Book Review: Dark Dance by Tanith Lee

Dark Dance (Bloof Opera I), by Tanith Lee, 1992, Macdonald & Co
Cover Art: uncredited 

Tanith Lee has come up in a number of my Goodreads reading suggestions and on the back of these recommendations I decided to actually read something written by the author earlier this year. 

I came across several of her titles, including Silver Metal Lover and Electric Forest, which all sounded appealing, but decided to make a start with Dark Dance, which is the first book in Lee's Blood Opera series. 

As some of Lee's titles command quite a highish price tag on the second-hand book market, my decision to settle for Dark Dance was partially influenced by the availability of the hardback first edition for a reasonable price and, I have to admit, I liked the book's cover. (Sadly, the cover artist is not credited.)

Plot Summary -  Dark Dance by Tanith Lee

Jumping straight into a summary of this book without giving too much away: 

The story follows our heroine Rachaela Day from the point when she is plucked from her solitary and mundane life as a bookshop assistant in London to live with her father's family, the Scarabae, on the family's country estate, up to the point when her then 11-year-old daughter Ruth arrives to join the Scarabae family a decade later.

Having been brought up as an only child by her estranged and now deceased single-mother, Rachaela is at first reluctant to join her relatives. (She has thus far never met her father.) Yet, as circumstances appear to conspire against her, she eventually embarks on the journey to meet and live with this rather weird bunch of characters.

The Scarabae family is made up of a multitude of extremely long-lived oddballs, who idle away their days galloping through the house on toy horses or defiling books in the library before gathering at regular intervals for seagull stews and roast rabbit dinners. (The interaction between Rachaela and the Scarabae takes place almost exclusively during dinner time.)

Following a rather disconcerting nightly encounter with the most reclusive member of the family, Adamus Scarabae, Rachaela's father, the family's dark secrets (a tradition of intergenerational, incestuous relationships mixed-in with a moderate amount of vampire-like behaviours) are gradually unveiled to Rachaela and the reader. 

Overwhelmed by the enormity of it all in combination with an unwillingness to yield to Scarabae family tradition and play her part in this 'familial arrangement', Rachaela makes a first attempt at returning into her old life, but due to abysmal public transport links (Tanith Lee delivers a humorous, yet totally factual, and thus damning indictment of the British public transport infrastructure in these passages) Rachaela is soon retrieved by her very own father, for whom she is, much to her own dismay and bewilderment, now harbouring sexual attraction. 

Following their passionate encounter in the aftermath of Rachaela's 'repatriation' to the Scarabae family home, Adamus, however, reverts to his reclusive lifestyle within the tower. Ignored and neglected by her absent lover and bored-out by the remainder of the geriatric family members, Rachaela decides to embark on a second escape from the family, which ends in her return to London.

Here she intends to take-up her old lifestyle, but finds herself pregnant with Adamus's child. For the ensuing eleven years, we witness how Rachaela fits her life around her unwanted daughter, Ruth, until the family finally start stalking Ruth, who readily abandons her mother to take-up residence with the Scarabae. 

In the aftermath of her daughter's departure from London, Rachaela follows Ruth to the estate. Motivated for the most part by jealousy of Ruth, who is now at the centre of the Scarabae's and, above all, Adamus's attention, and by a sense of maternal duty rather than genuine concern for her daughter's emotional wellbeing, Rachaela attempts to extract Ruth from the family's clutches, but has to resign herself to the role of a bystander, witnessing both Ruth's betrothal to Adamus and her eventual revolt against the family's rulebook. 

Verdict

Dark Dance was quite something else and I am at a loss how to best assign this book to a genre, though I would agree that, purely for the sake of assigning a genre label to the story, I think Urban Dark Fantasy probably sums it up nicely. Perhaps even Urban Dark Erotic Vampire Fantasy? How does that sound?

