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Tales from the Flat Earth #1
Night's Master
In those days the Earth was not a sphere and the demons dwelled in vast magical caverns beneath its surface. Wondrous cities dotted the land and strange peoples and fabulous beasts prowled the deserts and jungles of the world.
Supreme among those mighty demons was Azhrarn, NIGHT'S MASTER. He it was 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.
Tanith Lee, author of THE BIRTHGRAVE and VOLKHAVAAR, has created in this new novel a fascinating version of the world as it might have been, a world reminiscent of the Arabian Nights and yet utterly unique.
"Lee is one of the most powerful and intelligent writers to work in heroic fantasy," wrote Publishers Weekly. And Station KCHU, Dallas, said, "Of Tanith Lee's novels, not one has failed to maintain high standards of originality, subtlety, imagination, intuition, and linguistic skill." NIGHT'S MASTER proves this again!
Supreme among those mighty demons was Azhrarn, NIGHT'S MASTER. He it was 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.
Tanith Lee, author of THE BIRTHGRAVE and VOLKHAVAAR, has created in this new novel a fascinating version of the world as it might have been, a world reminiscent of the Arabian Nights and yet utterly unique.
"Lee is one of the most powerful and intelligent writers to work in heroic fantasy," wrote Publishers Weekly. And Station KCHU, Dallas, said, "Of Tanith Lee's novels, not one has failed to maintain high standards of originality, subtlety, imagination, intuition, and linguistic skill." NIGHT'S MASTER proves this again!
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 1978
397 people are currently reading
11618 people want to read
About the author
Tanith Lee
615 books1,977 followersTanith 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.
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.
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October 1, 2022
En aquellos días la Tierra no era una esfera y los demonios moraban en vastas cavernas mágicas bajo la superficie. Maravillosas ciudades punteaban la Tierra, y pueblos extraños y bestias fabulosas vagaban por los desiertos y las junglas del mundo.
Supremo entre esos poderosos demonios era Azhrarn, llamado, El Señor de la Noche, que desencadenaba pesadillas en la Tierra, traía el deseo y el peligro a todos aquellos a quienes le divertía visitar, y podía conceder maravillas y crear horrores indecibles.
"El Señor de la Noche" está compuesto por tres libros que, a su vez, están formados por pequeñas historias.
Primer libro, "Luz subterránea", segundo libro, "Embaucadores" y tercero, "La Tentación del mundo". Cada libro está dividido en dos partes y cada una de estas partes está formada por tres historias que van en orden cronólogico.
La autora muestra una capacidad única de fabulación. Historias dentro de otras historias, e historias que conducen a otras historias forman el cuerpo de "El Señor de la Noche", una versión fascinante del mundo como podría haber sido, un mundo que recuerda a "Las Mil y Una Noches".
La fuerza narrativa que tiene y la profundidad de su trama consiguen despertar en el lector sentimientos provocados por una narración con la consistencia de los clásicos cuentos de hadas pero retorcido.
Tanith Lee sabe dar con las claves e imágenes capaces de sobrecoger a un adulto, y no es posible escapar de la telaraña tejida por Azhrarn cuando se complace en retorcer las vidas de los mortales y jugar con la fragilidad de sus voluntades y deseos. Una novela repleta de leyendas y mitología árabe, con el estilo lírico e inolvidable de una de las grandes autoras de fantasía de todos los tiempos.
En un mundo oscuro y brillante, repleto de elegantes castillos y seres crueles y bastante misteriosos, gobierna Azhrarn, príncipe de los demonios. A pesar de tener un mundo entero a sus pies, Azhrarn quiere más, y sus caprichosas intervenciones en las vidas humanas, en sus deseos, pasiones y penas, cambian la vida de los mortales para siempre.
La obra, imbuida del estilo y el folklore de "Las mil y una noches", logra convertirse en una novela de fantasía única y original gracias a su rico worldbuilding, su tono de cuento oscuro y sus inolvidables personajes. A través de varios relatos interconectados conoceremos la pena, el dolor y las pulsiones más oscuras pero también aquello que da valor a la vida humana.
Cada capítulo es una historia independiente que se funde a la perfección con el siguiente. Un personaje las conecta todas y es un príncipe demonio llamado Azhrarn, un señor de los demonios.
Sale a la superficie para sembrar travesuras o tener sexo con humanos o ambas. Es fácil verlo como un villano malvado al principio, pero cada capítulo quita otra capa de este personaje, y cuando llegas al final del libro, ves que es mucho más complicado de lo que esperabas.
Tanith Lee, una de autora que no conocía y me alegro de haberlo hecho. Su escritura es lo que más ha resaltado, es magnífica, muy compleja y ornamentada, pero sin ser demasiado florida o abrumadora en detalles llegando a aburrir.
Estoy asombrado, sus giros, frases originales o la forma en que puede establecer un estado de ánimo con unas pocas palabras seleccionadas cuidadosamente.
Todas sus historias son muy oscuras, todas tienen algo, pero también son estimulantes, interesantes y originales, nada fácil.
Estoy muy soprendido llegue a este libro sin ningún tipo de expectativas, ni buenas ni malas, en una historia que sólo sabía lo justo. Y me he encontrado con una gran autora que no conocía para nada. Ahora no la voy a olvidar.
Tenemos dioses con vestimentas sacadas de una gran imaginación, demonios, árboles mágicos y tenemos hasta naves voladoras hechas de hueso de dragón. Y eso es solo la punta del iceberg.
Un mundo amplio e interesante de explorar en el que hay reinos sobre las nubes y en la misma boca del odio pueblan este mundo que si algo lo define es extraño, surrealista e imaginativo de Tanith Lee.
Durante su lectura tiene la habilidad de que aunque la historia te guste lo que más deseas es seguir recorriendo esos increíbles y oscuros lugares que sólo un intensa y gran imaginación pudo haber soñado y nos lo plasmó a través de estas páginas. Unas descripciones que me han maravillado y cautivado de una manera mágica y poética embaucadora. El talento de su prosa es embriagador. Bravo. 👏👏👏
Otro aspecto a destacar es la sensualidad, nos enseña varios encuentros sexuales, explícitos y sin tapujos. De todo tipo, homosexual, hetero y luego tenemos otros... oscuros e intolerables, como pedofilia, violación y demás..
Narradas a su estilo, y de una manera peculiar, esto hace que no sea desagradable, sin pasarse. No te jode la lectura por así decirlo.
De hecho saco este aspecto a relucir porque están narradas de una manera que como todo en este libro y con Tanith, me ha soprendido y me ha parecido excepcional. Bastante poéticas narradas como si fueran sueños en el humo. Se leen muy bien, obviamente mejor las que no son inmorales y detestables.
El mundo está tan completamente realizado, las historias se entrelazan sobre sí mismas, el alcance es enorme. Historias ágiles, breves e interesantes.
Personajes vívidos como únicos en sus formas. No son precisamente buenos, se les odian y se siente como si los reconocieras por lo que son, demonios. Algunos.
Están vivos en sus historias, recordados como les gustaría ser recordados, y eso es algo que me gustó mucho.
La prosa es rica y tan frágil y agradable como la seda. Desde la estructura de las frases, las imágenes que conjura, el humor, la rareza y el deleite suave y sensual forman su estilo.
Las ideas fluyen sin parar desde la primera palabra hasta la última. Todo sale de un rincón de la imaginación que me dejó pasmado. No nos sentamos mucho con los personajes.
Vamos moviéndonos por este extraño, único y cautivador mundo. Tramas que cambian, giran y se retuercen. Hizo que el ritmo sea maravilloso.
Fui incapaz de dejar el libro, hipnotizado por la perspectiva cambiante, los paisajes de tierras densas y variantes, están repletas de todo tipo de criaturas y humanos, buenos, horribles o que cambian. Impregnadas de hechicería, venganza, traiciones, sexo e imágenes inquietantes. Pero sobretodo tratos faustinianos.
En nuestras mentes se forman imágenes muy vívidas a través de su embaucadora y macabra prosa.
Autora completamente olvidada en nuestro país e injustamente. Con todo lo que tiene incluida esta saga y sólo tiene este traducido. Si se le da una oportunidad comprobaréis porqué animo tanto a leerla. Forma parte de ese grupo de selectos y soberbios autores y autoras que han sido olvidados. Cuando lo que escriben es magia salida de grandes mentes. Regalos.
Gracias, Duermevela. Por rescatar a Tanith Lee y dejarme caer en su embrujo..✍️
Supremo entre esos poderosos demonios era Azhrarn, llamado, El Señor de la Noche, que desencadenaba pesadillas en la Tierra, traía el deseo y el peligro a todos aquellos a quienes le divertía visitar, y podía conceder maravillas y crear horrores indecibles.
"El Señor de la Noche" está compuesto por tres libros que, a su vez, están formados por pequeñas historias.
Primer libro, "Luz subterránea", segundo libro, "Embaucadores" y tercero, "La Tentación del mundo". Cada libro está dividido en dos partes y cada una de estas partes está formada por tres historias que van en orden cronólogico.
La autora muestra una capacidad única de fabulación. Historias dentro de otras historias, e historias que conducen a otras historias forman el cuerpo de "El Señor de la Noche", una versión fascinante del mundo como podría haber sido, un mundo que recuerda a "Las Mil y Una Noches".
La fuerza narrativa que tiene y la profundidad de su trama consiguen despertar en el lector sentimientos provocados por una narración con la consistencia de los clásicos cuentos de hadas pero retorcido.
Tanith Lee sabe dar con las claves e imágenes capaces de sobrecoger a un adulto, y no es posible escapar de la telaraña tejida por Azhrarn cuando se complace en retorcer las vidas de los mortales y jugar con la fragilidad de sus voluntades y deseos. Una novela repleta de leyendas y mitología árabe, con el estilo lírico e inolvidable de una de las grandes autoras de fantasía de todos los tiempos.
