Tanith Lee

Tales from the Flat Earth — (1978-1987) Publisher: Supreme among the mighty demons was Azhrarn. It was he whose pranks made nightmares on Earth, who brought desire and danger to those it amused him to visit, and who could grant wonders and create horrors unspeakable.

Night's Master

Night’s Master is the sort of book that not everyone will like, but for what it is, it’s brilliant. The styling is exquisite, the characterization direct and to-the-point in a way I’ve rarely seen before, getting right to a character’s essence without any muddying around. The plot concerned me at times while reading, but eventually proved itself beyond my expectations. I rarely say this, but this is a novel that stays with you.

As I said above, I did have my doubts coming into it. I had no prior knowledge of Tanith Lee or her Tales from the Flat Earth series. The opening moments of the text are concerned with a figure named Azhrarn, who is essentially presented as the devil, the literal Lord of Darkness. Any red-blooded fantasy fan will at this point be forgiven for assuming that the scene must be the moment at which the evil prince lays the seeds for his own destruction. Indeed, everything seems to be going as planned. Azhrarn abducts a human child and lays his own enchantments about him to make him nigh invulnerable. Our hero is ready, awaiting his moment of disillusionment.

That moment comes… and the story ends. Another begins. Perhaps for someone with prior knowledge of the series, this would not have been so surprising, but I felt as though I’d opened what I thought was a novel and found myself reading a book of short stories. Initially, that’s very much what Night’s Master feels like: a set of random stories from Lee’s universe. As time goes on, however, it becomes clear that the stories presented are far from random. Each is connected, even if only peripherally, to Azhrarn, or to something that eventually connects to Azhrarn. The story spans centuries, telling of the tiny influences that pile up to lead to the character transcending himself.

This is not epic, but mythology. The stories are clearly crafted after ancient legends, stylistically as well as thematically. Lee does an admirable job of balancing the new and the old to make her style accessible to modern readers. That said, the style she has chosen forces her to a distance from the plot that some might find cold. The perspective of Night’s Master is that of a telescope from a high mountain, watching events clinically and coolly, save for moments of sudden emotional depth. For readers who are accustomed to walking right behind a human protagonist, so to speak, this may be a bit of a turn-off. Another possible issue I can foresee is that the intricacy of the plot may bore a few readers, as there are a number of moments where it’s difficult to tell how, if at all, the episode one has just read can ever connect to the main arc.

These are the issues I can see, but obviously I didn’t find them a problem. I adored Lee’s grand style. Her prose put me in mind, pleasantly, of oral-tradition storytelling. Azhrarn, as quasi-protagonist, remained a figure I could never take for granted. He is never quite likeable but always rather glorious, a force of nature characterized entrancingly well.

Overall, I loved this book. It was not particularly ambitious in a literary sense, nor was it warm and human, but in many ways that’s what made it fascinating. This is a novel that really does carry the feel of a legend and is never insecure in that role. Night’s Master never goes out of its way to appeal to the reader’s comfort. It instead presents an elegant, beautiful vision and invites others to share it. Reading this book, one can almost hear the crackle of the fire, the voice of the storyteller, the whisper of the desert wind. —Tim Scheidler

Night's Master

Long ago, the earth was flat. Humans lived on its surface while the benevolent gods who created them lived in the heavens. Regretting that they had made man, the gods ignored their creation and held themselves aloof while the sorcerous demons that lived in the glowing gem-encrusted city under the earth were permitted to use humans as they wished. Being at the whim of cruel and impulsive demons made these times terrifying for humans. Eventually hate and evil began to prevail, and earth was near death, but the gods showed no inclination to save humanity. Azhrarn, Prince of Demons and Night’s Master, was the proudest and most powerful demon of all. When he discovered a beautiful orphaned human child and brought him to live in the underworld, the destiny of the earth was changed forever.

Tanith Lee’s Night’s Master, the first of her FLAT EARTH series, is a collection of connected stories set in Lee’s unique world. The first story recounts Azhrarn’s discovery and love for the human child he finds. Each of the following tales is related, perhaps by a character, an object, or a theme. Together, the stories weave a vast dark mythology covering thousands of years. With vivid imagery and elegant prose, they show demons meddling in human affairs, humbling men who exalt themselves, and using magic to harness the powers of music, love, and joy as well as grief, hate, and death.

Night’s Master is dark, yet richly luxuriant and full of passion. The writing is gorgeous. There’s not much more that a lover of excellent fantasy could ask for, though some readers may wish for a more obvious hero to love. You won’t find one here. Instead, you’ll feel the decline of civilization and the degeneration into hopelessness as a capricious demon wields magic against powerless men. But because the demons admire beauty, there’s also a gothic splendor that permeates the novel. In many ways the setting and characters of FLAT EARTH are reminiscent of Jack Vance’s DYING EARTH stories, which isn’t surprising considering that Vance was one of Tanith Lee’s major influences.

