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Secret Books of Paradys #4
The Book of the Mad
In this concluding volume, a seductive nightmare unfolds in three parallel versions of the city that are connected by a labyrinth of ice whose dangers are amplified by the will and emotion of its lunatic travelers
216 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1993
About the author
Tanith Lee
624 books2,001 followersTanith 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 27, 2015
This book is crazy. Although, it is called The Book of the Mad and it lives up to that title. The plot is twisted and if you don't roll with that you will go nuts. These characters are a bit nutty. They murder people. They get framed for murder so they can be put in a mental asylum where they will be convinced that they did murder that person. You also have two dimensions of the same city to contend with. Allegedly one is more insane than the other but I felt they were both pretty equal in insanity just different forms. All delivered in Tanith Lee's exquisite prose.
December 1, 2012
It's dark, lyrical, brilliant and subtly subversive, possibly one of the most well-written fantasy I've ever read. Like some other Tanith Lee books it features heavily on many of her usual themes, like art, death and insanity.
June 29, 2020
told in alternating chapters that spiral between a handful of characters in different realities this starts elusive and becomes overwhelming by the end with an onslaught of gruesome, startling poetic imagery. a cosmic horror story with a rare empathetic, realist (well, realist enough) sensibility. and just truly fucking gorgeous, enough to make you (*me) weep into your lace gloves and absinthe. i’ve actually cried both times i read the last sentence lol
July 4, 2023
While I’d enjoyed the previous books of Paradys well enough, it was the fourth one, The Book of the Mad I really enjoyed.
It takes place in the Paradys the reader has got to know and two alternative versions, Paradise and Paradis. Both these versions seem to be in the future of Paradys, which is portrayed in the late nineteenth century. Paradise is a hell-hole, drinking the river gets you drunk and society seems to have absolutely collapsed. Paradise seems a much nice place, with clean air, helpful technology and a functional society. The book takes a chapter in each place in turn, telling a story that comes together in a very strange way.
In Paradys, a fifteen-year-old girl has been cosseted her whole life, being saved for the marriage market. She is called a baby, still plays with dollies and is constantly reminded how she looks nine or ten. On a visit to the theatre she falls in lust with an actor and when she goes to visit him, he thinks she’s a prostitute and rapes her (biggest problem with all these books, the constant rape). He is himself later sodomised to death with a beer bottle.
The trauma of this event drives the girl mad and she is put in an asylum. It’s the very worst kind of asylum as can be imagined in any gothic or sensation novel, with sadistic keepers and beastly conditions. One of the ‘treatments’ is actually something they used in Bedlam. The recipient was put in a large swing and spun until sick - the idea was that the vomit would settle the humours of the patient, and patients were often a lot more compliant after it.
The patients find a bottle of Penguin Gin, which the keepers are always swilling. They create a mythical land called Penguinia, where everyone is happy and the snow is warm. Then one day, the asylum floods with a tidal wave of gin, which kills all the keepers, and a giant kaiju penguin ushers them into this magical world where they are healed and happy.
This unlikely event is created by the action in the other two worlds. In Paradis, the nice future, the reader meets Leocadia. She’s a pampered, rich artist who feels superior to those around her. She’s the opposite of the main character in Paradys, she’s independent and powerful, and not very nice really.
Her cousin is after her inheritance and trying to stir up stories about how mad she is. One day, after being rude and snotty in a restaurant, Leocadia comes home to find her lover murdered. Then she does snap and is taken to a mental hospital. This hospital is next to the old asylum, where a tide mark still shows a mysterious flood which destroyed the place. The mental hospital is comfortable and she’s given all the comforts from home, even her chilled vodka breakfast. As the reader sees it through her eyes, everything about the place seems menacing and the doctors inscrutable and dangerous.
One day, her canvases have been taken away so she decides to paint a huge mural based on the bottle of gin she found whilst exploring the ruined asylum. It’s her painting that creates a magic spell that unleashes the giant penguin that saves the people in the old asylum. It also helps her recovery and within six months she is ready to go home and live a happy life.
