Customer Reviews

Sabella

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alright, this is a slight ** SPOILER ** so if you don't want to know what this is about, this is your chance to NOT READ THIS REVIEW!

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That said, this was the first of Tanith Lee's books that I ever read. The setting is another world, Novo Mars, and the main character is a vampire. This is an incredibly well written book, with descriptions so lush and rich that you can feel them yourself. Tanith Lee's writing is seductive: you'll want to live in that big house on the plateau and listen to the music that Sabella puts into the tape deck, watch the dust dance in the air, pull the long blinds closed to blot out the sun, drink pomengranete (sp?) juice, bleach you hair and run wild at night with the young boys that can't say no to her exotic beauty, and discover what you REALLY are... Get this book if you can! A fabulous tale of love, lust, intrigue, and self-discovery. Amust for any fan of Tanith Lee, vampires, or science fiction tales.

There IS a reason Tanith Lee got nominated so many times for World Fantasy Awards... :)=

I think this is the best Tanith Lee I have read. Her recent ones set in Venice have been great--but for me Sabella is an absolute classic. It is beautifully and skillfully written, conveying the life of Novo Mars set within its other planetary environs through the eyes of Sabella, a most unique "vampire." Normally the apex predator, Sabella is herself made vulnerable, first to Sand who stalks her and then to Jace, who confronts her. It is really a remarkable and original take on a very old story.

I first read this eye-opener when I was fifteen. I agree this is a little difficult to get into, but after eight years and several Science Fiction / Fantasy authors (including Anne Rice) this is still my all-time favourite book to get lost in. Well worth the reading!

I ran across this book in an old book store and bought it mainly because the cover art was so interesting. I could not put this book down. I had never read anything so vivid and colorful. This is why I am a Tanith Lee fan. Sabella is an intriguing charactor and the environment that she lives in is just as intriguing. If you are looking for something fresh and different. If you love to let your imagination run WILD........ READ THIS ONE!!! It wont dissapoint you.

Sabella is the coming-of-age story of a confused young vampire on Novo Mars. Like many of Lee's books, this one is dream-like and full of supernatural eroticism.

Unfortunately, it is almost painfully slow and the first person narration was not very illuminating. I (finally) reached then end of the book and felt like I did not know the characters at all.

The writing is lush and seductive, but this really should have been a short story. The premise is interesting but not really interesting enough for a novella. The first 90 pages drag so much that I almost gave up a couple times. I have enjoyed many of Tanith's stories, but if you're looking for something that will keep you awake try _Tales from the Flat Earth_, they are my all time favorite fantasy novels. Much more plot per page and an originality that is simply mind-blowing.