Night’s Master has just been produced in audio by Audible Frontiers. The narrator, Susan Duerden, did a great job with the dialogue — she has a lovely resonant voice which is a good fit for this dark fairytale. Unfortunately, her reading occasionally takes on a noticeable sing-song quality during the narrative. I hope this will not be as conspicuous in the second FLAT EARTH novel, Death’s Master. —Kat Hooper

Death’s Master

On Tanith Lee’s Flat Earth, humans live in the space between apathetic gods and vain and meddlesome demons. In the first FLAT EARTH book, Night’s Master, we met Azhrarn, prince of demons and ruler of the night who found and loved a human orphan. I loved that book for its exotic setting and gorgeous fairytale quality, but Death’s Master, the second FLAT EARTH book, is even more enchanting. While the first book was a series of connected tales, Death’s Master is a traditional novel. This time we meet a second Lord of Darkness, Uhlume, Lord Death, when he makes a deal with Narasen, a human warrior queen.

Narasen, the Leopard Queen of Merh, doesn’t like men. When she rebuffs a powerful magician, he curses her, causing plague, famine and barrenness to settle in Merh. An oracle announces that the land will be healed when Narasen, who is barren, bears a child. After the people of Merh have sent all the men they can muster to Narasen, she seeks escape by asking the witch Lylas, Death’s Handmaiden, to arrange a deal with Death.

Uhlume, the Lord of Death, gives Narasen a child, but the price she must pay is heavy: after giving birth, she must remain under the Earth with Uhlume for 1000 years. The rest of the story follows Simmu, Narasen’s hermaphrodite child; his friend Zhirem, whose mother also made a deal with Death; Lylas, who assigns nine virgins to guard the waters of immortality; the demon Azhrarn, who can’t help but meddle in human affairs; and other characters that’ve unfortunately come to the attention of demons.

It’s hard to truly like any of these characters, which, I suspect, is the main reason that the FLAT EARTH books are not universally loved. Tanith Lee’s characters are all well-developed, but they don’t give back. They’re not interested in whether you like them, so you’re not likely to find yourself really caring what happens to any of them. Tanith Lee isn’t offering us friends. Instead, she offers a vision of a world that’s completely foreign, yet peopled by real humans who we can relate to, whether we like them or not. Lee uses this unfamiliar world to explore familiar human nature in a way that isn’t possible outside a fantasy setting.

One theme in Death’s Master is the idea that when life becomes difficult, we often preserve sanity by knowingly casting illusions. When Narasen goes with Death to the underworld, she sees all the humans who’ve made similar deals with Death and must live in his kingdom for 1000 years. The place is horrible, but they’ve constructed illusions to make it bearable. When Narasen scorns these weak-minded people, Death explains that they survive by creating their own reality:

The soul is a magician. Only living flesh hampers it... This land is a blank parchment where anyone may write what they wish.

Another theme is the boredom that comes with immortality on Earth. When the well of immortality is discovered and some humans drink from it, their lives eventually become pointless and dull. Lee suggests that the gods knew that the constant threat of pain and death is what gives life its meaning and joy:

Men could not have too much. Ecstasy and vulnerability belonged in the same dish. The fear the cup would be snatched away was what gave the wine its savor and as Zhirem’s cup was sure, so was his joylessness... to die is a fear, but to live is a fear, also.

These ideas are so beautifully examined in Death’s Master, but Tanith Lee’s writing isn’t unrelievedly heavy. In fact, I think she’s one of the funniest writers I know and even this dark tale has plenty of humor. The scene in which all nine virgins were disqualified in three nights is hilarious and this description of Yolsippa the charlatan had me literally clapping my hands in delight:

Generally Yolsippa was not a sensual man, but there was one thing, and one thing alone, which could stir him instantaneously and irrepressibly to amorous frenzy. This singular thing was a member of either sex who happened to be cross-eyed. Now the reason for this is a matter of conjecture. Possibly Yolsippa, in his tender years, had been nursed by a woman with just such a feature who had toyed indelicately with him so that ever after the erection of his weapon became associated with the strabismus of his nurse. Now and again Yolsippa had taken himself into a brothel and there lain down with straight-gazing harlots in an effort to be rid of the ridiculous taint. But it was no use; the perversion remained. Indeed, many afflicted by the squint had been most grateful for it. However, the cross-eyed being that Yolsippa had suddenly caught sight of in the desert border town was none other than the local prizefighter, a man near seven feet high with a prodigious girth, the belly of a boar and the fuse of an ox. Yolsippa completely comprehended the unwisdom of his passion, but no sooner had the two blood-shot squinting eyes been fixed on him than he began shuddering in a seizure of profound desire. Nor was it any use to seek his own medicine for dispelling such emotion since it was made of water, spirit, and mules’ urine.

