Night’s Master is an ideal vehicle for Lee’s poetic writing style because it has a very fairy-tale-esque feeling to it. The events in the books are driven by a mischievous demon named Azhrarn, who goes from evil to Christ-like and back again. Nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, it (and the other books in the series) reimagines One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. The first book in the Flat Earth series, Night’s Master is another of Lee’s most popular titles. Not just Jane and Silver, but Jane’s mother and friends (especially Clovis Clovis is my favorite). But the strongest element in The Silver Metal Lover are the characters, who are all well-drawn and layered. It’s also an awesome coming-of-age tale: Jane discovers who she is, what she’s good at and what she wants to do with her life through her relationship with Silver.

It’s a tragic love story, but it’s the kind of tragedy that feels purposeful and redeeming rather than cynical and senseless. It’s easy to see why this is one of Lee’s most popular novels. So even though it seems like he returns her feelings, it’s just a programmable illusion–or is it? Jane falls in love with Silver, who’s designed to reflect her emotions back to her.

While wandering around the city one day, she happens across a musician bot named Silver, buys him on the spot, and then runs away with him. Loosely based on the myth of Persephone and Demeter, it’s set in the distant future and is told by Jane, a lonely young woman from a very wealthy family. The Silver Metal Lover could be called Lee’s breakout novel, or one of them anyway. By signing up you agree to our terms of use Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. I’ve read a good chunk of her work and still only feel like I’ve scratched the surface! As a reader, I’m happy her backlist is probably enough to keep me busy for the next twenty years.

She was constantly experimenting with types of stories and ways to tell them.Īs a writer, I’m in awe of Lee’s talent and dedication to her craft. I’ve yet to come across a Lee novel that felt phoned-in. Her writing style can easily be described as lyrical and layered but even more than that, she wrote a hell of a good story. Her books are just as good, if not better than, those of Ursula K. Lee is not widely well-known in the States, although she should be. Although mostly known for fantasy, Lee’s work runs the gamut from YA to erotica, mystery to historical fiction, science fiction to horror. Between 1971, the year her first book was released, and 2015, Lee published over 90 novels and 200-300 (reports vary) short stories. On May 26th, Tor announced the passing of Tanith Lee, one of the most prolific and, in my opinion, underappreciated fantasy writers of our generation.

Kill the Dead by Tanith Lee