The Earth is Flat: Tales from the Flat Earth and Elsewhere

by Tanith Lee

IN THOSE DAYS THE EARTH WAS FLAT

In the 1970s and ‘80s, Tanith Lee composed five books’ worth of tales of the Flat Earth, a fantasy series compared to both Clark Ashton Smith’s Zothique and The Arabian Nights. In later years she would return to the setting for five more stories. All five are included here, along with many others that showcase Lee’s talent for crafting spellbinding tales of heroic warriors, enigmatic magicians, and strange deities.

Stories
"The Origin of Snow"
"The Man Who Stole the Moon"
"The Snake"
"The Pain of Glass"
"I Bring You Forever"
"Foolish, Clever, Wicked and Kind"
"Blue Vase of Ghosts"
"After I Killed Her"
"Cold Spell"
"Beauty is the Beast"
"Into Gold"
"The Truce"
"The God Orkrem"
"The Kingdoms of the Air"

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories

274 pages, Paperback

Published March 4, 2023

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

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made it through about half of these, enough for now but may revisit in the future. All feature Lee's intoxicating, poetic prose and are fairy tale like stories of human triumph and sorrow set in the world of her Flat Earth series, though no prior acquaintance with these is needed.

[Nicholas Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

is a collection of two sets of short stories from Tanith Lee. The first is set in Lee's Tales from the Flat Earth dark fantasy series. They were all written many years after the original series and only briefly published on either Lee's new defunct website or the now folded magazine Realms of Fantasy. Alas, not all of the additional Tales from the Flat Earth short stories are here; the rest are scattered among other collections such as Venus Burning: Realms: The Collected Short Stories from ‘Realms of Fantasy’. The second set of stories in this collection, "Tales from Elsewhere," are others written by Lee from over the decades that were published in other places and are not apart of the Flat Earth setting.

I will go into each story individually, but overall I think this was a mostly enjoyable collection, but it is not the best of Lee's short fiction. Throughout all of them Lee's lovely prose is present along with themes of desire, sexuality, love, and the price of magic and power.

The Origin of Snow, 5/5. Chronologically-speaking, this takes place in the earliest part of the Flat Earth setting, from before Azhrarn became one of the Lords of Darkness. It is short, but one still feels like they are back in the the same setting of the previous books. It is mystical and fairy-tale like and the explanation behind the title is so interesting!

The Man Whole Stole the Moon, 5/5. The talented thief Jaqir is given the option to steal the moon to prevent his execution by a king. Shenanigans ensue along with trickery and the realization of one's limits. Again, really made me feel like I was back in this universe. Thoughtful and poignant.

The Snake, 4.5/5. I'll be honest, besides a passing mention of Azhrarn, this story could've been set in any of Lee's worlds. The imagery and atmosphere of it, along with the naming of the characters, definitely evokes Tales from the Flat Earth, and no, the Demon Princes don't need to be front and center in every story from that universe, but if the aforementioned reference to Azhrarn wasn't present I wouldn't think this story had the same setting. Nonetheless, it's a great story of revenge, twofold. The prince Zerezel is in love with is killed by a poison snake while trying to get her a flower and Zerezel falls into a deathly depression. Her father sends out messengers to find a cure. One of them, Keshom, comes upon a wizard who is a little bit to eager to help. The wizard, who has many names but primarily called Thus, is truly a devious, twisted man. He thinks everything will go to plan, but it doesn't quite. It is a story of how powerful, vain men soon fall because of their own hubris and how kind and gentle men can be friends and protectors of women in their own ways.

The Pain of Glass, 4/5. Again, another story where the connection to the Flat Earth is barely discernable, even less so that the previous story. A prince named Razved purchases a glass drinking vessel from Jandur and is immediately smitten with its beauty, as all have before. Any who drinks from the vessel turns insane. Razved is no exception, dreaming of a woman made of glass. The story goes one to show the origins of the glass and it is a tragic story of lost love and obsession, the latter one of the many vices of the Flat Earth. It's a good story, but the fleeting romance behind it all could've gotten more attention, because despite its influence on the events in the current, it is so little developed.

I Bring You Forever, 4/5. Man, what is with these few extra Flat Earth stories not mentioning other parts or characters from the main series? Doesn't make them automatically bad, it does make it disappointing. Anyway, this story is about a young woman named Zulmeh who, after becoming queen of her father's city and gains every material possession, desires one other thing: immortality. It is granted to her by a strange man, who *might* be Kheshmet, the Lord of Fate, but it's not very clear. She's given what she wants and, well, you can probably guess how this story goes. It's predictable, but no less impactful with its message.

