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Four-BEE #1-2
Biting the Sun
In a world dedicated to pleasure, one young rebel sets out on a forbidden quest--.
Published for the first time in a single volume, Tanith Lee's duet of novels set in a hedonistic Utopia are as riveting and revolutionary as they were when they first appeared two decades ago.
It's a perfect existence, a world in which no pleasure is off-limits, no risk is too dangerous, and no responsibilities can cramp your style. Not if you're Jang: a caste of libertine teenagers in the city of Four BEE. But when you're expected to make trouble--when you can kill yourself on a whim and return in another body, when you're encouraged to change genders at will and experience whatever you desire--you've got no reason to rebel...until making love and raising hell, daring death and running wild just leave you cold and empty.
Ravenous for true adventures of the mind and body, desperate to find some meaning, one restless spirit finally bucks the system--and by shattering the rules, strikes at the very heart of a soulless society....
Published for the first time in a single volume, Tanith Lee's duet of novels set in a hedonistic Utopia are as riveting and revolutionary as they were when they first appeared two decades ago.
It's a perfect existence, a world in which no pleasure is off-limits, no risk is too dangerous, and no responsibilities can cramp your style. Not if you're Jang: a caste of libertine teenagers in the city of Four BEE. But when you're expected to make trouble--when you can kill yourself on a whim and return in another body, when you're encouraged to change genders at will and experience whatever you desire--you've got no reason to rebel...until making love and raising hell, daring death and running wild just leave you cold and empty.
Ravenous for true adventures of the mind and body, desperate to find some meaning, one restless spirit finally bucks the system--and by shattering the rules, strikes at the very heart of a soulless society....
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
82 people are currently reading
3856 people want to read
About the author
Tanith Lee
615 books1,964 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 - 30 of 214 reviews
May 31, 2013
Utopia: No death, no risk, no danger, no work, no money, just sheer comfort and fun and leisure forever. A perfect futuristic society watched over by benevolent AI androids. Who could want more, right? Except if that society isn't your cup of tea, well, living in it can be hellish.
---
Great book -- or rather, two books, since this is apparently Don't Bite the Sun and Drinking Sapphire Wine bundled up in one. They're both utterly necessary, though, so you should definitely read both.
I purposefully picked this up after my latest Iain M. Banks, in order to explore a different take on utopian society. The difference here is that the protagonist is deeply unhappy in the way that juveniles and adolescents are, but she truly doesn't fit in with the rest of her society. The first book, Don't Bite the Sun, is the weaker of the two because it feels like one very, very long drawn-out prologue -- but precisely because of that, it's necessary for what comes next. You have to see her trials and tribulations and false starts and flailing attempts to grasp meaning out of a life that has utterly lost meaning, and to gradually realise that there is no way out. These attempts are what slowly make her more and more sympathetic and likeable, even in all her shallow, superficial airs and shenanigans. What starts off as youthful rebellion evolves into so much more. She grows up.
Which is where Drinking Sapphire Wine comes in, which is much stronger and plot-driven, and I strongly preferred it. The aimless anecdotes turn to a more educated, disillusioned protagonist, and the novel eventually becomes a futuristic Robinson Crusoe and I am totally 100% okay with that. I won't say much else, for fear of spoiling its developments, but it was very good -- the world-building throughout was strong and interesting, the voice witty and fun, and heartwrenching at times.
And a note about the villain:
A few favourite quotes below, as always:
---
Great book -- or rather, two books, since this is apparently Don't Bite the Sun and Drinking Sapphire Wine bundled up in one. They're both utterly necessary, though, so you should definitely read both.
I purposefully picked this up after my latest Iain M. Banks, in order to explore a different take on utopian society. The difference here is that the protagonist is deeply unhappy in the way that juveniles and adolescents are, but she truly doesn't fit in with the rest of her society. The first book, Don't Bite the Sun, is the weaker of the two because it feels like one very, very long drawn-out prologue -- but precisely because of that, it's necessary for what comes next. You have to see her trials and tribulations and false starts and flailing attempts to grasp meaning out of a life that has utterly lost meaning, and to gradually realise that there is no way out. These attempts are what slowly make her more and more sympathetic and likeable, even in all her shallow, superficial airs and shenanigans. What starts off as youthful rebellion evolves into so much more. She grows up.
Which is where Drinking Sapphire Wine comes in, which is much stronger and plot-driven, and I strongly preferred it. The aimless anecdotes turn to a more educated, disillusioned protagonist, and the novel eventually becomes a futuristic Robinson Crusoe and I am totally 100% okay with that. I won't say much else, for fear of spoiling its developments, but it was very good -- the world-building throughout was strong and interesting, the voice witty and fun, and heartwrenching at times.
And a note about the villain:
A few favourite quotes below, as always:
May 3, 2019
Really interesting to read just a week or so after Brave New World as they both explore enforced utopias. In both sex is very casual, individuals are not only not very individual but they don't interact with other castes/ age groups, careers are meaningless, procreation is controlled and is not done in the womb, drug use in encouraged to increase happiness, etc. In neither do we learn much about how this society developed, how it really works. Both are, of course, focused on one misfit.
This is a much longer book with more interesting characters and is often entertaining. The cover is kinda sorta... don't worry about it, about what it means or what scene it's illustrating. It's not fantasy, and it's not really a 'girlie' book. Def. provocative SF. Maybe better for younger folks though who can more likely empathize with the Jang and their prolonged adolescence.
If you're interested, you really do want the omnibus. It's not too long or long-feeling, at least once you get past the first, ah, 60 pp or so.
And so, if you're interested, I do recommend the pair. If not, they're skippable.
'"You ought to take this seriously" [I was scolded.]
"How will that help?"'
'Like most loners, you carry the seeds of violent authority. Loners need to be bossy. They quickly learn it's the only method they have of shoving people off their backs.'
This is a much longer book with more interesting characters and is often entertaining. The cover is kinda sorta... don't worry about it, about what it means or what scene it's illustrating. It's not fantasy, and it's not really a 'girlie' book. Def. provocative SF. Maybe better for younger folks though who can more likely empathize with the Jang and their prolonged adolescence.
If you're interested, you really do want the omnibus. It's not too long or long-feeling, at least once you get past the first, ah, 60 pp or so.
And so, if you're interested, I do recommend the pair. If not, they're skippable.
'"You ought to take this seriously" [I was scolded.]
"How will that help?"'
'Like most loners, you carry the seeds of violent authority. Loners need to be bossy. They quickly learn it's the only method they have of shoving people off their backs.'
June 24, 2007
In the far, far future, after most of the planet has been sucked dry, humanity lives in three colossal dome cities in the middle of the vast desert. There is no hunger, sickness or true death—suicide is a sport that has next-to-no consequences, since a new body of any shape, size or sex is always waiting. Youth now lasts a century, and the disaffected young people now form a separate class in society: the eternally dilettante Jang, encouraged or required to be silly, selfish and profligate, to change their bodies and their sex often, to sample every drug, food, music and sensation this hedonistic society has to offer, and never to think a serious thought or do anything that is not thoughtless and pleasurable.
But what if this existence chafes? What would such a society do to one of its own who threatens the cities' balance by trying to break free of the mold?
But what if this existence chafes? What would such a society do to one of its own who threatens the cities' balance by trying to break free of the mold?
December 1, 2016
This was a strange book but definitely a memorable one. I didn't think I liked it at first and I definitely didn't love it, but I did find my thoughts returning to it after I'd read it. It will be staying on my bookshelf for that reason (plus admittedly, I'd be loath to get rid of it even so due to the lovely Kinuko Craft cover!).
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/1...
Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/1...
February 10, 2018
I love how easily Lee can create depressed or unhappy characters without ever once saying so. Thus is the case with this book's heroine. The writing, as usual for Lee, was great, but again, as with most sci-fi I read, this wasn't for me.
September 11, 2025
4.2⭐ Adds Review to Rating.
I think Tanith Lee is a pretty good writer regardless of which genre she's working in but personally I prefer her science fiction. I believe this is her longest SF work (originally written as two, separate novels-combined in this edition).
Blessed ( or cursed) with virtual immortality, the occupants of Lee's dystopian utopia go through an enforced century of adolescence, in which they change bodies at will, suicide frequently, imbibe mutiple intoxicants and are forbidden to anything useful ( not that there's a lot to do in their machine driven society). Our unnamed heroine is unhappy with this and commits acts of rebellion which eventually get her exiled from the domed cities to the desert wasteland that comprises most of future Earth.