Here, and in all of her writing, you can clearly see the influence of Jack Vance, who Tanith Lee calls “one of the literary gods” in her afterword to her story in the anthology Songs of the Dying Earth. In fact, Lee says that “Influence is too small a word. What I owe to Vance’s genius, as avid fan and compulsive writer, is beyond calculation.”

Indeed, Tanith Lee’s imagination and writing style are a fantasy lover’s dream. If you haven’t read Tanith Lee, you’re missing one of our age’s best fantasists. If you’re not into the twisted dark fairytales found in FLAT EARTH, you should at least try some of her short fiction, which is easily found in the best anthologies.

I listened to Susan Duerden narrate the audio version which was just released by Audible Frontiers. Her lush voice is gorgeous and I think she has the sexiest male voice I’ve ever heard by female or male narrator. The sing-song quality I mentioned in my review of Night’s Master was less noticeable this time. If you’re an audio reader, don’t miss this. Death’s Master, originally published in 1979, won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1980. —Kat Hooper

Delusion’s Master

In Delusion’s Master, the third of Tanith Lee’s FLAT EARTH novels, we’re introduced to another Prince of Darkness: Chuz, the Prince of Madness, who is handsome when seen from one side and hideous when seen from the other. Chuz watches humans and uses the opportunities they give him to practice his craft: There were several doors by which Madness might enter any house; one was rage, one jealousy, one fear.

We first meet Chuz when a jealous queen tries to get rid of the baby she believes has caused the king to stop loving her. When she accidentally kills the child and her husband puts her aside, Chuz shows up to comfort her by helping her descend into madness. When he offers to grant her a wish, she asks that Chuz make her husband, the king, as mad as she is. That’s why the king decides to build a tower to heaven where he will wage war on the gods. Everyone knows that pride comes before the fall so, sure enough, disaster strikes the land. This sets off a string of strange events that have the demons, once again, meddling in the affairs of men.

The beautiful demon Azhrarn, from the first two FLAT EARTH books, continues to be a main character. When he becomes involved in Chuz’s doings on earth, we see Azhrarn get his feelings hurt, seek revenge, fall in love, and have a child. The demons are not like the uncaring gods above — they are passionate creatures. Occasionally they can be tender and compassionate with favored mortals, but their fickle emotions can suddenly turn to vanity, petty jealousy, and hate. And then the humans suffer.

Delusion’s Master is quite a bit shorter than Night’s Master and Death’s Master and Chuz, the title character, isn’t nearly as interesting as Azhrarn, but fortunately we get plenty of Azhrarn here. All of the FLAT EARTH tales have been dark, but Delusion’s Master actually gets uncomfortable because it includes baby killing, rape, and the torture of a mentally disabled girl. The imagery is vivid and I admit that I squirmed. Still, Tanith Lee continues to enchant us with the exotic setting and peerlessly gorgeous writing.

There are several biblical allusions in this installment: the Tower of Babel, the Flood, redemption of humanity through death, and man’s natural hatred of snakes. The most beautiful moment in the book is when Azhrarn goes up to the Earth to find out why men hate snakes and then, as a favor to snakes, sets out to make them more palatable to humans:

Azhrarn went by night to the world to listen to men's opinion of the snake. "How we abhor his cold scales," they complained. "And his teeth, which are sometimes venomous, and his forked tongue, which might be. And how allergic we are to his leglessness. He is all tail, and the sound of his hiss causes our hair to rise up like bristles."

Then Azhrarn smiled, and he went back to the Druhim Vanasta. There he took up a snake and he inquired, "Would it be worthwhile to you, in order to win the affection of mankind, to be a little changed?"

"Of what good is mankind's affection?" asked the snake.

"Those they love," said Azhrarn," fare well. And those they hate they harm."

The snake had heard reports from his cousins concerning mallets, and after some thought, he agreed.

To find out what happened, read the rest of the story here. It’s one of the best things Tanith Lee has ever written.

I’m still enjoying this series on audio. Susan Duerden’s narration gets even better with each book. Each also has an interesting introduction by Tanith Lee. In this one she talks about how her mother influenced her writing. —Kat Hooper

Secret Books of Paradys — (1986-1993) This omnibus edition contain all of the Paradys books. Publisher: 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.

The Claidi Journals — (1998-2002) Young adult. There is an omnibus edition for the first three novels. Publisher: All her life, Claidi has endured hardship in the House, where she must obey a spoiled princess. Then a golden stranger arrives, living proof of a world beyond the House walls. Claidi risks all to free the charming prisoner and accompanies him across the Waste toward his faraway home. It is a difficult yet marvelous journey, and all the while Claidi is at the side of a man she could come to love. That is, until they reach his home... and the Wolf Tower.