Yes, there are vampires or vampiric elements, but this aspect of the story is not really touched upon in great detail and the reader is largely left in the dark about the specific nature of the Scarabae-type vampire. Some reviewers highlighted the erotic elements within the story. Yet, despite the explicit nature of a handful of passages, I wouldn't describe Dark Dance as Erotica or Erotic Fantasy either. The book is not exactly littered with descriptions of erotic scenes. 

Yes, Dark Dance contains explicit references and descriptions of intergenerational incest. Some readers clearly are put off by this. Deal with it, or don't. It's the premise of the book. I repeat: Dark Dance is about incest as a longstanding tradition practised within the Scarabae family. The plot revolves around it, the family's peculiar characteristics and, above all, their longevity are derived (somehow) through the practice of incest. If you are put-off by references to and the description of incest, don't read Dark Dance. Your choice. 

Yes, the storyelling remains at times rather vague, both in respect of the characterisation of  the main protagonists, their motivations and their backstories. However, through this omission of backstory and lack of explanation Dark Dance derives its appeal (at least for me), i.e. through the elements of the plot, which are not touched upon. The unexplained adds to the appeal of the book.

As a deliberate stylistic choice, this ommission adds a layer of mystery and kept me guessing and pondering about the protagonists' choices and motivations long after finishing the book. Why, for example, is Adamus opting for a reclusive lifestyle away from the family, whilst at the same time complying with its traditions? What is the reason behind the persecution of the family, their residence in exile and how did they come to be what they are today in the first place? I am very much hoping that some of these aspects will be addressed in Personal Darkness, the second instalment of the Blood Opera series, which I shall definitely be getting hold of.

Lastly, I have to mention that I enjoyed Lee's style of writing immensely. It's evocative, atmospheric, sparse at times and not overly descriptive. She has an incredibly subtle sense of humour, which brilliantly came to life in her depiction of Rachaela's transport nightmare following her first escape from the estate, and she is extremely apt at conveying deadpan humour through dialogue. I will certainly be reading more by Tanith Lee.

Book Review - The Killing Doll by Ruth Rendell

The Killing Doll, first released in 1984, showcases Rendell's tremendous talent as a writer of psychological suspense, and being the first Rendell I ever picked up, it introduced me to her work some twenty years ago. It also turned me into what I would describe as a constant reader. Though years may pass without reading one of her novels, there is usually an unread Rendell on my shelves. As soon as I have completed it, another appears to fill the void. 

At the age of 85 Ruth Rendell very sadly passed away in May 2015. Yet, thanks to her prolific output spanning over fifty years and comprising of over sixty titles, I will not be running out of reading material for a while. Though I am not overly keen on her Inspector Wexford series, I am particularly fond of her stand-alone, psychological suspense novels and the books she chose to publish under her pseudonym Barbara Vine. 

Ruth Rendell (17 February 1930 – 2 May 2015)

Too eager to explore her plots and to meet more of her ill-fated characters, I have thus far never ventured into re-reading my Rendell / Vine books. As The Killing Doll was my first ever Rendell, which I read back then in its German translation Der Pakt (The Pact), I thought it was time to make an exception and get hold of the original, English version for a re-read. I was not to be disappointed.

Ruth Rendell - The Killing Doll, 1984, Book Club Associates Edition 

Judging by other readers' reviews, The Killing Dolll seems to divide opinions, both between seasoned fans and those new to Rendell's work. Whichever side of the fence you are on, the book appears to provoke strong emotions in both camps. Whilst some praise it for its tight plotting and unexpected twist at the end, others seem to criticise it for its alleged lack of pace, the absence of likeable characters and its subject matter; i.e. the protagonists' dabbling in the occult. 

The plot by and large centres around the Yearman family, comprising of siblings Dolly and Pup as well as their widowed father Harold. Coinciding with Mrs Yearman's demise, Pup begins to dabble in magic rituals, selling his soul to devil in exchange for worldly goods and, above all, physical growth. He enlists the help of his sister Dolly, an apt seamstress, who - owing to a facial disfigurement - has  very few social contacts and leads an isolated life mostly confined to and maintaining the family's home. 

Dolly sews Pup's ceremonial robe and is from time to time allowed to attend the so-called 'temple', which Pup has created in an unused room in the house, whilst their father - oblivious to the ceremonial magic practised under his roof - is completely absorbed by his obsession with historical fiction and, eventually, his new wife, Myra.

Following Mrs Yearman's death, Dolly's interest in occult matters is amplified when she attends a number of seances and gets further fuelled by her desire to employ magic in order to banish Myra from the family home. Yet, after discovering his business acumen and penchant for casual sex with a string of affairs, both Pub's emotional connection to his sister and involvement with the occult are waning, and he is increasingly viewing his preoccupation with magic as a childish pastime obsession. Though still fond of his sister, both his sexual proclivities and newly found role as a businessman leave little time to devote to his sister's emotional well-being.

Despite this, Pup continues to perform rituals to please his sister, thereby continuing to fuel her belief in his abilities. When in the aftermath of one such ceremony involving the ritual stabbing of Myra's effigy in the form of a cloth doll, Myra is discovered dead in the Yearman's bathroom, Dolly's belief in the efficacy of her brother's geomancy is reaffirmed, triggering a fateful spiral of events and further accelerating Dolly's descent into madness. 

To me, The Killing Doll delivers perhaps one of the best contemporary depictions of a protagonist's gradual descent into substance abuse and schizophrenia as well as the concomitant circumstances of isolation and dysfunctional family relations, which in the end enable the condition to take hold and completely engulf the individual.

I therefore firmly belong into the camp of those, who did not merely enjoy the novel but would also recommend it to all those wishing to explore Rendell's body of work further. After all, to maintain the reader's interest, characters do not have to be likeable. Quite the contrary. Childish preoccupations such as dabbling in occult writings and rituals as well as unexpected chance encounters (similar to the one at the end of the book) can have fateful consequences and are therefore utterly believable. As for the alleged lack of pace, I would argue that Rendell does not deviate from her usual norm and succinct style, telling a story spanning a timeframe of over five years in the space of less than 240 pages suggests that the book is not cluttered with unnecessary detail.

German Fantasy Literature of the 1970s and 1980s - A preliminary reading list and an ongoing reading project

I am not entirely sure when exactly I started toying with the idea of creating a reading list for popular German fantasy fiction published in the late 1970s and 1980s, but I believe it coincided with the time when I was reunited with my copy of Hans Bemmann's 'Stein und Flöte' (english title: The Stone and the Flute) some six months ago.

Hans Bemmann - The Stone and the Flute (Stein ind Floete), Goldmann

Shortly after its arrival, Stein ind Flöte (first published in 1983) was allocated a space on my bookshelves and ended up in the fantasy section, where it is currently leading a lonely existence as the only fantasy novel written by a German-speaking author. (My copy of Michael Ende's Neverending Story is currently back home in Germany.)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the fantasy section of my shelf is populated by a diverse bunch of primarily British or American authors, who have traditionally dominated the genre. Other nationalities appear to be conspicuously absent. As a result, I got intrigued and decided to delve a little deeper into the matter in order to see whether I could locate works that fit the fantasy label and were published in Germany during the 1970s and 1980s. Ende and Bemmann aside, who else was at the time writing similar books in Germany? Who inspired authors like Ende and Bemmann; and who, in turn, was inspired by their work?

I am aware of the widely embraced distinction between Fantasy Fiction and Phantastik in German-speaking literary circles. In my view this separation constitutes an artificial barrier, which is perhaps necessary for an academic engagement with the matter. For the purposes of my investigation, however, I shall continue to refer to the genre as 'Fantasy' to avoid complicating matters unnecessarily. All those familiar with Ende's Die Unendliche Geschichte (Neverending Story), which was first published in 1979, will probably agree that the fantasy label fits the book rather well and I will thus use it as a descriptor going forward. 

