Goddess-Empress of the Hot Read."

Here are the world-famous tales of such as the Brothers Grimm as they might have been retold by the Sisters Grimmer!

Fairy Tales for children?Not on your life!

One of the Best Ever
This is one of Lee's best and possibly THE best re-telling of certain classic fairy stories ever."Red as Blood" is flawless and sublime--a perfectly written and realized version of Snow White.Lee's take on Cinderella and the Pied Piper is also wonderful and wondrous.Along with Sabella this is my favorite Lee. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Well written if slight colleciton from Tanith Lee
This is actually a combination of two short novels, most likely YA novels.

"The Castle of Dark" gives you all the elements of a Tanith Lee classic. You have an amoral heroine, dark forces and prophecies. The hero harpist who falls for the heroine is an interesting touch, most likely for the YA audience, but he's a rather likeable sort. The fact that the heroine is possessed by a weird demon thing (which is WHY she's being imprisoned in the castle you idiot harpist, so don't free her!) makes for some fun reading. And unlike her more adult fare of the same ilk - Vivia or Darkness, 1: 3rd in the Blood Opera Sequence - Tanith Lee manages to give a happy ending.

"Prince on a White Horse" on the other hand is just a fun little romp. The prince doesn't know who he is. The horse keeps directing him all the while insisting that he's not talking to a horse. Ladies come up to him to warn him of dark forbidding evils and he plans on steering clear only he keeps going anyhow. It's no Terry Pratchett but it's no Piers Anthony either. ANd either way it's short so you get the humor and that's it.

Great little book. Definitely should buy it for the prices Amazon is now offering. Not her best, but for from her worst.

Tanith Lee...what can I say?
Dark Castle, White Horse is actually an omnibus edition of two unrelated YA fantasies by the versatile Tanith Lee.

Castle of Dark is a rather dark fantasy dealing with the mysterious curse of Lilune, a girl who has had practically no experience of the outside world due to her confinement bytwo hags and her strange inability to stand sunlight.When she escapeswith the aid of the harper Lir, all sorts of strange incidents happen inher wake.Overall, quite enjoyable, though I would have liked a bit moresympathetic heroine.

Prince on a White Horse is an almost frivolouslylight fantasy offering from Lee that reminded me quite strongly at bits ofThe Phantom Tollbooth.There's an odd cast of idiosyncratic charactersincluding three types of vicious animals (Buzzles, Beezles and Bezzles), aprince who can't remember his name or purpose, three moons (none of whichare round) and a wise talking white horse that continuously insists thathorses don't talk.It's a quest type adventure to rid the world of themenace Nulgrave, of whom everyone is afraid though they don't know why.Iliked this better than Castle of Dark; it was just more fun to read.

All in all, quite a worthy 2-in-1 book.If you can find it and likeTanith Lee's YA fantasy, Dark Castle, White Horse should be thoroughlyenjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description
Despite the great diversity of settings in Tanith Lee's novels-from the pre-historic origins of Christianity to robot-dominated futurescapes-certain underlying thoughts and references appear consistently. While adhering formally to many of the writing conventions of the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres, Lee also engages the meaning of myths of the Greeks (particularly Dionysos), Egyptians, Persians and Indians. The dynamics of magic, alchemy, shamanism, Gnosticism and reincarnation also surface frequently.This critical work examines Lee's highly original applications of such themes and subtexts. Less prominent themes are also covered, as well as her insights into human nature, her humor, her numerous tributes to literature, her comments on writing, her games with space, time and language, and her preoccupation with detail and background. Also included is an interview with Tanith Lee, a bibliography of Lee's work, a general bibliography, and an index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating overview, but....
I've been fascinated by Tanith Lee's books ever since encountering _Red as Blood_ as a preteen. Since then, I've been acquiring more of them, and have noticed (both consciously and not) a number of the themes that weave throughout her work.

_The Hidden Library_ discusses many of these, largely as expressed through Lee's novels rather than her copious short stories. Since many of these novels are now out of print, Mavis Haut thoughtfully summarizes them before proffering analyses. Some of the summaries are a bit confusing-- not too surprising in view of the twists and turns which Lee's plots can undergo-- but generally there's enough information to understand the discussions that follow: recurring symbolism, mythological roots, the significance of names, structural parallels, and so on.

