Night's Master

Starred review from August 31, 2009
Lush imagery, sensual language and erotic undertones age well in this reprinted classic-as complex, seductive, and daring now as when it first came out in 1978. The award-winning Lee (Tempting the Gods) weaves a colorful tapestry of words as she laces together eighteen tales of the Flat Earth, where dismissive gods regard humanity as a mistake and capricious demons toy with mortals to while away the centuries. Though the cast changes every few stories, Azhrarn, Prince of Demons and Lord of Darkness, remains a constant presence, affecting mortal lives both directly and indirectly. From adopting a human infant for his own inscrutable reasons, to bringing down an over-ambitious king and challenging the gods for the fate of the world, Azhrarn's mark on the world stretches over the centuries and leaves no one untouched by the end. Themes of love and hate, truth and lies, beauty and ugliness are intertwined against a mythic backdrop that borrows adeptly from fairy tales and folklore while drawing inspiration from Oscar Wilde and the Arabian Nights. Eschewing a conventional plotline in favor of short stories sharing common elements and overlapping characters, this fantasy continues to push boundaries and challenge expectations.