tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8259460772864393968.post5317260532978764975..comments2024-03-26T21:58:50.501-04:00Comments on MPorcius Fiction Log: Tanith Lee & Michael Bishop Horror Stories from 1983MPorciushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15515742639389937221noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8259460772864393968.post-15715316139597955832014-02-04T17:35:00.833-05:002014-02-04T17:35:00.833-05:00Lee is a good writer when it comes to constructing...Lee is a good writer when it comes to constructing sentences and plots, so I am always happy to recommend her, but she does write about strange things from a strange angle. She is into that whole fin de siecle decadence thing, with cynical cosmopolitan connoisseurs sipping absinthe and all that. The intro to the story (by Charles L. Grant, I assume) suggests that Lee tries to render the abnormal normal, depicting characters whose values and attitudes are alien, even repugnant to most of us. <br /><br />For the three characters in this story life does not suck. Princess Draculas is immortal, rich, and is about to embark on a brilliant career of (apparently) attending balls and drinking people's blood. Gorin and Snake were low level criminals presumably destined for early graves whom the vampire gives century-plus lifespans, classical educations, and the opportunity to appreciate the arts. The last line of the story is an affirmation of Gorin's love for the vampire. Since none of us can really live like this, maybe the implication is that our lives really do suck. <br /><br />I guess you could see the story as a wish fulfillment fantasy, like Tarzan or Superman, with the difference that Tarzan and Superman use their abilities to help people, and they have traditional monogamous love relationships. The vampire and her servants in "Nunc Dimittis" are selfish, prey on other people, and have what you might call codependent, exploitative, sadomasochistic erotic relationships. To what extent she is just depicting amorality to entertain us, or criticizing aristocratic and/or middle class morality, I have no idea. MPorciushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15515742639389937221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8259460772864393968.post-79650732488596243192014-02-04T16:20:32.633-05:002014-02-04T16:20:32.633-05:00First, I had no idea "Hello Kitty as Cthulu&q...First, I had no idea "Hello Kitty as Cthulu" was a real thing - trust the internet to come up with an unceasing mixture of vapidity, evil, and marketing. It will take weeks to get that image off of my retinas. <br /><br />Second, I have never read Tannith Lee, (though I encounter the spines of her books whenever I'm searching used book stores for Lafferty). However, I do recall a trend in many SF short stories from the late '70s and early '80s towards nihilism--they would present genuinely unpleasant people with no come-uppance at the end. The attitude is many of these stories seemed to be one of "life sucks" and not to ask what you're going to do about it. Does her ending fit that description? <br /><br />Thank you again.<br /><br />KevinKevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04415345283350861149noreply@blogger.com