En un mundo oscuro y brillante, repleto de elegantes castillos y seres crueles y bastante misteriosos, gobierna Azhrarn, príncipe de los demonios. A pesar de tener un mundo entero a sus pies, Azhrarn quiere más, y sus caprichosas intervenciones en las vidas humanas, en sus deseos, pasiones y penas, cambian la vida de los mortales para siempre.
La obra, imbuida del estilo y el folklore de "Las mil y una noches", logra convertirse en una novela de fantasía única y original gracias a su rico worldbuilding, su tono de cuento oscuro y sus inolvidables personajes. A través de varios relatos interconectados conoceremos la pena, el dolor y las pulsiones más oscuras pero también aquello que da valor a la vida humana.
Cada capítulo es una historia independiente que se funde a la perfección con el siguiente. Un personaje las conecta todas y es un príncipe demonio llamado Azhrarn, un señor de los demonios.
Sale a la superficie para sembrar travesuras o tener sexo con humanos o ambas. Es fácil verlo como un villano malvado al principio, pero cada capítulo quita otra capa de este personaje, y cuando llegas al final del libro, ves que es mucho más complicado de lo que esperabas.
Tanith Lee, una de autora que no conocía y me alegro de haberlo hecho. Su escritura es lo que más ha resaltado, es magnífica, muy compleja y ornamentada, pero sin ser demasiado florida o abrumadora en detalles llegando a aburrir.
Estoy asombrado, sus giros, frases originales o la forma en que puede establecer un estado de ánimo con unas pocas palabras seleccionadas cuidadosamente.
Todas sus historias son muy oscuras, todas tienen algo, pero también son estimulantes, interesantes y originales, nada fácil.
Estoy muy soprendido llegue a este libro sin ningún tipo de expectativas, ni buenas ni malas, en una historia que sólo sabía lo justo. Y me he encontrado con una gran autora que no conocía para nada. Ahora no la voy a olvidar.
Tenemos dioses con vestimentas sacadas de una gran imaginación, demonios, árboles mágicos y tenemos hasta naves voladoras hechas de hueso de dragón. Y eso es solo la punta del iceberg.
Un mundo amplio e interesante de explorar en el que hay reinos sobre las nubes y en la misma boca del odio pueblan este mundo que si algo lo define es extraño, surrealista e imaginativo de Tanith Lee.
Durante su lectura tiene la habilidad de que aunque la historia te guste lo que más deseas es seguir recorriendo esos increíbles y oscuros lugares que sólo un intensa y gran imaginación pudo haber soñado y nos lo plasmó a través de estas páginas. Unas descripciones que me han maravillado y cautivado de una manera mágica y poética embaucadora. El talento de su prosa es embriagador. Bravo. 👏👏👏
Otro aspecto a destacar es la sensualidad, nos enseña varios encuentros sexuales, explícitos y sin tapujos. De todo tipo, homosexual, hetero y luego tenemos otros... oscuros e intolerables, como pedofilia, violación y demás..
Narradas a su estilo, y de una manera peculiar, esto hace que no sea desagradable, sin pasarse. No te jode la lectura por así decirlo.
De hecho saco este aspecto a relucir porque están narradas de una manera que como todo en este libro y con Tanith, me ha soprendido y me ha parecido excepcional. Bastante poéticas narradas como si fueran sueños en el humo. Se leen muy bien, obviamente mejor las que no son inmorales y detestables.
El mundo está tan completamente realizado, las historias se entrelazan sobre sí mismas, el alcance es enorme. Historias ágiles, breves e interesantes.
Personajes vívidos como únicos en sus formas. No son precisamente buenos, se les odian y se siente como si los reconocieras por lo que son, demonios. Algunos.
Están vivos en sus historias, recordados como les gustaría ser recordados, y eso es algo que me gustó mucho.
La prosa es rica y tan frágil y agradable como la seda. Desde la estructura de las frases, las imágenes que conjura, el humor, la rareza y el deleite suave y sensual forman su estilo.
Las ideas fluyen sin parar desde la primera palabra hasta la última. Todo sale de un rincón de la imaginación que me dejó pasmado. No nos sentamos mucho con los personajes.
Vamos moviéndonos por este extraño, único y cautivador mundo. Tramas que cambian, giran y se retuercen. Hizo que el ritmo sea maravilloso.
Fui incapaz de dejar el libro, hipnotizado por la perspectiva cambiante, los paisajes de tierras densas y variantes, están repletas de todo tipo de criaturas y humanos, buenos, horribles o que cambian. Impregnadas de hechicería, venganza, traiciones, sexo e imágenes inquietantes. Pero sobretodo tratos faustinianos.
En nuestras mentes se forman imágenes muy vívidas a través de su embaucadora y macabra prosa.
Autora completamente olvidada en nuestro país e injustamente. Con todo lo que tiene incluida esta saga y sólo tiene este traducido. Si se le da una oportunidad comprobaréis porqué animo tanto a leerla. Forma parte de ese grupo de selectos y soberbios autores y autoras que han sido olvidados. Cuando lo que escriben es magia salida de grandes mentes. Regalos.
Gracias, Duermevela. Por rescatar a Tanith Lee y dejarme caer en su embrujo..✍️
March 3, 2022
I apologize to anyone who might actually read my reviews. A dawning fascination with Tanith Lee's writing will soon overtake the pile of in-progress books on my shelves. I don't know how many volumes of her work it will take before I can tear myself away and finish the overdue library stack or the slough of my over-encumbered nightstand.
This novel opens with a demon's-eye view of a flat earth. Read the first page and I believe you will not be able to stop reading. That's how it was with me. The prose is rich and silky. 5/5 for sentence structure, imagery, humor, weirdness, and the smooth, sensuous delight her style inspires. I can only compare it to Jack Vance in Tales of the Dying Earth. Yet when Vance slips into difficult-to-parse moments of abstruse vocabulary, TL remains easy to read all the way through. Ray Bradbury comes to mind as a comparison, but TL is more graphic and startling. I also rank her among Gene Wolfe, Michael Moorcock, and John Crowley, but any comparison is partial. She is never boring, always sharp. She rattles off ideas nonstop from the first chapter to the last. Some people might complain that she didn't sit with any one character long enough, jumping around the world, adding unique twists and stitching together plot lines haphazardly, but for me, her method added a wondrous and surprising change to the pacing and predictable arcs of books like Corum or Conan.
Before I began reading her, I was put off by her cover designs and titles, but within a page I knew I would love the book. Many of her titles and covers appear to be atrociously vague, but I notice the first editions bear the markings of typical pulp s-f from the Golden Age. Why did the modern publisher smudge the new editions into bleary abstractions, or copy-paste a clip art princess in front of a generic unicorn onto half of them? I will always side with vintage s-f cover art, infinitely collectible and utterly captivating as it is.
Unable to put the book down, I was mesmerized by the shifting perspective, savoring the luscious landscapes of dense, prehistoric lands crowded with sentient creatures, abominable queens, suffused with sorcery, maniacal vengeance, splendid betrayals, bizarre sex, and haunting imagery. It was all so richly rendered and immersive, I can only stand amazed before her accomplishment and plunge into the next book in the series. Demon-haunted underearth and and the mysterious locales above, I was inspired by the sense of limitless potential in her world building, the earmark of great fantasy in my opinion. The plot devices do not innovate as much as they act as vehicles for universally interesting character tropes, and the dense, macabre visual alacrity of her prose. Vicious cursed objects assume a prominent role, as do Mephistophelian deals, as wily tricksters and stunning beauties traverse several interwoven settings steeped in rich, decadent, gothic cathedrals of description amid talking serpents, conniving crows, and greedy lords. Borrowing the archaic language of fairy tales, Lee enchants without overcomplicating, opting often for the long sentence, and sparing us no detail, without loading down the narration. It moves with a seductive rhythm. Knowing I will be drawn into its depths again, I hail it as one of my favorite books of all time.
This novel opens with a demon's-eye view of a flat earth. Read the first page and I believe you will not be able to stop reading. That's how it was with me. The prose is rich and silky. 5/5 for sentence structure, imagery, humor, weirdness, and the smooth, sensuous delight her style inspires. I can only compare it to Jack Vance in Tales of the Dying Earth. Yet when Vance slips into difficult-to-parse moments of abstruse vocabulary, TL remains easy to read all the way through. Ray Bradbury comes to mind as a comparison, but TL is more graphic and startling. I also rank her among Gene Wolfe, Michael Moorcock, and John Crowley, but any comparison is partial. She is never boring, always sharp. She rattles off ideas nonstop from the first chapter to the last. Some people might complain that she didn't sit with any one character long enough, jumping around the world, adding unique twists and stitching together plot lines haphazardly, but for me, her method added a wondrous and surprising change to the pacing and predictable arcs of books like Corum or Conan.
Before I began reading her, I was put off by her cover designs and titles, but within a page I knew I would love the book. Many of her titles and covers appear to be atrociously vague, but I notice the first editions bear the markings of typical pulp s-f from the Golden Age. Why did the modern publisher smudge the new editions into bleary abstractions, or copy-paste a clip art princess in front of a generic unicorn onto half of them? I will always side with vintage s-f cover art, infinitely collectible and utterly captivating as it is.
Unable to put the book down, I was mesmerized by the shifting perspective, savoring the luscious landscapes of dense, prehistoric lands crowded with sentient creatures, abominable queens, suffused with sorcery, maniacal vengeance, splendid betrayals, bizarre sex, and haunting imagery. It was all so richly rendered and immersive, I can only stand amazed before her accomplishment and plunge into the next book in the series. Demon-haunted underearth and and the mysterious locales above, I was inspired by the sense of limitless potential in her world building, the earmark of great fantasy in my opinion. The plot devices do not innovate as much as they act as vehicles for universally interesting character tropes, and the dense, macabre visual alacrity of her prose. Vicious cursed objects assume a prominent role, as do Mephistophelian deals, as wily tricksters and stunning beauties traverse several interwoven settings steeped in rich, decadent, gothic cathedrals of description amid talking serpents, conniving crows, and greedy lords. Borrowing the archaic language of fairy tales, Lee enchants without overcomplicating, opting often for the long sentence, and sparing us no detail, without loading down the narration. It moves with a seductive rhythm. Knowing I will be drawn into its depths again, I hail it as one of my favorite books of all time.