In Paradise, the hell-hole world, a brother and sister are distinguished by the fact they are not in an incestuous relationship. For some reason, never really established, they have to kill someone every few days. Their uncle has left them his house, which includes a giant ice maze that gives them access to Paradis. They are the ones who hid Leocadia’s paintings and killed her lover, thus putting her into the position to paint a giant penguin and unleash one in the past. They are then crushed by a giant penguin ice sculpture.
The penguin itself is one of the many eldritch beings in the worlds of these stories and is concerned with healing. All the events in the worlds have happened to heal the mental patients in the most peculiar and elaborate plan ever.
I really liked this book, it fulfilled everything the Paradys books had potential to be. It used the hints of actual gothic literature, the Lovecraftian beasties - even the intentional shock elements found in the other stories and made something fun and even quite moving. I’m not much inclined to visit the goth/fantasy genre very often, and I wouldn’t read the first three books of Paradys again but I’d happily re-read this one. I wondered a few times whilst reading these books if the effort was really worth it but I was very happy to find myself at a giant mind-healing penguin.
It takes place in the Paradys the reader has got to know and two alternative versions, Paradise and Paradis. Both these versions seem to be in the future of Paradys, which is portrayed in the late nineteenth century. Paradise is a hell-hole, drinking the river gets you drunk and society seems to have absolutely collapsed. Paradise seems a much nice place, with clean air, helpful technology and a functional society. The book takes a chapter in each place in turn, telling a story that comes together in a very strange way.
In Paradys, a fifteen-year-old girl has been cosseted her whole life, being saved for the marriage market. She is called a baby, still plays with dollies and is constantly reminded how she looks nine or ten. On a visit to the theatre she falls in lust with an actor and when she goes to visit him, he thinks she’s a prostitute and rapes her (biggest problem with all these books, the constant rape). He is himself later sodomised to death with a beer bottle.
The trauma of this event drives the girl mad and she is put in an asylum. It’s the very worst kind of asylum as can be imagined in any gothic or sensation novel, with sadistic keepers and beastly conditions. One of the ‘treatments’ is actually something they used in Bedlam. The recipient was put in a large swing and spun until sick - the idea was that the vomit would settle the humours of the patient, and patients were often a lot more compliant after it.
The patients find a bottle of Penguin Gin, which the keepers are always swilling. They create a mythical land called Penguinia, where everyone is happy and the snow is warm. Then one day, the asylum floods with a tidal wave of gin, which kills all the keepers, and a giant kaiju penguin ushers them into this magical world where they are healed and happy.
This unlikely event is created by the action in the other two worlds. In Paradis, the nice future, the reader meets Leocadia. She’s a pampered, rich artist who feels superior to those around her. She’s the opposite of the main character in Paradys, she’s independent and powerful, and not very nice really.
Her cousin is after her inheritance and trying to stir up stories about how mad she is. One day, after being rude and snotty in a restaurant, Leocadia comes home to find her lover murdered. Then she does snap and is taken to a mental hospital. This hospital is next to the old asylum, where a tide mark still shows a mysterious flood which destroyed the place. The mental hospital is comfortable and she’s given all the comforts from home, even her chilled vodka breakfast. As the reader sees it through her eyes, everything about the place seems menacing and the doctors inscrutable and dangerous.
One day, her canvases have been taken away so she decides to paint a huge mural based on the bottle of gin she found whilst exploring the ruined asylum. It’s her painting that creates a magic spell that unleashes the giant penguin that saves the people in the old asylum. It also helps her recovery and within six months she is ready to go home and live a happy life.
In Paradise, the hell-hole world, a brother and sister are distinguished by the fact they are not in an incestuous relationship. For some reason, never really established, they have to kill someone every few days. Their uncle has left them his house, which includes a giant ice maze that gives them access to Paradis. They are the ones who hid Leocadia’s paintings and killed her lover, thus putting her into the position to paint a giant penguin and unleash one in the past. They are then crushed by a giant penguin ice sculpture.