Foolish, Clever, Wicked, and Kind, 4.5/5. Now, this was a fun one! An Arabian Nights-inspired story about three brothers, each drawn into the plot of a cunning, beautiful witch woman and the sorcerer she serves. It's fun, keeps your eyes glued to the pages, and genuinely feels like a true adventure story. I feel as if there's a little bit of Orientalism going on, but I'm not learned enough in the subject to make a proper judgment. I will say that Lee does a great portrayal of Muslim characters; they are not stereotyped nor is their religion insulted or made fun of. In fact, the best of the brothers is the most religious. A real good time this one.

Blue Vase of Ghosts, 3.5/5. I almost feel ashamed of giving this rating, because this one had some good things in it and potential, but didn't quite reach it. The masterful magician Subyrus hates the sorceress Lunaria, and vice versa. Subyrus comes into contact with the eponymous object and learns that he can summon the ghosts from within. In his summonings, he hopes to learn a way to defeat Lunaria and investigate the inner contents of the vase, but it's not so easy. This one is a disappointment because, for one, the ending feels sudden. Second, we don't get too much about why Subyrus and Lunaria hate each other. He apparently offered her his love once and she rejected which spurned him? Then it's revealed she did kind of love him? I don't know. From what I've read about Lee, she could've done better.

After I Killed, 5/5. A rather somber tale of a valiant hero who goes to slay a dragon only to learn that these leads to all but one of her babies dying. Disgusted by his actions and the rest of humanity, he decides to father the baby dragon girl and accepts a grim fate. Lee is always surprisingly good a delivering a grim message or ending, her grimdark novel Vivia really proved that. For its short length, the story is quite effective in portraying what Lee wanted to show and tell us.

Cold Spell, 2/5. A very short story and the weakest one. There's nothing "bad" about it, it's just not as impactful as the rest. It's a very fairy-tale-like story, so I think that crowd will enjoy it. Basically, a witch tries to stop Winter so Death can stop taking the souls of her fellow villagers, goes on a quest, and eventually Springe comes.

Beauty is the Beast, 2/5. Again, not Lee's best work. A woman named Maristarre goes to find and kill an oppressive ruler in a neighboring rule. Not is all as it seems. Too short to be impactful.

Into Gold, 4/5. I've heard about this story for a while before reading it. Taking place (I believe) during the days of the Eastern Roman Empire, a woman from the East--we don't know which culture specifically, but they call her a Semite--named Zafra comes to a Roman settlement and the leader Draco is smitten by her beauty and alchemical and magical arts. However, Skorous, Draco's best friend and righthand man, dislikes her. Skorous is a contemptible main character, and he's meant to be that way. Throughout the story, we're in the head of a man who's racist and xenophobic, and perhaps a little misogynistic too, and the point is how baseless these attitudes of his are and what they cost him and Draco. A very atmospheric and poignant story, but I felt that it dragged in some places, especially with regards to repeating Skorous' beliefs.

The Truce, 5/5. Now, this is how you make proper use of the shorter fiction format. It takes place in the far future where two warring races who were once one, the Ullakin and the Ullak, but separated. Both of their races can longer produce children by their own means, so they sign a truce to try and produce children. Issla is the chosen of the Ullakin, she's scared for her life and wants to be with her lover Drael. Soon, Issla goes into a cave with the Ullak named Kloll and things seem to be going great at first, but it all ends grimly, not just for the characters but for the future as well. I won't spoil this one, but lets just say there's a twist here worthy of either James Tiptree Jr. or Joanna Russ. *wink wink*

The God Orkrem, 4/5. Tragic to be a god. An interesting story about "attacking and dethroning God" before such a theme gained the popularity it does now. Yet oddly reflective as well. A nameless man goes on a quest to confront the titular deity Orkrem. Their are warnings for him along the way that the readers themselves not even understand until the end, or at least I did. Not all is as it seems.

