New Releases by Tanith Lee

An epic fantasy adventure of wild creatures, enchanted landscapes, and noble destinies In a land of unending winter, the High Magus Thryfe travels with haste to the city of Ruk Kar to warn Vuldir, King Accessorate, of a growing force of envy and darkness. One of Vuldir’s daughters, the seventeen-year-old Saphay, is to wed the Jafn chieftain Athluan, but Thryfe foresees that the marriage will lead to the destruction of all the Ruk kings, their lineage, and their people. Disregarding the magician’s ominous words, Saphay sets off toward the East and her betrothed—only to meet disaster. Athluan, Saphay’s husband-to-be, hears rumors of a blond maiden in royal clothes entombed in a towering pyramid of ice. It is Saphay, and she is alive. The royal wedding ensues and soon—perhaps too soon—Saphay becomes pregnant. As time goes on, the son she births will show signs of a divine and heroic destiny.

The progeny of both god and mortal endures ceaseless war in a frozen hell in the second volume of the Lionwolf scrolls Lionwolf awakes on an unfamiliar shore under a cold blue sun, with no memories save the sensation of being in the deadly womb of the sea. Others join him, and they too cannot remember who they are or where they have been. Though Lionwolf can’t remember his name—and, in fact, calls himself Nameless—he feels like he was once a king. The twenty-three men on the shore are his army, and soon they are called to duty. Eyeless blue hounds and snake-haired figures riding eight-legged horses lead the men toward a towering city where a bestial mouth trumpets a horrible battle cry. It is Shabatu, a Place of War. There, Lionwolf sets eyes on the king’s lover, Chillel—the woman who was once Lionwolf’s wife. Are Lionwolf and his men dead? And is Shabatu perhaps their hell?

Portion of edition statement from page 4 of cover.

Rachaela worked in a bookstore, a conventional young woman, living a conventional life. Then they beckoned, using a variety of ruses to lure her to the house by the sea. Now she is a prisoner, part of a family of creatures she cannot escape, lover to a demon who thirsts for her blood.

Turek was raised as an orphan nomad, until one grim night when he learns of his heritage. He discovers he is the son of the last woman of a superior race long thought dead – a woman who once dishonored his warrior king father. Intent on revenge, Turek takes his father’s name, Vazkor, and embarks on a journey to find his mother – and murder her. Rediscover this realm of brilliant cruel beauty and seductive immortal ruins, of savage war and grand conquest, of falling stars and silver gods—with this 40th anniversary edition of legendary fantastist Tanith Lee''s Birthgrave Trilogy.

A mysterious woman awakens in the heart of a dormant volcano. Shepherded into rebirth by a terrifying entity named Karrakaz, she has no memory of herself, but is offered a choice: remain in eternal darkness, or begin a cursed life above. Emerging into a culturally devastated and brutal world, she embarks on a journey of discovery, despite the ruthless fate foretold by Karrakaz and the dark heritage she may be forced to accept. Inexplicably compelled to seek out a strange objects she knows only as Jade, she could be anyone--mortal woman, demoness lover, fierce sorceress, last living heir to a long gone race, or a goddess of destruction. She chooses to be all.

I saw her, hanging in the sky like a flake of the moon. A woman, her face masked by a black shireen, her body by a black shift, but her white arms spread, and her white, white, bone-white hair blowing all around her like a flame composed of smoke. Recognition was immediate. It was my mother. I shouted at her. It was crystal clear to me, what he had meant for me, my father, Vazkor, what she had robbed me of. And I drew from my belt my hunting knife and threw it at her heart.

Tanaquil, a young mender, and her familiar come face to face with her half-sister, Lizra, who forces Tanaquil to make a perilous choice between siding with Lizra in her quest for conquest or risking her terrible anger.

What if Snow White were the real villain and the "wicked queen" just a sadly maligned innocent? What if awakening Sleeping Beauty would be the mistake of a lifetime -- of several lifetimes? What if the famous folk tales were retold with an eye to more horrific possibilities? Only Tanith Lee -- "Goddess-Empress of the Hot Read" (Village Voice) could retell the world-famous tales of the Brothers Grimm (and others) as they might have been told by the Sisters Grimmer! This special edition, put together for the 30th anniversary of the original edition, adds a new Grimmer fairy tale written especially for this volume!