The penguin itself is one of the many eldritch beings in the worlds of these stories and is concerned with healing. All the events in the worlds have happened to heal the mental patients in the most peculiar and elaborate plan ever.
I really liked this book, it fulfilled everything the Paradys books had potential to be. It used the hints of actual gothic literature, the Lovecraftian beasties - even the intentional shock elements found in the other stories and made something fun and even quite moving. I’m not much inclined to visit the goth/fantasy genre very often, and I wouldn’t read the first three books of Paradys again but I’d happily re-read this one. I wondered a few times whilst reading these books if the effort was really worth it but I was very happy to find myself at a giant mind-healing penguin.
March 4, 2025
The fourth and final volume of the Secret Books of Paradys, the Book of the Mad, is very different from the mythological based anthologies of the previous books. It his the most like a novel of the four although we do, however go back to the three-strand plot structure. Each of the plot strands/sets of characters in a different version of Paradys in a different time zone.
1) Paradise – This is the city is some post-apocalyptic future. There’s been some sort of chemical warfare, the water’s poisoned, there’s no sun and moon and everyone is completely mad from the toxic fall out. We follow a pair of murderous twins; Felion (male) and Smarna (female). They randomly kill people and rotate their methods, poison, strangulation etc….Their mad scientist uncle escaped to another version of Paradys through an ice tunnel labyrinth and urges the twins to follow him and inherit his legacy in a better place.
2) Paradis – Current time? We follow bisexual, hedonistic artist Leocadia the sole heir to her reclusive uncle’s fortune. Her cousins circle around her wanting their share of the money. When Leocadia’s lesbian lover is found murdered, strung up like a canvas with an orange paint tube down her throat, her cousins have her committed to a lunatic asylum where she remains for the next 60 years.
3) Paradys – Victorian era? We follow beautiful aristocratic young Hilde, who at 15, experiences her first crush on theatre actor Johanos Martin – she devises a ruse to visit him and when she gets there, he rapes her. Disillusioned she becomes hysterical and her parents commit her to a madhouse. We follow her mistreatment by the gin addicted staff and bonding with some of the other inmates. There’s prostitute Judit, who after murdering a client who tried to mutilate her went mad and believe’s she’s a queen, Maque the sailor and Citabo a poet.
The non-linear narrative alternates between these three realities and characters. Paradys and Paradis are clearly the same place in two different time zones. We learn that Leocadia’s madhouse has moved after a bizarre tragedy in the old Victorian site (where Hilde was incarcerated). There’s a man in Leocadia’s asylum – Warrior Thomas who hints that he was involved in a secret chemical warfare mission – which hints at the post-apocalyptic future of Paradise.
This is an incredibly ambitious novel and you really do have to keep your wits about you. I mean you could argue everything is in Leocadia’s head – Felion & Smarna magically enter Leocadia’s world and commit murder and mayhem (the dark side/madness of her drinking & hedonism) – but the novel also suggests they are the spirit energy/reincarnation of Hilde’s dead baby – So there are many layers to unpick in this. The motifs of gin, penguins, an ice heaven labyrinths (real and of the mind) and art repeat through all strands.
As with a lot of Lee’s gothic fiction this goes to some dark and blackly comic places – there’s rape; both male and female, murder, abuse, stillbirth and so much death! The highlight is the reveal of the catastrophe that destroys Hilde’s madhouse – It’s a visual overload. The deaths of Johanos (gin), Felion & Smarna (penguin) are also pretty amazing. This one is not for the faint of heart. It’s dark, gothic and masterfully done.
In terms of Lee’s career, the Secret Books of Parydis series is very much a pivot – It begins entrenched in the mythological, fairytale & fantastic of her early work and ends with a more realistic and psychological approach that would dominate her longer works from hereon.
