I don’t read a lot of sci-fi or fantasy or sci-fi fantasy hybrids, but every so often I browse through a thread about these kinds of books. To my knowledge, no one has ever mentioned this author.
My oldest sister was a big fan of hers and owned over twenty titles, and I read a few of them. Many of her books were kind of Arabian Nights flavored, with lots of sex (including the homoerotic kind) and witchcraft and warriors and magic and sexy demons. She also wrote a couple of books that would fall into the sci-fi category (e.g., putting one’s original body in suspended animation in a kind of tank, and finding a new body).
When I was in high school (around '83 or so), I read a couple of her books… all I remember now is that I wasn’t very impressed with them. I was surprised, as I had heard great things about her as an author.
shrug
Not my style, I guess. Although perhaps I should go read a few more of her books now that I’m older; perhaps older me will appreciate her work more than younger me did.
I’ve read her early sf novels Don’t Bite the Sun and Drinking Sapphire Wine, but none of the fantasy stuff that seems to be the bulk of her output. I liked them okay - the first was more fun, but both were pretty decent, if not exactly masterpieces. I should probably give her fantasy stuff a shot at some point ( I’m all in favor of the Arabian Nights and sex ), but I’m pretty far behind on my reading as it is ( finally getting around to the Dark Tower series - just started volume III ).
I stumbled over a short story of Tanith Lee’s in a horror anthology and was struck by what a graceful writer she was. Later I bought one of her Secret Books of Paradys, The Book of the Dead, I think (?), but haven’t devoted much attention to it yet.
She wrote a long novel set during the French Revolution that always sounded promising, The Gods are Thirsty. That kind of material, I would think, is tailor made for a writer with her kind of dark and sensuous style.
I really liked Don’t bite the Sun and would love to read it again some day. If I trusted myself with a credit card, I would have ordered it ages ago. Then again, I like the idea of finding it in a second hand bookshop one day.
When I was quite young I also read some of her other stuff. (She also writes for kids so I moved onto her adult stuff after I finished all the kid ones) I can’t for the life of me remember the titles, but it involved a lot of sex with a demonic being who I think was called Azrarn. I was just about that age where sex was really interesting, confusing and naughty, so it had quite an effect on me and I will never quite forget those books, but Mr. Demon endless exploits also bored at times. I’d be interesting to see what I would make of them now I’m at the right sort of age for them.
The “Flat Earth” series, beginning with Night’s Master (Azhrarn being Night’s Master, one of the Five Lords of Darkness. Only four are actually introduced in the series, I’ve always wondered who the fifth was … )
I like Tanith Lee … her style can get quite notably overblown at times, but at her best she’s lush and lyrical and stunningly evocative. I also remember that, as well as the adult stuff (and some of them are very adult-themed indeed), she did a series of YA books (beginning with Black Unicorn) that were, IMHO, pretty darn good.
Exactly - I read the first four Flat Earth books (Night’s Master, Death’s Master, Delusion’s Master, and Delirium’s Mistress) mainly because I was a curious adolescent. But to be fair, she was able to make her world come alive. I don’t usually read fantasy because most of the made-up worlds are really awkward and derivative.
The only ones I remember are Azhrarn, Uhlume, and Chuz. Who is the fourth?
I never read her YA stuff, but I really liked an anthology of “fairy tales with a twist” called Red as Blood.
Oh, yes, the fairy tales. The first I ever heard of Tanith Lee was when I was reading a chapter in an English textbook on different tellings of the same story. It had versions of the Cinderella story from various cultures, along with “When the Clock Strikes”.
I like her short stories, but I’ve never tackled one of the novels. As people have said, her writing tends to be very rich and lush and sensuous, sort of the verbal equivalent of eating really fine dark chocolate. A few truffles is a glorious thing, but a giant slab of the stuff is enough to make you vomit, you know?
It really does bug me … I keep wondering if it’s some meta-textual thing, like the fifth Lord of Darkness is the author, or the reader, or something like that.
(It’s also entirely possible that Tanith Lee started out to write five books about the Five Lords of Darkness, then got sidetracked during Delirium’s Mistress and ditched that idea. Possible. But less fun to wonder about.)
Incidentally, does anyone besides me recall that Tanith Lee wrote two episodes of British TV skiffy classic Blake’s Seven? Or care?
That’s a lovely description, and describes how I feel about her. Her short stories appear often in anthologies by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow, and I love 'em; her novels are just too much.
I read her short story “Medusa” (or was it “The Gorgon”?) because of the subject matter – most stories and poems about Medusa tend to be written by women, it seems. It was an interesting modern interpretation, but not interesting enough to want to make me read her other things.
Coincidentally, I watched ‘Sarcophagus’ last night – and didn’t see this thread until this morning… (am on a Blake 7 revival kick at the moment,I must confess).
Actually, that’s where I first encountered her as an author, all those years ago when I first saw the show. (I think she also wrote ‘Sand’ if I’m not mistaken.) I remember reading then that she had a big crush on actor Paul Darrow (all right, I confess, so did/do I! ) and wrote ‘Sarcophagus’ as a bit of a lark.
I was recommended Ms. Lee from a previous thread and picked up a copy of THE STORM KING, which, as far as I can find, is the rarest novel in the world. I gave it two separate tries and never made it past ten pages either time. It’s not that the writing was that bad, but perhaps it was me picking it up in the middle of a spate of fantasy novels and the prospect of an overly-obtuse writer making me go through and having to figure out (again) what names belonged to gods, what belonged to heroes and what were actually animals that had names that were suspiciously similar to either heroes or gods or something. Argh.
Ah, a fellow person of exquisite taste! (Yes, “Sand” was the other one …) I’ve but recently been watching the sets of season one wobble in beautiful DVD clarity …
I like Tanith Lee, but as far as I can tell this woman has written approximately 7,000 books, and some of 'em are duds. I loved *The Flat Earth * series very much, along with *The Silver Metal Lover * and *Red As Blood * (interestingly subtitled “Tales of the Sisters Grimmer”). I like her best when she’s being funny and sexy, and get turned off when she tries to be really serious, as in the novel Lycanthia, for instance. (Most Boring Werewolves Ever.) When she starts to take that serious tone, I drop her books like a hot rock.
If you can find it, Lee’s short story “Odds Against the Gods” is one of the funniest pieces of fantastic fiction I’ve ever read. Hilarious, but hard to find. I read it in The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories: 4 anthology from Daw, edited by Lin Carter (1977 or '78, I think. Look for it in used bookstores). I don’t know if it’s been printed anywhere else.
Just went through ‘Rumours of Death’ this evening…on gloriously fuzzy 20 year old videotape! I recall the first time I saw it feeling gutted Avon ever fell for that Anna Grant person, crikey. Well, he hadn’t met me yet, there’s the problem!
Although when the series first ran I was only about 13 or 14…hmmm…still, all through sticky situations in grad school, and even now in some professional context, I’ll be thinking to myself, ‘Hmm, what would Avon do?’ :eek:
Anyway, I think I prefer season three best, although there are one or 2 nutty season 4s. Wasn’t too impressed the first time I saw the show – until ‘Deliverence’ – when I went all smitten on Avon/Paul Darrow. Looking back now, I think that’s probably when the writers realised his character was a heck of a lot more fun than Blake!
I lovedBlake’s 7 to death. Sand was definitely one of the best episodes. By the way, a Tanith Lee novel I still have is called Kill the Dead, which purportedly has Tanith using a thinly disguised Vila and Avon in a different setting. (The main character’s name, if memory serves, is “Parl Dro” – compare to the name of the actor playing Avon, “Paul Darrow”.)
Sadly, I don’t think Lee’s written novels have aged well. I liked her shorter fiction better, as others above have also.
(P.S. Ms. Boods, if there’s enough interest for a separate Blake’s 7 thread to get going, I am so there.
) and wrote ‘Sarcophagus’ as a bit of a lark.