With this in mind, I started my search for books that would fit the description. To be added to the reading list, candidates had to fulfil two criteria: they had to be first published in Germany during the 1970s and 1980s and should be categorised as 'Fantasy'. Science fiction was to be strictly exempt from the list. Reading lists showcasing the German contribution to science fiction are easily obtainable as is evident by this Goodreads reading list, featuring all of the Kurd Lasswitz award winners to date: 

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/127293.Kurd_La_witz_Award_Winners

At this point I was still blissfully unaware that I had set myself a rather ambitious task. Collating and locating reading lists on specific topics is normally never a real issue. Most of the time someone else has already done the hard work, completed the research and compiled a ready-made reading list. All that's usually necessary is to review and eventually source the books in question. Not on this occasion.

Initial searches on the web yielded almost no results and didn't provide much further insight or suggestions on how best to tackle the question. Amongst the names that came up repeatedly were authors Wolfgang and Heike Hohlbein, who, particularly when considering their commercial success, have earned their place in any list on German fantasy fiction. Beyond that, there was a heap of suggestions, including contemporary German fantasy authors such as Bernhard Hennen or Cornelia Funke, whose works were published from the late 1990s onwards and therefore did not meet my selection criteria. 

Gnook suggestions for Wolfgang Hohlbein

Gnooks, which I love consulting for book recommendations (if you are not familiar you should pay the site a visit, as it can be an invaluable resource when looking for author suggestions) also didn't come up with viable options for my list.

By sheer chance, I came across Robert Corvus's discussion of Georg Zauner's 1981 science fiction novel Die Enkel der Raketenbauer, which led me to further investigate the author. 

It turns out that Zauner is not only a Kurd-Laßwitz award winner (the most prestigious award for science fiction literature in Germany) and the father of Stefan Zauner (ex lead singer of epic pop formation Münchener Freiheit) but also wrote fantasy fiction. Zauner's Marana oder die Hochzeit der Elfe met all the selection criteria for my reading project and therefore made its way on to my list.

Georg Zauner, Marana oder die Hochzeit der Elfe (Verlag: Benziger, 1984)

Whilst Zauner's Enkel der Raketenbauer appears to be somewhat of a rarity and currently commands a high(ish) price amongst collectors, a hardback copy of Marana oder die Hochzeit der Elfe (Benziger, 1984) can be purchased with relative ease and for a comparatively modest amount.

Robert Corvus discussing Georg Zauner's Die Enkel der Raketenbauer

Following this initial breakthrough, I was soon running out of suggestions again until, once more by sheer coincidence, I discovered an anthology of modern German Fantasy short stories, which I was able to source without problems. 

Jörg Weigand (editor) Vergiss nicht den Wind - Neue deutsche Fantasy-Geschichten, Bastei Lübbe, 1983, Cover Art: Tim White

Edited by Jörg Weigand and originally published by Bastei Lübbe in 1983, Vergiss nicht den Wind, features fantasy short stories by twelve German authors, including Wolfgang Hohlbein, Lothar Streblow, Dietrich Wachler, Bernhard Kreimeier, Iny Klocke, Ulrich Harbecke and Ulrich Weise. This selection of short stories aims to showcase, as stated by Weigand in the preface to my edition, that '[...] German fantasy literature can be equally as entertaining and fascinating as its Anglo-american counterpart [...]'.

We shall see.

If nothing else, as an anthology Vergiss nicht den Wind might offer a few possible starting points for further research. For now, I'm pleased that I was able to populate my preliminary reading list, albeit sparsely and with difficulty, and managed to get my reading project off the ground. Who would have thought that information on popular German fantasy fiction and genre authors of the period in question is so scarce and difficult to come by? Especially considering Ende's monumental publishing success with Die unendliche Geschichte, I would have expected a fair number of authors riding the fantasy wave at the time.

Suggestions for suitable reading material that fits the criteria for my selection are gratefully received. 

Book Review: Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

It's 1963, it's Halloween and in a secluded backwater somewhere in the US teenage boys are being starved by their parents and locked away in their bedrooms, whilst waiting for the town's yearly hunting ritual to begin.