Major recurring Themes:
• Adolescent heroine
• Evil priest (Johanos is early on described as priest like)
• Evils of war (the post-apocalyptic mad hell)
• Family relationships
• Heaven/Hell
• Life/Death/Rebirth
• Male/Female
• Murderer/Murderess
• Nature of “self”
• Rite of passage
• Sanity/Insanity
• Sin/Redemption
• Unstable heroine
• Artists & poets
1) Paradise – This is the city is some post-apocalyptic future. There’s been some sort of chemical warfare, the water’s poisoned, there’s no sun and moon and everyone is completely mad from the toxic fall out. We follow a pair of murderous twins; Felion (male) and Smarna (female). They randomly kill people and rotate their methods, poison, strangulation etc….Their mad scientist uncle escaped to another version of Paradys through an ice tunnel labyrinth and urges the twins to follow him and inherit his legacy in a better place.
2) Paradis – Current time? We follow bisexual, hedonistic artist Leocadia the sole heir to her reclusive uncle’s fortune. Her cousins circle around her wanting their share of the money. When Leocadia’s lesbian lover is found murdered, strung up like a canvas with an orange paint tube down her throat, her cousins have her committed to a lunatic asylum where she remains for the next 60 years.
3) Paradys – Victorian era? We follow beautiful aristocratic young Hilde, who at 15, experiences her first crush on theatre actor Johanos Martin – she devises a ruse to visit him and when she gets there, he rapes her. Disillusioned she becomes hysterical and her parents commit her to a madhouse. We follow her mistreatment by the gin addicted staff and bonding with some of the other inmates. There’s prostitute Judit, who after murdering a client who tried to mutilate her went mad and believe’s she’s a queen, Maque the sailor and Citabo a poet.
The non-linear narrative alternates between these three realities and characters. Paradys and Paradis are clearly the same place in two different time zones. We learn that Leocadia’s madhouse has moved after a bizarre tragedy in the old Victorian site (where Hilde was incarcerated). There’s a man in Leocadia’s asylum – Warrior Thomas who hints that he was involved in a secret chemical warfare mission – which hints at the post-apocalyptic future of Paradise.
This is an incredibly ambitious novel and you really do have to keep your wits about you. I mean you could argue everything is in Leocadia’s head – Felion & Smarna magically enter Leocadia’s world and commit murder and mayhem (the dark side/madness of her drinking & hedonism) – but the novel also suggests they are the spirit energy/reincarnation of Hilde’s dead baby – So there are many layers to unpick in this. The motifs of gin, penguins, an ice heaven labyrinths (real and of the mind) and art repeat through all strands.
As with a lot of Lee’s gothic fiction this goes to some dark and blackly comic places – there’s rape; both male and female, murder, abuse, stillbirth and so much death! The highlight is the reveal of the catastrophe that destroys Hilde’s madhouse – It’s a visual overload. The deaths of Johanos (gin), Felion & Smarna (penguin) are also pretty amazing. This one is not for the faint of heart. It’s dark, gothic and masterfully done.
In terms of Lee’s career, the Secret Books of Parydis series is very much a pivot – It begins entrenched in the mythological, fairytale & fantastic of her early work and ends with a more realistic and psychological approach that would dominate her longer works from hereon.
Major recurring Themes:
• Adolescent heroine
• Evil priest (Johanos is early on described as priest like)
• Evils of war (the post-apocalyptic mad hell)
• Family relationships
• Heaven/Hell
• Life/Death/Rebirth
• Male/Female
• Murderer/Murderess
• Nature of “self”
• Rite of passage
• Sanity/Insanity
• Sin/Redemption
• Unstable heroine
• Artists & poets
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2019
Of the four Paradys novels, this is the closest thing to a novel. Each chapter visits one of three cities: Paradys, Paradis and Paradise. From what I gather, Paradis and Paradise are parallel worlds (say that five times fast). Paradys felt more like an earlier version of Paradis – but that doesn’t explain the change in spelling so maybe all three are parallel worlds. I’m a bit confused on the structure here. But, the chapters focus on four main characters and their descent into madness.
In Paradis there’s Leocadia (who I basically pictured as a sexy Captain Hook lady, but without the hook) – she’s an eccentric artist, and a bit of a drunk, living off an inheritance from a rich uncle whose gone away. Her cousins are jealous of her fortune, so they scheme up a way to have her committed so they can take her house and money. In the sanatorium, she’s allowed to paint and drink still, but as she slowly begins to sober up, she sees things very differently.