The Wolf Tower

The Wolf Tower (also published as The Law of the Wolf Tower) is the first of a quartet of books concerning the young woman Claidi’s series of adventures in a fantasy realm, as told and recorded by her in her journal. Her story begins in the House where she works as a slave to the spoilt Lady Jade Leaf, which Claidi recounts in the book that she's stolen from her mistress's stationary chest. She's not entirely sure what made her do such a dangerous thing, especially since there's nothing particularly interesting to write about her life — she slaves after Jade Leaf night and day, living in fear of beatings and punishments and attending the endless rituals of the rigid House.

But then something does happen: a hot air balloon is shot down over the Garden and the House guards drag back an extraordinary young man named Nemian. Claidi is at once transfixed by him, and when she is summoned to the presence of the Great Lady Jizania Tiger, she's astonished and delighted to find that she's being offered a chance at escape with the handsome Nemian. All she has to do is take Jizania's key, unlock the prison door, and Nemian will take her to his own City — to freedom.

And so Claidi's journey begins across the land known as the Waste, and all the many strange tribes, villages and people she meets throughout — some dangerous, some friendly, but all fascinating and worthy of recording in her beloved book. Finally Nemian's City looms, and his secret agenda is revealed — it seems Claidi's fate is inexplicitly linked to something known as the Wolf Tower, and the terrible Laws that are governed from its heights. But by this stage, Claidi is prepared to take matters into her own hands...

Young readers will love exploring the range of interesting landscapes and worlds that Tanith Lee vividly describes, everything from rainforests to deserts to huge cities are wonderfully brought to life through her descriptive prose — predominantly of note is the band of nomadic bandits, including their charismatic leader Argul. It's as close as you can possibly get to really experiencing these places without actually being there yourself, whilst at the same time uncovering Claudi's hidden past and the conspiracy that follows her journey to the forbidding Wolf Tower. Freedom is the theme of the story, whether it's freedom from tradition and rules, or the restrictions one imposes upon oneself, as Claidi not only goes from captivity to freedom, but from reliance on other people to independent thought.

Claidi herself makes a rather insipid heroine at first — quite a few of her decisions are obviously foolish and her behaviour at times is rather confusing (plus her love story with Argul is rather too sudden and unconvincing), but the complete honesty and wit that she uses in writing down her experiences more than compensate for this.

In fact, what makes The Wolf Tower so readable, is the way in which the story is told. Rather than third-person, or even strictly first-person, Tanith Lee makes the book itself Claudi's journal — and Claidi herself is talking directly to the reader. Obviously Claidi has no idea who it is that is reading her words, but she ponders on this mystery, wondering how far her book has travelled, how far into the future it's being read, and what the reader thinks of her. In terms of Claudi's direct addresses to an unseen reader, this is the most personal and interactive book I've ever read. The connection between the real-life reader (whoever it might be) and the fictional Claidi is remarkable, and something that is not read, but experienced. Tanith Lee creates the bond ingeniously, and young readers between ten and thirteen (male or female) are bound to be captivated by this intimacy.

It's just a shame that the publishers didn't go a bit further in their presentation of the book, perhaps using a handwritten font, or making the book appear as an actual journal. But never mind — The Wolf Tower and the following books in the series are must-reads for any fantasy fans, especially those inclined to Tanith Lee's wonderful stories. —Rebecca Fisher

Wolf Star: "We've Never Met. Probably Never Will..."

Wolf Star Rising (also published as Wolf Star) is the second of four books known as the Claidi Journals, stories told in the format of a diary by the young escaped-slave Claidi and her travels throughout a fantasy world in search of her origins and a home of her own. In the first installment, Wolf Tower, which you really must read if you want to understand what's going on in this story, Claidi escaped the confines of the House with the handsome Nemian, only to find that his intentions for her were less than honourable. Taking her to his dismal city and the matriarch Ironel, Claidi found that the inexorable Law of the Wolf Tower made her the new distributor of the cruel and unnecessary rules that governed the land.

Destroying the mechanisms that put the Law in place, Claidi made her escape with the handsome bandit-leader Argul — her betrothed. At the beginning of this new part of her diary, Claidi is immensely excited about her approaching wedding to the man she loves, and her acceptance into the extended family of the Hulta. But as she prepares on the wedding day, a catastrophe occurs — she is kidnapped by men of the Wolf Tower in a great balloon, and taken across the sea to a strange place known as the Rise. With only clockwork figurines for company, Claidi desperately searches for a way to escape the confusing and dangerous moving rooms of the Rise, a huge palace and garden carved into the side of a great cliff.

Soon she discovers that she's not alone — the Rise is the home of the elusive and confusing Prince Venarion (or Venn for short), who is just as bewildered at Claidi's presence in his home as she is. Abandoned by his mother Ustareth at a young age, Claidi suspects that somehow she is connected to the events that are now unfolding: the hidden designs of the House and the someone who has plans for them both without either of them knowing, someone who mysteriously signs their letters as "we", and who has a secret agenda going on. Wanting only to uncover the mystery of the higher interest in her, and to return to her beloved Argul, Claidi talks Venn into undertaking a trek deep into the Rise to find the library — the one place where they might both find the answers they're looking for.

Unfortunately in continuing the story, Tanith Lee raises more questions than answers, and many of her ideas come across as confused and contradicting. She possibly has a master-plan in mind for the completion of the story and the unfolding of the mystery, but she is unraveling it in a very muddled way — it's almost as if she's making it up as she goes along and later figuring out how all the clues fit together, rather than the other way around. Despite this however, the characters, the story and the mystery of Claidi's role in the world is interesting enough to keep one reading.

There are also complaints concerning the setting of the book — Wolf Tower was a journey that took place over a large area, whilst here Claidi is stuck almost entirely within a single house. Granted, it is an exceptionally fascinating house, with moving rooms and clockwork servants, but much of the appeal of the first book was the scale and freedom of Claidi's travels. Here, that is gone.

But Wolf Star is a good follow-up to the previous book, and most will be interested enough in picking up the next one, Wolf Queen, even though I am always frustrated at writers/publishers that split books into more than one volume needlessly. Claidi's journal is one big story — it should be presented as one large volume, not lots of little ones. There are overviews of the previous book at the start of each new installment, but I'd recommend reading them in order. —Rebecca Fisher

Wolf Queen: "And It's All Because of a Lie..."

Wolf Queen (or Queen of Wolves in some publications) is the third of four books in the Claidi quartet, a series of books that are told in diary-form by the young heroine Claidi and her travels throughout a fantasy land. In the previous installments, Wolf Tower and Wolf Star, she has escaped slavery, destroyed a corrupt system, found her true love, been kept prisoner in a moving castle and escaped once more in a controllable star. Throughout all of these amazing adventures, Claidi has kept a record in her book, and untangled much of the mystery surrounding her birth and destiny.

Now all she wants to do is be reunited with her beloved Argul, and has used the floating star/tower Yinyay to track down the Hulta people, of which Argul is leader. But when she finally finds them, she is met only with mistrust and anger: in her absence Argul was told that she ran off with a former acquaintance Nemian and no longer wants to marry him. Now he has left the Hulta people, and Claidi is not going to get any help from them due to her perceived betrayal. Determined to track him down, Claidi follows his trail northwards, occasionally joined by the elusive and infuriating Jelly.

Finally she reaches the Winterlands, and the fifth exiled tower of the City — the Raven Tower. Here she grasps several more answers to what has befallen her, as well as meeting the spoilt Winter Raven and Twilight Star, the woman she's been told is her mother.

The story is becoming more and more complicated, with Tanith Lee contradicting herself or twisting character motivations or previously established plot-facts. Characters have several aliases, have lied about past deeds and go about in disguise, making it immensely difficult to keep track of who's who and what is exactly going on. Furthermore, the big revelation about Claidi's past and the designs of those calling the shots aren't really all that imaginative — it is simply personal gratitude and family squabbles that drives these characters — nothing particularly deep or important.

As well as this, Lee has lost the knack of writing in diary-form, something that made the previous books so appealing and realistic. For instance, at one stage, when Claidi is giving a fake name, she writes:

"'Pattoo,' I un-cleverly blurted, picking the name of a friend from my slave-maid days."

The problem is that if you have read the other books, you already know precisely who Pattoo is — so why would Claidi repeat this fact in her diary? The passage is obviously for the benefit of those who have not read the previous books (or need a reminder of who the character is) and therefore comes as written by Tanith Lee to the reader, not as Claidi to her journal. It lends a sense of falseness to the words that are meant to be a private and consistent diary-entry.

At other points Tanith Lee slips into writing in present-tense rather than past-tense, such as:

"Rushing through the avenue. He is around the next turn before I can get there. I mustn't loose him."

Such urgency in the writing is lost when we realise that Claidi can't possibly be writing and chasing after Argul at the same time.

Despite all this, readers who have made their way through the previous books won't want to give up now. There are more fascinating and beautiful landscapes, including a snow-covered tower in the shape of a raven head, and small titbits of intrigue and detail that create a rich world to explore. Lee's writing and language remains clear, descriptive and involving, and her quest of self-discovery is interesting enough to continue with into the forth and final book: Wolf Wing. —Rebecca Fisher

Wolf Wing

Wolf Wing is the fourth and final book in the Claidi Journals, a quartet of books that follow a young heroine's journey from slavery to freedom — and her untangling of the many mysteries and conspiracies around her — all in diary form. After many adventures in the first three books, Claidi is finally reunited with her beloved Argul, and together they plan their marriage and the return to Claidi's previous home, the House, in order to release the slaves.