August 17, 2025
dark fairy tales with an Eastern flavor, for adults. I first read this when I was a young teen, far from being an adult. I remember reading the first chapter in a mall's chain bookstore, in Virginia Beach, and holding onto the memories of it, replaying them in my mind over and over again, until I found another copy about a year later in a bookstore in Orange County. I bought it nervously, not sure if I would be allowed the purchase by the elderly owners. I brought it home and reread that first chapter and its relatively graphic homosexual sex scene, over and over again. what an exciting experience. clearly this book turned me gay. it also turned me into a handsome but wicked demon named Azhrarn, who lives in a beautiful Underworld but roams the world above in various shapes, haunting the dreams of men and women alike, usually ruining and then ending their lives. later chapters included a relatively graphic heterosexual sex scene (also an exciting experience for me) and one between a demon and a nonchalant lady spider-monster (less exciting, but certainly intriguing). most exciting of all was just the fact of the book, its existence as something I could actually hold in my hands and read. I dreamed about it. all of its swooning romanticism and terrible cruelty, its delightful strangeness and decadence, all of the things it imagined, the otherworldly adultness of it all. or at least what I imagined "adultness" to be. clearly this book ruined me.
https://youtu.be/gGOMuIffC2k?si=-CcsR...
rereading this a number of decades later (let's not get too specific here), the magic remains. I'm now more bi than gay, and I have yet to find the nonchalant lady spider-monster of my dreams (still looking), and my palms were less sweaty while reading it... but it was still an enchanting experience. what a book. no one does it better than Tanith Lee.
https://youtu.be/gGOMuIffC2k?si=-CcsR...
rereading this a number of decades later (let's not get too specific here), the magic remains. I'm now more bi than gay, and I have yet to find the nonchalant lady spider-monster of my dreams (still looking), and my palms were less sweaty while reading it... but it was still an enchanting experience. what a book. no one does it better than Tanith Lee.
June 27, 2018
What in the actual fuck did I just read?
Queer characters who are grooming pedophiles, women who get raped and become villains themselves only to be further punished by the narrative. I just... what
no
Queer characters who are grooming pedophiles, women who get raped and become villains themselves only to be further punished by the narrative. I just... what
no
June 21, 2024
Thanks to everyone who recommended this to me when I asked for guidance on r/fantasy - you were absolutely right. Night’s Master is probably my favorite book I’ve read by Tanith Lee thus far. I was just completely transported and captivated as I read these beautiful, horrible stories, and I can’t wait to go back soon in the following books. What stands out perhaps above all is just how incredibly beautiful the language and imagery are, full of luscious, smothering decadent imagery and evocative details of everything from the fall of darkness and light and glinting jewels to strange alien plants, desolate ruins, and obscenely luxurious palaces.
The stories follow a somewhat fairy tale-esque structure , also leading into each other and interlocking as they go. As a whole they are a dark, ethereal, miserable affair. We see stories of obsession and selfishness and cruelty play out again and again, with lots of hapless characters getting murdered left and right. With that in mind, this is a great example to me of how effective chiaroscuro can be, because the stories that are hopeful stand out even more in contrast. I particularly loved the story of the blind poet saving his love and the entrapped dragon that died a peaceful death after centuries. Even wicked Azhrarn himself demonstrates moments of what might be considered mercy and sacrifice for the world - and yet how selfish are those gestures, ultimately? There are also some truly whimsical details and lovely moments of humor, as with the air-headed talking birds, which create a nice reprieve from the endless slavery, murder, betrayal and rape. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a read for the faint-hearted (although the only thing that really got a reaction from me was the spider sex) but for anyone looking for something that’s deeply entrancing and the absolute epitome of dark and lush, I would recommend this without hesitation.
The stories follow a somewhat fairy tale-esque structure , also leading into each other and interlocking as they go. As a whole they are a dark, ethereal, miserable affair. We see stories of obsession and selfishness and cruelty play out again and again, with lots of hapless characters getting murdered left and right. With that in mind, this is a great example to me of how effective chiaroscuro can be, because the stories that are hopeful stand out even more in contrast. I particularly loved the story of the blind poet saving his love and the entrapped dragon that died a peaceful death after centuries. Even wicked Azhrarn himself demonstrates moments of what might be considered mercy and sacrifice for the world - and yet how selfish are those gestures, ultimately? There are also some truly whimsical details and lovely moments of humor, as with the air-headed talking birds, which create a nice reprieve from the endless slavery, murder, betrayal and rape. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a read for the faint-hearted (although the only thing that really got a reaction from me was the spider sex) but for anyone looking for something that’s deeply entrancing and the absolute epitome of dark and lush, I would recommend this without hesitation.
November 1, 2022
Novela de fantasía formada por tres libros interconectados, "Luz subterránea", "Embaucadores" y "La tentación del mundo", divididos a su vez en dos partes y cuyo hilo conductor es Azhrarn, Príncipe de los Demonios, seductor y perverso.
Una narración oscura, atrevida y lujuriosa, en la que con una bellísima prosa, poética e imaginativa, Azhrarn manipula y juega con los humanos a través de sus emociones y sentidos en una suerte de juego de poder.
Una lectura fascinante y original, escrita a modo de leyenda, y que recuerda a "Las mil y una noches".
Una narración oscura, atrevida y lujuriosa, en la que con una bellísima prosa, poética e imaginativa, Azhrarn manipula y juega con los humanos a través de sus emociones y sentidos en una suerte de juego de poder.
Una lectura fascinante y original, escrita a modo de leyenda, y que recuerda a "Las mil y una noches".
April 10, 2012
4.5 stars
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
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.
More reviews of Tanith Lee's books at Fantasy Literature.
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
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.
More reviews of Tanith Lee's books at Fantasy Literature.
January 22, 2023
Una mezcla entre "El Silmarillion" y "Las mil y una noche". Es uno de esos libros donde la construcción de mundo se hace mediante relatos que están interconectados de distintas formas.
En cierta manera me recordaba a "Olvidado Rey Gudú", por esa sensación de fantasía muy clásica basada en el folklore, pero la novela de Matute tiene una trama horizontal más consistente.
Para fans de ese tipo de fantasía autoconclusiva que se escribía en los 70/80, sobre todo por mujeres.
En cierta manera me recordaba a "Olvidado Rey Gudú", por esa sensación de fantasía muy clásica basada en el folklore, pero la novela de Matute tiene una trama horizontal más consistente.
Para fans de ese tipo de fantasía autoconclusiva que se escribía en los 70/80, sobre todo por mujeres.
May 17, 2018
One night, Azhrarn Prince of Demons, one of the Lords of Darkness, took on him, for amusement, the shape of a great black eagle. East and west he flew, beating with his vast wings, north and south, to the four edges of the world, for in those days the earth was flat and floated on the ocean of chaos.
Another one of those I'm not even going to pretend to be objective about. This has been one of my favorite books (and favorite series) ever since I first read them in the distant days of 1990 (when the earth may, in fact, have been flat) and was utterly transfixed by Tanith Lee's luxuriant prose and exotic settings.
Not really a novel per se; more a series of loosely-linked myths or fables in which Azhrarn Prince of Demons typically plays an instigating role, but spends most of his time in the background as humans then pick up the threads.
Beautifully (if obliquely) erotic and ever so delicately perverse.
November 1, 2019
"What demons love they slay in the end, and the gifts of demons are snares."
This collection of connected fable like tales all involve, to a greater or lesser extent, Azhrarn, Prince of Demons, and his trifling with, troublemaking for, and general bedeviling of humanity. Themes of love, revenge, vanity and greed run through the stories, generally reinforcing the message that Demons can't be trusted, no matter how beautiful they may make themselves appear. Also, crossing a demon generally does not work out well in the end. Lee creates a rich, fascinating world known as the "flat earth" situated in times far ancient, when humanity itself was in its infancy. She focuses almost exclusively on humanity's domain, as well as the underworld known as Underearth, populated by all manner of demon and devilish opulence. There is scant mention of Overearth or the more benevolent gods that created humanity and have since apparently largely withdrawn from human affairs.
Warning: though short, a few graphic rape scenes will certainly be offputting to some. Thankfully, these do not dominate the narrative, though sexuality and gender in general are frequent themes.
This collection of connected fable like tales all involve, to a greater or lesser extent, Azhrarn, Prince of Demons, and his trifling with, troublemaking for, and general bedeviling of humanity. Themes of love, revenge, vanity and greed run through the stories, generally reinforcing the message that Demons can't be trusted, no matter how beautiful they may make themselves appear. Also, crossing a demon generally does not work out well in the end. Lee creates a rich, fascinating world known as the "flat earth" situated in times far ancient, when humanity itself was in its infancy. She focuses almost exclusively on humanity's domain, as well as the underworld known as Underearth, populated by all manner of demon and devilish opulence. There is scant mention of Overearth or the more benevolent gods that created humanity and have since apparently largely withdrawn from human affairs.
Warning: though short, a few graphic rape scenes will certainly be offputting to some. Thankfully, these do not dominate the narrative, though sexuality and gender in general are frequent themes.