In Paradys we meet young Hilde. Raised in a wealthy household, she’s a well-behaved girl of about fourteen or so. But she has a secret. At night, she spends time discovering her body and fantasizing. When she goes to a play with her mother, she sees an actor who essentially becomes the man of her dreams. She makes her way to his rooms one day to make her sexual dreams become reality. Only, he’s done with her rather quickly and the loss of him and the mistreatment she experienced leaves her obsessed and maddened. Her parents lie and say she’s died so they can send her to the sanatorium.
In Paradise, a strange city of madness and death, twins Smara and Felion long to escape the madness and the murders they regularly commit. Felion’s uncle, who has gone away, left him information about a strange maze he built. His uncle says it has the power to transport them through time and parallel worlds. But the twins can’t seem to bring themselves to the same place.
I was really into all the characters at first. Leocadia is badass. I thought maybe she would find a way to break out of the asylum and take back her life. But, as the title says, this book is about madness, not revenge. Similarly, I expected Hilde might in some way seek revenge on the actor who used her. Unfortunately, life gets the better of Hilde, though her actor does get what’s coming to him (trigger warning for some brief but fairly gruesome rape.) Smara and Felion were interesting at first, but I couldn’t really understand the “rules” of their city. They seemed forced to murder, but I’m not really sure why.
As the story and the “madness” of the characters progressed, I became confused and lost interest. There are a lot of interconnecting elements here though. Leocadia finds the abandoned old asylum that Hilde was placed in. Smara crosses over to Leocadia’s asylum and Felion finds Leo’s home. The uncle mentioned in both stories appears to be the same man.
I think this one was just a bit too complex for me. As usual, Lee is great with imagery and her characters are very lively in this one. But I just couldn’t focus on what was going on. Maybe I was supposed to feel a little crazy by the end of the book, but that’s not my preference.
In Paradis there’s Leocadia (who I basically pictured as a sexy Captain Hook lady, but without the hook) – she’s an eccentric artist, and a bit of a drunk, living off an inheritance from a rich uncle whose gone away. Her cousins are jealous of her fortune, so they scheme up a way to have her committed so they can take her house and money. In the sanatorium, she’s allowed to paint and drink still, but as she slowly begins to sober up, she sees things very differently.
In Paradys we meet young Hilde. Raised in a wealthy household, she’s a well-behaved girl of about fourteen or so. But she has a secret. At night, she spends time discovering her body and fantasizing. When she goes to a play with her mother, she sees an actor who essentially becomes the man of her dreams. She makes her way to his rooms one day to make her sexual dreams become reality. Only, he’s done with her rather quickly and the loss of him and the mistreatment she experienced leaves her obsessed and maddened. Her parents lie and say she’s died so they can send her to the sanatorium.
In Paradise, a strange city of madness and death, twins Smara and Felion long to escape the madness and the murders they regularly commit. Felion’s uncle, who has gone away, left him information about a strange maze he built. His uncle says it has the power to transport them through time and parallel worlds. But the twins can’t seem to bring themselves to the same place.
I was really into all the characters at first. Leocadia is badass. I thought maybe she would find a way to break out of the asylum and take back her life. But, as the title says, this book is about madness, not revenge. Similarly, I expected Hilde might in some way seek revenge on the actor who used her. Unfortunately, life gets the better of Hilde, though her actor does get what’s coming to him (trigger warning for some brief but fairly gruesome rape.) Smara and Felion were interesting at first, but I couldn’t really understand the “rules” of their city. They seemed forced to murder, but I’m not really sure why.
As the story and the “madness” of the characters progressed, I became confused and lost interest. There are a lot of interconnecting elements here though. Leocadia finds the abandoned old asylum that Hilde was placed in. Smara crosses over to Leocadia’s asylum and Felion finds Leo’s home. The uncle mentioned in both stories appears to be the same man.