There she discovers alternative ways of living, along with the reasons for humanity's stagnation.
Lee's style might be a bit baroque for some but I've always liked it, with its poetic flourishes. And I liked this book which I found to be highly original. -30
I think Tanith Lee is a pretty good writer regardless of which genre she's working in but personally I prefer her science fiction. I believe this is her longest SF work (originally written as two, separate novels-combined in this edition).
Blessed ( or cursed) with virtual immortality, the occupants of Lee's dystopian utopia go through an enforced century of adolescence, in which they change bodies at will, suicide frequently, imbibe mutiple intoxicants and are forbidden to anything useful ( not that there's a lot to do in their machine driven society). Our unnamed heroine is unhappy with this and commits acts of rebellion which eventually get her exiled from the domed cities to the desert wasteland that comprises most of future Earth.
There she discovers alternative ways of living, along with the reasons for humanity's stagnation.
Lee's style might be a bit baroque for some but I've always liked it, with its poetic flourishes. And I liked this book which I found to be highly original. -30
August 23, 2014
The Basics
In a world where the least desire is met, our heroine/hero is getting bored. They want something intangibly more that vast technological advances can’t meet. The questions becomes not whether they will find the answer they seek but whether society will let them.
My Thoughts
This is one of Tanith Lee’s most popular works, and having finally read it, I see why. Not just for it’s entertainment value, of which is has a lot, but for the chances it takes and the messages it sends. By today’s standards, what Lee does with the idea of gender swapping might seem tame, but for it’s day, I can imagine it was different, illuminating, and maybe even shocking to some. Characters in this world change appearance and gender on a whim. They get married and divorced within a week. There is a lot said here about sexual orientation, sex in general, gender identification, and so on. In many cases, the truthfulness of what’s said is debatable, like how our nameless narrator makes a very different man than she does a woman and what the implications of that are. But it can still be said that this book takes a lot of worthy chances by involving the idea of gender being transitory.
The story also echoes the classic Brave New World, though from a slightly different angle. Where Huxley had an outsider appalled by what he witnessed in this supposed utopia, we have an insider who starts to see the sheen and glitter of their utopia tarnish. And in the most interesting way. Death is nothing in this world. Suicide is the norm, something people do so they can come back with a new body. Yet our narrator suffers loses. The path she takes (and most of her loses are suffered when she is in a female body) makes it so she witnesses death in a very personal way. So that by the time we reach part two of the story, she is now a he and pursuing an entirely different way of life than those around him. The heroine/hero’s narrative is so well-done that this transition feels entirely natural, and the character development is thorough and fascinating.
As you can see, this book is hard to sum up. It’s about a dystopia in sheep’s clothing. It’s about acceptance of the imperfect. It’s about facing death. It’s about gender identity. It’s also just an amazingly fun romp for all that. A future-world adventure with a narrator who starts out a shallow nuisance and becomes something their world has never seen before. It has a rich plot and a great main character. It’s worth the hype it receives.
Final Rating
5/5
In a world where the least desire is met, our heroine/hero is getting bored. They want something intangibly more that vast technological advances can’t meet. The questions becomes not whether they will find the answer they seek but whether society will let them.
My Thoughts
This is one of Tanith Lee’s most popular works, and having finally read it, I see why. Not just for it’s entertainment value, of which is has a lot, but for the chances it takes and the messages it sends. By today’s standards, what Lee does with the idea of gender swapping might seem tame, but for it’s day, I can imagine it was different, illuminating, and maybe even shocking to some. Characters in this world change appearance and gender on a whim. They get married and divorced within a week. There is a lot said here about sexual orientation, sex in general, gender identification, and so on. In many cases, the truthfulness of what’s said is debatable, like how our nameless narrator makes a very different man than she does a woman and what the implications of that are. But it can still be said that this book takes a lot of worthy chances by involving the idea of gender being transitory.
The story also echoes the classic Brave New World, though from a slightly different angle. Where Huxley had an outsider appalled by what he witnessed in this supposed utopia, we have an insider who starts to see the sheen and glitter of their utopia tarnish. And in the most interesting way. Death is nothing in this world. Suicide is the norm, something people do so they can come back with a new body. Yet our narrator suffers loses. The path she takes (and most of her loses are suffered when she is in a female body) makes it so she witnesses death in a very personal way. So that by the time we reach part two of the story, she is now a he and pursuing an entirely different way of life than those around him. The heroine/hero’s narrative is so well-done that this transition feels entirely natural, and the character development is thorough and fascinating.
As you can see, this book is hard to sum up. It’s about a dystopia in sheep’s clothing. It’s about acceptance of the imperfect. It’s about facing death. It’s about gender identity. It’s also just an amazingly fun romp for all that. A future-world adventure with a narrator who starts out a shallow nuisance and becomes something their world has never seen before. It has a rich plot and a great main character. It’s worth the hype it receives.
Final Rating
5/5
February 23, 2021
The most underrated science fiction book!
I don't think my Uncle read the book's description at all back when he gave me this for Christmas long ago when I was 12 years old in seventh grade. I remember devouring it and thinking it was the wildest story I had ever heard. Probably too mature for me at that point but I sure didn't care. I read it several times throughout high school and then it has sat on a bookshelf for years collecting dust.
I picked it up again recently on a whim and once again felt like it was the wildest story I have ever heard. We think that making things easy is the secret to happiness. That a world full of only pleasure, no pain, will finally bring contentment. Tanith Lee argues, quite convincingly, that what makes life meaningful is not just pleasure, but pain and struggling. The challenge of life itself is what makes it so sweet. Having everything handed to us on a silver platter may not be as wonderful as it seems.
Devoured it in one day and think I'll make it a yearly read now.
I don't think my Uncle read the book's description at all back when he gave me this for Christmas long ago when I was 12 years old in seventh grade. I remember devouring it and thinking it was the wildest story I had ever heard. Probably too mature for me at that point but I sure didn't care. I read it several times throughout high school and then it has sat on a bookshelf for years collecting dust.
I picked it up again recently on a whim and once again felt like it was the wildest story I have ever heard. We think that making things easy is the secret to happiness. That a world full of only pleasure, no pain, will finally bring contentment. Tanith Lee argues, quite convincingly, that what makes life meaningful is not just pleasure, but pain and struggling. The challenge of life itself is what makes it so sweet. Having everything handed to us on a silver platter may not be as wonderful as it seems.
Devoured it in one day and think I'll make it a yearly read now.
September 12, 2008
Tanith Lee's books have this odd, undefinable, dream-like quality to them. They certainly have the same logic as most dreams, or at the very least feel as though they do. Biting the Sun, a science fiction dystopia in which the world is controlled by some form of robot and the majority of humans are encouraged to spend the entirety of their lives in blissful ignorance of the real realities of life and humanity (there's a 'never growing up' metaphor that isn't quite a metaphor throughout the book), is no exception. It wasn't entirely to my taste (I'm not much of a science fiction person), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. A piece of advice - don't think about it too much. Just go along with it, like a dream.
Read
November 19, 2012This book has such a wonderful main character – though she has a desire for something greater in her life, for three-quarters of the book, she spends her time getting distracted from that by many shiny things – a new pet! someone new to fall in love with! a new body! archeology! volcanos! stone-carving! someone else new to fall in love with! theft! etc.! The author does such a good job humanizing her as a protagonist through that, because honestly, who really trusts a teenager who decides to dedicate their life to a greater something-or-other and then proceeds to focus on that to the exclusion of all else?
Also a theme: never trust robots; probably they are evil and/or explosive.
Also a theme: never trust robots; probably they are evil and/or explosive.
November 22, 2012
Fabulous! Probably the most original novel I've ever read.
Tanith Lee has this wonderful way of drawing her readers into her world. She makes references to events and places, as if the audience is familiar with them, and she never provides too much background information. (Because we already know, right?)
Her language as always is wonderful, (I've never read any author with such a flair for creative adjectives!) Descriptive but still very concise.
There is a glossary at the beginning of the novel, defining the Jang slang words used throughout the book. And boy do you need it! The slang is frequently used, which I found really helped give the impression the world was authentic.
Our main character (who in fact has no name) struggles with dissatisfaction in a world where absolutely anything is possible. Drugs, sex, gender swapping, body design and changing, suicide, infinite luxury--every possible wish is granted. As the story continues, it becomes apparent that everyone in the protagonist's circle is unhappy in some way, despite the extremes the QRs go to to prevent it.