September 29, 2022
4,5*
Tanith Lee fue una escritora británica de fantasía, ciencia ficción y terror. Escribió más de 70 novelas y cientos de relatos, entre otras cosas. Esta autora, sumamente prolífica y sumamente galardonada, es merecedora de un gran reconocimiento en el mundo anglosajón, pero, por desgracia, no tanto en el de los castellanoparlantes. Aunque algunos de sus cuentos se pueden encontrar en alguna antología editada en nuestro idioma (como el de «Vampiras» de Valdemar), las pocas novelas que se tradujeron están descatalogadas y son difíciles de adquirir. Gracias a Duermevela, podemos leer «El señor de la noche», uno de sus libros más famosos.
Con esta novela comienza el ciclo de «Cuentos de la Tierra Plana», una serie de 5 libros que nos llevan a un tiempo muy antiguo en el que la tierra era plana, la magia real y los demonios habitaban en sus profundidades, en el Mundo Inferior. Azhrarn, su príncipe, el Señor de la Noche, encuentra en jugar con las vidas de los humanos un gran placer y divertimento.
El libro está compuesto por seis relatos interconectados entre sí y que se desarrollan en orden cronológico. Aunque hay alguna referencia de un relato a otro, el verdadero hilo conductor no es otro que la figura de Azhrarn.
Un personaje que encandila y seduce al lector. Un retrato de esa figura del demonio más clásica y mítica: colmado de la belleza más extraordinaria, con un poder de seducción que no deja espacio a la negativa, vanidoso por definición; sumamente cruel, perverso, despiadado y rencoroso. Totalmente inmoral desde nuestra perspectiva.
Son sus juegos de poder los que dominan cada relato y conforman sus bellas a la par que trágicas historias. Historias oscuras, extrañas e hipnóticas que se vuelven deliciosas para el lector gracias a la poderosa y extraordinaria prosa de la autora, que envuelve cada relato bajo la apariencia de cuento clásico, de leyenda. Son atrevidas y tocan temas delicados y controvertidos, bajo una sutileza natural al alcance de muy pocos. La sensualidad y sexualidad está presente en toda la obra, así como el amor incondicional y desgraciado de las tragedias clásicas, y, como ya he dicho, no hay tabúes, no se esconde lo más sórdido o molesto. Este distanciamiento completo de lo correcto me ha resultado tremendamente refrescante y sorprendente porque en ningún momento llega a incomodar.
Estos cuentos tienen algo que los que preferimos novelas largas vamos a apreciar y es que, en pocas páginas, te regala lo que otros necesitan cientas: una historia profunda y que empacha, que marca. Para mí, que un autor consiga algo así es sinónimo de una maestría con las letras absoluta. Ya no es sólo que la historia en sí misma cumpla esto, es que tanto los personajes como la ambientación son inmensos. Lee hace uso de unas descripciones breves pero eficaces, engalanadas con su bella prosa poética, resultan muy evocadoras y permiten sumergirse de lleno en el mundo creado por la autora, en las acciones de sus personajes, en sus sentimientos y emociones.
Esta novela fue publicada en 1978 y no sólo es transgresora por los temas que aborda y por la forma de hacerlo, o por cómo da la vuelta a lo establecido de manera categórica, sino por una ambientación que huye de lo habitual en esa época y que se arrima a lo exótico de otras culturas. Me imagino que si ahora me ha resultado un soplo de aire fresco, en su momento supuso toda una revolución.
En resumen, «El Señor de la Noche» es un libro cautivador hasta el extremo, distinto, extraño, mágico, embriagador. Un libro formado por relatos oscuros con sabor a cuento clásico, pero que transgreden y todo ello narrado con la belleza desbordante que sólo una prosa exquisita puede conseguir.
Quiero hacer una mención especial a la impecable edición de Duermevela: una traducción excelente sin la cual la experiencia lectora no sería la misma, unas ilustraciones que acompañan a la perfección la obra y que, personalmente, me fascinan; y un trabajo de edición perfecto.
Tanith Lee fue una escritora británica de fantasía, ciencia ficción y terror. Escribió más de 70 novelas y cientos de relatos, entre otras cosas. Esta autora, sumamente prolífica y sumamente galardonada, es merecedora de un gran reconocimiento en el mundo anglosajón, pero, por desgracia, no tanto en el de los castellanoparlantes. Aunque algunos de sus cuentos se pueden encontrar en alguna antología editada en nuestro idioma (como el de «Vampiras» de Valdemar), las pocas novelas que se tradujeron están descatalogadas y son difíciles de adquirir. Gracias a Duermevela, podemos leer «El señor de la noche», uno de sus libros más famosos.
Con esta novela comienza el ciclo de «Cuentos de la Tierra Plana», una serie de 5 libros que nos llevan a un tiempo muy antiguo en el que la tierra era plana, la magia real y los demonios habitaban en sus profundidades, en el Mundo Inferior. Azhrarn, su príncipe, el Señor de la Noche, encuentra en jugar con las vidas de los humanos un gran placer y divertimento.
El libro está compuesto por seis relatos interconectados entre sí y que se desarrollan en orden cronológico. Aunque hay alguna referencia de un relato a otro, el verdadero hilo conductor no es otro que la figura de Azhrarn.
Un personaje que encandila y seduce al lector. Un retrato de esa figura del demonio más clásica y mítica: colmado de la belleza más extraordinaria, con un poder de seducción que no deja espacio a la negativa, vanidoso por definición; sumamente cruel, perverso, despiadado y rencoroso. Totalmente inmoral desde nuestra perspectiva.
Son sus juegos de poder los que dominan cada relato y conforman sus bellas a la par que trágicas historias. Historias oscuras, extrañas e hipnóticas que se vuelven deliciosas para el lector gracias a la poderosa y extraordinaria prosa de la autora, que envuelve cada relato bajo la apariencia de cuento clásico, de leyenda. Son atrevidas y tocan temas delicados y controvertidos, bajo una sutileza natural al alcance de muy pocos. La sensualidad y sexualidad está presente en toda la obra, así como el amor incondicional y desgraciado de las tragedias clásicas, y, como ya he dicho, no hay tabúes, no se esconde lo más sórdido o molesto. Este distanciamiento completo de lo correcto me ha resultado tremendamente refrescante y sorprendente porque en ningún momento llega a incomodar.
Estos cuentos tienen algo que los que preferimos novelas largas vamos a apreciar y es que, en pocas páginas, te regala lo que otros necesitan cientas: una historia profunda y que empacha, que marca. Para mí, que un autor consiga algo así es sinónimo de una maestría con las letras absoluta. Ya no es sólo que la historia en sí misma cumpla esto, es que tanto los personajes como la ambientación son inmensos. Lee hace uso de unas descripciones breves pero eficaces, engalanadas con su bella prosa poética, resultan muy evocadoras y permiten sumergirse de lleno en el mundo creado por la autora, en las acciones de sus personajes, en sus sentimientos y emociones.
Esta novela fue publicada en 1978 y no sólo es transgresora por los temas que aborda y por la forma de hacerlo, o por cómo da la vuelta a lo establecido de manera categórica, sino por una ambientación que huye de lo habitual en esa época y que se arrima a lo exótico de otras culturas. Me imagino que si ahora me ha resultado un soplo de aire fresco, en su momento supuso toda una revolución.
En resumen, «El Señor de la Noche» es un libro cautivador hasta el extremo, distinto, extraño, mágico, embriagador. Un libro formado por relatos oscuros con sabor a cuento clásico, pero que transgreden y todo ello narrado con la belleza desbordante que sólo una prosa exquisita puede conseguir.
Quiero hacer una mención especial a la impecable edición de Duermevela: una traducción excelente sin la cual la experiencia lectora no sería la misma, unas ilustraciones que acompañan a la perfección la obra y que, personalmente, me fascinan; y un trabajo de edición perfecto.
June 22, 2010
4.0 stars. A beautifully written, original fantasy story that reads like mythology. The main character, Azhrarn, is the Prince of Demons. Azhrarn is extremely powerful and spends his time amusing himself, mostly by tormenting humans and creating mischief. As the story progresses through a series of interlinked tales, we see Azhrarn transform from malevolent trickster to Christ-like savior and then back again. A very good book and certainly an excellent choice if you are looking for sonething a little different. Recommended!!
Nominee: World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.
Nominee: World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.
May 21, 2018
Tanith Lee is a veritable master of the macabre. Her stories are stunningly lush, fever dreams of someone who loves the dark, but remembers that maybe others will not. This is a book of mythology whose focus is not that of the gods or mortal heroes, but of demons. Finally, when the protagonists do the terrible things our gods so often are said to have done, you understand why.
CONTENT WARNING:
Things to love:
-The world. It's so fully realized, the stories weaving back on themselves, the scope enormous.
-The writing. It's like if Tolkien took LSD. And I mean that in the best possible way. It has the same cadence of those inspired by oral mythology, but where he built something austere and awesome in the original sense, she went decadent and brilliant, in its original sense.
-The characters. Yes, they're demons, those who consort with demons, and those who are subject to demons. They're often bad people (or become twisted). But they're so vivid and individual, that even hating them feels like you recognize them for who they are. They are alive in their stories, remembered as they would want to be remembered, and that's incredible.
-The ending. I won't say anything, but I thought it was the perfect bow on the present, both triumphant and despairing.
Things people may bounce right off of:
-The demon stuff. Likely gonna offend those with strong notions of Hell and God. Absolutely room to hate what demonkind does to mankind, and dislike reading about the trials of those featured in the stories. These beings are gross. They are evil. They delight in doing bad things to people, regardless of their innocence. But that's kind of what makes it fun, too. After centuries of wondering why the Hell anyone would revere Zeus after all he did, for example, finally, a mythology where you think "absolutely. That makes sense." So, if you're the kind of person who reads Metamorphoses for fun, you may stand a better chance of finding enjoyment.
-The weird sex. None of the scenes are long--a paragraph, tops--but it's not coy, and it's not the kind that you're meant to be happy about if you have a sympathetic response. (I counted 2.5 weird sex, 2 rapes, and 1 that was either a weird sex, a rape, or just something demons do, I'm not really sure.) I prefer to be warned of this content in stories, and I will say, as yucky or horrible as most of it was, it never once felt like it was being used to make me, the reader, feel a certain way, or without consequence/significance to the beings compromised.