Truthfully, while I enjoyed the book and found that it offered some insights that would've never occurred to me, I still have to consider it a bit slim for the price. However, the book also contains a lengthy interview with Lee, as well as information about forthcoming books in the "Flat Earth" and "Blood Opera" series; these features are, as far as I know, available nowhere else.

In conclusion, while I can recommend this book for Lee fans, I must do so with mild reservations. True completists may have fewer quibbles with it than I do, as one of my frustrations with the book was being intrigued by summaries of novels which are now out of print and nearly impossible to acquire, except at rates even higher than for this book. ... Read more

Product Description
In a world dedicated to pleasure, one young rebel sets out on a forbidden quest--.

Published for the first time in a single volume, Tanith Lee's duet of novels set in a hedonistic Utopia are as riveting and revolutionary as they were when they first appeared two decades ago.

It's a perfect existence, a world in which no pleasure is off-limits, no risk is too dangerous, and no responsibilities can cramp your style. Not if you're Jang: a caste of libertine teenagers in the city of Four BEE. But when you're expected to make trouble--when you can kill yourself on a whim and return in another body, when you're encouraged to change genders at will and experience whatever you desire--you've got no reason to rebel...until making love and raising hell, daring death and running wild just leave you cold and empty.

Ravenous for true adventures of the mind and body, desperate to find some meaning, one restless spirit finally bucks the system--and by shattering the rules, strikes at the very heart of a soulless society....Amazon.com Review
Tanith Lee, winner of the August Derleth Award and several World Fantasy Awards, is best known as a fantasy and horror writer, but she has written several fine SF novels, two of which, Don't Bite the Sun and Drinking Sapphire Wine, form a duology now available in the single volume Biting the Sun.

The far future has brought freedom not only from material want but also from rules, responsibilities, and risk. You can change bodies and genders like clothes, make love with whomever you want, live forever, and kill yourself as often as you like. You can have everything, except a meaningful life. Then one day a restless soul discovers an act so shocking and terrifying that human society has forgotten its existence. --Cynthia Ward ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

Good!!
If you like fantasy mixed with a little rebellion, read this book.It is set in a world much different from, and at the same time, very alike to ours. This is definately a good read.

Adam and Eve of the Future
I have only read two of Tanith Lee's novels (this one and The Silver Metal Lover) but they definitely top my all-time favorites, this one in particular. I could go on about the similarities of this one and other "utopic", futuristic societies of other sci-fi stories (I, Robot anyone?) but I believe another, more central theme can be found in looking at the allusion to the story of Adam and Eve. However, Biting the Sun is more an interpretation of Eve's story. The narrator lives in a world where pain and death have been obliterated; a person only has to kill himself and wake up perfectly fine in a new body they design themselves. People are encouraged to eat, drink, take drugs, and have sex with multiple partners. It's a world where nothing has meaning because there are no consequences. The narrator finds herself searching for some meaning, biting the apple of knowledge, if you will. Just a thought to point out: this edition in which both novels are compiled into one depicts a half-naked girl in the wild reaching for an apple with a snake down by her waist.It's Tanith Lee's insight into this drugged-up, sexed-up world and not the consequences of a society dominated by technology that makes Biting the Sun so unique and intriguing.
I believe Tanith Lee ties it up wonderfully in her saying, "Don't bite the sun, you'll burn your mouth." The narrator interprets it to mean that one shouldn't go against the system, you'll only manage to harm yourself. But it's her need to go against norms and rules of society that leaves the reader wondering- Maybe a world with pain and meaning is better than a garden of eden where no feeling exists at all.

I loved this book!
This is one of my favorite books. It is a fantastically-told tale of spiritual malaise in a hedonistic utopia.

(Warning: spoilers!)
In a idealized, futuristic world, humans live in cities under fabulous domes where robots cater to their needs. Adolescence in the domed cities typically lasts for half a century, or more, and the life of a single individual might span centuries, until the soul becomes weary of living and voluntarily requests "personality dissolution," which is not even death, but a kind of deferred reincarnation. Young people in this world are encouraged to indulge in all manner of hedonistic activities, and even suicide is mostly recreational, as new bodies are routinely custom-made for everyone. Gender can be changed on a whim, and it is not unusual for inhabitants of the cities to request bodies with wings, or fur, or bodies monstrous in appearance. In this world, senses can be distorted for pleasure, dreams can be ordered up, and work is virtually non-existent.

