The Secret Books of Venus I & II

The Secret Books of Venus #1-2

by Tanith Lee

FACES UNDER WATER: During Carnival..six weeks of gay abandon when it's illegal to walk abroad unmasked..it's not unusual for some poor wretch to wind up drowned or murdered after a night of drunken revelry. Furian Furiano makes his living hunting the canals for these corpses, bringing them to an alchemist friend for his questionable cures and experiments. But one night, Furian happens upon a finely crafted mask floating in the murky waters...and is plunged into a bizzare tangle of love, obsession and evil.

SAINT FIRE: As a child, she had been named by her slavemaster: Volpa, vixen, for the yellow eyes and fiery hair that made her seem the devil's own familiar. Yet through her misery and hardship, the girl dreamed only of angels. Orphaned at fourteen, she would have been brutally raped save for her holy gift: incited by emotion, Volpa could call down fire. Accused of witchery before the dread Eyes and Ears of God, she is saved by the warrior-priest Christiano. Enchanted against his will by her innocence and mildness, Cristiano brings her to the attention of his benefactor.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

426 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Tanith Lee was a British writer of science fiction, horror, and fantasy. She was the author of 77 novels, 14 collections, and almost 300 short stories. She also wrote four radio plays broadcast by the BBC and two scripts for the UK, science fiction, cult television series "Blake's 7."
Before becoming a full time writer, Lee worked as a file clerk, an assistant librarian, a shop assistant, and a waitress.

Her first short story, "Eustace," was published in 1968, and her first novel (for children) The Dragon Hoard was published in 1971.

Her career took off in 1975 with the acceptance by Daw Books USA of her adult fantasy epic The Birthgrave for publication as a mass-market paperback, and Lee has since maintained a prolific output in popular genre writing.

Lee twice won the World Fantasy Award: once in 1983 for best short fiction for “The Gorgon” and again in 1984 for best short fiction for “Elle Est Trois (La Mort).” She has been a Guest of Honour at numerous science fiction and fantasy conventions including the Boskone XVIII in Boston, USA in 1981, the 1984 World Fantasy Convention in Ottawa, Canada, and Orbital 2008 the British National Science Fiction convention (Eastercon) held in London, England in March 2008. In 2009 she was awarded the prestigious title of Grand Master of Horror.

Lee was the daughter of two ballroom dancers, Bernard and Hylda Lee. Despite a persistent rumour, she was not the daughter of the actor Bernard Lee who played "M" in the James Bond series of films of the 1960s.

Tanith Lee married author and artist John Kaiine in 1992.

Reviews

[Loreley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faces Under Water 3.5/5
Saint Fire 4/5

იმაზე კეთილი იყო ლი ორივე წიგნში ვიდრე ველოდი მისგან :დ

[Chere · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume contains two books, Faces Under Water and Saint Fire, both set in a parallel Venice. Both are rich in imagery and highly sensuous descriptions, painting a lavish picture of Ve Nera or Venus; I can almost taste the flavors, see the images, feel the textures. I loved how lush Lee's prose is, and the intrigues of the story -- from the alchemy of Faces to the Christian ranks in Saint Fire. An utter delight to the senses!

[Velvetea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gorgeously-covered volume holds two books and so I should share two distinct reviews.

Faces Under Water: Gorgeous. I couldn't get enough of the richly-colored embroidery of this tale; the characters hold as much intrigue as the masks they wear. It is decadent, celebratory, filled with mystery you dive ever deeper into, befitting their watery abode. This story, filled with delicious festivity, kept me engaged throughout.

Saint Fire: I give credence to the author's vast imagination by creating a completely different kind of tale from the first, yet they both take place in the same city. Something about this one just lagged... it just never "sparked" for me. I couldn't put Faces Under Water down~ every page is filled with such creamy words and imagery. Perhaps the fault of Saint Fire is that it's far too heavily centered on the drollness and corruption of the Church figureheads, which becomes tedious. The main character should counteract the mundane around her. Yet, while holding an enchanting power, she remains mostly mute. Her defining personality trait is behaving as an obedient slave who's used to being mistreated. We don't get to know her much and I'm sorry to say that her admirer comes off as passive at best. It is a sad, dreary tale, mostly.

[Rachel B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories were slow builds to very satisfying conclusions. Don't look for happy-go-lucky here. I was about a third into each and still didn't really know where Lee was headed - so much world building/character development at such a slow pace and yet I was enthralled through to the end. I was both satisfied with the endings and deeply disappointed that I had to leave these characters and their alternate Venices.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two rich dark fantasies set in the city of Venus, essentially an alternative version of Venice, where magic can happen. The first story is by far the best and most enjoyable; the second, while good, feels like a version of the Joan of Arc story.

[Bronwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alchemical mysteries in a lush and decaying 17th century Venice! Delicious!