Even an idyllic life is unsatisfying. Only through challenging our minds and bodies, and making our own choices can we learn and grow!
I love this book.
Tanith Lee has this wonderful way of drawing her readers into her world. She makes references to events and places, as if the audience is familiar with them, and she never provides too much background information. (Because we already know, right?)
Her language as always is wonderful, (I've never read any author with such a flair for creative adjectives!) Descriptive but still very concise.
There is a glossary at the beginning of the novel, defining the Jang slang words used throughout the book. And boy do you need it! The slang is frequently used, which I found really helped give the impression the world was authentic.
Our main character (who in fact has no name) struggles with dissatisfaction in a world where absolutely anything is possible. Drugs, sex, gender swapping, body design and changing, suicide, infinite luxury--every possible wish is granted. As the story continues, it becomes apparent that everyone in the protagonist's circle is unhappy in some way, despite the extremes the QRs go to to prevent it.
Even an idyllic life is unsatisfying. Only through challenging our minds and bodies, and making our own choices can we learn and grow!
I love this book.
April 4, 2017
(Edit: added review for Drinking Sapphire Wine.)
Don't Bite the Sun (4/5 stars):
DO NOT BITE THE SUN, TRAVELER,
YOU WILL BURN YOUR MOUTH.
Attlevey, oomas!
What do you do when you grow tired of constant ecstasy? When every need is provided and all that's asked of you is your gratitude, and you're still filled with ennui and dissatisfaction? Even your rioting and destruction seems expected of you, not dangerous at all, and doesn't provide the catharsis you're looking for.
Maybe you should get a job? Try out the arts? Have a child? Or impulsively join an archaeological expedition in the blazing desert outside your city-in-a-bubble.
This short novel starts out tantalizingly weirdly, with strange language and cultural quirks with no explanation. I had to skip back a couple of times to recall various events or characters because it was a little overwhelming. After a while it all settled in and was easy to follow, and I was able to sympathize with our unnamed main character's troubles in her glamorous, decadent world.
The "disaffected youth" angle is not exactly original, and the revelation on the last page didn't seem to follow from anything that had come before it. However, the heroine's humorous, self-aware observation of her decisions and emotional state keeps things light, and there are hints of genuine affection between her and her "circle," and her and her stolen pet, which made for an oddly cozy feel. I'm interested in seeing where the story goes in the second Four BEE novel published in this collected volume.
Drinking Sapphire Wine (3/5 stars):
Attlevey again, oomas!
Our unnamed heroine has done it this time. She's been reading the materials in the Historical Library in Four BEE, started a duel, and as result committed the first crime in centuries. The AI caretakers of the city decide to punish her by exiling her to the desert outside the protective walls.
This and that happen, and our heroine half-accidentally, half by design, creates a green paradise outside the isolated dwelling the AIs have created for her. Her situation and her unique (and, to be honest, unthinking) revolt against Four BEE draw in other, voluntary exiles.
There were a decent number of things that didn't work for me in this second half of the Four BEE duology. The introduction of older Earth concepts to this now presumably post-apocolyptic utopia felt shoehorned in. After almost an entire book of episodic events that connected into an intriguing, weird whole, our author finally realizes that maybe we should have a plot, so there's a big explosive conflict, and then the the whole thing is capped off with one of the oldest SF chestnuts, the .
On the whole, though, Biting the Sun is charming, and often mildly silly. The goofy animals, the heroine's self-aware and curious mindset, her exasperated dealings with those around her, all give the duology a humorous feel. This isn't comedy in the Pratchett or Adams vein. It's less broad, and way less cynical, but definitely there, and for me it's the greatest source of the duology's appeal.
This was the first Lee I'd read since The Silver Metal Lover twenty years ago. Since this was a relatively early novel, I feel more indulgent of its flaws than I might otherwise have. It's tempting to move on immediately to Night's Master or one of the others of hers I haven't yet tried--and there are a lot!--to see what it's like.
Don't Bite the Sun (4/5 stars):
DO NOT BITE THE SUN, TRAVELER,
YOU WILL BURN YOUR MOUTH.
Attlevey, oomas!
What do you do when you grow tired of constant ecstasy? When every need is provided and all that's asked of you is your gratitude, and you're still filled with ennui and dissatisfaction? Even your rioting and destruction seems expected of you, not dangerous at all, and doesn't provide the catharsis you're looking for.
Maybe you should get a job? Try out the arts? Have a child? Or impulsively join an archaeological expedition in the blazing desert outside your city-in-a-bubble.
This short novel starts out tantalizingly weirdly, with strange language and cultural quirks with no explanation. I had to skip back a couple of times to recall various events or characters because it was a little overwhelming. After a while it all settled in and was easy to follow, and I was able to sympathize with our unnamed main character's troubles in her glamorous, decadent world.
The "disaffected youth" angle is not exactly original, and the revelation on the last page didn't seem to follow from anything that had come before it. However, the heroine's humorous, self-aware observation of her decisions and emotional state keeps things light, and there are hints of genuine affection between her and her "circle," and her and her stolen pet, which made for an oddly cozy feel. I'm interested in seeing where the story goes in the second Four BEE novel published in this collected volume.
Drinking Sapphire Wine (3/5 stars):
Attlevey again, oomas!
Our unnamed heroine has done it this time. She's been reading the materials in the Historical Library in Four BEE, started a duel, and as result committed the first crime in centuries. The AI caretakers of the city decide to punish her by exiling her to the desert outside the protective walls.
This and that happen, and our heroine half-accidentally, half by design, creates a green paradise outside the isolated dwelling the AIs have created for her. Her situation and her unique (and, to be honest, unthinking) revolt against Four BEE draw in other, voluntary exiles.
There were a decent number of things that didn't work for me in this second half of the Four BEE duology. The introduction of older Earth concepts to this now presumably post-apocolyptic utopia felt shoehorned in. After almost an entire book of episodic events that connected into an intriguing, weird whole, our author finally realizes that maybe we should have a plot, so there's a big explosive conflict, and then the the whole thing is capped off with one of the oldest SF chestnuts, the .
On the whole, though, Biting the Sun is charming, and often mildly silly. The goofy animals, the heroine's self-aware and curious mindset, her exasperated dealings with those around her, all give the duology a humorous feel. This isn't comedy in the Pratchett or Adams vein. It's less broad, and way less cynical, but definitely there, and for me it's the greatest source of the duology's appeal.
This was the first Lee I'd read since The Silver Metal Lover twenty years ago. Since this was a relatively early novel, I feel more indulgent of its flaws than I might otherwise have. It's tempting to move on immediately to Night's Master or one of the others of hers I haven't yet tried--and there are a lot!--to see what it's like.
January 3, 2011
All of the other books I've read by Tanith Lee have been so DARK, so it was refreshing to read something this light and fantastical (with dark bits scattered throughout, of course). This is actually a collection of two books, "Don't Bite the Sun" and "Drinking Sapphire Wine", but I'm glad that I read the collected edition, because I would have been extremely unsastisfied with the ending to the first book. I'm sure that was Lee's intention though; the entire story is about a character who can't find any point to her perfect existance. It's only when you get to "Drinking Sapphire Wine" that she really starts to DO something about it.
The book is confusing at first, but it's in a style that I really admire when an author can pull it off. The reader is basically thrown into a completely alien setting, with little to no explanations for anything: suicides as a fashion statement, BEE's, Older People and Jangs, with Jang slang (there's a glossary of Jang slang at the beginning, but don't sweat it too much, the meanings are fairly clear anyway). The first half of the book is like a fever dream, and I spent part of the time sympathising with the character for trying to find some meaning to life - which never makes her happy - and annoyance when she falls back on her old habits, knowing that they won't make her happy either.
In the second half, the character manages in a few chapters to completely destroy her perfect life, and then spends the rest of the book putting it back together. It was a little startling to see things coming together so well (despite setbacks); after reading the Scarabae trillogy, I'm more used to Lee's books being tragic, and slightly perverted.
The book is confusing at first, but it's in a style that I really admire when an author can pull it off. The reader is basically thrown into a completely alien setting, with little to no explanations for anything: suicides as a fashion statement, BEE's, Older People and Jangs, with Jang slang (there's a glossary of Jang slang at the beginning, but don't sweat it too much, the meanings are fairly clear anyway). The first half of the book is like a fever dream, and I spent part of the time sympathising with the character for trying to find some meaning to life - which never makes her happy - and annoyance when she falls back on her old habits, knowing that they won't make her happy either.