I think this one was just a bit too complex for me. As usual, Lee is great with imagery and her characters are very lively in this one. But I just couldn’t focus on what was going on. Maybe I was supposed to feel a little crazy by the end of the book, but that’s not my preference.
October 20, 2017
1.5 which is an improvement over Paradys #3. This starts off with lots of interesting stuff: homicidal siblings entering Paradys from a parallel universe city (Paradise) and a rich sybarite locked in a madhouse so her cousin can get the inheritance. But the third plot seems left over from the old movie The Snake Pit, graphically detailing how another madwoman is subjugated and brutalized by the system. And neither of the other two plotlines turn out to pay off.
July 20, 2019
This book is a little different than the other books of Paradys, which are basically collections of short stories that all take place in the city of Paradys. This one follows three sets of characters in three parallel cities, all versions of Paradys, and they are all interconnected. I didn’t really understand where she was going with the story line until the end, when it all came together quite nicely. Lovely story. Classic Tanith Lee.
February 3, 2022
The one thing I somewhat missed in this last Book of Paradys was the lush settings, only because that's not where the characters in this book mostly live. Instead, we're often in a terrible madhouse. Unlike The Book of the Dead, this one is more of a single story, though a bizarre one that skips around in times and universes connected to each other. None of this kept me from enjoying it, though.
I'll never look at penguins the same way again!
I'll never look at penguins the same way again!
May 14, 2025
What should I expect from this book? I’m looking for something that really leaves a mark — is this one of those stories?
October 1, 2025
what a ride
December 12, 2016
When I was in elementary or middle school, I discovered fantasy fiction and tore through our school library in search of new authors. Somewhere between the jovial, no nonsense princesses of Patricia Wrede and the dreamy language of Patricia McKillip, I stumbled onto a book by Tanith Lee. I don't remember what the book was or even why I didn't like it, but I remember it being the first time I read something where I thought... whoa, this isn't for me.
Decades later, I decided to pick up some Tanith Lee to see if I would still have the same reaction. After finishing the Book of the Mad, I have a few answers. 1) my initial reaction as a 10 year old was probably one of shock at the graphic violence, overt sexuality, and batshit craziness. 2) I actually didn't mind it as an adult! While this isn't my particular brand of fantasy fiction, I appreciated reading something from a writer who is clearly quite original in her thinking.
With that long preamble, I will attempt to provide some kind of synopsis.
Book of the Mad is set in three alternate versions of the same city - Paradis, Paradise, Pardys. One is a post apocalyptical wasteland where incest is encouraged, there is no sun, the river is a poison that is served up in bars, and a pair of murderous twins kills with abandon (and apparently no consequences). One is a semi post apocalyptical version of decadence where a painter leading an excessive life is put in a mental institution. One is an old-timey rigid society where a young girl is sexually assaulted and then put in an asylum. Oh, also, the twins have some kind of time travel maze of ice they use to move between worlds one and two. Get it yet?
Here, maybe I can share some themes that would help. 1) penguins. You think i'm kidding, but i'm not. Penguins, an imaginary/maybe real land made of penguins is a major theme. 2) brutal violence. Because you know what always has really nice scenes? Old timey mental institutions. 3) rampant sexuality (that is actually kind of freeing in its lack of moralizing). Confused yet?
Lee's writing is exquisite in moments - saucy and droll and as DGAF as I've read in genre fiction. That being said I found the book a bit too structurally loose and alogical and can't quite get over whether or not some of the scenes were written with the pure intention of shocking the reader. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to watch some bad tv to self soothe so I don't have crazy ass nightmares about being waterboarded or stabbed by some blonde twins in an alley.
Decades later, I decided to pick up some Tanith Lee to see if I would still have the same reaction. After finishing the Book of the Mad, I have a few answers. 1) my initial reaction as a 10 year old was probably one of shock at the graphic violence, overt sexuality, and batshit craziness. 2) I actually didn't mind it as an adult! While this isn't my particular brand of fantasy fiction, I appreciated reading something from a writer who is clearly quite original in her thinking.
With that long preamble, I will attempt to provide some kind of synopsis.