But once again, nothing is what it seems. On returning to the House Claidi and her new husband find that the slaves do not need their help — on the night of Claidi's escape, the slaves overthrew their former masters and now live in relative peace and harmony. The spoilt Jade Leaf, who once threatened Claidi with a vicious whipping, is now servant to those she once bullied mercilessly. But the Old Lady Jizania Tiger, who instigated the whole uprising seems to have something more up her sleeve: calling Claidi, Argul and another slave Dengwei (who led the revolt) to her, she reveals that the famous Ironel — matriarch of the Wolf Tower — has summoned them to her home, promising to reveal more information concerning the enigmas surrounding them.

Once there, readers are treated to a reunion, as major characters from all the previous books turn up: Nemian, Winter Raven, Venn and Ngarbo arrive in order to hear Ironel's news. And the news she reveals is shocking: Venn and Argul's mother, the famous sorceress Ustareth that has meddled in these characters lives from beyond the grave with her plans and charms, is in fact alive. Astonished, these characters (with the exception of Nemian) decide to travel in Yinyay (the moving tower) to her land in order to confront her...

For the final book in the series, it's a satisfactory conclusion — resolving the conflicts of all the main characters and finally introducing us to the figure that's been behind all their confusion and grief. Tanith Lee continues to create vivid, interesting and beautiful settings as well as intrigue in the form of the (quite spooky) moving statues and the way in which all six characters separately approach Ustareth's citadel. The diary entries are once more realistic, thoughtful and poignant. We can tell Claidi has grown as a character when by comparing her writing in Wolf Tower — the changes were never obvious, but are definitely there.

Throughout the entire series I was often frustrated with the lack of coherence and grandeur in the plots concerning Claidi and those around her: the “bad-guys” do what they do out of pettiness, personal gain and family issues. My grievances that these plots weren't clearly drawn out or explained remain, but my feelings on the fact that the reasons behind the ongoing “mystery” were somewhat shallow have changed. Tanith Lee is a wonderful author, and I have to admire the originality in creating a fantasy series that wasn't about good and evil, world domination, tragic romances or a myriad of fantasy races. Wolf Wing is simply about a young girl who is caught up in the selfish designs of others. Once you understand this, I think you'll be able to appreciate these books better.

Which is not to say these four books are without their flaws — they can get quite confusing at times and it's tricky keeping track of all the clues and mysteries that Lee gives us, and some of the revelations (concerning Ustareth's decisions and Claidi's powers) at the end didn't seem to make much sense. I also dislike the way they are divided into separate volumes — it makes it immensely difficult to track down all the books in order to get the complete story (and rest assured, you cannot read them out of order). The Claidi quartet does not have my highest recommendation — if you have too much trouble understanding or even finding these books, then don't get too worked up. However if you want a light, but interesting read, then you could do worse than Wolf Tower, Wolf Star, Wolf Queen and Wolf Wing. —Rebecca Fisher

Stand-Alone novels:

White as Snow — (2000) Publisher: In a novel-length tale of dark fantasy based on the fairy tale "Snow White," Arpazia and her unwanted daughter, Coira, conceived in violence during the sacking of her Arpazia's father's castle, are lured into the woods by the elder gods, who are seeking to restore their worship in a magical land in which a new religion threatens to transform life for everyone.

White as Snow

A maiden is kidnapped. Her mother searches for her, disguised as an old beggar woman. A deadly fruit is eaten. The maiden dies, but not necessarily for good...

Depending on how you flesh out the rest of the tale, this could either be the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, or the fairy tale "Snow White." Tanith Lee weaves the two together in White as Snow until it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. The myth and the fairy tale fit together well in Lee's hands; the book follows both storylines and made me realize just how much symbolism the two stories have in common in the first place. It is a testament to Lee's skill that after reading the book, I began to seriously wonder whether the fairy tale truly is a corrupted version of the myth, distorted over the centuries. Whether there is any real connection, the world may never know, but for the duration of White as Snow, Lee makes us believe it.

This is a very dark novel, and not for the squeamish. In addition, I had trouble sympathizing with the characters. They seem emotionally cold throughout much of the book. It makes sense, given their traumatic pasts, but it doesn't make it any easier to relate to them. Still, four solid stars for a richly archetypal novel. —Kelly Lasiter

Mortal Suns — (2003) Publisher: Epic in scope and thrilling in detail, Mortal Suns is set in the corridors of power in the mythical kingdom of Akhemony, which calls up the world of Ancient Greece. Acclaimed author Tanith Lee transports her readers to an ominous yet seductive alternate universe, as fully realized as Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon, where fate organizes the forces of nature to bring ruin to those who dare to control it. Horrible screams pierce the night air as the Daystar, Queen Hesta of Akhemony, wrestles with the delivery of the King's child. Heir to the throne of Oceaxis, she is beautifully formed except for one heartbreaking deformity — she is born without feet. Consigned immediately to the domain of death, the lame infant is dispatched to Thon, the underworld temple, and baptized Cemira — "snake" — the name she will bear throughout a lifetime of darkness. It is only at the behest of Urdombis, the Sun Consort, that Cemira is wrested from the temple of death, renamed Callistra, and restored to her rightful place in the kingdom. Recounting a deadly battle for power, pitting the forces of man against the supernatural, her story is one that will captivate, shock, and terrify.