The Kingdoms of the Air, 5/5. A fantastic story to end on! An Arthurian-inspired fantasy about the chaste knight Cedrevir who goes on a Quest (capitalization important) to find the spear that stabbed Christ, His crown of thorns, and the Holy Grail, which is oddly azure green here. The prose is poetic and fantastic, worthy of a medieval romance. Cedrevir is a noble character, flawed, but trying his best to be the best and improve; you do feel sorry for the guy. Over the Quest he encounters trials and tribulations that test his character and faith in himself. It's wonderfully weird and fantastical, as any Arthuriana should be. The ending actually managed to tug at my heartstrings. It tells us that God is not cruel to us, but sometimes we are too cruel to ourselves and that might be a greater sin. Lee has always done odd things with religion, but this ending was really unique for her. Maybe not too unique, because Sabella ends with a vampire praying to and believing in Jesus, but it's not her usual modus operandi.

All in all, not a bad bunch of stories, but again, not the strongest I've seen Lee. Welp, guess I'm all prepared for Night's Sorceries now.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanith Lee is a name that conjures wistful memories and often a smile from many fans. Every single one can name a favorite novel or series. Many cite the Flat Earth series, and with good reason.

The Flat Earth series was originally published with those bright yellow spines by DAW Books. The series comprises the books, Night's Master, Death's Master, Delusion's Master, Delirium's Mistress and Night's Sorceries. Later these five books were bound together in the two collections The Lords of Darkness and Night's Daughter.

The Earth is Flat collects five previously uncollected Flat Earth stories. Nine additional tales round out the collection. The Pain of Glass can also be found in the collection Empress of Dreams published by DMR Books in 2021.

Tanith Lee's stories have a timelessness to them. A gothic fairytale quality and setting brimming with unbridled imagination.

The Man who Stole the Moon, the second story in the collection, graces the cover. Many classic S&S themes combined with a great dose of Jack Vance makes this particular story stand out to me.

The Snake wavered in my attention as the story developed, but the denouement made me sit up and reevaluate what had gone before. Well done.

"And there on the floor in the strange light, spine-snapped and crushed in one second by heel, lay a golden snake, dead as yesterday, unmade as tomorrow."

I did not care for The Pain of Glass the first time I read it in Empress of Dreams. Reading it a second time has won me over. It's a lovely story.

Blue Vase of Ghosts presents such an intriguing concept to me. Reminds me of Darrell Schweitzer's Mask of the Sorcerer.

After I Killed Her was different, and that makes it stand out. The film Enemy Mine shares a similar theme.

If you haven't read Tanith Lee before, it's a wonderful time to remedy that. Fans will enjoy reading and adding this new book to their personal libraries.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

At risk of stating the obvious, we lost Tanith Lee far too early. And entirely too much of her short fiction has remained uncollected since its original appearance, so it's very nice to see another collection of her stories that in most cases haven't been reprinted since their original appearance in various anthologies and magazines.

And even better (as per the title), this collection includes almost all of the stories Lee wrote in her Tales of the Flat Earth series that had come out after the final Flat Earth book (Night's Sorceries) many years ago, including one story that had only ever been published on her website. It was a (darkly brooding) joy to revisit the Flat Earth, presumably for the last time and luxuriate in Lee's sensual and decadent prose. (And bittersweet to know that she had planned at least one more full-length book, but alas!, such was not to be.)

The Flat Earth stories comprise approximately the first third of the book. The remainder is other stories that are kind of a thematic match -- in one case (Foolish, Clever, Wicked and Kind), a story written for Arabesques: More Tales of the Arabian Nights and in other cases stories with the same kind of mythic/Arabian Nights vibe to them, many of which had not been in print in many years, or had only appeared in obscure small-press collections. (Well, sigh, to be sure, this volume is itself a bit of an obscure small-press collection; but at least it's new and in print.)

If you're already familiar with Tanith Lee and most especially with the Flat Earth books, you know you have to read this; if you're not already familiar, I envy you making that initial acquaintance.

[Zan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

The Earth is Flat is probably my least favorite Tanith Lee so far, but solely for the simple fact that this is a short story collection and thus much more variable in quality than her usual stuff. That said, this still smokes, and all of the Flat Earth parts are particularly great. The epic, mysterious, fantastical tone is all there, and masterful.

Moving out of the first five, any of the 'Elsewhere' section pretty well fit within the Flat Earth style, so if you're already enjoying those, there isn't going to be any major upset. Only a couple things introduced here to note: One, a couple of the stories (The Truce) are just too short to really do much with and...eh. Some might get more than others, but less for me. Two, a couple - but mainly the final story (The Kingdoms of the Air), goes the other way and gets long-winded in this strange esoteric style that's just much less fun (though the arthurian/biblical tale is a neat change).