This book tells the story of a young girl who has every experience, and every object she could ever desire - and who is profoundly unsatisfied. She begins her quest for meaning by denying that pleasure and safety are the goals of life, moves on to breaking the taboos of her culture, and ends up leaving the magnificent life of the cities behind for good. Her life as a member of a community of exiles in the desert is harsh and terrifying at times, but it is also filled with meaning and deeper joys than the ones she knew before.

The book ends on an optimistic note, with the human spirit asserting itself against the protectionist and machine forces which seek to oppress it - by which I mean all those busybody, paternalistic robots that make up the city's "Committee." Thought-provoking, entertaining and highly recommended.

All-Time Favorite, to be sure!!
I was having the most stressful four months of my life, and every time I picked up this book, I was instantly transported to the no-responsibilities, no-danger, money-free, superficially-gorgeous, pleasure-dedicated, high-tech world I imagined could solve all my own problems, and then entertainingly placed into the mind of our nameless, i'm-not-taking-your-bull-crap, teenage protagonist, who proved to have more guts and dreams than anyone that knew her could have imagined.

For anyone who has felt trapped and restless, who has fought depression by means of the external world, and has failed attempt after attempt, the beginning of this story will ring all too true, but through her self-discovery, you, the reader, will embark on an increasingly epic journey and find that society does not make who you are, or anyone else with true heart.

In the second half of "Biting the Sun", she showed me the beauty of OUR world, which I was not expecting. I will not dare to explain that, because that aspect more than any other in this book, I believe, is best solely left to the interpretation of the reader. ;)

If you are interested in all of this... and the human condition!... then you should give this book a go!!! This 1st person writing style is quick and easy, almost immaturely & confusingly so sometimes, but that's just another off-beat quality that makes this book so grand -- the protagonist is a teenager, and this is the future, so what the heck? It fits!

This is my first Tanith Lee book ever. There is so much I love about this book --- the language, the pictures it makes in my head, the setting, some incredibly inspiring quotes among so much that is vague --- that I cannot imagine another of her books topping this off, but I hear that this is one of her early works, so c'mon, surprise me some more Tanith Lee!!!

wow!
Lee really gets you into this book. Set in a time when dying holds no consequence since you can come back and design a new body and when you can design your own dreams, one young jang girl rebels. Tired of the same thing she tries at first to move up a stage to an older person when that fails she tries at working. She tries all things from digging up artifacts in the desert to making a child and breaks the few rules that the society had set and ends up being thrown from civilization for killing another person against their will. Ready to experience new things she starts her own garden in the desert and oasis of freedom she was exiled to where she can live and be happy until others want that same freedom and the society she was desperate to escape from starts meddling its way back into her life.
Good book, had romance, adventure, fantasy, I loved it. It was long though (I read it in one sitting) so don't buy it if you'll just read a page every other day that really takes away from the story. ... Read more

Product Description
Volume two of the magical short story collection by Nebula and World Fantasy Award winner Tanith Lee, author of The Silver Metal Lover and The Birthgrave."Gothic poetess, comic young-adult author, robust adventure-fantasy novelist: Tanith Lee has more writing personas than Sybil. But in her short fiction, all these aspects come gloriously together. Such stories as 'Antonius Bequeathed' or 'The Persecution Machine,' with their death-defying mixture of prose poetry, genre trope reversals and ominous wit, could be written by no one else." - WEIRD TALES magazineStories include: "The Woman in Scarlet," "One For Sorrow," "Unlocking the Golden Cage," "Antonius Bequeathed," "Doll Skulls," "Queens in Crimson," "Flower Water," "The Persecution Machine," "All the Birds of Hell," "Vermilia." ... Read more

Product Description
Nobody knew where it had come from, or what it wanted. Not even Jaive, the sorceress, could fathom the mystery of the fabled beast. But Tanaquil, Jaive's completely unmagical daughter, understood it at once. She knew why the unicorn was there: It had come for her. It needed her. Tanaquil was amazed because she was the girl with no talent for magic. She could only fiddle with broken bits of machinery and make them work again. What could she do for a unicorn? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Black Unicorn
Tanith Lee's writing is an interesting mixture of lyricism and wry humor.And the imagery stays with you long after you've read the last page.Her characterization is unique and multifaceted, and the main character's narration is entertaining, but I got a little tired of Tanaquil's ubiqutious cynicism, and the climax, though interesting and unexpected, left something to be desired.