Often disturbing, occasionally delightful, let The Year''s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror be your annual guide through the mysteries and wonders of dark fiction.

The Summer, 1998 issue of WEIRD TALES presents 9 great fantasy & horror stories, plus the usual features and poems. A strong issue, with the following stories: FLOWER WATER, by Tanith Lee THE RENFIELDS, by Christopher Lee Walters THE GAME, by Melanie Tem ON THE LAST NIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL OF THE DEAD, by Darrell Schweitzer BEDDY-BYE, by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre TO FAST IN FIRES, by Charles D. Edkert RING RING! by Seth Hill STEPMOTHER, by Valerie J. Friereich THE BIBLE IN BLOOD, by Ian Watson

An anthology of all original stories written to honour the memory of one of Britain''s greatest fantasy authors. Determined warriors, hideous creatures, wicked sorceries, tricksy villains and cunning lovers abound as fantasy''s finest imaginations do their best... and their worst. James Barclay reveals the origins of The Raven, Adrian Tchaikovsky unveils new aspects of the realm of the Apt, Tanith Lee, Joe Abercrombie, Storm Constantine, Stan Nicholls, Juliet E McKenna and more weave their magic as only they can. Produced in cooperation with the David Gemmell Awards, Legends will, in part, act as a fund-raiser for the awards. Steel yourself, throw caution to the wind, and dare to enter the realm of Legends

It''s jang to be wild and sexy and reckless and teen-age. It''s jang to do daredevil tricks and even get killed a few times...you could always come alive again. It''s jang to change your body, to switch your sex, to do anything you want to keep up with the crowd. But there comes a time when you begin to think about serious things, to want to do something valid. And that''s when you find out there are rules beyond the rules and that the world is something else than all they''d taught you.

World Fantasy Award winner Tanith Lee channels the allusive Esther Garber to tell these dark, erotic tales of lesbian ardor and obsession. The "fatal women" found within these pages lead exotic lives and adventures and have grim secrets. From fin de siècle Paris to Egypt of the 1930s and contemporary England, the Garber novellas create feverish dreams of danger, scandal, and sensuality. This new edition includes the novella "Femme Fatale," never before in print, as well as an essay by Mavis Haut, author of The Hidden Library of Tanith Lee, about the eminence of this collection within Lee''s body of work.

Featuring five deliciously romantic stories set in historical and high fantasy worlds, this exclusive eBook set is the perfect gift for any romance reader. Featuring stories by Jo Beverley, Cecelia Holland, Robin Hobb, Jacqueline Carey, and Tanith Lee, this collection of five wonderful romantic stories from five wickedly creative authors includes beautiful maids and clever minstrels, orphans destined for greatness and spies thirsting for revenge, and a pair of lovers who must struggle against the forces of magic and fate. Originally published in the anthology Songs of Love and Death (edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois), these compelling stories are specially packaged in one eBook set at a great price.

Out of the dusk he comes striding, the stranger, the man in black, inevitable as death itself: Parl Dro--Ghost Slayer. Some have bought his services for gold, and some have blessed him for his work. But not everyone welcomes an exorcist who will remorselessly deprive them of their beloved dead. Dro began his vocation at an early age. And now he will not be turned aside, no matter how you may threaten, curse or weep. He is seeking too the greatest stronghold of the deadalive: Ghyste Mortua, the ghost town in the mountains, and he means to destroy it. If he will face that, what use the pleas of the desperate sisters, Cilny and Ciddey, what use the rage of Myal, with his genius for music and his imperfect talent for crime? Only one thing, it seems, motivates Parl Dro. His determination to kill the dead. "Tanith Lee is one of the most powerful and intelligent writers in fantasy." --"Publishers Weekly" "With Lee... expect the unexpected." --"Starburst"

"SABELLA" or "The Blood Stone" A Science Fiction Vampire Novel On the pink planet of Novo Mars, Sabella, the beautiful young recluse, lives out her uneasy daytime life behind drawn blinds. And at night she feeds on the blood of deer. After what has happened before, she no longer wants--or dares--to take the blood of men. But something, it seems, is intent on throwing Sabella back into her former existence of danger and despair. Forcing her first to consume the handsome young stranger, Sand, and then to confront Sand''s invincible and terrifying brother, Jace, the avenging angel. When predator becomes prey, some kind of death must end it-And only blood will answer for blood. "Tanith Lee is one of the most powerful and intelligent writers in fantasy." --"Publishers Weekly" "With Lee... expect the unexpected." --"Starburst"

Disturbed By Her Song collects the work of Esther Garber and her half-brother Judas Garbah, the mysterious family of writers that Tanith Lee has been channeling for the past few years. Possibly autobiographical, frequently erotic and darkly surreal, their fiction takes place in a variety of eras and places, from Egypt in the 1940s, to England in the grip of the Pre-Raphaelites, to gaslit Paris and to the shadowy landscapes carved by the mind and memory. The themes of youth and age stream through these tales of homosexual love and desire. These stories recall, at times, the work of Lawrence Durrell, Colette, and Angela Carter.

Thank you, Mr. Vance / Dean Koontz -- Preface / Jack Vance -- The True vintage of Erzuine Thale / Robert Silverberg -- Grolion of Almery / Matthew Hughes -- The Copsy Door / Terry Downling -- Caulk the witch-chaser / Liz Williams -- Inescapable / Mike Resnick -- Abrizonde / Walter Jon Williams -- The Traditions of Karzh / Paula Volsky -- The Final quest of the Wizard Sarnod / Jeff Vandermeer -- The Green bird / Kage Baker -- The Last golden thread / Phyllis Eisenstein -- An Incident at Uskvesk / Elizabeth Moon -- Sylgarmo''s Proclamation / Lucius Shepard -- The Lamentably comical tragedy (or the laughably tragic comedy) of Lixal Laoavee / Tad Williams -- Guyal the Curator / John C. Wright -- The Good magician / Glenn Cook -- The Return of the Fire Witch / Elizabeth Hand -- The Collegeum of Mauge / Byron Tetrick -- Evillo the Cunning / Tanith Lee -- The Guiding nose of Ulf?nt Banderoz / Dan Simmons -- Frogskin cap / Howard Waldrop -- A Night at Tarn House / George R.R. Martin -- An Invocation of incuriosity / Neil Gaiman.

Do you believe in ghosts? You will after reading these original short novels from four of today''s best writers of the fantastic. Brian Lumley, a Grand Master of Horror and author of the popular Necroscope series, opens the collection with the tense \"A Place of Waiting.\" The moors of Devon, England, are home to many ghosts, but none as fearsome as the red-eyed specter that refuses to accept his death. His only chance of release, however, comes at a terrible cost. Orson Scott Card puts a new spin on one of literature''s most famous ghosts in \"Hamlet''s Father.\" What if the former King of Denmark was not killed by his treacherous brother for his crown, but by someone entirely unexpected as punishment for the darkest of crimes? Would his troubled son still seek revenge? The patrons of an Edinburgh tavern are introduced to a beverage with an unusual history in \"The Haunted Single Malt\" by Marvin Kaye, a clever and spooky story about ghost stories and the people who love them. Tanith Lee offers \"Strindberg''s Ghost Sonata,\" a chilling tale set in an alternate Russia. When a poor man is rescued from certain death by hospitable strangers, he discovers that he is not a guest in their haunted tenement building--he is a prisoner destined to become a sacrifice. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Claidi returns home to be reunited with her beloved fianc''e Argul, but an unforeseen enemy has turned everyone against her, forcing Claidi to seek answers from the Ravens, where she makes a startling discovery.

Art Blastside is bored with life ashore, so she jumps at the chance to return to sea.

