Prince on a White Horse

by Tanith Lee

A superb copy, unmarked and unclipped.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens

157 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Tanith Lee was a British writer of science fiction, horror, and fantasy. She was the author of 77 novels, 14 collections, and almost 300 short stories. She also wrote four radio plays broadcast by the BBC and two scripts for the UK, science fiction, cult television series "Blake's 7."
Before becoming a full time writer, Lee worked as a file clerk, an assistant librarian, a shop assistant, and a waitress.

Her first short story, "Eustace," was published in 1968, and her first novel (for children) The Dragon Hoard was published in 1971.

Her career took off in 1975 with the acceptance by Daw Books USA of her adult fantasy epic The Birthgrave for publication as a mass-market paperback, and Lee has since maintained a prolific output in popular genre writing.

Lee twice won the World Fantasy Award: once in 1983 for best short fiction for “The Gorgon” and again in 1984 for best short fiction for “Elle Est Trois (La Mort).” She has been a Guest of Honour at numerous science fiction and fantasy conventions including the Boskone XVIII in Boston, USA in 1981, the 1984 World Fantasy Convention in Ottawa, Canada, and Orbital 2008 the British National Science Fiction convention (Eastercon) held in London, England in March 2008. In 2009 she was awarded the prestigious title of Grand Master of Horror.

Lee was the daughter of two ballroom dancers, Bernard and Hylda Lee. Despite a persistent rumour, she was not the daughter of the actor Bernard Lee who played "M" in the James Bond series of films of the 1960s.

Tanith Lee married author and artist John Kaiine in 1992.

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanith Lee crafts a children's fantasy and the results are charming and eccentric. the plot: young Prince awakens with no memory in a strange and fantastic world; accompanied by a talking, shape-shifting horse (or lion), he finds he has to deal with several quests in his role as the "Looked-for Deliverer". also featuring feisty witches, a Clock Moon, chariots in the sky, a magic egg, threatening tree sprites, a dragon of brass, and a whole lot of fun nonsense. the book's many endearing absurdities reminded me equally of Lewis Carroll and Miéville's Un Lun Dun. the Prince himself is quite amusing in his general laziness, grouchiness, and disinterest in doing anything heroic.

the author's rich prose has been lightened considerably; rather than delivering lush darkness, she brightens her palette so much that the results veer towards the psychedelic:

"The Prince lay on his back and watched the sugarpink sky and the lavender clouds wallowing in it like furry, disgruntled whales in a pink sea. There was a mist over the heath that made it difficult to tell where the sky ended and earth began, and suddenly a bright thing came glittering across the mist.

I really have to mention this book's striking twist ending (she almost always throws one in there): after spending much of the time wondering who he is and where he is from, the young lad cracks the magic egg and learns that he came from our world, where he was "very poor and very old, and had nothing and no one"... one day, sheltering under a tree from the rain, an acorn falls on his head and kills him... and he woke to find himself in this world. the Prince realizes he can't come back to our world even if he wanted to, because he's dead here. he's in his own happy afterlife and he has no inclination towards leaving it.

holy wtf!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prince on a White Horse is one of my favorite books. The silly and light-hearted feel of the book belies the depth of the story itself. It's a short read, but definitely enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the likes of Terry Pratchett and James Thurber.

[Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent short novel. The first half is quite funny, with a strong Alice in Wonderland feeling of absurd humour. The second half has less humour, but moves along at a quick enough clip you don't mind. The fact there is a "twist" is not hard to see coming, but the poignancy of it is unexpected. Beneath all the silliness there is a real heart to this book, and the ending is very sweet.

[Lisa Reksten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast, fun and lighthearted story. Recs to people who enjoy The Last Unicorn by Beagle and Pratchett.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book YEARS ago as a teenager, on a number of occasions (loaning it from the library) and absolutely loved it. I thought it was original, and well written, and to this day it has left a lasting impression on me. There is a dark undertone, and the plot moves along nicely. I would love to read it again to see my impressions of it are today!

[Orchid]

my mom read this trilogy to my brother and I as kids. I think it primed me for Pratchett and Python as I recall it being quite surreal and wry, but I'd love to re-read and see how it holds up to my adult self.

[Wajiha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely as brilliant as I remembered it. I don't understand why it is considered a part of the Castle of Dark since they are completely independent. This should definitely be read as a standalone as it is much better than Castle of Dark

[Rosz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quirky and dark, yet supposedly designed for young readers. I wasn't sure about the end.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky book, amusing and dark.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever

[Ginevra · Rating 2 out of 5]

For very young readers, otherwise slightly unsatisfactory.