Third, the later stories (Foolish, Clever, Wicked and King, and Into Gold especially) lean hard into orientalism... which is sorta a silly complaint given how heavily Flat Earth is built on 1001 Nights - but here it's just made more manifest. Nicely, there's usually an inversion of any negative stereotypes, but you have to work through them to get there - The mysterious exotic woman seems dangerous... but turns out she's working for good.... you just have to read a lot of disingenuous descriptions of 'yellow skin' before you get there. Up to you if that's a mood killer or not - again, it's not like it's not present in Flat Earth as a whole, but... just more blatant here.

But oh man, this is still Lee's powerful, fantastical writing at its heights, with great visual imagination and powerful moral cruxes... if you like her other stuff at all, definitely one worth picking up. Just skip past the stuff that bugs you, it's all good.


The Origin of Snow - 4
The Man Who Stole the Moon - 5
The Snake - 5
The Pain of Glass - 4.5
I Bring You Forever - 5
Foolish, Clever, Wicked and Kind - 4.5
Blue Vase of Ghosts - 4.5
After I Killed Her - 5
Cold Spell - 3
Beauty is the Beast - 4.5
Into Gold - 5
The Truce - 3
The God Orkrem - 3.5
The Kingdoms of the Air - 4

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales from the Flat Earth:

•The Origin of Snow (2002) - previously unpublished
•The Man Who Stole the Moon (2001) - Realms of Fantasy, February 2001
•The Snake (2008) - Realms of Fantasy, June 2008
•The Pain of Glass (2009) - Clockwork Phoenix 2: More Tales of Beauty and Strangeness, 2009
•I Bring You Forever (1998) - Realms of Fantasy, June 1998

Tales from Elsewhere:

•Foolish, Clever, Wicked and Kind (1988) - Arabesques: More Tales of the Arabian Nights, 1988
•Blue Vase of Ghosts (1983) - Dragonfields: Tales of Fantasy, #4 Winter 1983
•After I Killed Her (1997) - Asimov's Science Fiction, July 1997
•Cold Spell (1976) - previously unpublished
•Beauty Is the Beast (1986) - American Fantasy, Fall 1986
•Into Gold (1986) - Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, March 1986
•The Truce (1976) - The DAW Science Fiction Reader, 1976
•The God Orkrem (2011) - Fantasy Magazine, March 2011
•The Kingdoms of the Air (1988) - Weird Tales, Summer 1988

[Adam Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Dave Ritzlin for making this collection possible! A few years ago, I read Lee's excellent Flat Earth books and they really knocked my socks off. So when I found out there more stories in that universe, I wanted to read them right then and there. BUT there was a problem! The remaining Flat Earth stories had been published in old magazines and on defunct websites and were not going to be easy to track down. I resigned myself to never finishing the series, but then DMR books came to my rescue. As should be expected from Lee, these stories are all beautifully written and hard hitting. A must read for fans!

[Alistair Robb · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven't read Tanith Lee, then I implore you to read this book. Tanith paints pictures with words, and they are beautiful pictures. Filled with both delicacy and grandure that sweeps you away and fills your soul with sweet melancholy.

[Carl Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable return to Tanith Lee's Flat Earth (though only five of the fourteen stories are set there, and two of those could really have been discharged on any generic Fantasy world). Sits mainly somewhere between One Thousand and One Nights and Clark Ashton Smith (with a few examples somewhat closer to reality... though no less exotic). Atmosphere and sensuality reign (as is usually the case with Lee), and often a wry and saucy humour. But there are depths, with melancholy and regret often coming to the fore.

Standouts were the initial pair of Flat Earth stories, "The Origin of Snow" and "The Man Who Stole the Moon", which were perfect reminiscences; and "Beauty is the Beast", a rather sad and touching dragon slayer tale in which the world-weary hero comes to regret his actions. But, in truth, all the stories were something of a page-turning delight.

[Alex Ankarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's absolutely, inarguably not her best work. But it's still zany, weird, and peculiarly fascinating. It's still Tanith Lee, in fact.

[Elizabeth Thacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some stories more than others - which is the way of short story compendiums - but I did love the lyrical language and the fairytale imagery and symbols woven throughout.

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this after the Gaiman fallout, and wow, sure enough, there's a character that mirrors Gaiman's Dream (this came out first).