In the second half, the character manages in a few chapters to completely destroy her perfect life, and then spends the rest of the book putting it back together. It was a little startling to see things coming together so well (despite setbacks); after reading the Scarabae trillogy, I'm more used to Lee's books being tragic, and slightly perverted.
October 1, 2022
Going to pull a Mr. Knightley and say if I loved this book less I could talk about it more. Hard to think of anything else that is both this funny and this sad - and this hopeful too.
If I had to describe this book as something - Voltaire by way of Gossip Girl? But in its most perfect (and imperfect) form.
I guess I have to thank the author Maya Deane for this reading experience because after I read and LOVED Wrath Goddess Sing I went to see if she had recommended any other books, or mentioned any influences, in any author Q&As out there… and this book came up. In retrospect I can’t believe I’d never read anything by Tanith Lee before. How??
If I had to describe this book as something - Voltaire by way of Gossip Girl? But in its most perfect (and imperfect) form.
I guess I have to thank the author Maya Deane for this reading experience because after I read and LOVED Wrath Goddess Sing I went to see if she had recommended any other books, or mentioned any influences, in any author Q&As out there… and this book came up. In retrospect I can’t believe I’d never read anything by Tanith Lee before. How??
January 6, 2012
This is my favorite book of all time. Period. No contest.
It's almost a religious experience re-reading it.
I never thought I would be able to say that this is the book, above all others, that speaks most clearly the inner language of my soul, but there you have it.
It's almost a religious experience re-reading it.
I never thought I would be able to say that this is the book, above all others, that speaks most clearly the inner language of my soul, but there you have it.
April 14, 2018
This was an absorbing, utterly loopy read about a world gone so wrong that suicide is one of the most popular options available. This story is about finding a way out of that meaninglessness. Kept me reading even though I often wanted to slap the protagonist. Great stuff!
May 29, 2013
Не хапи слънцето, че ще изгориш устните си. Едно милостиво предупреждение на системата към своите смирени поданици — не ритай срещу ръжена, не хапи ръката, която те храни, не повдигай главица, да не ти я отрежем. Някак идиотски своевременно, на фона на абсурда наречен Избори в България, съзнанието ми се залови да нищи един прекрасен свят на Танит Ли, събран в омнибус с покъртително красива корица, създаден преди поне четиридесет години в психеделични времена на цветове и любов, когато реалността навън все така активно се е разпадала, но поне населението се е забавлявало на воля, тъй като все още е имало някое и друго табу за нарушаване.
Светът на градовете — куполи, които един читав преводач ще именува подобаващо, но аз се забавлявам първосигнално да ги наричам кошерите на трите електронни кралици майки — Бии, Буу и Баа, в който роботите отдавна са победили, но поне имаме късмет, че същите ни харесват и ни оставят да дивеем на лимитирана воля като красиви животни, е центърът на историята на Танит Ли, развиваща се в две отделни, но свързани пряко книжни части на фентъзийната хомогения от хаос, наречени преднамерено чудновато Не хапи слънцето и Пиейки сапфирно вино. Действието се развива встрани, около и въпреки сцената, в която тенекиените декоратори заслужават най-огромните аплодисменти и от време на време някой и друг саботаж с електронен нож и отверка. Хората са се превърнали в безсмъртни богове, можещи да избират каквито си искат тела, полове, ако щат с рога, копита и опашки или аморфни крайници, но са загубили страха си от см��ртта, тъй като добрите наследници на Р2-Д2 сглабят човешки останки за нула време и връщат души и спомени за няколко пестелеви времеви цикъла. Странно е колко от човещината се базира на усещането ни за тленност, а оттам някак и за понятия като “любов”, “бъдеще”, даже и “Аз”.
Светът на Бии е населен със забавляващи се, свръхкрасиви, вечно дрогирани, постоянно разгонени, впечатляващи образци на млади разюздани индивиди, чието основно задължение е да са максимално разголени и невероятно изглеждащи, за да радват по-възрастните екземпляри, които вече са се отегчили от вечната младост, и се правят на мрачно цъкащи, но всъщност дълбоко одобряващи бабки в парка, радващи се под мустак на дивата младост забравена. Но старци реално няма, нито пенсионни фондове, мор��и и гробища, защото тялото и възрастта са въпрос на личен избор, който може да се променя според степента на отегчение от самия себе си за всеки един. Девианти има рядко, нещастието е неразбираемо, но лесно се избягва със зрелищно самоубийство, след което малките братя роботчета смитат останките и пренасят божията искрица до цех Лимбо или Чистилище по нашему, където натъжената душа си избира да се прероди да речем в двайсетметрова мацка със синя коса и рог на еднорог, с надеждата за малко разтуха от презадоволението, ширещо се на воля, крепено внимателно от металните тихи бавачки.
На никой не се налага да работи освен на шепа извратеняци, които се забавляват да натискат копчета, като същите между другото, ако не бъдат натиснати овреме, сами си вършат и тая работа, спестявайки усилията на подопечните си, а вместо пари се плаща с емоционална енергия, пак по избор, а не като задължение, изразяваща се в дълговременно крещене на благодарности в ушите на услужлива машинка, ретранслираща заразното щастие в обикновен ток за поддържане на енергийни полета, пречистващи системи и прочие благинки за човечеството. Ще кажете Рай и ще сте прави. Имате пълен комплект от удоволствия според списъка на децата на роботиката, внимателно изучавали възприятията и разбиранията ни за удоволствие, усилени екстремално, подкрепени солидно от виртуална реалност, синтетика и генетика. Но има и правила. Които, ако не се спазват, ще доведат до изхвърлянето ви извън добрите куполи насред пустинята, откъдето, ако умрете все пак поради някакви обичайни природни причини, металните кошчета ще долетят, за да съберат парчетиите и душата ви и да ви върнат за прераждане в топлия кошер. Да ви звучи познато?
Танит се заиграва изкусно с божията тема за Рая и цената на изгонването от него, довело до създаването на човечеството, само че Господ в света на Бии има разни милиарди жички и неврони и прокламира волята си чрез любезни квазиандроиди, а Адам и Ева, все така красиви и голи, разкриват простото познание, че животът може да се живее и по различен начин, за което биват грижливо прогонени, със загрижената мисъл да не тормозят останалите райски обитатели с революцията на умовете си. Главната ни протагонистка, тъй като все пак Ли си е отявлена феминистка, играе цикъла на псевдощастливия си живот сред псевдощастливи приятели, без бъдеще, някакви цели или мечти, докато съдбата, приела формата на жажда за промяна, не я отвежда отвъд грижливо поставените граници и не предизвиква истинско прегряване на компютърни свръзки, опитващи се да асимилират идеята за различност, Бог и валидността на законите на роботиката, в частта им доколко да служат на хората и доколко на реда, който са призвани да пазят. Не очаквайте някакви мащабни войни, със спецефекти и милиарди купчинки скрап по пода след някаква офанзива с лъскави бластери-мластери. Всичко е лично, индивидуално и ужасно красиво, докосващо те на скрити местенца в душата, особено по емоционално отритнатите и заровени зад дебели врати скелети на погребани мечти. Всичко е в думите, в цветовете, в картините. В характерите, промяната и различието. В името на правото на човека да може да се надява, да обича и да върви натам, накъдето го води искрицата душа в него, а не накъдето го тикат тъмничарските пазачи на реда и приетата нормалност дори и в един привидно идеален защитен свят на удоволствия.
След финала на последните страници ми се искаше да има и още едно продължение, разглеждащо тъжния въпрос — ако сме били изгонени от Рая в непознатото Навън, а сега ни се иска ужасно да избягаме и от това Навън, къде можем да отидем — има ли Отвъд, или пък Извън, може би Далеч, а дали не и просто Другаде, но опасявам се, това е задача, оставена ни от Танит сами да разрешаваме в нашия вариант за реалност. По която за момента се проваляваме гръмотевично. Но нали сме хора и пазим разни неща — като надежди и мечти, и сънища, които са си лично наши и могат да ни отнесат там някъде където… Където животът има смисъл, логиката определяме ние, а справедливостта е вечният ненарушим закон. Нашият личен Едем, скрит дълбоко в умовете ни на латентни създатели, чакащи да бъдат събудени с трясък някой, някой ден.
Светът на градовете — куполи, които един читав преводач ще именува подобаващо, но аз се забавлявам първосигнално да ги наричам кошерите на трите електронни кралици майки — Бии, Буу и Баа, в който роботите отдавна са победили, но поне имаме късмет, че същите ни харесват и ни оставят да дивеем на лимитирана воля като красиви животни, е центърът на историята на Танит Ли, развиваща се в две отделни, но свързани пряко книжни части на фентъзийната хомогения от хаос, наречени преднамерено чудновато Не хапи слънцето и Пиейки сапфирно вино. Действието се развива встрани, около и въпреки сцената, в която тенекиените декоратори заслужават най-огромните аплодисменти и от време на време някой и друг саботаж с електронен нож и отверка. Хората са се превърнали в безсмъртни богове, можещи да избират каквито си искат тела, полове, ако щат с рога, копита и опашки или аморфни крайници, но са загубили страха си от см��ртта, тъй като добрите наследници на Р2-Д2 сглабят човешки останки за нула време и връщат души и спомени за няколко пестелеви времеви цикъла. Странно е колко от човещината се базира на усещането ни за тленност, а оттам някак и за понятия като “любов”, “бъдеще”, даже и “Аз”.
Светът на Бии е населен със забавляващи се, свръхкрасиви, вечно дрогирани, постоянно разгонени, впечатляващи образци на млади разюздани индивиди, чието основно задължение е да са максимално разголени и невероятно изглеждащи, за да радват по-възрастните екземпляри, които вече са се отегчили от вечната младост, и се правят на мрачно цъкащи, но всъщност дълбоко одобряващи бабки в парка, радващи се под мустак на дивата младост забравена. Но старци реално няма, нито пенсионни фондове, мор��и и гробища, защото тялото и възрастта са въпрос на личен избор, който може да се променя според степента на отегчение от самия себе си за всеки един. Девианти има рядко, нещастието е неразбираемо, но лесно се избягва със зрелищно самоубийство, след което малките братя роботчета смитат останките и пренасят божията искрица до цех Лимбо или Чистилище по нашему, където натъжената душа си избира да се прероди да речем в двайсетметрова мацка със синя коса и рог на еднорог, с надеждата за малко разтуха от презадоволението, ширещо се на воля, крепено внимателно от металните тихи бавачки.
На никой не се налага да работи освен на шепа извратеняци, които се забавляват да натискат копчета, като същите между другото, ако не бъдат натиснати овреме, сами си вършат и тая работа, спестявайки усилията на подопечните си, а вместо пари се плаща с емоционална енергия, пак по избор, а не като задължение, изразяваща се в дълговременно крещене на благодарности в ушите на услужлива машинка, ретранслираща заразното щастие в обикновен ток за поддържане на енергийни полета, пречистващи системи и прочие благинки за човечеството. Ще кажете Рай и ще сте прави. Имате пълен комплект от удоволствия според списъка на децата на роботиката, внимателно изучавали възприятията и разбиранията ни за удоволствие, усилени екстремално, подкрепени солидно от виртуална реалност, синтетика и генетика. Но има и правила. Които, ако не се спазват, ще доведат до изхвърлянето ви извън добрите куполи насред пустинята, откъдето, ако умрете все пак поради някакви обичайни природни причини, металните кошчета ще долетят, за да съберат парчетиите и душата ви и да ви върнат за прераждане в топлия кошер. Да ви звучи познато?
Танит се заиграва изкусно с божията тема за Рая и цената на изгонването от него, довело до създаването на човечеството, само че Господ в света на Бии има разни милиарди жички и неврони и прокламира волята си чрез любезни квазиандроиди, а Адам и Ева, все така красиви и голи, разкриват простото познание, че животът може да се живее и по различен начин, за което биват грижливо прогонени, със загрижената мисъл да не тормозят останалите райски обитатели с революцията на умовете си. Главната ни протагонистка, тъй като все пак Ли си е отявлена феминистка, играе цикъла на псевдощастливия си живот сред псевдощастливи приятели, без бъдеще, някакви цели или мечти, докато съдбата, приела формата на жажда за промяна, не я отвежда отвъд грижливо поставените граници и не предизвиква истинско прегряване на компютърни свръзки, опитващи се да асимилират идеята за различност, Бог и валидността на законите на роботиката, в частта им доколко да служат на хората и доколко на реда, който са призвани да пазят. Не очаквайте някакви мащабни войни, със спецефекти и милиарди купчинки скрап по пода след някаква офанзива с лъскави бластери-мластери. Всичко е лично, индивидуално и ужасно красиво, докосващо те на скрити местенца в душата, особено по емоционално отритнатите и заровени зад дебели врати скелети на погребани мечти. Всичко е в думите, в цветовете, в картините. В характерите, промяната и различието. В името на правото на човека да може да се надява, да обича и да върви натам, накъдето го води искрицата душа в него, а не накъдето го тикат тъмничарските пазачи на реда и приетата нормалност дори и в един привидно идеален защитен свят на удоволствия.
След финала на последните страници ми се искаше да има и още едно продължение, разглеждащо тъжния въпрос — ако сме били изгонени от Рая в непознатото Навън, а сега ни се иска ужасно да избягаме и от това Навън, къде можем да отидем — има ли Отвъд, или пък Извън, може би Далеч, а дали не и просто Другаде, но опасявам се, това е задача, оставена ни от Танит сами да разрешаваме в нашия вариант за реалност. По която за момента се проваляваме гръмотевично. Но нали сме хора и пазим разни неща — като надежди и мечти, и сънища, които са си лично наши и могат да ни отнесат там някъде където… Където животът има смисъл, логиката определяме ние, а справедливостта е вечният ненарушим закон. Нашият личен Едем, скрит дълбоко в умовете ни на латентни създатели, чакащи да бъдат събудени с трясък някой, някой ден.
March 28, 2009
This book is actually two novels in one, as it's a volume composed of Don't Bite the Sun and Drinking Sapphire Wine. Both novels are set in the same universe and focus on many of the same characters, so it makes perfect sense for them to be put out in one volume, particularly as I feel the first book is in desperate need of a conclusion that Drinking Sapphire Wine provides for it.
The people of Four-BEE live in a world where both young and old, but especially the young, can experience any pleasure they like, to the extent that if they get bored with their personal appearance they can suicide and wake up in a new body, male or female, in all sorts of variations. It's almost the ultimate in hedonistic fantasies, with as much sex and drugs as you like as well, and littered with its own slang and attitudes.
Our hero is one of the Jang, embracing it all with enthusiasm, until she gets to a point where the realisation sets in that it's all pretty meaningless. From there on, she begins to buck the system, to the point where (in the second novel) she's living as an outcast from polite society when her idyllic existence is rudely interrupted by the arrival of others who want to follow her example.
It's a lovely piece of world-building, with our protagonist in particular being one of the most interesting characters I've seen in a while. She's not perfect, by any means, and her motivations aren't always clear-cut, but her enthusiasm for whatever she's doing seems to carry the books along with a will. Fortunately there's still a lot of this author's books out there for me to try, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for them.
The people of Four-BEE live in a world where both young and old, but especially the young, can experience any pleasure they like, to the extent that if they get bored with their personal appearance they can suicide and wake up in a new body, male or female, in all sorts of variations. It's almost the ultimate in hedonistic fantasies, with as much sex and drugs as you like as well, and littered with its own slang and attitudes.
Our hero is one of the Jang, embracing it all with enthusiasm, until she gets to a point where the realisation sets in that it's all pretty meaningless. From there on, she begins to buck the system, to the point where (in the second novel) she's living as an outcast from polite society when her idyllic existence is rudely interrupted by the arrival of others who want to follow her example.
It's a lovely piece of world-building, with our protagonist in particular being one of the most interesting characters I've seen in a while. She's not perfect, by any means, and her motivations aren't always clear-cut, but her enthusiasm for whatever she's doing seems to carry the books along with a will. Fortunately there's still a lot of this author's books out there for me to try, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for them.
May 9, 2013
Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee is a fantastic book. It was very strange at the start when everyone was committing suicide and then making a new body and contiuing on as if nothing happened. The world is set in the distant future and people live in domes called ether Four BOO, Four BEE, of Four BAA. the rest of the world is a desert. The main character (who you never know her name) is not content with the world that is made so teens (called Jang) can do whatever they want. She wants to move on to be an adult but the androids who run the domes won't allow it, they don't think she has been a Jang long enough. She searches and then because she kills someone (because they were stupid and challenged her to a duel. They had to read this up in the history tower as duels and swords are never heard of in the regular world) and this is the first time in a very long long time. She is exiled and is sent into the desert with a few robots and a big sand ship (the androids are programmed to give comfort, so even though she is an exile they give her all the comfort they can) and eventually she plants a garden. I won't say any more but I really really liked this book and highly recommend it for ages 14+.