-No cohesive story. These are the important snippets of the life of Azrahrn. It's his story, but being as he is, a blow by blow account of his life wouldn't be feasible. This is the highlight reel.
-The lack of semi-colons. Really, it's just egregious. Commas all over the place, falling wherever they damn well please. Talk about demonic.
I love her short stories, and I love mythology, even when it gets rill weird. Therefore, this was an instant hit for me. I will definitely be continuing, after a short reprieve for my psyche.
CONTENT WARNING:
Things to love:
-The world. It's so fully realized, the stories weaving back on themselves, the scope enormous.
-The writing. It's like if Tolkien took LSD. And I mean that in the best possible way. It has the same cadence of those inspired by oral mythology, but where he built something austere and awesome in the original sense, she went decadent and brilliant, in its original sense.
-The characters. Yes, they're demons, those who consort with demons, and those who are subject to demons. They're often bad people (or become twisted). But they're so vivid and individual, that even hating them feels like you recognize them for who they are. They are alive in their stories, remembered as they would want to be remembered, and that's incredible.
-The ending. I won't say anything, but I thought it was the perfect bow on the present, both triumphant and despairing.
Things people may bounce right off of:
-The demon stuff. Likely gonna offend those with strong notions of Hell and God. Absolutely room to hate what demonkind does to mankind, and dislike reading about the trials of those featured in the stories. These beings are gross. They are evil. They delight in doing bad things to people, regardless of their innocence. But that's kind of what makes it fun, too. After centuries of wondering why the Hell anyone would revere Zeus after all he did, for example, finally, a mythology where you think "absolutely. That makes sense." So, if you're the kind of person who reads Metamorphoses for fun, you may stand a better chance of finding enjoyment.
-The weird sex. None of the scenes are long--a paragraph, tops--but it's not coy, and it's not the kind that you're meant to be happy about if you have a sympathetic response. (I counted 2.5 weird sex, 2 rapes, and 1 that was either a weird sex, a rape, or just something demons do, I'm not really sure.) I prefer to be warned of this content in stories, and I will say, as yucky or horrible as most of it was, it never once felt like it was being used to make me, the reader, feel a certain way, or without consequence/significance to the beings compromised.
-No cohesive story. These are the important snippets of the life of Azrahrn. It's his story, but being as he is, a blow by blow account of his life wouldn't be feasible. This is the highlight reel.
-The lack of semi-colons. Really, it's just egregious. Commas all over the place, falling wherever they damn well please. Talk about demonic.
I love her short stories, and I love mythology, even when it gets rill weird. Therefore, this was an instant hit for me. I will definitely be continuing, after a short reprieve for my psyche.
October 4, 2025
An amazing book. Most likely my favorite fantasy book of all time, so far.
An adult dark fairytale who's maturity is not in explicit sex or violence, but in the depth and breadth of its psychology and mythology, and in the dreamy beauty of its prose.
There is only one real flaw, and it's purely a matter of taste: the book isn't deep enough.
The book explores so much, and explores it all in a clear and intelligent manner, and yet the book has nothing to say. There are no insights, no revelations; I have learned nothing new from reading this book.
Still, I expect I'll be reading a lot more Tanith Lee in the future.
An adult dark fairytale who's maturity is not in explicit sex or violence, but in the depth and breadth of its psychology and mythology, and in the dreamy beauty of its prose.
There is only one real flaw, and it's purely a matter of taste: the book isn't deep enough.
The book explores so much, and explores it all in a clear and intelligent manner, and yet the book has nothing to say. There are no insights, no revelations; I have learned nothing new from reading this book.
Still, I expect I'll be reading a lot more Tanith Lee in the future.
April 9, 2019
Fantasy author Tanith Lee takes inspiration from The Arabian Nights and Tales of the Dying Earth to tell a series of interconnected tales of the demon Azhrarn and the mortals with whose lives he meddles. Lee uses a similar storytelling style to that of Ursula K. Le Guin in A Wizard of Earthsea to give the narrative a mythical flavor. Unfortunately none of the story content is more than mildly interesting and much of it, including some truly bizarre sexual content, may be revolting to modern readers.
October 17, 2022
Acabo de descubrir a esta autora y todavía me estoy dando de cabezazos por no haberla leído antes. A pergeñar reseña tocan🙂
Pues venga, edito, que ya está la reseña: https://consuleoluegoexisto.com/2022/...
Pues venga, edito, que ya está la reseña: https://consuleoluegoexisto.com/2022/...
June 5, 2018
4.5 star
Magnificently strange and otherworldly. Feels like a weird dream from which I don't want to wake.
Magnificently strange and otherworldly. Feels like a weird dream from which I don't want to wake.
May 15, 2024
El Señor de la Noche, Príncipe de los Demonios, Señor de la Oscuridad, su nombre es Azhrarn. Este es su libro. Le pertenece como le pertenecen las maldiciones y la angustia. Le pertenece, aunque él no sea el protagonista, pues su mano está en cada línea y su poder y voluntad se extienden en el tiempo alcanzando a generaciones de mortales. El orgullo, la crueldad y la venganza dan forma al corazón del padre de todas las maldiciones; no hay compasión en él, no más allá de un par de gotas que se evaporan como el rocío bajo el sol del mediodía.
"―El Señor de la Noche, Portador de la Angustia, el de las Alas de Águila, el Innombrable (…) ¡Él ha provocado todo esto!"
Tanith Lee, que posee la magia de las grandes contadoras de historias, nos presenta este libro formado por varias historias que nacen, unas de otras, a partir de las acciones y los deseos de Azhrarn. Estos relatos no llegan a ser independientes unos de otros, y constituyen un ciclo donde el final se cierra sobre el principio.
Los protagonistas de las historias sufrirán las consecuencias de haber llamado la atención del Señor de la Oscuridad: un hermoso niño que Azhrarn recogerá y convertirá, en el futuro, en su amante; un joven de buen corazón que rescatará de su soledad a una de las creaciones de Azhrarn; una mujer que rechazará convertirse en amante del Señor de las Pesadillas; una joven que pudo ser una princesa mimada, pero acabó siendo una huérfana de rostro herido y cuerpo deformado.
"Ya sea plano o redondo, el mundo siempre ha estado lleno de odio".
Son cuentos que trasmiten el exotismo de Las mil y una noches y que beben de historias míticas como la de Narciso, la del manzano prohibido del Edén o la del alma dividida en dos al nacer cuyas mitades se buscan incansables. Cuentos que hablan del odio, del deseo, de la belleza y el fatalismo, del poder y de la corrupción.
"Y las estrellas le sonreían como dagas desenfundadas".
Cuentos, algo turbios, amargos y con finales en los que no se espera a las perdices. Historias de una potente fantasía oscura, mágica y carnal, narradas con una prosa exquisita, lírica, hermosa, erudita y que trasmite la ensoñación de los cuentos de antaño, oscuros como el Señor de la Noche.
Nota: No puedo olvidar mencionar la gran edición de Duermevela y las ilustraciones de Sebastian Giacobino (por lo que recomendaría la edición en papel), ni la excelente labor de traducción a cargo de Bruno Álvarez y José Montserrat.
"―El Señor de la Noche, Portador de la Angustia, el de las Alas de Águila, el Innombrable (…) ¡Él ha provocado todo esto!"
Tanith Lee, que posee la magia de las grandes contadoras de historias, nos presenta este libro formado por varias historias que nacen, unas de otras, a partir de las acciones y los deseos de Azhrarn. Estos relatos no llegan a ser independientes unos de otros, y constituyen un ciclo donde el final se cierra sobre el principio.
Los protagonistas de las historias sufrirán las consecuencias de haber llamado la atención del Señor de la Oscuridad: un hermoso niño que Azhrarn recogerá y convertirá, en el futuro, en su amante; un joven de buen corazón que rescatará de su soledad a una de las creaciones de Azhrarn; una mujer que rechazará convertirse en amante del Señor de las Pesadillas; una joven que pudo ser una princesa mimada, pero acabó siendo una huérfana de rostro herido y cuerpo deformado.
"Ya sea plano o redondo, el mundo siempre ha estado lleno de odio".
Son cuentos que trasmiten el exotismo de Las mil y una noches y que beben de historias míticas como la de Narciso, la del manzano prohibido del Edén o la del alma dividida en dos al nacer cuyas mitades se buscan incansables. Cuentos que hablan del odio, del deseo, de la belleza y el fatalismo, del poder y de la corrupción.
"Y las estrellas le sonreían como dagas desenfundadas".
Cuentos, algo turbios, amargos y con finales en los que no se espera a las perdices. Historias de una potente fantasía oscura, mágica y carnal, narradas con una prosa exquisita, lírica, hermosa, erudita y que trasmite la ensoñación de los cuentos de antaño, oscuros como el Señor de la Noche.
Nota: No puedo olvidar mencionar la gran edición de Duermevela y las ilustraciones de Sebastian Giacobino (por lo que recomendaría la edición en papel), ni la excelente labor de traducción a cargo de Bruno Álvarez y José Montserrat.
June 29, 2018
Maybe closer to 3.5 stars, but what the heck.
Did you ever read Vance's Dying Earth stories and think "you know what this needs? More penetration!"
Seriously, though, this book was kind of hard for me to rate. First of all, it is basically a bunch of short stories, and I am rarely impressed with short story collections. To each his own and all, but I am more of a novel kind of guy. I will say, however, that if you like fairy tales (especially darker ones) then you will probably find yourself right at home here.
On the other hand, the imagery that Lee presents us with is absolutely stunning. Gods clothed in butterflies, beautiful demons, magic trees, flying ships made of dragon bone, other realms above the clouds, and the mouth of hate itself all populate Lee's strange, almost surreal world. Many times during this book I cared less about the story and more about just wanting to walk around and experience this incredible place that her intense imagination dreamed up for us.
