Saint Fire

The Secret Books of Venus #2

by Tanith Lee

Starting with the premise of four novels based on the phases of alchemy and the four elements, Tanith Lee has created an evocative alternate Italy in her new series The Secret Books of Venus. In Saint Fire, the second volume in the series, Volpa is a strangely beautiful servant girl who glows with an inhuman inner fire. When her master, an abusive woodseller, is mysteriously incinerated, Volpa discovers her power of fire. Her gift is noticed by the Church leaders, who see her as a mighty weapon in their holy wars. This gripping fantasy of a mysteriously gifted Joan of Arc is stunning from beginning to end.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Alchemy, Historical Fiction, Historical

335 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

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

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

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

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

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

Tanith Lee married author and artist John Kaiine in 1992.

Reviews

[Craig Laurance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee has begun another series of novels, linked together by the alternate city Venice, called Venus, arranged around the 4 elements essential to alchemy. Book 2 is set in medieval Ve Nera, popularly called Venus by its citizens. This 'Venus' is ruled by the Council of the Lamb, a group of priests who use terror and taxes to keep the citizens in line. The Duke of the city is only a figurehead. The Church traffics in brimstone and fire imagery, and hangs sinners in cages as examples. Like many dictatorships, some people are not so lucky to be made examples; they just disappear. Of course, not everyone agrees with these policies. Danielus is a high-ranking priest who despises the Council, both in tactics and theological interpretation. Only his rank, and control over the Belletae Christi (Soldiers of God) keep him safe. But he has to publicly support the Council, and clandestinely undermine their work. The Council's latest endeavor is a trade war with the Moslem city of Jurneia, which they cloak ideologically as a Holy War against infidels. This war is ill-considered, due to lack of monetary funds and the greater military naval might of the Jurnieans. When in the city, tales of a strange girl who can turn her hair into fire, start to circulate, Danielus investigates and finds that it is true. He begins the process of grooming her to be a Joan of Arc emblem for the demoralized and terrified city.

While Lee does focus on the plight of the girl, whose name is Volpa (Italian for fox) and is transformed into the genderless Beatifica the Maiden, the story is really about Danielus and his radical (ecumenical) theology. The Maiden is a cipher for the people, existing in a aloof world of dreams and disappointing reality. Volpa is a simpleton, with a talent for elocution and mimicry, in addition to her fire-magic. Her magic seems to be inspired by the emotions of people around her, as if she is a magnifying glass for the human soul. (She shares this attribute with the character Eurydiche in the first Venus novel, Faces Under Water). Is she an angel, striking spiritual fire, or Danielus' puppet? Is she being exploited? Lee doesn't have easy answers for these questions, leaving it up to the reader to decide.

In addition to her trademark poetic, oddly-dictioned prose, Lee has valid political and philosophical subtexts. Venus is the goddess of sexual love. The Council of Lamb, like many fundamentalist Christian theologists, posit that sexual desire, outside of narrow confines, is essentially sinful. Lee turns that religious notion on its head, revealing the dangers and limitations of those beliefs. Saint Fire is a clever, original adaptation of the Joan of Arc story.

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 1 out of 5]

Танит Ли е странна порода фентъзи авторка: поради доста нестандартния (и превърнат от нея в стандарт) поглед към някои аспекти на реалността като цяло, книгите и или са уникално попадение с висш пилотаж на сюжет и герои, или тотална бъркотия от мрак и самоцел.

След няколко захапани и оставени заглавия, и това се нарежда към зарязаните. Не е проблем, че Ли не обича да прави героите си щастливи - животът не е песен. Проблемът е, че ги изкривява като душевност с нездрава наслада и понякога като пълен самоцел, без сюжетът да го изисква или обосновава - ей така, защото и е запазена марка, и просто не може другояче, влече я натам. Другото, което конкретно ме изкара от кожата ми, е онази екзалтирана религиозност и възприятие, че всичко добро на този свят просто няма нищо общо със земните ни съществувания, тела, умове и сърца, а е почти явление от отвъдното. Така се появяват светците, а тук има герои-светци. Не знам дали е била католичка, явно - да, и от тази екзалтация тръпки ме побиват и ми замирисва на сяра. Естествено, като противовес - всичко земно си плаче директно за огньовете на пъкъла, и никакви опити за по-смислен живот и щастие не могат да помогнат в избягването им, даже са напразни.

Странно е да срещна такъв светоглед във фентъзи тропи, но Ли ненапразно е известна като “нестандартна”. Естествено, всеки си има граници, и тези на Ли са доста обширни, и същевременно - много, много неестествено стеснени и препречени. Но пък в други заглавия подходът дава различни резултати.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how well I liked it. I found the Paradys books hard to wade through several years ago, but somehow, Tanith Lee's writing is perfect for the bleak months of October and November. "Saint Fire" has enough narrative drive to sustain it, another classic Tanith Lee heroine, and it was actually satisfying in its ending.

I wouldn't recommend that you start here, it's not the most accessible of Tanith Lee's writings (although the Venus series is better than the Paradys ones, in my opinion). Read this if you like atmospheric historical fantasy and are patient with text.

I'm really now curious why she is so attracted to that female paradigm, the same archetype we see in A Heroine of the World, Eva Fairdeath, Vivia, Elephantasm and on... - frequently simple, detached, supernatural, victimized and lacking volition, yet very powerful.

[Carol Waters]

Love the way she uses language. She seemed to capture what I imagined was the vibe of that time.

[Lissa Notreallywolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can easily be read as a stand alone despite it's membership in a quartery as opposed to a trilogy. Sain Fire has been reviewed as a retelling of the Saint Joan of Arc tale, but I think this misses the point of the book-that many females never get recognized as saints. Yet Volpa/Beatifica does save Venus/Venice/De Nera from Moslem invaders, but it is largely because she is used by the Warriors of God who recognize the value of her incendiary gift. The Bellatae are the rivals of the local secret police tax collection brotherhood, the Lambs of God. Like most agencies their name is opposite of what they actually do which is spy on the population of Venus/Venice and confiscate wealth in a brutal and frequently lethal fashion. The Bellatae's leader is Danielus, who has some unorthodox views of theology, but generally errors on the side of mercy. He sleeps with his half sister, so he probably knows much about the needs of sinners. He is also in love with one of his Warriors, Christiano a religious man who has used his power to protect his sister, Luchita. The story is somewhat confusing because of the very differing ways these two men relate to their sisters, reflective of the two ways in which women serve as sor mystica in alchemy. Some alchemists chose actual sisters or un affiliated women and pursued a chaste relationship with them. Others elected their wives or took mistresses to serve as the balancing energy in their pursuits. In this case Danielus ends up with a substitute silver man after freeing his desire to pursue an alternative relationship- a celibate marriage of souls. Interesting book, confusing wit identity changes and parallel plot lines. I had to read it twice because it is less about ...Volpa/Beatifica/... Fire than it is about church politics and male rivalry. Much appreciated understanding of vocations.

[Varadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one, about faith and fear and the power of religion for good and ill. And I really loved Beatifica and how her life and oppression was like 'oh this is exactly the state of being religious officials are meant to have in this world'. Which. Messed up!!!!

[Kaila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof, the last third of this book completely lost my interest. I started reading 1-2 pages at a time and that's all I cared to do. Tanith Lee is weird and I don't recommend this one.

[Unwisely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I was out of books and vaguely remembered liking this author, so I went into this sort of blind. It was an incredibly quick read - I finished it in two days of not-very-devoted reading. It's lyrically written, an interesting world (alternate Venice, what's up with that lately?). It also had some weird bits where I'm not entirely sure what was going on - she was in the Australian Dreamtime, right? . But it was mostly satisfying, in that "everyone got what they deserved" sort of way, which I like. (If I want to see people not get what they deserve, I'll watch the news.)

This is also part of a series, so I'm going to check out other ones for sure.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of a pyrokinetic slave girl who draws the attention of the church, which plans to use her as a secret weapon in an oncoming conflict. Most of the story takes place within the structure of the church, so there was way too much religion for me - what a bore. As is war. 100 pages longer than Faces Under Water (which I really enjoyed), it actually seems like much less happens. Lovely writing, as always.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am surprised to find this is a second book. At no point did I feel like was missing anything in by not having read the first book. I wonder if the books deal with different generations of people and this is why it felt like its own story.

This world is a bit too based on our own world with its latin and christianity and history and I'm not sure exactly were it diverges from fact (besides there being girl who can call fire from her hair) if any of it is even based in fact to begin with.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another GREAT by Tanith (Book II of The Secret Books of Venus)
About a saint that never came to be.
The epilogue tore my heart out.... as always...

The series' story lines are independent of each other. Each book is based around an alchemy;
Book I: Water - Faces Under Water
Book II: Fire - Saint Fire

and are written in Venice, Italy

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story, but compared to Tanith Lee's other writings, this was less meaningful to me.

[lfthndofdrknss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story with many compelling characters. Although the plot is quite simple, Lee's use of language makes this an intriguing read.