A Heroine of the World — (1989) Publisher: The fortune teller spoke the words, showed Ara the cards that predicted how she would become the focal point of great events... But now, a defenceless captive of enemy invaders, Ara could only wait and hope to discover her true destiny. Yet in a world ruled by war, what chance did she have to attain her heart's desire? Far from home, and alone among strangers, only the will of the goddess Vulmardra could protect and guide her. But the path the lady had started her on would lead Ara into the very heart of conflict. And though she might gain or lose great wealth, become pawn or key player in the power games of princes, there was only one for whom she would risk everything... He was a soldier that some named traitor and others liberator — and for him whe would strive to become a Heroine of the World.

The Castle of Dark — (1978) Publisher: Although she leads an overprotected life with the two old hags, Lilune knows she possesses a special gift. When she 'calls' the musician, Lir, to her prison-like castle, she knows she must avail herself of the opportunity to escape and explore the world. But travelling south of the castle, Lilune and Lir realize that they aren't alone — for an ancient, infectious evil accompanies them, which instils terror in everyone they meet. Lir dislikes arrogant Lilune, but finds himself intrigued by her and the source of the evil. Is it within Lilune, or does it come from a deepersource? When the pair become separated, he carries on searching for her. Finally, Lilune returns to her castle in despair, believing that she must be imprisoned to protect the world from the evil within her. But Lir follows her, and discovers that the root of the evil lies deep beneath the castle...

The Castle of Dark

It is continually frustrating to read a rich, suspenseful, beautifully crafted book and then find that hardly anybody else knows about it — such is apparently the case with Tanith Lee's The Castle of Dark. Containing an imprisoned damsel, a spooky castle, a magical harp and a mysterious secret, this is a wonderful book that has the same tone and atmosphere of an old dark fairytale.

The chapters switch back and forth between two characters: Lilune is a strange young woman living with two hags in an abandoned and dark castle. With hair down to the ground and without any need to consume food, Lilune is intensely lonely and curious about the outside world. Lir is a young harper, chosen for his calling in his youth by an unnamed traveler who instructs him on the crafting of a beautiful harp that makes the most beautiful music.

When Lir is called to the Dark Castle by Lilune's magic he finds himself caught up in webs of secrecy by the nearby villages, the two hags and Lilune herself. Why is this young maiden kept chained to her bed? Why is she allergic to the sun's light? And what dark influence has followed the two of them as they escape from the Castle into the world?

It's very difficult to write any more without destroying the intrigue and mystery captured within this book. With a style that is quite Tolkien-esque, in a world that is beautifully brought to life by Lee's poetic language, The Castle of Dark is a short but memorable read. Without bogging us down with boring facts and encyclopedic knowledge about this fantasy world (like other fantasy authors feels compelled to do) Lee creates a dark fairytale setting simply, vividly and realistically: moist and green forests where grey lions stalk between the trees, the splendor and pomp of a city's royal court, and of course the creepy and mysterious Castle itself. Just being able to explore these places is reason enough to read this book.

There is another thread of intrigue in the form of Lir's "mentor," whom he dubs 'Wild-Eyes,' an elusive figure that claims to have harped in Hell itself (the devil apparently is quite a gentleman) and reveals some quite profound truths about the nature of music.

Lir and Lilune make great protagonists, both with their flaws, but both likeable and sympathetic, whilst simultaneously remaining a fey-like quality about them that makes us certain that we'd never meet anyone like them in our own world. Refreshingly, Lee does not force a romance between them, and in fact their relationship plays out more like a brother/sister bond. As the only two characters in the story that are given names, their two separate paths are intricately plotted together — and Lilune's plight may just move you to tears.

A simple, but beautiful and poignant book The Castle of Dark is one of those rare fantasy books that reads as totally original, yet with resonance to real myths and legends of the world. I'm sure you won't regret tracking it down. —Rebecca Fisher

Volkhavaar — (1977) Publisher: Volkhavaar is a novel of witchcraft and wonders on a world far removed from those we know. Here the gods contend for power — the Dark forces against the Light — and here an entire city and its land is plunged into the shadow of an evil beyond anything conceivable. It is the story of Shaina the slave girl and of Volk the outcast who enslaved himself to cosmic forces to gain total power — and of how they were finally to meet and clash — with an entire world as their prize.