Besides that, Lee's trademark touches are here (or at least what little I know about her). Gender and sexuality are fluid, most beings are either breathtakingly beautiful or horrible monsters, and the world is dark dark dark.
Did you ever read Vance's Dying Earth stories and think "you know what this needs? More penetration!"
Seriously, though, this book was kind of hard for me to rate. First of all, it is basically a bunch of short stories, and I am rarely impressed with short story collections. To each his own and all, but I am more of a novel kind of guy. I will say, however, that if you like fairy tales (especially darker ones) then you will probably find yourself right at home here.
On the other hand, the imagery that Lee presents us with is absolutely stunning. Gods clothed in butterflies, beautiful demons, magic trees, flying ships made of dragon bone, other realms above the clouds, and the mouth of hate itself all populate Lee's strange, almost surreal world. Many times during this book I cared less about the story and more about just wanting to walk around and experience this incredible place that her intense imagination dreamed up for us.
Besides that, Lee's trademark touches are here (or at least what little I know about her). Gender and sexuality are fluid, most beings are either breathtakingly beautiful or horrible monsters, and the world is dark dark dark.
December 6, 2025
Tanith Lee was straight-up not fucking around. When she said "the virtues of demon-kind are different from the virtues of men", she meant it. Romantasy readers who like their dark lord daddies secretly kind and protective, stop here. Retreat back behind the covers of books with AI-generated scrollwork on them.
Night's Master envisions a fantasy world where humans are the playthings of immortal, magical creatures. If you are sick of #Booktok recs where a colonizer with abs is somehow humanized by the main female character, pick up this paperback and witness how all-powerful beings behave in reality (er, fantasy).
The connected short stories recall all the sharpest bits of classic fairy tales, merging the violence of Greek mythology with rich, descriptive prose. A nonconformist 1970s classic certain to be cancelled by Gen Z for problematic scenes. RIP Tanith Lee, you were an original.
PS: Shoutout to the horny dwarves!
Night's Master envisions a fantasy world where humans are the playthings of immortal, magical creatures. If you are sick of #Booktok recs where a colonizer with abs is somehow humanized by the main female character, pick up this paperback and witness how all-powerful beings behave in reality (er, fantasy).
The connected short stories recall all the sharpest bits of classic fairy tales, merging the violence of Greek mythology with rich, descriptive prose. A nonconformist 1970s classic certain to be cancelled by Gen Z for problematic scenes. RIP Tanith Lee, you were an original.
PS: Shoutout to the horny dwarves!
February 22, 2020
This is the first in a series and having struggled through this one I'm not sure I want to continue although I have the others.
The book is not really a novel but more a series of interconnected short stories with the same setting: Flat Earth at a time when the gods exist but are remote self obsessed beings with no interest in humanity or the Earth, and demons also exist, who live in the Underearth and take an all too unpleasant interest. The chief "character", if you can call him such, is Azharn, a prince among demons who has a huge following of various subservent lesser demons upon whom he can call to work mischief on Earth on his behalf. From time to time he takes a personal interest and visits Earth - always at night as the sun's rays destroy his kind -as in the first story where he takes a human child after the baby's mother dies and gives him to some of his followers to rear, only taking a personal interest when the teenage boy is old enough to have sex with. The demons, especially Azharn, have the property of inspiring obsessive love and devotion in mortals so the odds are heavily stacked against those humans with which they interact.
In other stories, a kingdom falls because Azharn decides to bait the tyrant in charge who has committed hubris by raising statues of himself with inscriptions that set him above the gods (and demons). Afterwards, only a baby daughter of the king's survives and even she is scarred and injured. An old priest raises her and tries to shield her from the truth of her appearance, but sadly the child learns of her disfigurement at the cruel hands of a passing prince, and when the priest dies of old age she is tricked and brutally raped by a pedlar. Afterwards, she turns to black magic and demonology, and becomes as cruel as her dead father, seeking revenge on all humanity for what she has suffered. Naturally she makes a pact with Azharn. Along the way she brings suffering to countless others, including two brothers whose tale is told as another connected story.
Very few people obtain a happy ending, other than a blind singer, and even he undergoes huge trials due to Azharn wanting to amuse himself at the man's expense. Yet there is a twist eventually where Azharn shows himself more of a help to humanity than the coldhearted gods.
The style of writing is very much that of a retelling of folklore or fairy tales, although this material is all original. It has a faint 'feel' of the Arabian nights, but only in that in some stories the women go veiled, and in the exotic names. A lot of the characters are blonde in any case, so it is really only a hint. Due to the form, there is no real character development and it is difficult to feel sympathy for the ever-changing personnel despite their awful ordeals, especially when some of them change from victim to mass murderer. The writing is lush and on balance I would award the book 3 stars for that, even though I did not really 'enjoy' the tales.
The book is not really a novel but more a series of interconnected short stories with the same setting: Flat Earth at a time when the gods exist but are remote self obsessed beings with no interest in humanity or the Earth, and demons also exist, who live in the Underearth and take an all too unpleasant interest. The chief "character", if you can call him such, is Azharn, a prince among demons who has a huge following of various subservent lesser demons upon whom he can call to work mischief on Earth on his behalf. From time to time he takes a personal interest and visits Earth - always at night as the sun's rays destroy his kind -as in the first story where he takes a human child after the baby's mother dies and gives him to some of his followers to rear, only taking a personal interest when the teenage boy is old enough to have sex with. The demons, especially Azharn, have the property of inspiring obsessive love and devotion in mortals so the odds are heavily stacked against those humans with which they interact.
In other stories, a kingdom falls because Azharn decides to bait the tyrant in charge who has committed hubris by raising statues of himself with inscriptions that set him above the gods (and demons). Afterwards, only a baby daughter of the king's survives and even she is scarred and injured. An old priest raises her and tries to shield her from the truth of her appearance, but sadly the child learns of her disfigurement at the cruel hands of a passing prince, and when the priest dies of old age she is tricked and brutally raped by a pedlar. Afterwards, she turns to black magic and demonology, and becomes as cruel as her dead father, seeking revenge on all humanity for what she has suffered. Naturally she makes a pact with Azharn. Along the way she brings suffering to countless others, including two brothers whose tale is told as another connected story.
Very few people obtain a happy ending, other than a blind singer, and even he undergoes huge trials due to Azharn wanting to amuse himself at the man's expense. Yet there is a twist eventually where Azharn shows himself more of a help to humanity than the coldhearted gods.
The style of writing is very much that of a retelling of folklore or fairy tales, although this material is all original. It has a faint 'feel' of the Arabian nights, but only in that in some stories the women go veiled, and in the exotic names. A lot of the characters are blonde in any case, so it is really only a hint. Due to the form, there is no real character development and it is difficult to feel sympathy for the ever-changing personnel despite their awful ordeals, especially when some of them change from victim to mass murderer. The writing is lush and on balance I would award the book 3 stars for that, even though I did not really 'enjoy' the tales.
June 7, 2023
Este es, casi sin temor a equivocarme, uno de los libros más bellamente escrito que he leído en mi vida. O sea, lo que esta mujer es capaz de hacer con las palabras es maravilloso.
"El señor de la noche" es una recopilación de historias unidas por un nexo común: Azhrarn, príncipe de los demonios, de cuyas andanzas seremos testigos durante todo el libro. Tanith Lee ha creado aquí un universo propio riquísimo y, si me preguntáis, hipnotizante. Es que no quería dejar de leer. Es más, lo recuerdo y me entran ganas de volver a leerlo. Su forma de escribir, tan poética, tan sensual y seductora hasta en las escenas más oscuras.
Es un libro donde la sexualidad está también muy presente, y es que os encontraréis relaciones de todo tipo. Algunas, tengo que decirlo, totalmente inmorales y deleznables, pero que debido a la forma de escribir de Lee no resultan tan duras. Espero que se me entienda y que no se me eche nadie encima.
Y no puedo terminar esta reseña sin mencionar la preciosa edición que se ha marcado la editorial, con las ilustraciones de Sebastian Giacobino. Pre-cio-sa.
Lo único que pido ahora es que Duermevela se anime a publicar el resto de libros de la saga y, si puede ser, de las obras de esta mujer, porque me ha encantado descubrir a Tanith Lee y su impresionante imaginación.
"El señor de la noche" es una recopilación de historias unidas por un nexo común: Azhrarn, príncipe de los demonios, de cuyas andanzas seremos testigos durante todo el libro. Tanith Lee ha creado aquí un universo propio riquísimo y, si me preguntáis, hipnotizante. Es que no quería dejar de leer. Es más, lo recuerdo y me entran ganas de volver a leerlo. Su forma de escribir, tan poética, tan sensual y seductora hasta en las escenas más oscuras.
Es un libro donde la sexualidad está también muy presente, y es que os encontraréis relaciones de todo tipo. Algunas, tengo que decirlo, totalmente inmorales y deleznables, pero que debido a la forma de escribir de Lee no resultan tan duras. Espero que se me entienda y que no se me eche nadie encima.
Y no puedo terminar esta reseña sin mencionar la preciosa edición que se ha marcado la editorial, con las ilustraciones de Sebastian Giacobino. Pre-cio-sa.
Lo único que pido ahora es que Duermevela se anime a publicar el resto de libros de la saga y, si puede ser, de las obras de esta mujer, porque me ha encantado descubrir a Tanith Lee y su impresionante imaginación.
