Customer Reviews

Companions on the road and The winter players: Two novellas

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These are spectacular works of fiction, well written by a master.
The novella form is peculiar in modern literature: too long for a short story and too short for a novel. Lee deftly handles the length--these works could be used to teach pacing. I first read them when they were originally published, and have read them many times since.There is something of the archtype in each one, something of the ancient fairy tale that will stick with you ever after. If the fantasy genre is "mind candy" then this is rich chocolate.

I liked the stories and I thought the plots were fairly original and as usual the twist ending but I got bored. I think that they both should have been shorter. If you haven't read any Tanith Lee, I wouldn't start here, instead read The Flat Earth novels 1st they are absolutely fabulous!

"Companions of the Road" and "The Winter Players" are two quite different but superbly crafted fantasy novelettes. Both feature sympathetic characters and compelling stories, and the endings of both are satisfying and not easily predictable. I particularly liked the twist at the end of "The Winter Players."