East of Midnight — (1977) Young adult. Publisher: Born a slave, Dekteon knows his life's course is grimly predictable. But, while escaping his Lord's hounds, he finds himself drawn into a strange world. There he meets Zaister, the consort of the Moon King, who, like all royal consorts, is destined by tradition to die an early death. To save himself, he has used his magic powers to draw Dekteon to him, and change their identities — Zaister becomes Dekteon, and Dekteon, Zaister. Despite being in Zaister's body, Dekteon retains much of his own personality, and, slowly, begins to win the heart ofIzvire, the woman Moon King. Just before her husband is due to be killed, Izvire schemes to save him, at great risk... But Dekteon knows that if he permits this to happen, Zaister, in his own body, will be condemned to the fate of a slave. And so he hatches a plan which will save them both...

East of Midnight

It Died Eight Times My Love. After that, Love Stays Dead...

Tanith Lee once again proves herself a master of young adult fantasy with this wonderful (but apparently little known) story of the battle of the sexes. Set in a gloriously created world where women ride horned lions and rule over mankind, East of Midnight is a book that is easy to read, yet raises a range of questions on the differences between man and woman and the way in which we interact with each other.

At the beginning of the story, Lee herself writes where her inspiration came from: "Old legends have it, before men were kings, women ruled large areas of the world. They were as powerful and ruthless as any of the man-ruled states which came after. Indeed, the harshness of men towards women in many early societies was, they said, due to the cruelty the female societies — matriarchies — had already displayed toward men... And so what happens if a young man from a male-dominated world gets thrown into a world of matriarchy? Fascinated by this thought, I set out to explore the whole thing in this novel."

Dekteon is a young runaway slave who is miraculously saved from his former master when he's transported into another world by the magician Zaister. But things are not quite as simple as that. Zaister is the husband and consort of King Izvire, the stunning woman who rules over a matriarchal city. Every five years she takes a new husband, because the former one must be sacrificed in order to ensure the natural balance of the world.

Zaister has long plotted his escape, and his rescue of Dekteon (who is his double in another world) was merely so the two could switch places. Now whilst Zaister finds that freedom in Dekteon's world is not all it's cracked up to be, Dekteon finds himself amongst the beauty of Zaister's world with only a month left to live before he's sacrificed.

But Dekteon does not have the same fear of women ingrained in him that the rest of the men of this world do, and begins a campaign against them that no one else would dare. Up against Izvire, his mother-in-law Kyrast and his daughter Vesain, Dekteon attempts to escape his death-sentence and stop the needless deaths of the king's consorts.

The story races along on every page, being continually colourful, fascinating, exciting and nerve-wracking as the countdown to Dekteon's death creeps closer. Lee not only vividly describes the matriarchal world where women are dominant and men subservient, but takes a deeper look at what makes these opposing genders tick. Far from taking the women's side, Lee portrays them as hard, merciless and sexist rulers, who nevertheless feel true remorse and loneliness when their husbands are killed. There are no true good-guys or bad-guys here.

The men Dekteon and Zaister are our main protagonists, and have very different views on women and how they are to be treated by them. Though by the end of the story Zaister gets away with far more than he rightfully deserves, together their attitudes form an insightful way of looking at the world and the roles of men and women.

East of Midnight is a rich, exciting, poignant read that deserves more recognition than it appears to have. With strong and realistic characters, a beautiful visual landscape and a problematic situation that can be overcome only by the two sexes working together, this is in every particular a great book. —Rebecca Fisher

The Dragon Hoard — (1971) Young Adult. Publisher: The princess handed fearless a black book, bound in gold, entitled: The Hoard Dragon. Not to be read by the fainthearted. Fearless read it aloud to Prince Jasleth. "The dragon is as high as a house, with scales no sword can pierce, and a mouth so huge it can swallow an army in one gulp — and once did to prove it. It has nine hundred and fifty-four teeth, each three inches long and as sharp as a needle. It never sleeps, and it hasn't been fed in a hundred years..." "Let's go home," said Jasleth.

Cyrion — (1982) Publisher: He came to the "Honey Garden" looking for Cyrion. He was in grave danger, convinced only one man alive could help him. A man he had heard about in song and story. A man practically everyone knew something about. A man he had never met. Some said he was the stolen son of a western king, raised by nomads in the desert. A freelance swordsman, a sorcerer, a master of disguise, some said he attracted bizarre, uncanny events as some persons attract misfortune. He with hair like the sky at earnest sunrise, his fair complexion, his whiplash reactions and quicksilver elegance was like a being from another world. A legend. A myth. but was her real? And was he for hire?

Tempting The Gods: The Selected Stories Of Tanith Lee Volume One — (2008) Publisher: A short story collection by the award-winning author of The Birthgrave and The Silver Metal Lover, the first installment of a two-volume series.