February 8, 2017
At first this book seemed very strange to me. At the end I was hooked ! What a great book, the author has a beautiful imagination and is great at telling stories, this isn't a lengthy very descriptive novel but it is fantastic the way the author writes is like a poem. Loved it will keep reading these strange books and will be reading the authors other works :)
July 6, 2015
Readers insisting upon a strong central plot and defined set of characters will find little to enjoy here. Lee draws from fairy tale and mythology for a drifting, dreamlike experience where each "book" (Light Underground, Tricksters, and The World's Lure) is independent aside from theme, and each of which is subdivided further, into "parts" and chapters. The time table is that of demons, especially the demon lord Azhrarn, and an ephemeral mortal existence can easily fit into a single chapter. So, the character set will change drastically even within a "part", especially in cases where Azhrarn takes a brief, intense, and ultimately destructive interest in the wee humans grubbing about their surface world.
Don't get attached to the characters, in other words, especially when Azhrarn is in the neighborhood. What he cannot have, he destroys, and what he becomes bored with, he destroys, and what he enjoys greatly, he destroys. It is the way of demons.
The language is beautiful, with a Dunsany-ish cadence and delicately crafted metaphors ("The year was woven on the loom, finished and folded away upon the pile of other years in the tall chests of Time.", p. 64) This language occasionally works against itself: when speaking of physical love, it uses over-the-top metaphor, and reads like the very worst of gushy, flowery romance novels. I can only surmise that Lee's intent was to produce laughter or a wince.
But this is a dark fairy tale. Here the scarred, crippled girl does not earn the love of the young king. Instead she has his mockery and contempt, and her heart fills with vengeance. She becomes as corrupt and vicious as the king she replaces. There is no simple moralizing offered or necessary.
Don't get attached to the characters, in other words, especially when Azhrarn is in the neighborhood. What he cannot have, he destroys, and what he becomes bored with, he destroys, and what he enjoys greatly, he destroys. It is the way of demons.
The language is beautiful, with a Dunsany-ish cadence and delicately crafted metaphors ("The year was woven on the loom, finished and folded away upon the pile of other years in the tall chests of Time.", p. 64) This language occasionally works against itself: when speaking of physical love, it uses over-the-top metaphor, and reads like the very worst of gushy, flowery romance novels. I can only surmise that Lee's intent was to produce laughter or a wince.
But this is a dark fairy tale. Here the scarred, crippled girl does not earn the love of the young king. Instead she has his mockery and contempt, and her heart fills with vengeance. She becomes as corrupt and vicious as the king she replaces. There is no simple moralizing offered or necessary.
September 1, 2022
Mañana, 20 de Octubre, Valdemar publica un nuevo tomo de los relatos de Clark Ashton Smith dedicados, esta vez, al ciclo de Averoigne y otros mundos imaginarios ¿Por qué menciono esto ahora? Bueno, siempre hay que celebrar un nuevo Valdemar Gótica, y dado que ya me he leído todo lo que ha sido publicado en español de este autor -creo- siempre viene bien echar mano de otros autores que han cultivado un género tan delicioso como es la fantasía oscura. Y es que Tanith Lee, autora que desgraciadamente hubiera seguido siendo desconocida para mí, tiene mucho de Clark Ashton Smith, incluso llegando a superarlo en ciertos momentos. Poco se le agradece a José Luis Forte y Erica Couto, y a su excelente podcast de literatura raruna Todo tranquilo en Dunwich, por descubrirnos estos autores olvidados.
El señor de la noche iniciaría el ciclo de La tierra plana -tranquilos, nada tiene que ver con los terraplanistas ni otros magufos afines-, una época primigenia en la que el mundo estaba habitado por demonios y dioses y la hechicería campaba libre. En los cimientos de este mundo estratificado se erigía el mundo de los demonios, habitantes de la noche para los que la luz del sol es letal, y de entre los cuales Ashrarn, el gran príncipe demonio, era el más poderoso de todos. Todas las historias recogidas en este libro tienen, directa o indirectamente, su perversa autoría, pues el príncipe demonio ve en los mortales su juguete favorito.
El mundo de Tanith Lee es un mundo repleto de sensualidad y de una belleza macabra y decadente, sublime como la que puede hallarse en las efigies mortuorias de un cementerio. Es el suyo un mundo de fantasía atemporal que mantiene cierto aire antiguo, más cercano al de la antigüedad clásica que a la alta edad media, en parte por el tono casi mítico de las historias y por el exotismo sinestésico de las descripciones tan característico de los decadentistas finiseculares. Y del propio Ashton Smith, aunque salvando las distancias. Ambos autores son pródigos en descripciones fastuosas y poéticas, tanto para los más terribles horrores como para los más deliciosos placeres, aunque el norteamericano siente debilidad por los nombres impronunciables y sonoros, no se hasta que punto herencia de Lovecraft, mientras que la inglesa opta más por un esteticismo sobrio, detallando la hermosura de cada objeto pero sin llegar a empalagar al lector. Además, Tanith Lee refuerza esa sensualidad decadente mostrando y detallando numerosos encuentros sexuales, si bien narrados a través de metáforas, totalmente explícitos y desinhibidos. El sexo en estos cuentos es como las descripciones, hiperbólico, desaforados: sexo heterosexual, homosexual, pedofilia, bestialismo, todo cabe en la obra de Tanith Lee, y si bien muchas escenas que se nos relatan son claramente inmorales -amen de ilegales-, nunca se hacen desagradables por el cuidado lenguaje utilizado. Sí, se que suena fuerte y difícil de digerir, y seguramente refleje una sensibilidad retorcida por mi parte; quizá debería buscar ayuda, no lo se.
Tanith Lee mantiene una deuda con las 1001 noches, ya no solo por ese exotismo y ese ligero sabor oriental, sino por el estilo de relatos dentro de relatos. Leí en el prologo que Javier Marías dedica a Ehrengard -libro que hay que leer sí o SÍ-, que Isak Dinesen recuperó esa sonoridad del relato oral y la plasmó a la perfección en el papel. Tanith Lee hace algo muy parecido imbricando cada uno de los relatos, pues como dije al principio, todos ellos tienen su origen en Ashrarn. Así, la obra comienza con el enamoramiento caprichoso del príncipe de un bebe humano al que decide criar como si fuera un demonio. Al crecer y madurar su cuerpo y belleza también lo hace un sentimiento de desarraigo que, pese a vivir rodeado de lujos y colmado de placeres, le obliga finalmente a ascender al mundo de los humanos. Ni siquiera una joven creada ex profeso para el por la magia ponzoñosa de Ashrarn logra de hacerle desistir en su empresa. Esta joven será importante posteriormente, pues la partida de su amado y la añoranza de la superficie le hace derramar lagrimas diariamente, lagrimas que serán el material perfecto para confeccionar un collar de tal belleza que obligará a cualquiera que lo vea matar para obtenerlo. Y así es como Tanith Lee va entretejiendo cada relato con el siguiente; desarrollando las historias de manera impredecible y recuperando personajes de relatos anteriores. Quién sabe como puede terminar una artimaña de Ashrarn y que consecuencias puede tener para la humanidad y para el mundo.
Tanith Lee es una escritora a reivindicar. Su estilo poético, casi mitológico, cargado de sensualidad y exotismo lo hacen tan similar a Clark Ashton Smith, y a la vez tan diferente, que me extraña que una editorial como Valdemar no se haya animado a incluir a esta escritora dentro de su panteón gótico. Me sorprende y a la vez me apena, pues la mayor parte de la obra de esta autora está descatalogada en español, y es más fácil encontrar un unicornio al que sacrificar o algo de talento en la filmografía de Eduardo Casanova, que una edición ajada en una tienda de segunda mano. Me sorprende más, precisamente, porque la primera vez que leí a esta autora fue en una colección de relatos de vampiresas publicada por la misma editorial, una reelaboración del clásico cuento de Blancanieves en la que la madrastra no es tan mala y la inocente cría da un poco de canguelo. Leed a Tanith Lee si tenéis oportunidad, hagamos por ella lo mismo que por Gene Wolfe u otros autores magníficos completamente olvidados en nuestro país: volvamos a hacerlos atractivos y vendibles, devolvámosles a su merecida posición de clásicos de la que el tiempo nunca debió bajarlos.
El señor de la noche iniciaría el ciclo de La tierra plana -tranquilos, nada tiene que ver con los terraplanistas ni otros magufos afines-, una época primigenia en la que el mundo estaba habitado por demonios y dioses y la hechicería campaba libre. En los cimientos de este mundo estratificado se erigía el mundo de los demonios, habitantes de la noche para los que la luz del sol es letal, y de entre los cuales Ashrarn, el gran príncipe demonio, era el más poderoso de todos. Todas las historias recogidas en este libro tienen, directa o indirectamente, su perversa autoría, pues el príncipe demonio ve en los mortales su juguete favorito.
El mundo de Tanith Lee es un mundo repleto de sensualidad y de una belleza macabra y decadente, sublime como la que puede hallarse en las efigies mortuorias de un cementerio. Es el suyo un mundo de fantasía atemporal que mantiene cierto aire antiguo, más cercano al de la antigüedad clásica que a la alta edad media, en parte por el tono casi mítico de las historias y por el exotismo sinestésico de las descripciones tan característico de los decadentistas finiseculares. Y del propio Ashton Smith, aunque salvando las distancias. Ambos autores son pródigos en descripciones fastuosas y poéticas, tanto para los más terribles horrores como para los más deliciosos placeres, aunque el norteamericano siente debilidad por los nombres impronunciables y sonoros, no se hasta que punto herencia de Lovecraft, mientras que la inglesa opta más por un esteticismo sobrio, detallando la hermosura de cada objeto pero sin llegar a empalagar al lector. Además, Tanith Lee refuerza esa sensualidad decadente mostrando y detallando numerosos encuentros sexuales, si bien narrados a través de metáforas, totalmente explícitos y desinhibidos. El sexo en estos cuentos es como las descripciones, hiperbólico, desaforados: sexo heterosexual, homosexual, pedofilia, bestialismo, todo cabe en la obra de Tanith Lee, y si bien muchas escenas que se nos relatan son claramente inmorales -amen de ilegales-, nunca se hacen desagradables por el cuidado lenguaje utilizado. Sí, se que suena fuerte y difícil de digerir, y seguramente refleje una sensibilidad retorcida por mi parte; quizá debería buscar ayuda, no lo se.