Somewhere in a cornfield outside town the October Boy, a pumpkin vine dressed as a scarecrow featuring a carved head and candy stuffing, awakes and returns to be hunted down by the community's teenage boys. Any number of perks and a chance for a fresh start await the winners of the race and their families. It's therefore no surprise that all the 'lucky' winners of previous hunts have escaped this small-town setting, never to be seen again by those they left behind.

Dark Harvest by Norman Patridge, TOR 2007, Cover Illustration by Jon Foster

Book Review - Lady Of Light (Westria Book No 1) by Diana L Paxson

As can be expected from the first book of a series, Lady of Light sets the scene and introduces the reader to the main protagonists of Paxson's Westria Series. The plot takes place after the so called 'Cataclysm', a divine intervention which destroyed the previous civilisation and its technical advancements. As a result, Westrians inhabit a medieval-type, feudal setting and believe in a pagan-style religion, in which the Gods and Goddesses are worshipped in elaborate rituals. Access to the divine powers can be established with the help of a set of crystals, representing the elements of fire, water, earth and wind.

Since the mid-2000s Paxson (born: 1943) has primarily written non-fiction on spiritual as well as mythological topics, establishing herself as a well-respected voice within the fields of Asatru (the worship of Norse Gods and Goddesses) and Runes. She has also carried on writing books in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series, on which she has collaborated for a number of years (partially uncredited) whilst Bradley was still alive. Following her passing, Paxson has authored a number of  instalments in the series on her own, the last one being Sword of Avalon.

Though not as widely discussed amongst readers, Diana Paxson is also known for her Westria novels, the Chronicles of Westria: a series of 8 books set in the fictional kingdom of the same name, a post-industrialist state with feudal structures. The first book in the series, Lady of Light, was originally published in 1982. It was followed by the release of Lady of Darkness in 1983. Initially published as individual instalments, TOR released a volume titled Mistress of the Jewels, which combined both books into one edition in 1991. On the cover of Mistress of the Jewels it is wrongly stated that this edition contained the first book of the series. To avoid any doubt and confusion, the author's website provides the definitive chronology and further information on the various editions. It can be found here.

Mistress of the Jewels, The Chronocles of Westria Book 1 and 2 - Diana L Paxson, Cover Illustration by Thomas Canty, Publisher TOR, 1991

Summary and Review - The Planet Savers by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover Series)

An extremely short novella and initially released in 1958 in one of the pulp magazines, The Planet Savers is understood to be the first published short story / novella set on Zimmer Bradley's Darkover. 

It's a fairly quick read, easy to source (available in various print editions and as a digital download) and most readers of the Darkover books probably have come across it at one point or another. It's not necessary to make it your starting point, if you wish to delve into the world of Darkover (the books do not have to be read in order of publication), but it's as good a starting point as any - or it might perhaps be an interesting add-on for readers already familiar with the setting.

In The Planet Savers Darkover's population (Terrans and Darkovans alike) are threatened by the outbreak of a deadly virus for which no cure or vaccination exists. Only the tree-dwelling Trailmen living in the hostile mountain ranges of the Hellers seem to be immune to the fever. 

Book Review: American Coven by Amy Cross

My first venture into the literary world of Amy Cross. It was a bizarre ride. 

Cross appears to be an author with a prolific digital output and a minimal, almost non-existent personal presence on the web. A large number of her many titles are currently available as free downloads on Amazon. That's exactly where I came across American Coven, which was suggested to me as a recommendation - most likely as a result of having purchased quite a few dark horror novels with supernatural elements in my time. American Coven fits that description rather well. 

American Coven - Amy Cross

Book Review: Disordered Minds by Minette Walters

Diligently working my way through all the unread books on my shelf, I finished Disordered Minds by Minette Walters a couple of weeks ago. Taking place in the early 2000s, the plot of the mystery unfolds against the backdrop of the British / American offensive in Iraq back in 2003. The main protagonists, Jonathan and George, set out to exonerate a convicted murderer, Howard Stamp, posthumously. 