THE WORST BOOK EVER
The worst book I ever read
The Black Unicorn was the worst book I ever read. Tatith Lee was great if you like flying chairs, singing pictures, and obviously unicorns. My book I would not recommend to any boys at all. But if you are a girlie girl you should read this book. So this girl named Taquil is the Sorcerers daughter but she has no powers so she thinks. Her and Peeve, Peeve is her talking cat. They find a bone outside the castle which they live in.
Taquil runs away from her home because the unicorn comes alive andleaves and she goes after it leaving her home. But don't worry Taquil is very outgoing, and very smart. She can put anything together very fast. Taquil is very lonely and when she grows up she doesn't want to take over her parents legesey. Mostly because she wants to build her own and be a protecter of her city. She is very dependent because her parents are always busy.
Anyways she is out in the desert with peeve and there is no sight of the black unicorn and her parents just found out that her daughter is missing and they know it's all there fault. So it is all just one big mess right now for everybody. Taquil and peeve found a small cave to stay in for the night.Meanwhile at the castle the sorrier sends out a search and destroy group to find Taquil, and kill the unicorn. and that is as mush as I am going to tell you
So with all of the talking chairs and other things that were so magical in my point of view I thought it was the worst book ever.

A wonderful book for all ages!
I first read this book when I was in third grade, having found it in my elementary school's library. Now, ten years later, I am enrolled in the local University's English Education program and I still love it dearly.

The primary complaint that I seem to be seeing from many reviewers on this book is that the plot seems flat, and conflicts are resolved too quickly to really put the reader on the edge of his or her seat. However, consider that this is a book written for young readers, new to the world of the novel, whose sense of plot drive and character development are not yet as keen as seasoned readers'. This does not detract from Black Unicorn's excellence, by any means, in my opinion. However, I think that sometimes people pick up a book written for young readers and expect it to be just like Harry Potter, whose author has dedicated her professional life to developing plots, characters, subplots, secondary characters, guidelines for magic, and all other sorts of background material for her books. This dedication is admirable, to be certain, but not every author is afforded this kind of luxury when writing. As to the comparative shortness of this novel, consider, again, that it was written for young readers who may not know how to "stick it out" for a five hundred-page book.

The plot of Black Unicorn is somewhat removed from what one might come to expect from the traditional story about a girl and a unicorn--there are no enchanted forests, or knights in shining armor; only a lonely girl, her pet peeve (literally, a little cat-like creature called a peeve), and a unicorn whose coat is not white as the pure-driven snow, but black as midnight instead. It was refreshing, in a way, to read something that took a traditional legend out of context and used it to tell a different story in a completely different setting.

I highly recommend this book for anyone, but especially for young girls who love unicorns. I know that I can blame the inspiration for many of my own early forays into the world of fantasy writing on this book, as it is so good at cultivating the imagination and creativity of the reader.

Good Read
This book is an enjoyable read. It was simple and to the point. The second book in this series is much better though. This book is about a girl named Tanaquil that sets off after a black unicorn that takes her to new places and a great adventure. There she learns many things about life, the unicorn and herself.

Interesting...but nothing extraordinary
Black Unicorn is about Tanaquil who lives in her mother's desert fortress. Tanaquil is great at mending things and feels trapped in her mother's magical fortress. She yearns to leave and see the world, and is given that oppurtunity when she mends unicorn bones. The unicorn comes to life and Tanaquil finds herself on a journey.

Although it kept my attention for the most part, I didn't feel as though I really cared about the fate of any characters. The story felt as though it had very little depth. Every problem was resolved so quickly that you never had time to really care or understand what the stakes were. I really thought that it would have been more interesting based on the plot, but the brevity of the story took much of the fun out of it for me. ... Read more

Product Description
The first three novels in Tanith Lee's popular Claidi Journals series are now available in this handsome hardcover three-in-one omnibus volume, which includes the complete texts of Wolf Tower, Wolf Star, and Wolf Queen. Fantasy fans can immerse themselves in Claidi's adventures as she unlocks the secrets of her past and finds the love of her life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Angieville: THE CLAIDI JOURNALS
Just over six years ago I walked into this little bookstore called Books of Wonder for the first time in my life. And on the front end cap, directly facing the revolving door, on the middle shelf, was a thick book with a purple cover and a gold spine entitled THE CLAIDI JOURNALS. I had heard of Tanith Lee before, but never read any of her books, and I had her sorted in my mind as a dark fantasy/horror writer. As I picked up the hefty volume and examined it, it appeared it was actually an omnibus collection of three novels: Wolf Tower, Wolf Star, and Wolf Queen. A fourth and final installment--Wolf Wing--was subsequently published. I usually prefer to start with the original volumes themselves and then invest in an omnibus edition if I like them and if it's a particularly attractive edition. In this case, however, something about the collection grabbed me. DH and I were stopping off in New York to visit my sister-in-law and her family on our way to Italy to visit my parents, and I was in need of some good trip reading to take with me. Then I made the mistake of opening the book and reading the first few lines.

