The Book of the Mad
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A surreal gothic fantasy of three nefarious cities: Paradise, Paradis, and Paradys
Welcome to Paradise, where the sun hasn’t shone for years and a callous, ritual-obsessed populace roams the decayed metropolis enshrouded in fog. The citizens are unhinged, murder and incest are praised, and madness reigns. Only a pair of twins, Felion and Smara, remains sane. But their sole hope of escaping the city is a mysterious ice labyrinth connecting parallel worlds.
Thus begins the sinister finale to the Secret Books of Paradys, in which three alternate versions of one city—Paradise, Paradis, and Paradys—are the layered canvas upon which twisted narratives unfold. In Paradis, Leocadia, a striking and eccentric painter, lives a hedonistic and unremorseful life. She is the sole heir to her uncle’s fortune, but the ease of life this affords her becomes a dizzying burden when her lover is murdered and doctors lock her up in an asylum called the Residence. Do the medics want to cure her madness—or do they wish to drive her insane?
Meanwhile, in Paradys, fifteen-year-old Hilde is a pale and perfect child with milk-white skin, ginger hair, and an obedient and loving countenance. But Hilde has a secret nocturnal life, budding sexuality, and lustful heart that becomes irrevocably engorged at the sight of a handsome actor with the face of a priest.
Written in author Tanith Lee’s signature style, The Book of the Mad breaks taboos, relishes horror, and conjures the perverse.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Best known for the Flat Earth series, Lee creates here a characteristically surreal and dark fantasy, her fourth (following The Book of the Dead ) set in the ancient, decadent city of Paradys. This time, three interconnected narratives present three alternate versions of the city. In modernistic Paradis, the eccentric, misanthropic painter Leocadia is trapped in an insane asylum by relatives scheming to grab her wealth. In Victorian-style Paradys, a tragic obsession shatters the sheltered life of young, bourgeois Hilde. In nightmarish Paradise, bloodthirsty twins Felion and Smara believe themselves to be the only sane people in a city of lunatics. Linking these disparate experiences are the theme of madness and a mysterious ice labyrinth that holds the promise of redemption. Lee's languid, brooding prose has a sensuality reminiscent of Anais Nin's. Hilde's tragedy is genuinely poignant, her despair powerfully portrayed, but the other characters are often self-consciously strange, and the plot drags when they transmit their ennui to the reader. However, this highly original story, notable for its unpredictable plot twists, will appeal to readers desiring a dreamlike excursion into the bizarre. Lee's fans will not be disappointed.
