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The Castle of Dark
Although she leads an overprotected life with the two old hags, Lilune knows she possesses a special gift. When she 'calls' the musician, Lir, to her prison-like castle, she knows she must avail herself of the opportunity to escape and explore the world. But travelling south of the castle, Lilune and Lir realize that they aren't alone - for an ancient, infectious evil accompanies them, which instils terror in everyone they meet. Lir dislikes arrogant Lilune, but finds himself intrigued by her and the source of the evil. Is it within Lilune, or does it come from a deeper source? When the pair become separated, he carries on searching for her. Finally, Lilune returns to her castle in despair, believing that she must be imprisoned to protect the world from the evil within her. But Lir follows her, and discovers that the root of the evil lies deep beneath the castle ...First published in 1978 by Macmillan London Limited.
187 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
2 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Tanith Lee
624 books2,003 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 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 15, 2016
girl and boy meet-cute; antics ensue.
a lushly written, weirdly ambiguous, often eerie little tale of an age-old curse and two lost souls who find each other.
a night-bound young woman in a castle seeks to explore the daytime world; a young man takes up a harp and hits the road.
lady held captive by two cackling witches seeks support in escaping her dark and lonely castle.
guy looking for thrills and adventure and maybe some punani takes to the road with his enchanted harp.
a tragic woman and an optimistic man find they have much to learn about life, love, and each other.
a sinister enchantress wielding dark weapons and guarded by two brave elders sends out a diabolical spell that lures a young man to his potential doom.
a callow minstrel ignores all good sense by removing a sheltered miss from her castle; he soon grows tired of her and attempts to abandon her at an unfriendly village.
evil witch who has escaped her prison takes control of a poor Duke and terrifies his city; the witch's heartless paramour, a homeless singer, appears in the city to mock its residents and torment its brave Duke.
naïve girl is taken captive by a sinister Duke; innocent boy attempts brave rescue.
a tormented lass is possessed by a dark and deadly spirit; an ensorcelled lad seeks to rid her of this malignant parasite.
lonely, ancient spirit seeks to escape its unappealing mortal cage but another mortal misunderstands. typical mortals. *sigh*
a lushly written, weirdly ambiguous, often eerie little tale of an age-old curse and two lost souls who find each other.
a night-bound young woman in a castle seeks to explore the daytime world; a young man takes up a harp and hits the road.
lady held captive by two cackling witches seeks support in escaping her dark and lonely castle.
guy looking for thrills and adventure and maybe some punani takes to the road with his enchanted harp.
a tragic woman and an optimistic man find they have much to learn about life, love, and each other.
a sinister enchantress wielding dark weapons and guarded by two brave elders sends out a diabolical spell that lures a young man to his potential doom.
a callow minstrel ignores all good sense by removing a sheltered miss from her castle; he soon grows tired of her and attempts to abandon her at an unfriendly village.
evil witch who has escaped her prison takes control of a poor Duke and terrifies his city; the witch's heartless paramour, a homeless singer, appears in the city to mock its residents and torment its brave Duke.
naïve girl is taken captive by a sinister Duke; innocent boy attempts brave rescue.
a tormented lass is possessed by a dark and deadly spirit; an ensorcelled lad seeks to rid her of this malignant parasite.
lonely, ancient spirit seeks to escape its unappealing mortal cage but another mortal misunderstands. typical mortals. *sigh*
July 4, 2020
A short novel for a younger age range and hence not featuring some of the darker aspects found in this writer's work. Lilune is a teenage girl who is kept confined in a strange castle by two old women and allowed only to walk around the nearby lake and the ruined town at night and under moonlight. Lir is a harpist who left a possible lucrative future while at the harpists' college, to pursue the life of an itinerant harpist, using an instrument he made himself following the instructions of a strange harpist who has challenged him to be a real artist rather than someone who produces humdrum music to order by a patron. The two are drawn together when Lilune exerts her power to call anyone or thing (she first tries it out on a pigeon) that can hear her mental summons.