***

Yes.

I stole this. This book.

I don't know why. It looked . . . nice, I suppose, and nothing has been nice for years.

***

That right there sealed the deal. I loved how she sounded both defiant and utterly lost at the same time and I simply had to know who she was, what was in that book she stole, and why things had gone so badly for her for so long. So, like Claidi, I made up my mind to take the book with me. Only I decided to go ahead and pay for it first.

Claidi is a servant and has been her entire life. In the House of Lady Jade Leaf, she spends her days and nights forced to wait on the ridiculous princess hand and foot. Tempers are short and punishments abundant in the House and Claidi chafes against the ties that bind her, physically and emotionally. One day she comes across an empty book and decides--despite the no doubt painful consequences--that she will take it. It turns into a journal of sorts for the lonely young woman, in which she records her thoughts, and later her adventures. For soon after she discovers the book, a stranger walks inside the walls of the House. A stranger from beyond the desert, with golden hair, and an escape route in his hands. And before she knows it, Claidi is off with the enigmatic Argul on the adventure of a lifetime. Trouble is, she's never quite sure where they are headed or who might be after them. It's a rough and tumble journey, full of misdirection, aborted weddings, and not a little abduction. There are palaces whose rooms refuse to stay put, monstrous creatures, and princes who look too much like people they are not. And all of it leads to the mysterious Wolf Tower, which seems to hold in it the secret of who she is and who she might become. Claidi spends much of the time confused and near panic, but she is a resourceful young woman, and her frequent journal entries chronicle the unfolding story in engaging detail.

These books are a wild ride. Claidi has something of the Tamora Pierce heroine about her. Adventure seems to be in her blood, though she's not quite as devil-may-care in her approach to it as some of Pierce's girls. She is thrust forcefully into the outside world after living an extremely sheltered, though awful, life and having the story told in her own words in journal format brings her quickly into the reader's affections. Her growing relationship with Argul is quite sweet and a bright spot among all the subterfuge. This is another case of people not always being exactly who you think they are and, over the course of the four books, there were several times I came perilously close to washing my hands of most of them. All but Claidi, really. But at the same time it served to cement my loyalty to the main character and remember to question each new character that arrived, which is really not so bad a thing after all. Each book expands on the world they live in and these revelations come as just as much a shock to Claidi as they do to the reader. At times, it can be a bit frustrating to be so in the dark. But the world Lee paints is so foreign, so innately other that I found myself awfully intrigued to find out what particularly rabbit she would pull out of the hat next. There is definitely a strong thread of science fiction running through the fantasy and I found the blend unusual and refreshing. All in all, a highly entertaining series featuring a heroine I never tired of and who becomes much more than she would otherwise have been because she stole a book and took a chance on a stranger. Recommended for fans of Garth Nix and Sherwood Smith.

Reading Order: Wolf Tower, Wolf Star, Wolf Queen, and Wolf Wing

Writing worthy of study
While I enjoyed the story, I have to admit that what I most admire about these books is the characterization. Without so much as a ripple in continuity, Lee brings Claidi along a very real and human journey such that, as Claidi notices herself, she seems to have become a different person from when she started writing. Claidi is also one of the best and clearest examples I know of a flawed heroine; while she often makes terrible mistakes, she never fails to learn and grow from them, and the reader understands and sympathizes with her at every step along the way. Venn is also extremely well-developed and was a joy to read, though Argul's character lags slightly.

This collection is both an excellent deal and a great way to compare clues and details between books, so if you're looking into buying them, look here first.

The one thing that was less than well-thought out about the story was the level of technology, especially in the third book. I bought the moving rooms of the Rise mainly because they were completely fascinating and uniquely dangerous, even if thinking about how that kind of mechanism could work gave me a headache. The rings, however, stray towards a traditional fantasy where everything is far too easy once you have the "magic talisman." If their powers had been more limited, at least to just outside the realm of mechanical believability, the story would have been smoother and provided more opportunities for character growth.