Book of the Mad is set in three alternate versions of the same city - Paradis, Paradise, Pardys. One is a post apocalyptical wasteland where incest is encouraged, there is no sun, the river is a poison that is served up in bars, and a pair of murderous twins kills with abandon (and apparently no consequences). One is a semi post apocalyptical version of decadence where a painter leading an excessive life is put in a mental institution. One is an old-timey rigid society where a young girl is sexually assaulted and then put in an asylum. Oh, also, the twins have some kind of time travel maze of ice they use to move between worlds one and two. Get it yet?
Here, maybe I can share some themes that would help. 1) penguins. You think i'm kidding, but i'm not. Penguins, an imaginary/maybe real land made of penguins is a major theme. 2) brutal violence. Because you know what always has really nice scenes? Old timey mental institutions. 3) rampant sexuality (that is actually kind of freeing in its lack of moralizing). Confused yet?
Lee's writing is exquisite in moments - saucy and droll and as DGAF as I've read in genre fiction. That being said I found the book a bit too structurally loose and alogical and can't quite get over whether or not some of the scenes were written with the pure intention of shocking the reader. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to watch some bad tv to self soothe so I don't have crazy ass nightmares about being waterboarded or stabbed by some blonde twins in an alley.
August 14, 2012
I'm a bit reticent to give this one a full 5, partly because it's been years since I read the first two volumes of the "Secret Books of Paradys" and I'm not sure how well it compares. However, compared to "The Book of the Dead" it's far stronger, amounting essentially to a novel with three separate stories that intersect in a very ingenuous way that only suffers somewhat in its ultimate ambiguity. Each story takes place in a parallel version of Paradys (which itself is an alternate version of Paris) and is marked by the struggle of the protagonists against sanity/insanity. I'll not go into too much more detail, as the synopsis above does a well enough job. The unanswered questions and remaining mystery at the end will no doubt frustrate many readers, but it works within context of the story as a whole, while maintaining the atmosphere that is so effectively portrayed throughout the series. As with the previous books, Lee's concern with matters of style color much of the narrative. Some will find her too flowery, while others like myself will be impressed by the economy of her description and intense lyricism. Beautiful stuff, as ever.
March 3, 2014
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
October 26, 2016
This book is a real treat..
This is a wonderfully written fantasy book that introduces and interconnects three worlds. It is the story of true madness but also the frequent real lucidity of people who think themselves mad, and the resultant terrifying delusions they weave around themselves and often their real helpers and the reality of many of their tormentors. It is also a story of good and evil, and how we often take the long trek to get to where we are meant to ultimately be. Compliments to a wonderfully creative author. Kathy R. Blackman
This is a wonderfully written fantasy book that introduces and interconnects three worlds. It is the story of true madness but also the frequent real lucidity of people who think themselves mad, and the resultant terrifying delusions they weave around themselves and often their real helpers and the reality of many of their tormentors. It is also a story of good and evil, and how we often take the long trek to get to where we are meant to ultimately be. Compliments to a wonderfully creative author. Kathy R. Blackman
August 22, 2008
I wasn't sure I liked The Book of the Mad all that much. It paled in comparison to the other books. It was different, and there were a few elements I just didn't quite get. Like why did the twins have to kill and what was up with the Uncle? Anyway, it was ok, three strange stories that loosely interlinked. Not something that I'll re-read.
October 17, 2010
Brilliantly tangled storylines, complex and dark. The writing (style and language) is like dark chocolate gelato melting on a slice of hot devil's food cake: almost too rich to bear but impossible to resist.
November 28, 2015
3.5 stars. Puzzles within puzzles. I'm not certain how all the pieces fit together, but the emotional build and fall underlying it all is still horrifying, mysterious, grim, beautiful, and at the end, strangely hopeful. And I now have a strong urge to reread Dubosarsky's Abyssinia.
April 28, 2011
i seem to remember a penguin popping up unexpectedly.
June 15, 2012
On of the best of all time.
September 11, 2016
Wonderful!
December 10, 2008
The only Paradys book that I would rate a 5 on its own.
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