Gradually it is made clear just why Lilune was confined, when she goes out into the wider world with unfortunate results for some of those she meets. Lir is drawn to pursue and help her and finally to carry out the act that he hopes will release her from bondage.
As with all this author's work it was well-written and often lyrical. I didn't however feel much identification with the characters, especially Lilune, which prevents this being more than a 3-star read for me.
Gradually it is made clear just why Lilune was confined, when she goes out into the wider world with unfortunate results for some of those she meets. Lir is drawn to pursue and help her and finally to carry out the act that he hopes will release her from bondage.
As with all this author's work it was well-written and often lyrical. I didn't however feel much identification with the characters, especially Lilune, which prevents this being more than a 3-star read for me.
November 11, 2015
I really do love Tanith Lee. This is a short novel about a harper, a pale woman trapped in a castle, and an ancient darkness. Right up my alley. It's not a deep story, but the tropes of the genre work for me.
November 26, 2010
This is a dark but beautiful book; the interplay of night and day and of their respective symbols is amazing--this is also about the strength and power of small things, of remembering, and that shadows are not necessarily enemies.
March 24, 2020
Damn. Dit boek was zo veel beter dan ik had verwacht. Geweldige verhaallijn en een prachtig einde! Zeker de moeite waard om te lezen.
March 31, 2025
During a recent discussion of Tanith Lee's work online, someone mentioned that they'd bought a hardcover title "The Castle of Dark" hoping for more stories about the prickly couple in "Dark Castle, White Horse." What they got was the same story as the first is the title of the British hardcover and the second is the American paperback that collected "The Castle of Dark" and "Prince on a White Horse." Of course, I went "wait there's a hardcover?" After a bit of searching online (always dangerous for a book collector), I found the 1978 hardcover with an absolutely pristine dust jacket for just a little more than the cost of a modern hardcover. Ripping opening the package yesterday revealed a slim volume as fantasy had not solidified into doorstopper sizes of today. The story charms as much as it ever did (my paperback is fairly worn as I re-read it often). Lilune and Lir are the ultimate odd couple, neither particularly nice but both weirdly compelling. Harps are made of dead man's bones, a woman floats down river on a coffin, and hair goes everywhere. Whether the end is happy or not is up for the reader to decide. But like the person who began the discussion, I'd have been delighted to find out more about this pair. As it is, I'll settle for this perfectly crafted gothic fairy tale.
June 25, 2016
Lilune is trapped by two old hags in the Castle of Dark, and suns by moonlight only. She escapes when she is teenaged. Lir makes harps, and travels toward the castle. He finds Lilune is now captured by Duke Dark-and-Pale. He rescues her and they travel back toward the castle together. The ground there is evil, inhabited by The Black Soul. Lir makes a harp from some bones under the castle, and plays haunting melodies until his fingers bleed. Lir is chained inside the castle by the old hags. Lir frees her, the Black Soul under the castle is disenchanted, and so is Lilune. So what. At least the story is original.
February 2, 2015
Tot mijn grote verbazing was dit het beste boek dat ik de afgelopen maanden heb gelezen - en dat ondanks het lelijke omslag! Lee schrijft ingetogen en bijna archaïsch, wat het duistere, poëtische verhaal perfect aanvult. Het zou wel een donkere versie van het sprookje van Rapunzel kunnen zijn, vol symboliek en sfeer.
Alleen het Kinderjury-logo voorin is nogal bizar: misschien dat 12+ hiervan kan genieten, maar het lijkt me toch vooral een boek voor volwassenen.
Alleen het Kinderjury-logo voorin is nogal bizar: misschien dat 12+ hiervan kan genieten, maar het lijkt me toch vooral een boek voor volwassenen.
February 23, 2015
The book cover has a nice gothic horror touch to the book. I give this book 5 stars.
April 16, 2025
First up, right off the bat, gotta love a concise, one volume work of fantasy.