Wonderful
These books are a wonderful example of an exciting, well thought out young adult/childrens book series. The world Claidi lives in is enticing and beautiful, and we are drawn through it with her. She falls in love, experiences betrayal and redemption, and overcomes insecurities and fears as she defeats the people who try to destroy her. Tanith Lee has created a world that is part fantasy, part science fiction, and all wonderful. These are the perfect books for young people who like their fantasy to be intelligent and personal.

Yea
This one is good. these books. Thanks Tanith Lee for giving them to us, they're great.
Surely, they have everything, love, action, regret, happiness, tragedy. And in the end, evrything isn't solved (but this isn't the last book, either.) I should have given it 4 ½, ebcuase it didn't make me thik of it for very long, and it lost a little it was my fault) becuase I looked up it was going all right at the last apges.

Awesome
This excedingly predictable series no matter how origional it was, is amazing, the amazing ideas the author put into this book make you want to read it around twenty more times and you will still notice something new, when I first started reading them I was up until 3'am reading and comprehending, the new worldy idea makes every reader want to live there and the main charector is highly relatable, so, read them or be square. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Great Book
I read a couple of negative reviews about this book, all of them complained that nothing ever happened.

I had a totally different impression.I thought a great deal happened, and I enjoyed reading this story immensely.

As I have gone through life I have discovered that there are a lot of the kind of people around who have to be told EVERYTHING.They can't make a connection between idea A and idea B.Nothing can be implied, everything has to be spelled out.If this sounds like you, then you probably won't enjoy this book.

Striking and lovely, but not for everyone.
This book is not for everyone. A previous reviewer complains that the heroine doesn't seem at all heroic; well, one of Tanith Lee's great strengths is that she often works with fantasy tropes and stereotypes in unexpected ways; "heroine" has some irony in it, here. If you're looking for swordfights and blatant sorcery and such, you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for a different kind of story about a war-torn, mutedly magical world, and the way women have often had to live through such times -- particularly if you seek vivid description and delicate characterization -- then you won't be.

I think many of the issues reviewer have with this book derives from the blurb. It seems as though so many blurbs for Lee's books are off -- I think this has more to do with how unusual her work really is compared to the legions of quick-read fantasy novels out there, and less to do with any real weakness to her writing. Don't blame Lee if the blurb wasn't correct -- she doesn't write them, after all.

Striking and lovely, but not for everyone.
This book is not for everyone.A previous reviewer complains that the heroine doesn't seem at all heroic; well, one of Tanith Lee's great strengths is that she often works with fantasy tropes and stereotypes in unexpected ways; "heroine" has some irony in it, here.If you're looking for swordfights and blatant sorcery and such, you'll be disappointed.If you're looking for a different kind of story about a war-torn, mutedly magical world, and the way women have often had to live through such times -- particularly if you seek vivid description and delicate characterization -- then you won't be.

I think many of the issues reviewer have with this book derives from the blurb.It seems as though so many blurbs for Lee's books are off -- I think this has more to do with how unusual her work really is compared to the legions of quick-read fantasy novels out there, and less to do with any real weakness to her writing.Don't blame Lee if the blurb wasn't correct -- she doesn't write them, after all.

Much work, little reward
The writer is intelligent, and the psychology of her characters is dead-on. But the story is through the eyes of one character, very inward, and it does drag on.

There is a truly offensive element, which some others haven't mentioned and which I really found repellent: the 'heroine' is 13, only on the threshold of puberty, and her captor is much older, and a pedophile. He supposedly woos and wins her, and takes her with him as the army moves, but he's basically inducing Stockholm Syndrome and taking advantage of the psyche of a child. Though this is could be part of the aftermath of war, and it rings psychologically true, it's painful and off-putting to read.

There was an interesting moment with a side-character (the captor's servant, or slave) in the middle of the book-but what came before was painful, and what comes after is interminable, so it's not enough to redeem the book.

The heroine retreats inward and insulates herself from the frightening events that have destroyed and reshaped her life. She feels numb, so as the readers, so do we. She is passive, and allows her life to be determined by others. This is psychologically consistent with someone who mentally fixated at the level of a child, the age when she was traumatized, but it doesn't endear her to the reader nor make for very interesting reading.

I read this some time ago, but I remember forcing myself to slog through it, and feeling betrayed by both the blurbs and the illustration of the cover. I respect the author, but did not enjoy the book, nor feel interested in pursuing her other works.

A brilliant, unique, realistic fantasy novel
I first wrote a review of this book on this site in 1997. I reread A Heroine of the World every year or two and it is still one of my favourite novels ever -- so I wanted to write another review, especially for anyone considering reading this book who may be puzzled by the disparate opinions which have been posted here.

This is a fantasy novel but one which pushes the boundaries of the genre, creating a unique world which I believe may be inspired by central Europe in the 18th or 19th century. The fantasy elements are subtle, and do not overwhelm the stark realism of the story or the humanity of the characters. In essence this is the story of a young girl who becomes a refugee when her country is invaded and the city in which she lives is besieged. This war will change her world and profoundly shape her own life, carrying her, as she says, beneath its grinding wheels. Her parents are killed in the war and she is taken under the protection of an enemy officer. When he dies Aradia inherits his property and lands, and there she comes of age and gains power over her own life.

It's not necessarily an easy book to read, however. The first time I read it I set it aside after about 100 pages -- when Aradia is in the midst of what seems like a neverending military retreat across a bleak and desolate winter landscape. It seemed to me as if nothing much was happening in terms of the plot, and Aradia herself was a bit too passive for my taste. I didn't pick up the book again for at least a year, at which point I discovered that a few pages after I had abandoned the book, something really big happens. After that I was hooked, and I couldn't put the book down. I was completely engrossed by the story, by the subtle plot twists and the development of Aradia's character, by the heart-wrenchingly painful story of her discovery that the adult world is not everything she thought it would be, that there is no happy ever after.

Aradia is 13 years old at the beginning of the book, and she may seem too passive, judged by modern standards of how novel protagonists should behave. But her behaviour is in keeping with her age and with the terrible events she has endured. And one of the crucial aspects of the story, of Aradia's special (perhaps magical) power, is that every small action she takes has large consequences. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something a bit different, and especially to those who haven't tried reading fantasy before. Tanith Lee possesses a skill for language and imagery that is matched by few writers in the fantasy field. Every time I reread this book I discover something I hadn't noticed before, a beautifully written passage, a keenly observed character, a passage of dialogue which leaps off the page. The novel may not be to everyone's taste, but it's definitely worth a try. ... Read more

Product Description
In her now-classic tale The Silver Metal Lover, award-winning author Tanith Lee told the spellbinding story of Jane and her forbidden love for a robot named Silver. In this stunning follow-up, the legend of their tragic romance lives on. But nothing is as it was–or as it seems.…

As an orphan growing up in the slums, Loren read her clandestine copy of Jane’s Story over and over, relishing every word. But Loren is no Jane. Savvy and street-smart, Loren could never be stirred by a man of metal, her passion never ignited by an almost-human–even one designed for pleasure.

Still, when the META corporation does the unthinkable and brings back updated versions of robots past–Loren knows she must see Silver. And just like Jane, it is love at first sight. But Silver is now Verlis. If he was perfection before, he is now like a god. Yet he is more human than his creators think–or fear. While Loren doesn’t quite trust him, she will follow her twice-born lover into a battle to control his own destiny–one that
will reveal to her the most astonishing illusion of all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

thanks for top service amazon: and the book itself was and is a great one
The loved this book almost as much as "The silver metallover itself" but then nothing in print today can touch the beauty of tsml, in its genre. This particular book does well in its homeage to tsml, I loved this book almost as well

A True Disappointment
For any reader who absolutely loved The Silver Metal Lover with its dystopian future world, interspecies (human and robot) love story and wanted more, Metallic Love may not be what you're looking for. Sadly, Ms. Lee appears to have set out to deliberately tear down her previous novel and replace it with a very poor substitute here that just doesn't work like the original did and is actually a disservice to readers of TMSL. While I can see the type of story Ms. Lee attempted to write here (and revealing that, unfortunately, would be a major spoiler that I'm not going to give away) it simply doesn't follow well from her previous work. Sequels often feel the need to outdo the original in the belief that they must be more intense in order to create the same effect as the original since the readers are now immunized by the original story and need more for the same effect. But when the original is perfectly balanced, such a sequel becomes very badly out of balance. TSML lovers will probably read this book anyway with high hopes, and if Metallic Love is read as standalone with no knowledge of the prior story it would rank higher than this dismal rating. But Metallic Love is what it is, and what it is has failed for me.