Disordered Minds - Minette Walters

Book Review : Anne McCaffrey - The Rowan (The Tower and the Hive, I)

I must admit I decided to read The Rowan for two reasons. Firstly, I had never read anything by McCaffrey and secondly, judging by the curious looking cat on the cover of my second-hand hardcopy, I figured that the story featured a feline character of sorts. 

Well, there is a feline in the book - a precious barque cat, to be precise. True to their independent nature, however, it abandons its owner - Altair's most gifted telepathic inhabitant, the Rowan aka Angharad Gwyn - halfway through the story. 

Anne McCaffrey - The Rowan, ACE / Putnam, C.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1990, Cover Art: Romas (Romas Brandt Kukalis)

Sadly, as soon as my main motivation for reading the novel was evicted from the story line, my interest in the rest of the book declined rapidly. In the end I decided to abandon it for a while and read something else instead. When I resumed reading this morning, I couldn't help wondering why this book ever got written, let alone published. To be fair, there are another five books in the Tower and Hive series and reading them might provide an answer. Yet, I simply was not drawn in enough, so it's unlikely I will pick any of the sequels any time soon.

The Rowan is the life story of McCaffrey's character of the same name, an orphaned and extremely gifted telepath from planet Altair. Growing up in one of Altair's remote mining communities, the Rowan loses her entire family in a mudslide and is rescued thanks to her ability to project her excruciating cries for help telepathically. 

As her wailing is picked up by the authorities, the child is saved and eventually taken care of by a foster mother. Being extraordinarily gifted, she receives training in all things telepathy and telekinesis from Altair's prime telepath, Siglen, under the watchful eye of  T-1 Earth Prime, Reidinger. The Rowan child is destined to become one of FT&T's T-1 primes, one day to be in charge of her very own tower on another planet.

Altair is a mining planet and vital supplier of raw materials destined for Earth. All cargo leaving and arriving on the planet is transported with the help of telepaths with telekinetic abilities, also known as the T-1 Primes. Human space travel underlies the same telekinetic principles. With the entire logistics of all planetary existence hinging on the exchange of raw materials between Earth and its colonised planets, the most gifted telepaths are crucial for the continued operation of this supply chain and thus assume a somewhat privileged position in society.

Part one of the series sketches the Rowan's life from the early tragedy of losing her parents to becoming herself a T-1 Prime, and eventually wife to Jeff Raven, and mother of their son, Jeran.  Oh yeah, and I forgot....! The Primes get to fight a telepathic space assault against an invasion of alien enemy beetles in defence of Deneb, Jeff's home planet. 

I'm not sure which target audience this book is aimed at. Perhaps, McCaffrey wrote it with a teenage audience in mind, given that most of the positive reviews I have found come from readers with book nostalgia, revisiting a favourite teenage read. The telepathic love story between the Rowan and Jeff may well appeal to a younger audience. 

Though the plot is well paced, I simply couldn't relate to the characters in the book. They all remained more or less remote to me. The technical aspects of the story, i.e. mainly telekinetic transportation and telepathic communication, didn't overwhelm. This is a bonus for all those who enjoy a less technical sic-fi novel. Yet, the concept of super-talented telepaths shunting space ships around with the mere power of their minds appears a trifle far-fetched. I didn't enjoy McCaffrey's writing style all too much in this one, but I haven't been put off completely. One day, I'm sure, I will give the Pern series a go. 

Brother Cadfael Goes Knitting - Knitted Monk Exhibition at Tewkesbury Abbey

I know, fictional Cadfael resided at Shrewsbury Abbey, but I couldn't resist the header.

These guys are currently on display in a Knitted Monk exhibition at Tewkesbury Abbey (Gloucester, UK). More information is available here. 

What's best, there is a free knitting pattern, which can be accessed here.. I'm sure donations are very welcome. :-). 

Knitted Monk Exhibition at Tewkesbury Abbey

So, now there are really no excuses not to knit your very own Cadfael...or even a whole monastery...