Artemesia is the daughter of a pirate queen, and she''s sick of practicing deportment at the Angels Academy for Young Maidens. Escaping from the school, she hunts up her mother''s crew and breezily commands them out to sea in a leaky boat. Unfortunately, Art''s memories of her early life may not be accurate-her seasick crew are actors, and Art''s infamous mother was the darling of the stage in a pirate drama. But fiery, pistol-proof Art soon shapes her men into the cleverest pirate crew afloat. And when they meet the dread ship Enemy and her beautiful, treacherous captain, Goldie Girl, Art is certain that her memories are real. The Seven Seas aren''t large enough for two pirate queens: Art will have the battle of her life to win her mother''s title--and the race for the most fabulous treasure in pirate lore. This gaudy, outrageous tale sparkles with swordplay, skullduggery, and salty language--not to mention over-the-top comedy! "A refreshing, tongue-in-cheek, tangled tale that will entice readers who crave adventure and fantasy."--SLJ

Brand-new contributions to the hoard of dragon lore by five top fantasy authors. Orson Scott Card''s "In the Dragon''s House" is a gothic yarn about the mysterious dragon that lives in the wiring of an old house, noticed by a young boy who shares its body in dreams and feels its true size and power. Mercedes Lackey''s "Joust" tells the story of a slave boy who is chosen to care for a warrior''s dragon--a dragon whose secrets may be the key to his freedom. Tanith Lee''s "Love in a Time of Dragons" is a fable is imbued with her signature atmosphere--Old World, moody, erotic--as a kitchen maid goes a-questing with a handsome champion to slay the local drakkor. Elizabeth Moon''s "Judgment" tells the tale of a young man forced by lies to flee his village . . . into an adventure of dwarfs and dragonspawn. Michael Swanwick''s "King Dragon" invokes a truly sinister and repellent creature--a being with the soul of a beast and the body of a machine--part metal, part devil . . . all merciless.

Here is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the award-winning anthology Firebirds! Firebirds Rising takes readers from deep space to Faerie to just around the corner. It is full of magic, humor, adventure, and?best of all?the unexpected. The one thing readers can count on is marvelous writing. Firebirds Rising proves once again that Firebird is a gathering place for writers and readers of speculative fiction from teenage to adult, from the United States to Europe, Asia, and beyond.

Through 40 chilling and beautiful color paintings, bestselling science fiction and fantasy artist Wayne Barlowe details an amazing visual journey into the strange, frightening, and bizarre world of hell.

A new edition of the first story in the acclaimed Wolf Tower sequence: orphan-slave Claidi''s bid for freedom from the mindless ritual and the deadly game of chance that rules a blighted land.

Art Blastside in her second daring adventure upon the high seas in search of missing treasure - and into the greatest sea battle of all time. Having escaped the dreary Angels Academy for Young Maidens, 17-year-old Artemesia Blastside has rediscovered her mother''s old friends and welded them into a formidable, motley crew of pirates. After successfully leading them through the haunts of highwaymen, pirates and smugglers in the treasure hunt of all time, Art has won her mother''s crown as the famous PIRATICA. She is now the most admired pirate in England. And England is in the grip of piratomania. But treasure snatched from her grasp still beckons from Parrot Island - and so it''s time to lead the next high-sea adventure and try to reclaim what was almost hers. At her side is the gorgeous Felix Phoenix; and in her way, across war-torn seas, is the dastardly and monstrous Little Goldie Girl. And on the horizon is the greatest sea battle of all time ...

The final novel in the alchemical thriller series set in an alternate Venice by the World Fantasy Award–winning author of A Bed of Earth. 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, the test 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 Secret Books of Venus series. An unexplained catastrophe occurs, claiming several lives. Was it merely an accident, computer failure, or has the trial 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. “The last of the four Secret Books of Venus is a tale of suspense and mystery.” —Booklist

In her now-classic tale The Silver Metal Lover, award-winning author Tanith Lee told the spellbinding story of Jane and her forbidden love for a robot named Silver. In this stunning follow-up, the legend of their tragic romance lives on. But nothing is as it was—or as it seems. . . . As an orphan growing up in the slums, Loren read her clandestine copy of Jane’s Story over and over, relishing every word. But Loren is no Jane. Savvy and street-smart, Loren could never be stirred by a man of metal, her passion never ignited by an almost-human—even one designed for pleasure. Still, when the META corporation does the unthinkable and brings back updated versions of robots past—Loren knows she must see Silver. And just like Jane, it is love at first sight. But Silver is now Verlis. If he was perfection before, he is now like a god. Yet he is more human than his creators think—or fear. While Loren doesn’t quite trust him, she will follow her twice-born lover into a battle to control his own destiny—one that will reveal to her the most astonishing illusion of all.