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Summary: Shimmering prose and hysterical dialogue
Review: Consisting of the complimentary novels "Don't Bite the Sun" and "Drinking Sapphire Wine," Tanith Lee's hilarious and touching utopian coming-of-age drama tells the story of a far-future society where death is a minor inconvenience at worst, recreational sex-changes are the norm, and--for the sassy, troubled heroine--existential boredom has become an inescapable part of living. Lee's decadent, machine-tended future is a riotous spectacle, and her characters, for all of their quirks, are far more real than many in genre fiction. "Biting the Sun" is provocative, colorful and raises deeply serious questions.
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Summary: Anybody can give me info on this book?
Review: Hi there, can anyone give me info. on this book. I mean i read the excerpt & all but what happenes after that? does she go on a sort of adventure? does she fall in love? does she have a happy ending with her one true love & all?
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Summary: Can anyone give me more info. on this book?
Review: Hi there:). I've read the summary and excerpt of this book but can anyone tell me whether like she goes on an adventure? finds her love? like happily ever after with one true love? if not, then what happenes to make this book so interesting? thanx.
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Summary: If you could look anyway you wanted, who would you really be
Review: I bought the original Daw paperbacks in 76/77, still have them and love them. In a Utopian future humans have no work to do and all needs and wants are immediately gratified. There is not only no death, your body is endlessly variable based on your whim. If you don't want to wait the required time between body changes, you just kill yourself and the life spark is rescued and placed in a new body. Be male today with sculpted muscles and blue hair, be female and blond tomorrow. The teenage state lasts for years and years and you can stay stoned or marry and have love with any of your rotating circle of Jang friends. The story follows the life of a predominately female rebel character in and out of his/her various bodies until the point where he/she commits the first real unforgiveable crime in memory. The penalty is a choice between personality dissolution where all memory is wiped or banishment with one last choice of bodies. Female again, she chooses the freedom of banishment and leaves the protection of the domed cities for the desert. The language is strong, the concepts are still remarkable, the subject matter is adult, and I am enormously pleased they are being re-released.
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Summary: Two favorite books in one
Review: I don't re-read many fiction books--I prefer to read new stories--but Don't Bite the Sun and Drinking Sapphire Wine are on my short list (along with Silver Metal Lover). I just re-read my DAW book version of Don't Bite the Sun and was horrified to discover that I have lost my copy of Drinking Sapphire Wine. Thank goodness the books were re-issued in this single novel! Lee's lush and vivid prose is as intoxicating now as it was the first time I read the books, sixteen years ago. The books are quick reads, and I recommend them to all who enjoy tales of utopias and colors that burn across your eyes as you read.
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Summary: Biting the Sun
Review: I have been reading Sci Fi since I was a small child, and this is by far the best book I have ever read! A cautionary tale about excess and lack of direction, it is seems more applicable today than when it was written. Both frightening and heartwarming. It was better than Cats. I'm going to read it again and again.
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Summary: Outstanding book
Review: I really REALLY loved this book. I recommend it all fans of the genre who like stories that are thought-provoking and meaningingful as well as off-beat and highly entertaining.
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Summary: Ahead of Her Time
Review: I was greatly impressed by this book. It is a simple futuristic utopia with a sensibility regarding what it means to be an adult, what it means to rebel, and how when all sense of fear are gone and self-destruction is cherished, that true creativity may be worse than any crime. It deals with gender issues, the meaning of beauty when it is ubiquitous, the value of responsibility, and the meaning of life.
Tanith Lee has a great use of language, and while she explores new language in this text, it mostly flows well, and conveys visual and emotional meaning without being distracting from a tale that builds towards a conclusion (in the second book) that is rewarding and joyful.While books like Brave New World also delve into this space, Tanith Lee's vision is more hopeful and good hearted, and her focus is excellent. I am not a Tanith Lee fan, atleast not until I read this book. I recommend it if you are going to try a new old author. Enjoy!
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Summary: This collection made me a Tanith Lee fan
Review: I was initiated into the world of Tanith Lee with this Bantam reissue, and am I glad I took the chance! Lee has created an incredibly realized, complex world that challenges everything you know of freedom and responsibility. Her likable narrator takes you up and down the roller coaster world she inhabits and doesn't let go. Unforgettable characters, settings, and vocabulary make this a unique reading experience. Reading this book is like soaring through a bright blue sky on gossamer wings. A strong story that provokes while it entertains. Simply magnificent.
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Summary: Really good
Review: I'm not going to summarize, because that would be redundant, but I do want to say that this is a great book for people who enjoy Orwell or Huxley. It does bear a striking resemblance to Huxley's Brave New World, in that it portrays a hedonistic society that is ever concentrated on the pursuit of pleasure, but it doesn't end on the same pessimistic note, which is a refreshing change from the usual fatalist message.
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