Second, while I'm gradually trying to collect all of the Allen Unwin Unicorn books, I've still only read a few of them. When the time is right, they'll get read, and the time was right for this one. I've yet to read a book from this collection that was a disappointment.
The Castle of Dark was no exception. My only exposure to Tanith Lee prior to this was a couple of episodes of Blake's 7 that she'd written (Sarcophagus and Sand), and they were both solid, even if Sarcophagus was a little off the wall.
The Castle of Dark read like a solid fantasy/gothic/YA novel, spare on the words, lots of plot assumptions to keep the pace galloping, and wonderfully tied up in the end. A solid piece that entertained throughout, and a refreshing change from the endless mill of 'trilogies' that we are faced with in modern times. A story that maintained its atmosphere throughout, with few wasted words, painting an evocative story of Lir the Harper and Lilune the anomaly, not quite the damsel in distress who manages to get finally rescued despite herself. A minor gem of a book.
Second, while I'm gradually trying to collect all of the Allen Unwin Unicorn books, I've still only read a few of them. When the time is right, they'll get read, and the time was right for this one. I've yet to read a book from this collection that was a disappointment.
The Castle of Dark was no exception. My only exposure to Tanith Lee prior to this was a couple of episodes of Blake's 7 that she'd written (Sarcophagus and Sand), and they were both solid, even if Sarcophagus was a little off the wall.
The Castle of Dark read like a solid fantasy/gothic/YA novel, spare on the words, lots of plot assumptions to keep the pace galloping, and wonderfully tied up in the end. A solid piece that entertained throughout, and a refreshing change from the endless mill of 'trilogies' that we are faced with in modern times. A story that maintained its atmosphere throughout, with few wasted words, painting an evocative story of Lir the Harper and Lilune the anomaly, not quite the damsel in distress who manages to get finally rescued despite herself. A minor gem of a book.
December 29, 2024
This is an odd and enchanting fairy tale, interesting and intriguing and something very different on many levels. Told a bit like a myth and a bit like an old-fashioned fairly tale, with a steady undercurrent of slight horror with a ghost story feel. With a sense of wonder and a sense of unreality being permanent features throughout. A dark allegorical romance of sorts too, with what I presume is a lot of symbolism, and making good use of understatements and references of a more subtle nature.
March 27, 2024
Atmospheric and fun, but lacking any real depth to be truly memorable. A diverting small story, I like how Lee can create interesting plots filled with danger but not have the heroes resolve their problems with violence. It is a nice change of pace from the standard generic fantasy adventure.
July 4, 2024
Zoals bij bijna elk boek van Tanith Lee kwam ook in dit verhaal op vrijwel elke pagina een beschrijving van een kleur voor. Al in de tweede alinea van het eerste hoofdstuk, de zesde zin in totaal voor het eerst: felgroene ogen. En het gaat maar door ...
March 23, 2018
Loved the atmosphere and the strange world full of untamed magic. The story was strange, compelling while you read it but not necessarily memorable.
July 8, 2023
3.5 stars
July 18, 2025
There's nobody like Tanith Lee.
July 25, 2016
Leuk young adult/jeugd fantasy verhaal, met een mooie sterke verhaallijn die goed wordt opgebouwd. Leest lekker weg, afwisseling van gezichtspunt doet het goed, en met veel plezier gelezen dus. Personages wel wat eendimensionaal en uiteindelijk iets te 'happily ever after' en gladjes afgerond naar mijn smaak.
March 9, 2013
don't particularly like either of the main characters, but somehow like the book even better for that. First read it as a kid, and re-read it still now and then, it's what got me into Tanith Lee
August 22, 2013
The book that introduced me to the strange and glorious imagination of Tanith Lee. I've never come across any other writer quite like her.
July 29, 2014
Only loosely related to Prince on a White Horse (which is why I picked up this book in the first place) it has the same imagination but not the same humour. Hence 3 stars.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews