Rating: 
Summary: Too much of a good(?) thing
Review: The first novella ("Stained with Crimson") rambled along deliriously until it had long overstayed its welcome. The second ("Malice in Saffron") was relentlessly, unapologetically violent. After slogging through those two, I dragged my feet at reading the third ("Empires of Azure"), but it was best, evoking the spine-tingling suspense of a Gothic horror tale. Throughout, there was too much emphasis on gender-bending in all its permutations. It would have been a nice touch, if it hadn't been so liberally applied. You had your men with women, men with men, women with women, men with women dressed as men, men with men dressed as women, men turning into women, women turning into men, people of the either/or variety turning into... well I guess they were pretty contented as-is. As for myself, I was more than ready to simply call everyone "a person" and never mind who they slept with, but that would have eliminated two thirds of the book. There you have it. It was fantasy, it was horror, and it was a blatant call for publicly-funded sex change surgery.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly Vivid 3-in-1 Novella Collection
Review: This books is comprised of three novellas that are linked only by setting, a city called Paradys that switches era and culture from story to story. The 1st novella "Stained with Crimson" was disjointed and vague with uncompelling characterizations. Just a hazy vampire tale. The 2nd novella "Malice in Saffron" was both depraved and beautiful in a way that only Tanith Lee seems to be able to pull off. It haunted me for days afterward, this brutal tale of revenge & redemption, highlighting the state of affairs for young girls in pre-renaissance times. The characters were unforgettable, making this my favorite of the 20 or so novels I've read by her. The 3rd novella "Empires of Azure" was a fun ghost story, kind of in a classic mid-century scifi style, with the glamour and mystery of decadent 1920s Paris culture. Overall, definitely worth reading. Tanith Lee's writing is like candy.
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