DREAMS OF DARK AND LIGHT: THE GREAT SHORT FICTION OF TANITH LEE.
Sauk City: Arkham House, 1986. Octavo, cloth. First edition. Collects twenty-three stories. "...Lee's stories brim with darkly artful twists and conundrums persuasively fleshed out with patient, limpid detail. Sometimes, though, the detail grows overdense and unwieldy, swamping the least robust plots. The themes here demonstrate Lee's impressive eclecticism both in time and space, from straight science fiction (the last woman on Earth receives an android alien visitor; an immortal guardian who psychically roams the galaxy; disembodied mentalities stored in a computer until a body becomes available) to fantastical creatures (gorgons, silkies, vampires, tigers, mermen, werewolves). Elsewhere: a splendid Jack Vance pastiche (Lee is one of the very few writers who could carry it off) that turns into rather good Jack Vance; ""Cinderella"" recast as a bloody tale of black-magical vengeance; an eerie city populated by automata; a haunted seaside hotel room; a Carthagenian black sorceress; plus: murderous queens, human sacrifices, astral/time travel, ghosts, avatars, demons, and more. A substantial collection, then, in bulk as well as content, thoughtful, controlled, often rewarding, and consistently above average." - Kirkus Review, 18 August, 1986. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket. (21765). Item #21765
Price: $125.00