The Book of the Damned

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Adjectives: eerie, decadent, intriguing, puzzling - Rated
The Book of the Damned was my first encounter with the writing of Tanith Lee (I've since read four other novels by her, including the other three Secret Books of Paradys, which are all very good), and a strange first encounter it was.

The first story is one of vampires, but it is not quite a vampire story, or certainly not a typical one. It flows with a dreamlike quality and is the best of the three novellas included in the Book of the Damned.

The second is that of a young lady traumatized by the unthinkable horror which ends with the breakdown of her relations with all members of her family. This young lady's sanity is henceforth questionable and she takes up all manner of un-sane practices, including but not limited to murder.

The third story, which has a vague and cheesy connection to the first, focuses on the history of an item essential to the stories of life and death surrounding two characters. This last is not an action-based story, but it is compelling and not terribly difficult reading--quite satisfactory in the end.

As a student, I'm in the habit of analyzing literature, looking for little tricks, references to other literature, especially religious in nature, etc. It was very difficult for me to do this to my satisfaction with most of Tanith Lee's work. Either she is the oracle for some higher power which writes very well about strange but fascinating things, and sometimes her writings turn out oddly, or she is way too smart for me. The first novella is at times dreamlike and strange connections are sometimes made. Important plot points are hidden and later revealed. The second novella is somewhat confused by a frequent return to a nunnery as the setting, and certain twisted references to Christianity and Satanism, including mentions of the dark angels Azazel (familiar to readers of Milton or the Book of Exodus) and Esrafel (whom I've never heard of before or since). The religious point of the story, or the significance of religion within the story are both rather lost on! me. The third novella is more straightforward but hardly immune to Lee's stylistic tricks and habits.

The only real common ground for the stories is gender-bending. One may not be who s/he at first seems in each of the stories, and Lee's treatment of gender is both puzzling and fascinating, compelling at times and merely bizarre at others. It is best done in the first and third stories, and is not completely gratuitous, adding atmosphere as well as advancing the plot.

If this sounds intriguing, it probably will be, and if you've a taste for the decadent, especially in the middle ground between horror and philosophy, you probably out to read this book. I highly recommend it.

Disorienting, haunting...be careful...! - Rated
"Gothic at her best" is an interesting description indeed. This book, made up of three (relatively) short novellas, is only for those who like sudden, unexplained and disorienting events that are chained together for no apparent reason. Like David Lynch? Like cross-dressing? Read this...!