Venus Preserved

The Secret Books of Venus #4

by Tanith Lee

Centuries into the future, the sunken city of Venus has been salvaged from beneath the sea and rebuilt there under a dome, where it is supported by a vast network of computers that regulate weather, noise, and the most precious undersea commodity of all—air. It is here that a macabre experiment takes place. Conducted by geneticists at the university, it consists of the resurrection of two lost souls, both murdered in their times: Jula, a first-century gladiatrix, and Cloudio Del Nero, the eighteenth-century composer who met his fate in Lee's acclaimed first volume of the Venus series. An unexplained catastrophe occurs, claiming several lives. Was it merely an accident, computer failure, or has the experiment unleashed an airborne virus? Or is there an even more sinister danger afoot, a force from beyond that threatens the survival of Venus itself? To answer these questions, a traveler from the surface is forced to confront mysteries in his own past that have remained buried, and to reveal the connection that ties him to the unavenged spirits wreaking havoc on the doomed city.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

282 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2003

About the author

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

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

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

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

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

Tanith Lee married author and artist John Kaiine in 1992.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating characters and story line connections to all three previous books. Her links are so multifaceted. Lee's final 3 to 4 chapters are always astounding.How she connected Book IV with Book I in the ending was perfect!

How does she think so far ahead when she writes a series? Does she start with the ending in mind?

Books I & III were my favorites. You must remember the details. Read these books quickly, one after another. I could never read her series with a gap of a year.

[Varadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrifying yet good way to wrap up this series. I think it tries to tie in the first, and it aucceeds all right. I think the cyclical nature of of the story and the timeline is on purpose. I liked Jula and Picaro a lot.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fourth book of Lee's Venus (an alternate history of Venice) series, and maybe I'd like this better if I'd read the other three, but I doubt it: the plot is mechanical, the characters are flavorless, and even the prose lacks her usual breathtaking escapades. When I got to the end, I was unsure why she'd written it or why I'd read it.

[Cozette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful blend of religious mythologies combined for a riveting tale.