I Would Only Recommend This for Those Who Read The Prequel
This is the first Tanith Lee book I've read that I've given less than five stars to.

Basically, this story is more of a sci-fi drama and much less touching than The Silver Metal Lover. While not a bad story per se, at times I got that Lee was a bit, well, either whimsical or else careless with her writing, not that it's bad, just quite full of whimsy at times in places where it didn't need to be that way.

And yes, it's true, the character of Loren and Verlis, as you may have already heard or read, they're just not as personable here in this story, although as I already noted, this is more of a straightforward sci-fi type of tale.

I would recommend this book to those who have already read and really enjoyed the prequel.

Amazing story
Perhaps because I've never read Silver Metal Lover and so had no expectations when reading Metallic Love, I thought this second book was amazing. Aside from the love story, which I thought was well-developed (and hot!), the ideas it dealt with - humanity's creations turning on humans, the idea of humans creating gods, the fall from perfection- are elemental and fascinating.
I have to say - I read the first chapter of TSML in the bookstore and didn't buy it because I thought Jane was annoying. I know she is supposed to be an adolescent and many are over-emotional, but still - I didn't think I could read a whole book with her sniveling about her mom and love, etc.

EXCELLENT LIGHT DRAMA
Contrary to the bad reviews for this sequel, I found it to be a great story which was not too heavy or too trivial.The references to the previous book "silver metal lover" added to it and did not make it a carbon copy.

If you are after action/politics in science fiction, this book or its predecessor is not for you.

Great human drama in science fiction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Book arrived fast and in excellent condition
Books arrived fast and in excellent condition.I am very satisfied with my purchase.

Never quite what you expect...
During the Renaissance of an Italy that never existed in our world, two young lovers in the city-state of Verensa met across lines of familial feuding and arcane powers to shape a story that everybody knows by heart . . . almost. The young man in question is beautiful, restless, burningRomulan Montargo. His contant friend and companion: the mocking, moodyFlavian Estemba, called (for his quicksilver temperament) Mercurio. And themaiden, as beautiful, ardent, and directionless as Romulan himself, isnamed Iuletta Chenti-but all Verensa has a nickname for the Chenti family,after its heraldic emblem of a great cat, and calls them the Gattapuletti.There will be star-crossed love, duels of honor, feuding Houses and variousdeaths . . . and none of it will happen exactly as readers of "Romeoand Juliet" expect. Tanith Lee follows the very bare outline of theRomeo and Juliet story, but within that framework her characters are fullof fascinating twists. Some of the similarities are a bit arcane-it onlymakes sense for Iuletta's cousin to be named Leopardo if one remembers thatTybalt is the name of a cat-while others, such as Romulan's parting wordsto Iuletta ("To part will be sweet, since we do so only to meetagain") have a very familiar ring, but all of it is just differentenough to keep the reader enthralled within the well-known pattern ofRomulan and Iuletta and their bright, ardent, hopeless love. All right.Some of it is *very* different. But it's equally as good. Tanith Lee'scolorful prose is enough to make almost anything readable, and she'sworking with high-quality material here. Such retellings work very well forfairy tales and myths, turning the story to illuminate angles never beforeseen. Why not with Shakespeare? Tanith Lee makes the attempt in "Sungin Shadow" and surprisingly enough, it really works.

More subtle than it appears...
On first glance, the reader may think "WHY should I read something that's just a retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story?". Why should you? Firstly, Tanith Lee writes beautifully. Secondly, this book is filledwith subtleties -- weird cultural shifts that aren't quite what one wouldexpect from Renaissance Italy; mysterious, unspoken relationships betweencharacters. It may well take you more than one reading to really appreciatethis book, but it's worth it.

Not Even Her Beautiful Prose Could Save This Tedious Bore
Having read about twenty of Tanith Lee's novel, I have to say that this is definitely the worst. The idea of a Romeo & Juliet story played differently in a parallel universe is charming, but probably only merits ashort-story or novella length work. 400 pages of tiresome infightingbetween the houses of swaggering Italian stallions causes the eyelids todroop. The characters of substance are peripheral, and we're expected tocare about the traumas that befall the vain & vacuous. Not even herlovely prose, extensive colorful vocabulary, and the occasional interestingpassages can save this novel from being an utter bore. ... Read more