December 16, 2023
Get this book! Read this book! What a wonderful book this is! I read it first when I was in my teens and have been returning to it at least once per decade since - and it never disappointed me yet! I honestly wish I could write a book like this..! Over the years I have been wondering why this has never been made into a screenplay for a movie or series, the sci-fi pageantry would lend itself to beautiful and confusing visuals while deep questions lurk just below all the glitter and glamour.
I am not going to spoil this little gem by talking about the plot much or at all. "Biting the Sun" is a gentle yet inescapable sci-fi dystopia set in a very distant future in a very realistically conceived "end-state" of human civilization. And it ends on a hopeful note. Get this book! Read this book, it's insummat derisann and would drive me zaradann if I wasn't such a soolka selt.
Dec-23: I re-read it for the umpteenth time and omg I love it! The only downside is that she never continued the series - there is so much potential in it!
I am not going to spoil this little gem by talking about the plot much or at all. "Biting the Sun" is a gentle yet inescapable sci-fi dystopia set in a very distant future in a very realistically conceived "end-state" of human civilization. And it ends on a hopeful note. Get this book! Read this book, it's insummat derisann and would drive me zaradann if I wasn't such a soolka selt.
Dec-23: I re-read it for the umpteenth time and omg I love it! The only downside is that she never continued the series - there is so much potential in it!
August 18, 2007
Sometimes I would love to be able to exchange my body for a custom-made one. ^_^ That'd be awesome.
August 22, 2021
I'm super happy I got to this duology, as I read the second part many, many years ago, and finally read the first book as one of the BOTM reads over at the Women of the Future group. My reviews are posted separately.
Don't Bite the Sun by Tanith Lee - 4 stars
I first read "Drinking Sapphire Wine," the second part of this duology, about 30 years ago, when I was in high school and this book was about 10 years old. I loved it at the time, but I could never find a paperback copy of the first part of the story.
The wonders of the modern age are a book lover's best friend. And yes, I'm a huge Tanith Lee fan, so this review is hopelessly biased.
And this book is about the wonders of the modern age, an age set in the distant future for humans, who now live in series of technologically advanced cities, Four-BEE, BOO, and BAA. Practically every need and whim is provided for, there are caretaker robots buzzing about, and people can spend their days having sex, going to parties, changing their gender, designing fashionable bodies. It's all so derisann that it's sure to turn any young Jang droad in a vrek.
Our young unnamed narrator is completely bored with her endless existence. Once you can do anything you want, become anything you want, have anyone you want, things become a little . . . stale. And our young narrator wants to experience something more.
In tone and in setting, this story reminds me a lot of The Silver Metal Lover, another of Lee's books that I rate as excellent. I read an article at Tor.com by Jo Walton that this story counterpoises well with Arthur C. Clarke's Against the Fall of Night. I will need to read that next.
Drinking Sapphire Wine by Tanith Lee - 4 stars
The 1977 DAW paperback still holds a prominent spot on my bookshelf, tucked away with the other Tanith Lee's I've read over the years. The Don Maitz artwork of this period is fantastic, and his work, along with Frazetta and Eggleton, helped to create the cover whore I am today. And the contents are fantastic - much more so than when I first read this book, not having read the first part, Don’t Bite the Sun, and struggling to figure out what was going on.
Lee's sensuous use of language is here, and her character driven narrative, and her focus on big ideas. In short, our gender-swapping narrator from the first story commits the ultimate sin in a crimeless society and is banished to the desert. There, stuck in her final body until she ages and dies, or suicides, our narrator creates a lush paradise in the desert and attracts friends and enemies - old and new. I wasn't that thrilled with the ending, where things get tied up neatly with a bow and everyone is happy and in love. I prefer super sad, or melancholy, or sometimes even no resolution at all. But I'll tag that to my own personal preference, and raise my glass of sapphire wine in toast to Tanith Lee's writing skills.
Don't Bite the Sun by Tanith Lee - 4 stars
I first read "Drinking Sapphire Wine," the second part of this duology, about 30 years ago, when I was in high school and this book was about 10 years old. I loved it at the time, but I could never find a paperback copy of the first part of the story.
The wonders of the modern age are a book lover's best friend. And yes, I'm a huge Tanith Lee fan, so this review is hopelessly biased.
And this book is about the wonders of the modern age, an age set in the distant future for humans, who now live in series of technologically advanced cities, Four-BEE, BOO, and BAA. Practically every need and whim is provided for, there are caretaker robots buzzing about, and people can spend their days having sex, going to parties, changing their gender, designing fashionable bodies. It's all so derisann that it's sure to turn any young Jang droad in a vrek.
Our young unnamed narrator is completely bored with her endless existence. Once you can do anything you want, become anything you want, have anyone you want, things become a little . . . stale. And our young narrator wants to experience something more.
In tone and in setting, this story reminds me a lot of The Silver Metal Lover, another of Lee's books that I rate as excellent. I read an article at Tor.com by Jo Walton that this story counterpoises well with Arthur C. Clarke's Against the Fall of Night. I will need to read that next.
Drinking Sapphire Wine by Tanith Lee - 4 stars
The 1977 DAW paperback still holds a prominent spot on my bookshelf, tucked away with the other Tanith Lee's I've read over the years. The Don Maitz artwork of this period is fantastic, and his work, along with Frazetta and Eggleton, helped to create the cover whore I am today. And the contents are fantastic - much more so than when I first read this book, not having read the first part, Don’t Bite the Sun, and struggling to figure out what was going on.
Lee's sensuous use of language is here, and her character driven narrative, and her focus on big ideas. In short, our gender-swapping narrator from the first story commits the ultimate sin in a crimeless society and is banished to the desert. There, stuck in her final body until she ages and dies, or suicides, our narrator creates a lush paradise in the desert and attracts friends and enemies - old and new. I wasn't that thrilled with the ending, where things get tied up neatly with a bow and everyone is happy and in love. I prefer super sad, or melancholy, or sometimes even no resolution at all. But I'll tag that to my own personal preference, and raise my glass of sapphire wine in toast to Tanith Lee's writing skills.
February 18, 2024
This book surprised me. I've been familiar with Tanith lee for a long, long time, but I've mostly read her short work, which has been anthologised all over the place for decades, and tends to be dark, moody, kind of gothic. Even her episodes for the television show Blake's Seven are like that. But this book -- it was quite light-hearted, humorous, positive, in a way I really wasn't expecting. It does share something with the other work I know by her though: A really powerful emotional core of storytelling. I really liked it, as you can see from the rating, but I do feel the need to present a caveat for readers who might go in expecting something quite different from what they end up getting. I thought this book was going to be a lot darker than it was, but I'm not disappointed that it wasn't, if that makes sense. This might in part be due to the fact that due to stuff going on in my family right now I've had to face some pretty intense thoughts about mortality, but this dose seems to have come for me at just the right time, actually.
Readers might be a little nonplussed by some things here. There is a lot about the setting that feels like stuff people would recognise nowadays as a "dystopia", and indeed, "dystopian sci-fi" has been quite popular for a long time now, even in "YA" circles. The characters in this book though don't face the usual kinds of adversity. There's no threat of torture or brutal massacres from the System, though the gentle offer of "personality dissolution" is always there for those who are unhappy and don't fit in to society. The thing about our main character though is that she chooses what would seem to be the hard way: exile rather than suicide, and she is even supported in a way by the System, though they do try to undermine her/his efforts in their sneaky underhand robot way. The benevolence of the System is sort of a mask, but less of one than you might think, at least until the last possible moment when there is a revelation and a bit of tension and suspense, which are kind of absent from the book through most of its duration.
And I guess this gets to the root of my caveat: If you don't like spending time with the narrator and don't enjoy her/his internal voice, you won't enjoy the book, because that's really what it's about -- spending time in her/his head and getting to know them really well for a few hundred pages. I for one found the unnamed narrator to be a really endearing and memorable character, and her/his frivolity intermixed with intense self-awareness and s hunger to just DO SOMETHING USEFUL was a really envigorating, identifiable experience for me as a reader. I really enjoyed the sarcasm, the great sense of irony and even occasional slapstick moments. The mistakes this wonderful protagonist made were many, but you got the sense that she/he learned from all of them, and felt everything so strongly, but in the end the humorous side often kind of won out, even if the direst of circumstances. And everyone here is protected -- nobody really has to fend for themselves and even exiled in the desert, they're shipped regular supplies, though there's always the chance taht the ever-present Committee might try to sabotage things. I guess some readers might think Tanith lee wants to have her cake and eat it, because this isn't really some Robinson Crusoe-esque tale of survival in a lonely wilderness, yet it still has some of those trappings. So, maybe this story fails to meet the expectations of certain tropes and readers, but I would argue it isn't that type of story, and it is successful at what it is trying to be: An emotional, heartfelt journey of a passionate person born into a world of consumption-based excess and frivolity that goes on forever and ever; a world where one can change body and sex in an instant and where physical suicide means nothing; a world where everyone's needs are anticipated and met and where the only payment asked of anyone is sheer enthusiasm -- and yet she/he still isn't happy, and this is a deep dissatisfaction that won't be asuaged by anything but one's own desire to do things and get results from one's own actions. Even though she/he and all their friends are cushioned from harm, not only in the cities but even in isolation and exile, there is a distinct sense that with the guidance of people like our protagonist, they'll all eventually figure things out, and they won't need robots anymore; won't need synthetic food or manufactured drugs. Not only that, but death is ok -- a body winds down eventually and without the tools and resources provided by the utopian society, there's nothing one can do about it but accept it. And that is ok. "We'll get there eventually, and be better because of it", the book seems to say. I really appreciate that.
And the book is really funny at times, which again i really wasn't expecting. Many times I shook my head and snorted with laughter. I think Tanith lee has an ability to really win over an audience, regardless of what kind of story she is telling, and I'm oddly gratified that she chose to do this one with humour and a certain degree of gentleness, even if it isn't at all waht I expected from her. The protagonist's thoughts and observations about the nature of sexuality were really interesting, too, even if one could argue that the ending represents a kind of re-establishment of the traditional status quo many readers are used to. I admit that time among the Jang kind of sounds like it'd be fun -- at least for a while, but ultimately, I think most people would burn out, which is something the book certainly hints at pretty heavily as well. Basically it'd be pretty unsatisfying unless you were doped to the gills most of the time, and that is an unfortunate truth that the protagonist and friends have to face, and why they all decide to leave their protective cocoon. It's worth noting that while some of the slang is pretty colourful, this isn't at all an explicit book, with sexual relations being often talked about but never really described. I think this book was maybe written with younger readers in mind, even, but I'm not complaining; I had a great time even if the book was different from what i thought it'd be.
Readers might be a little nonplussed by some things here. There is a lot about the setting that feels like stuff people would recognise nowadays as a "dystopia", and indeed, "dystopian sci-fi" has been quite popular for a long time now, even in "YA" circles. The characters in this book though don't face the usual kinds of adversity. There's no threat of torture or brutal massacres from the System, though the gentle offer of "personality dissolution" is always there for those who are unhappy and don't fit in to society. The thing about our main character though is that she chooses what would seem to be the hard way: exile rather than suicide, and she is even supported in a way by the System, though they do try to undermine her/his efforts in their sneaky underhand robot way. The benevolence of the System is sort of a mask, but less of one than you might think, at least until the last possible moment when there is a revelation and a bit of tension and suspense, which are kind of absent from the book through most of its duration.
And I guess this gets to the root of my caveat: If you don't like spending time with the narrator and don't enjoy her/his internal voice, you won't enjoy the book, because that's really what it's about -- spending time in her/his head and getting to know them really well for a few hundred pages. I for one found the unnamed narrator to be a really endearing and memorable character, and her/his frivolity intermixed with intense self-awareness and s hunger to just DO SOMETHING USEFUL was a really envigorating, identifiable experience for me as a reader. I really enjoyed the sarcasm, the great sense of irony and even occasional slapstick moments. The mistakes this wonderful protagonist made were many, but you got the sense that she/he learned from all of them, and felt everything so strongly, but in the end the humorous side often kind of won out, even if the direst of circumstances. And everyone here is protected -- nobody really has to fend for themselves and even exiled in the desert, they're shipped regular supplies, though there's always the chance taht the ever-present Committee might try to sabotage things. I guess some readers might think Tanith lee wants to have her cake and eat it, because this isn't really some Robinson Crusoe-esque tale of survival in a lonely wilderness, yet it still has some of those trappings. So, maybe this story fails to meet the expectations of certain tropes and readers, but I would argue it isn't that type of story, and it is successful at what it is trying to be: An emotional, heartfelt journey of a passionate person born into a world of consumption-based excess and frivolity that goes on forever and ever; a world where one can change body and sex in an instant and where physical suicide means nothing; a world where everyone's needs are anticipated and met and where the only payment asked of anyone is sheer enthusiasm -- and yet she/he still isn't happy, and this is a deep dissatisfaction that won't be asuaged by anything but one's own desire to do things and get results from one's own actions. Even though she/he and all their friends are cushioned from harm, not only in the cities but even in isolation and exile, there is a distinct sense that with the guidance of people like our protagonist, they'll all eventually figure things out, and they won't need robots anymore; won't need synthetic food or manufactured drugs. Not only that, but death is ok -- a body winds down eventually and without the tools and resources provided by the utopian society, there's nothing one can do about it but accept it. And that is ok. "We'll get there eventually, and be better because of it", the book seems to say. I really appreciate that.
And the book is really funny at times, which again i really wasn't expecting. Many times I shook my head and snorted with laughter. I think Tanith lee has an ability to really win over an audience, regardless of what kind of story she is telling, and I'm oddly gratified that she chose to do this one with humour and a certain degree of gentleness, even if it isn't at all waht I expected from her. The protagonist's thoughts and observations about the nature of sexuality were really interesting, too, even if one could argue that the ending represents a kind of re-establishment of the traditional status quo many readers are used to. I admit that time among the Jang kind of sounds like it'd be fun -- at least for a while, but ultimately, I think most people would burn out, which is something the book certainly hints at pretty heavily as well. Basically it'd be pretty unsatisfying unless you were doped to the gills most of the time, and that is an unfortunate truth that the protagonist and friends have to face, and why they all decide to leave their protective cocoon. It's worth noting that while some of the slang is pretty colourful, this isn't at all an explicit book, with sexual relations being often talked about but never really described. I think this book was maybe written with younger readers in mind, even, but I'm not complaining; I had a great time even if the book was different from what i thought it'd be.
March 17, 2021
Really really good book divided into two parts who fit well together. Refreshing with a negative science fiction wiev of the utopia society; Soulless and sad first part and very interesting last part but also what is worth most are what you feel for eatch other that comes forward very beautiful.
Realized after a while that the main in the book is perhaps the biggest and most egocentric brat ever, she tries go around finding meaning in a soulless world trying to fill existensial void of God and emotions with extecy and body-changes. I kind of like the main here and her attitude. Than add the big white furry pet who tried to bite everyone and attack and you got a interesting couple to follow on this soulless planet.
Realized after a while that the main in the book is perhaps the biggest and most egocentric brat ever, she tries go around finding meaning in a soulless world trying to fill existensial void of God and emotions with extecy and body-changes. I kind of like the main here and her attitude. Than add the big white furry pet who tried to bite everyone and attack and you got a interesting couple to follow on this soulless planet.
January 19, 2020
I stumbled on this fantastic two book omnibus while looking for sci-fi novels that deal with the implications of eternal life. In the world of these novels, human (or something like it) existence has been completely revolutionised by technology that allows anyone who dies to come straight back to life in a new bespoke adult body. Without fear of death or illness, and with access to practically infinite resources, society has become gleefully hedonistic. Young people (called jang) in particular spend their greatly elongated young adulthoods playing elaborate fantasy games, taking drugs, having sex and, when tired of their bodies, finding creative ways of committing suicide so they can design new ones.
In often beautiful and lyrical prose, Lee gives us a fascinating exploration of everyday life in this world. Characters continually swap gender and body form, leaving the dynamics of the small friendship groups, known as circles, that dominate social life in constant flux. In what I guess is something of a parody of countercultural communities of the 70s (when the book was written), the jang sexually pursue those with the most fashionable and edgy new bodies. A few 'freaks' experiment with forms that others regard as hideous.
One aspect of this body swapping that perhaps feels anachronistic now is the extent to which a change in (binary) gender completely alters the personality and behaviour of a character. Someone who was sexually aggressive and self-confident when male becomes soft and emotional when female. This 'gender essentialism' seems to include sexual orientation- characters are exclusively attracted to the opposite of their current gender.
Like most of my favourite sci-fi, the background details of this world are revealed to us slowly, and in many ways, incompletely. This post-death civilisation exists in machine-controlled domes on a (post-apocalyptic?) desert planet for reasons that are never made explicit. Four Bee, the home dome of the central character, feels extremely well realised as a fantastical utopia, where it is not unusual to spend an afternoon riding through the sky on giant robotic dragons.
It is this utopia that our main, predominantly female, character spends much of the first book turning against. Bored with the mindless pursuit of pleasure, she aspires to find greater meaning in her existence. While her petulance and vanity make her a sometimes irritating heroine, it's difficult not to sympathise with her increasingly dramatic attempts to disrupt the complacency and decadence of her society.
Perhaps my favourite aspect of the books (particularly the first one) is her relationship with her beloved wild pet, captured from the desert outside the city. This mysterious animal brings an element of natural chaos to the artificial and repetitive cycle of dome life. Indeed, the ending of Biting the Sun seems to be make the argument that life is given greater meaning when it is unpredictable and limited. In particular, the act of creation- whether it is an artistic work, a community or a new human life- acquires its emotional significance only when we struggle and risk something for it.
In often beautiful and lyrical prose, Lee gives us a fascinating exploration of everyday life in this world. Characters continually swap gender and body form, leaving the dynamics of the small friendship groups, known as circles, that dominate social life in constant flux. In what I guess is something of a parody of countercultural communities of the 70s (when the book was written), the jang sexually pursue those with the most fashionable and edgy new bodies. A few 'freaks' experiment with forms that others regard as hideous.
One aspect of this body swapping that perhaps feels anachronistic now is the extent to which a change in (binary) gender completely alters the personality and behaviour of a character. Someone who was sexually aggressive and self-confident when male becomes soft and emotional when female. This 'gender essentialism' seems to include sexual orientation- characters are exclusively attracted to the opposite of their current gender.
Like most of my favourite sci-fi, the background details of this world are revealed to us slowly, and in many ways, incompletely. This post-death civilisation exists in machine-controlled domes on a (post-apocalyptic?) desert planet for reasons that are never made explicit. Four Bee, the home dome of the central character, feels extremely well realised as a fantastical utopia, where it is not unusual to spend an afternoon riding through the sky on giant robotic dragons.
It is this utopia that our main, predominantly female, character spends much of the first book turning against. Bored with the mindless pursuit of pleasure, she aspires to find greater meaning in her existence. While her petulance and vanity make her a sometimes irritating heroine, it's difficult not to sympathise with her increasingly dramatic attempts to disrupt the complacency and decadence of her society.
Perhaps my favourite aspect of the books (particularly the first one) is her relationship with her beloved wild pet, captured from the desert outside the city. This mysterious animal brings an element of natural chaos to the artificial and repetitive cycle of dome life. Indeed, the ending of Biting the Sun seems to be make the argument that life is given greater meaning when it is unpredictable and limited. In particular, the act of creation- whether it is an artistic work, a community or a new human life- acquires its emotional significance only when we struggle and risk something for it.
July 29, 2010
The beginning of this book drove me mad. The premise was really interesting, and yet the irritable protagonist, the slang, and all the glittery shiny descriptions made everything so frustratingly dull. I understood the point Lee was trying to make within fifteen pages of the book's beginning. Despite that, she treated us to over one hundred pages of emphasis on the Jang girl's frustration, boredom, and need for rebellion. I needed a rebellion after all that. And then just when I was feeling hope that we were going toward Lee's idea, she took away the pet! Ahhh!
By the second book, I thought I'd lose it if Lee didn't take her point somewhere. Fortunately, she did, and she took it there nicely. It was a merciful relief, and quite enjoyable besides, to see our protagonist use her ingenuity and determination to construct her sanctuary and return to the desert. It's certainly a much better use of her skills, and it's a shame the Committee didn't see that as well. While I couldn't stand the desert Jang, they actually demonstrated a great deal about the mentality that our protagonist had left in the Cities when she left. Her friends were to be expected, and the Q-R deceit as well, but it was still nicely done in a way that showed her impact on society's mindset layer by layer.
It wasn't a bad read overall, but even the great second half couldn't completely make up for my frustrations (and the loss of the pet!) in the first half.
By the second book, I thought I'd lose it if Lee didn't take her point somewhere. Fortunately, she did, and she took it there nicely. It was a merciful relief, and quite enjoyable besides, to see our protagonist use her ingenuity and determination to construct her sanctuary and return to the desert. It's certainly a much better use of her skills, and it's a shame the Committee didn't see that as well. While I couldn't stand the desert Jang, they actually demonstrated a great deal about the mentality that our protagonist had left in the Cities when she left. Her friends were to be expected, and the Q-R deceit as well, but it was still nicely done in a way that showed her impact on society's mindset layer by layer.
It wasn't a bad read overall, but even the great second half couldn't completely make up for my frustrations (and the loss of the pet!) in the first half.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2016
I loved this book. There are such wonders in it that I had a hard time labeling it. I bought it for my birthday last year and hadn't actually planned on reading it quite yet (*Looks at giant pile of library books*) but I opened it up and the first thing I saw was a glossary of "Jang Slang." That, combined with the first line: "My friend Hergal had killed himself again" and there was no going back.
Sometimes book with a lot of world building or a made up language take a bit of getting into and this book was no exception, but once I got into it, I was enthralled. You go on a journey while the protagonist finds herself. (I don't think she is ever actually named) I was caught up in the Jang lifestyle and really felt the heroine's feelings of wanting something more. There were sad moments and happy moments and moments of tenseness. At no point did I feel like the story dragged or was I sitting there thinking "Why don't they hurry up already?" I almost cried when the book ended and it left me with such feelings I had to sit there for a few minutes and contemplate.
If you like science fiction, if you like survival stories, if you like stories of people finding themselves, dystopians, world building or basically any kind of book, you should read this one. It's amazing!
Sometimes book with a lot of world building or a made up language take a bit of getting into and this book was no exception, but once I got into it, I was enthralled. You go on a journey while the protagonist finds herself. (I don't think she is ever actually named) I was caught up in the Jang lifestyle and really felt the heroine's feelings of wanting something more. There were sad moments and happy moments and moments of tenseness. At no point did I feel like the story dragged or was I sitting there thinking "Why don't they hurry up already?" I almost cried when the book ended and it left me with such feelings I had to sit there for a few minutes and contemplate.
If you like science fiction, if you like survival stories, if you like stories of people finding themselves, dystopians, world building or basically any kind of book, you should read this one. It's amazing!
March 14, 2017
Really, a fun book with an interesting main character and a complex world. It wasn't until I finished reading that I realized I must have forgotten the main character's name - or perhaps I never knew. Whichever way, this book plays with concepts of identity and sexuality, life and death. In this world, you don't ever die, you are reborn into a body of your own design. When you're tired from the weight of your long existence, you can have your personality dissolved and start all over.
The issue here is a subconsciously futile existence that is controlled by a robotic system, programmed to protect humanity.
Biting the Sun is actually two books and I burst into tears at the end of the first. Damn good writing: a subtle buildup to a tragic catalyst.
The issue here is a subconsciously futile existence that is controlled by a robotic system, programmed to protect humanity.
Biting the Sun is actually two books and I burst into tears at the end of the first. Damn good writing: a subtle buildup to a tragic catalyst.
September 10, 2021
A favorite of mine from my teenage years. It’s one of those books that I’ve read so many times that I can’t think critically about it. (Well, technically it’s two books, but you really need to read both for the full effect so you might as well read the omnibus version.) Though it’s mostly a coming of age story, I think it speaks to deeper issues about what brings meaning to our lives. It’s also insumattly zaradann, which is always groshing for me, ooma.
October 15, 2013
A funny, surprisingly endearing book that struggles with the most basic of human traits and necessities -- love, freedom, boredom, the freedom to fuck up a lot because you're bored. The fantastical setting paints a rich world for this small portrait of epic attempts to create a life worth living, and by the time you put it down, you'll be thinking in the slang and wishing that, despite all of its flaws, this was a world you could see for yourself. But hey -- maybe one day.
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