Death's Master

You may recall that I was shocked when I learned that, on top of all the awful crap he's been accused of, there were claims that Neil Gaiman had based The Sandman on Tanith Lee's Tales from the Flat Earth series without giving her any credit. Since I've been in the field as a reviewer for over two decades now, in addition to being a fan of the genre for almost as long before that, I was more than a little perplexed by the fact that I only heard about this supposed ripoff last year.

My curiosity piqued, I immediately decided to read the first volume, Night's Master. I was surprised by the fact that, at least on Amazon, the folks from Daw Books had recently changed the blurb and now openly claimed that Lee's series was the inspiration for Gaiman's magnum opus. Be that as it may, based on that first installment, I found that there was absolutely nothing in common with The Sandman. But I knew that this could change as I go through the subsequent books. With Death's Master now under my belt, I still feel the same way. Time will tell whether or not Gaiman "borrowed" much from Lee's Tales from the Flat Earth. I'm just happy I gave this series a shot, as it is a very good read thus far!

Here's the blurb:

Death's Master, winner of the August Derleth Award for Fantasy, is the second book of the stunning arabesque high fantasy series Tales from the Flat Earth, which, in the manner of the One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales.

Long time ago when the Earth was Flat, beautiful indifferent Gods lived in the airy Upperearth realm above, curious passionate demons lived in the exotic Underearth realm below, and mortals were relegated to exist in the middle.

Uhlume, Lord of Death, second of the Lords of Darkness, King of Shadow and Pallor, makes an unusual bargain which sets in motion an intricate sequence of events that entangle men and gods, queens and kings, sorcerers and witches, and lowly wanderers. When the secret to immortality falls into human hands, dark magic and wickedness are unleashed, testing the bounds of mortal love and sanity, and questioning the nature and purpose of life itself.

Come within this ancient world of brilliant darkness and beauty, of glittering palaces and wondrous elegant beings, of cruel passions and undying love.

Rediscover the exotic wonder that is the Flat Earth.

Like One Thousand and One Nights, Night's Master was a collection of interconnected short stories/vignettes that formed a bigger and more far-reaching narrative with each new tale. Though each one stood alone to a certain extent, most built on one another and were linked in various and sometimes unexpected ways. That first volume encapsulated the mythological and whimsical nature of fairy tales. But these were not innocent children's tales. The sex, the violence, and the themes explored made Tales from the Flat Earth an adult fantasy series. Death's Master follows in the same vein in terms of structure, yet each story stick to a trajectory that plot-wise assemble what is more or less a novel. It is also a much darker fairy tale, one that explores the meaning of death and what comes after, and one that is, despite the definite beauty and love that permeates everything, full of cruelty, despair, and revenge.

Once again, I was impressed by the quality of Tanith Lee's writing. The imagery she creates continues to be absolutely amazing and the prose is lyrical and otherworldly. The universe, the landscapes, the protagonists, and everything else are richly depicted. Like its predecessor, Death's Master makes for an incredibly immersive reading experience. This second volume is also filled with eroticism that prudes may not care for. Still, it's that dark and seductive narrative that gives this book its original flavor.

Azhrarn, Prince of Demons and one of the Lords of Darkness, was the closest thing to a main character found in Night's Master. He makes a few appearances in this second volume, and once more he influences every tale in various ways, be it mischievous, cruel, or good-natured. Oddly enough, Uhlume, the remote and rather detached Lord of Death, doesn't take center stage in this book. Granted, he has an important role to play in the myriad storylines, but he isn't a central figure in the plot by any means. Once again, it's the diverse cast that makes Death's Master such a captivating read. Narasen, the lesbian Leopard Queen of Merh, who is barren but must somehow bear a child to lift a curse that afflicts her kingdom. The girl witch Lylas, Death’s Handmaiden, who arranges a deal with her Lord so that Narasen may conceive. Simmu, Narasen’s intersex daughter, and Zhirem, whose mother made invulnerable through another pact with Death, destined to be star-crossed lovers. They all played a part in making this book such a engrossing read.

My only complaint about Night's Master was that it was too short. Death's Master is about twice as long, which was perfect. It gave the author the room she needed to flesh out characters and elaborate more on the worldbuilding front. Which bodes well for what comes next! You guys should give this series a shot, either out of curiosity or simply due to the Gaiman allegations. The first book was a World Fantasy Award nominee and this second one won the British Fantasy Award for best novel. Not a bad start for a fantasy sequence, all things considered!

The final verdict: 8/10

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