Tanith Lee mantiene una deuda con las 1001 noches, ya no solo por ese exotismo y ese ligero sabor oriental, sino por el estilo de relatos dentro de relatos. Leí en el prologo que Javier Marías dedica a Ehrengard -libro que hay que leer sí o SÍ-, que Isak Dinesen recuperó esa sonoridad del relato oral y la plasmó a la perfección en el papel. Tanith Lee hace algo muy parecido imbricando cada uno de los relatos, pues como dije al principio, todos ellos tienen su origen en Ashrarn. Así, la obra comienza con el enamoramiento caprichoso del príncipe de un bebe humano al que decide criar como si fuera un demonio. Al crecer y madurar su cuerpo y belleza también lo hace un sentimiento de desarraigo que, pese a vivir rodeado de lujos y colmado de placeres, le obliga finalmente a ascender al mundo de los humanos. Ni siquiera una joven creada ex profeso para el por la magia ponzoñosa de Ashrarn logra de hacerle desistir en su empresa. Esta joven será importante posteriormente, pues la partida de su amado y la añoranza de la superficie le hace derramar lagrimas diariamente, lagrimas que serán el material perfecto para confeccionar un collar de tal belleza que obligará a cualquiera que lo vea matar para obtenerlo. Y así es como Tanith Lee va entretejiendo cada relato con el siguiente; desarrollando las historias de manera impredecible y recuperando personajes de relatos anteriores. Quién sabe como puede terminar una artimaña de Ashrarn y que consecuencias puede tener para la humanidad y para el mundo.
Tanith Lee es una escritora a reivindicar. Su estilo poético, casi mitológico, cargado de sensualidad y exotismo lo hacen tan similar a Clark Ashton Smith, y a la vez tan diferente, que me extraña que una editorial como Valdemar no se haya animado a incluir a esta escritora dentro de su panteón gótico. Me sorprende y a la vez me apena, pues la mayor parte de la obra de esta autora está descatalogada en español, y es más fácil encontrar un unicornio al que sacrificar o algo de talento en la filmografía de Eduardo Casanova, que una edición ajada en una tienda de segunda mano. Me sorprende más, precisamente, porque la primera vez que leí a esta autora fue en una colección de relatos de vampiresas publicada por la misma editorial, una reelaboración del clásico cuento de Blancanieves en la que la madrastra no es tan mala y la inocente cría da un poco de canguelo. Leed a Tanith Lee si tenéis oportunidad, hagamos por ella lo mismo que por Gene Wolfe u otros autores magníficos completamente olvidados en nuestro país: volvamos a hacerlos atractivos y vendibles, devolvámosles a su merecida posición de clásicos de la que el tiempo nunca debió bajarlos.
June 3, 2018
Night's Master's story is told in the form of three sets of interleaved short stories, each of those three mostly unconnected with each other aside from the setting and the titular character, Azhrarn. The writing style is dreamlike, and the stories read like fairy tales.
But don't expect virginal heroines marrying their heroes after defeating the wicked queen, a la Disney. The fairy tales called back to are more like the old oral stories or our own urban legends, full of sex (often coercive or non-consensual, as a warning), bloody violence, and death. Over and above that, Azhrarn punishes all equally: the virtuous and the wicked, those who fall under his spell and those who resist it.
This seemingly bleak fantasia is counterbalanced by lush decadence. Scenery is full of flowers, fruit, gemstones, and precious metals. All the main characters are gorgeous, whether innocent or totally-not-innocent. Another, somewhat unexpected counterbalance is humor. Every now and then there's some absurdity or silliness to leaven the mood.
Much of present-day fantasy feels very pedestrian in comparison to this. It's so prettily written that it's easy to fall into this weird world full of dizzy feeling that follows its own alien rules, where beauty and horror lie side-by-side on earth, with Underearth's wondrous palaces, and the waters of Lethe, beneath it.
But don't expect virginal heroines marrying their heroes after defeating the wicked queen, a la Disney. The fairy tales called back to are more like the old oral stories or our own urban legends, full of sex (often coercive or non-consensual, as a warning), bloody violence, and death. Over and above that, Azhrarn punishes all equally: the virtuous and the wicked, those who fall under his spell and those who resist it.
This seemingly bleak fantasia is counterbalanced by lush decadence. Scenery is full of flowers, fruit, gemstones, and precious metals. All the main characters are gorgeous, whether innocent or totally-not-innocent. Another, somewhat unexpected counterbalance is humor. Every now and then there's some absurdity or silliness to leaven the mood.
Much of present-day fantasy feels very pedestrian in comparison to this. It's so prettily written that it's easy to fall into this weird world full of dizzy feeling that follows its own alien rules, where beauty and horror lie side-by-side on earth, with Underearth's wondrous palaces, and the waters of Lethe, beneath it.
November 30, 2011
First in the Tales of the Flat Earth series, this book is often compared to the 1001 Arabian Nights. While a collection of exotic stories, each linked to its predecessor, the stories are not nested and don't have a particularly Arabian flavor. I was reminded more of classical mythology and Grimm's fairy tales than the Middle East. This is a minor quibble, however, as the stories are enchanting and lush.
"Lush" has always been the best word to describe Tanith Lee's melancholic and erotically-tinged fantasy. While her style isn't particularly ornate, it still evokes as much gorgeous imagery as more verbose writers such as Clark Ashton Smith and Jack Vance. In the field of darkly romantic fantasy, newcomer Jacqueline Carey seems to be getting much of the publicity, but those familiar with both are likely to recognize that Carey is merely rearranging furniture in the house that Tanith Lee built. The Flat Earth was the most compelling fantasy world I've encountered in some time, and I look forward to visiting it again in the next book.
"Lush" has always been the best word to describe Tanith Lee's melancholic and erotically-tinged fantasy. While her style isn't particularly ornate, it still evokes as much gorgeous imagery as more verbose writers such as Clark Ashton Smith and Jack Vance. In the field of darkly romantic fantasy, newcomer Jacqueline Carey seems to be getting much of the publicity, but those familiar with both are likely to recognize that Carey is merely rearranging furniture in the house that Tanith Lee built. The Flat Earth was the most compelling fantasy world I've encountered in some time, and I look forward to visiting it again in the next book.
September 13, 2016
This was the first Tanith Lee I ever read. I used to have the SFBC omnibus editions (which I got by accident--forgot to send the reply card back in time--and decided to keep) and read the first three books of the set. I liked them a bit, but had a hard time getting into the mythical style of narration. The Flat Earth books are collections of interconnected myths, legends, or fairy tales if you will, where magic is wondrous and not subject to laws, even fantastical ones. If a demon wants to grow a woman out of a flower well then, it is done. At the time, (this was some 30 years ago) I preferred my fantasy more grounded. However, as I got older and fell in love with some of her later works, I started to feel I hadn't been fair to these books. Or that I just read them at the wrong time.
So I was thrilled to see that DAW was bringing these and other works (most of which were out of print before I discovered her writing) back into print and giving me another chance. And having now re-read this first volume, I am so so so glad I decided to give it a second try, because my experience this time was one of sheer delight. Far from being difficult, the style of the storytelling now felt liberating. I didn't have to analyze the way I often do. This isn't to suggest that it is light or fluffy reading, necessarily; it's just...different. If you are interested in reading original, adult fairy tales--as opposed to re-tellings of the usual old warhorses--I can't recommend this highly enough.
So I was thrilled to see that DAW was bringing these and other works (most of which were out of print before I discovered her writing) back into print and giving me another chance. And having now re-read this first volume, I am so so so glad I decided to give it a second try, because my experience this time was one of sheer delight. Far from being difficult, the style of the storytelling now felt liberating. I didn't have to analyze the way I often do. This isn't to suggest that it is light or fluffy reading, necessarily; it's just...different. If you are interested in reading original, adult fairy tales--as opposed to re-tellings of the usual old warhorses--I can't recommend this highly enough.
May 28, 2018
I really didn't like this much (1.5 stars rounded down), so I'm going to forgo my usual format and just say give a few sentences so I can move on.
In general I don't much care for short stories, and this book is essentially a collection of loosely related short stories. That might have been OK, but there is a lot of awful (or sometimes just weird) sex stuff.
I don't have a problem with sex in books, but it's not something I actively seek out either. Nothing in this book is very graphically depicted which would be fine except the kinds of sex that's depicted had me consider dropping the book all together (something I pretty much never do).
I'm stubborn though so I kept on. There was one part I actually enjoyed that centered around a pair of brothers who lived in a palace full of diamonds. I think that was maybe 2 or 3 chapters out of the whole book though so that leaves me very little enjoyment.
I'm not sure if there are other books by Tanith Lee I'd enjoy but this book pretty much put me off the rest of her work completely.
In general I don't much care for short stories, and this book is essentially a collection of loosely related short stories. That might have been OK, but there is a lot of awful (or sometimes just weird) sex stuff.
I don't have a problem with sex in books, but it's not something I actively seek out either. Nothing in this book is very graphically depicted which would be fine except the kinds of sex that's depicted had me consider dropping the book all together (something I pretty much never do).
I'm stubborn though so I kept on. There was one part I actually enjoyed that centered around a pair of brothers who lived in a palace full of diamonds. I think that was maybe 2 or 3 chapters out of the whole book though so that leaves me very little enjoyment.
I'm not sure if there are other books by Tanith Lee I'd enjoy but this book pretty much put me off the rest of her work completely.
April 28, 2022
Gorgeous stuff! These wonderful tales read like a rich tapestry. The language is exquisite. Others have likened Lee's Flat Earth stories to the Arabian Nights tales and I can't disagree. Definitely moving on to the next volume in the series!
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