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Secret Books of Paradys #3-4
The Secret Books of Paradys III & IV
2-in-1 edition, 373 pages
The Book of the Dead, c. 1991 (087951440X)
The Book of the Mad, c. 1993 (0879514817)
Paradys - the City - was a place of decadence and decay, of luxury and lasciviousness, and, after the revolution, a graveyard peopled by the insane and the dead ... and by those who preyed on both.
All who came to Paradys were forever touched by its dread magic - from the bride bespelled into the body of a weasel ... to the poet whose lust for vengeance drove him to a distant isle where voodoo held sway ... to the conjurer with a spell that enabled him to master almost everything ... to the woman whose mere presence seemed to herald death's approach.
Yet Paradys held far more treacherous secrets than these. The City was not one place but three, bound together by a labyrinth of ice yet separated, perhaps by time, perhaps by some long-forgotten enchantment, into Paradise, Paradis and Paradys -- each cursed in an entirely different way ...
The twins Felion and Smara dwelt in Paradise - brother and sister who prowled the ice labyrinth in an unceasing search for wealth, however ill-gotten.
The painter Leocadia was a citizen of Paradis. When her lover was found dead in her studio, she was committed to a mental hospital called the Residence - a welcome descent into madness.
In Paradys, 11-year-old Hilde's unrequited love for an actor left her so distraught that her family placed her in an asylum, never expecting a full recovery.
Then Felion and Smara met Leocadia and Hilde ...
This exclusive SFBC omnibus volume includes The Book of the Dead (eight short stories) and The Book of the Mad
The Book of the Dead, c. 1991 (087951440X)
The Book of the Mad, c. 1993 (0879514817)
Paradys - the City - was a place of decadence and decay, of luxury and lasciviousness, and, after the revolution, a graveyard peopled by the insane and the dead ... and by those who preyed on both.
All who came to Paradys were forever touched by its dread magic - from the bride bespelled into the body of a weasel ... to the poet whose lust for vengeance drove him to a distant isle where voodoo held sway ... to the conjurer with a spell that enabled him to master almost everything ... to the woman whose mere presence seemed to herald death's approach.
Yet Paradys held far more treacherous secrets than these. The City was not one place but three, bound together by a labyrinth of ice yet separated, perhaps by time, perhaps by some long-forgotten enchantment, into Paradise, Paradis and Paradys -- each cursed in an entirely different way ...
The twins Felion and Smara dwelt in Paradise - brother and sister who prowled the ice labyrinth in an unceasing search for wealth, however ill-gotten.
The painter Leocadia was a citizen of Paradis. When her lover was found dead in her studio, she was committed to a mental hospital called the Residence - a welcome descent into madness.
In Paradys, 11-year-old Hilde's unrequited love for an actor left her so distraught that her family placed her in an asylum, never expecting a full recovery.
Then Felion and Smara met Leocadia and Hilde ...
This exclusive SFBC omnibus volume includes The Book of the Dead (eight short stories) and The Book of the Mad
373 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
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166 people want to read
About the author
Tanith Lee
615 books1,975 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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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 24, 2016
Original and interesting. Nothing out there like it.
JUST A NOTE: I am rereading the last story, THE BOOK OF THE MAD, because it was absolutely mesmerizing!
JUST A NOTE: I am rereading the last story, THE BOOK OF THE MAD, because it was absolutely mesmerizing!
May 17, 2024
The Book of the Dead (1991) and The Book of the Mad (1993) published in one volume
The Book of the Dead (087951440X) - finished 13/5: Eight short stories on the theme of death (or dying), two of which, at least, occur outside the city...
The Book of the Mad (0879514817) - finished 17/5: novel, consisting of connected strands of narrative linking three different versions of the city and mostly set in the various lunatic asylums.
I'm glad to have finally got round to reading these books but I'm not entirely convinced I understand what the writer was doing. Perhaps I'm not as bright as I think I am...
The Book of the Dead (087951440X) - finished 13/5: Eight short stories on the theme of death (or dying), two of which, at least, occur outside the city...
The Book of the Mad (0879514817) - finished 17/5: novel, consisting of connected strands of narrative linking three different versions of the city and mostly set in the various lunatic asylums.
I'm glad to have finally got round to reading these books but I'm not entirely convinced I understand what the writer was doing. Perhaps I'm not as bright as I think I am...
February 7, 2014
The best was saved for last; five stars for The Book of the Mad.
April 4, 2024
Though many of the stories weren't my particular favorite, I still find myself enamored with Tanith Lee's mind. She never fails to write something intriguing, and in the case of The Book of the Mad in particular, something that leaves me thinking about it after the fact. Unlike other of her works, I don't see myself coming back for a reread, but dammit if her stories don't always manage to linger. A very deferential 3 stars.
December 30, 2022
Tanith has an odd writing style
May 11, 2010
Wait... what?
December 4, 2024
This book saturated my psyche far more than I realized. Stunning, startling new every reread. And I always cry.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews