I have the german edition: Die Herrin des Deliriums

Coming off of Death's Master--basically a story of murder and revenge sex--I didn't expect this book to be such a sentimental examination of what it is to be human and mortal. Weirdly affecting, and still full of the bizarre and wondrous.

More Flat Earth. I named my first cat Azhriaz after the title character if that tells you anything.

I am just at page 69 but it has been a real shock for me from the very beginning.
Tanith Lee is an author from which I have only read 2 previous books, one I can't recall but taht it was a Spanish translation and quite good, the other was the first book of the Vis series (The Stormlord) which I found rather dull and with a not quite consistent storyline.

But this one is a completely different thing. The author uses a style close to poetic prose and the story is utterly compelling. Well, I don't want to go deeper into it as I am still reading but I can just say that whit just these few pages read and considering that this is a Dutch translation so that some of the original atmosphere will have been lost it's is one of the most enticing pieces of high fantasy I have read in a long time.

I would give it 5 stars but I will wait to finish it.

This fourth volume in the series is very long and perhaps that was part of the problem I had with it because it has a very meandering plot, and the characters are all supernatural - demonic or half demon or angels or a man who is immortal - and it is therefore very difficult to relate to them or really care much about them. Even one mortal character who appears only briefly and is a prince of the sea people is a mage and not human.

In this, Azhrarn's half human daughter is left alone and neglected as he mourns the death of her mother. Prince Chuz, prince of madness, who was responsible for that death in the last book, comes to steal her away and she goes willingly. She becomes his lover but their idyll is interrupted when her father catches up with them and with Chuz's agreement ends the war between them by inflicting real madness on Chuz and a lifetime of degradation etc. Initially Azhriaz follows him and on the way encounters a town full of vampires which she puts in their place, but eventually she gets fed up, capitulates and agrees to follow her father's original plan of proving to mortals that the gods are pitiless and disinterested, by becoming a goddess set over them. The trouble is, humanity seems to enjoy being degraded and co-operates by, among other things, "anticipating" her demands by slaughtering their families and other excesses. And then all this finally impinges on the notice of the otherwise remote uncaring gods.......

Up to the point where his daughter capitulates and agrees to take the name Azhiraz there is quite a bit of wandering and then a lot more afterwards. Various colourful characters are encountered, the writing is exotic and at times beautifully evocative of colours, shapes, creatures and so on. But I found it dragged because it didn't engage me. Various characters from previous volumes are name checked or even encountered and we learn why one of them changed his name in book 2 when he became a sorceror - male sorcerors are denoted by having 'k' on the end of their names and female sorcerors by having 'as' or 'az'. The reunion of Azhriaz with Chuz at the end puzzled me where she seems to accept his version of events whereby he denies responsibility for her mother's stoning with the blood stone of Azhrarn, the only thing which could have killed her, because the sequence in book 3 made it quite clear that he was acting deliberately. Although the ending is quite touching and various characters learn to relinquish the hatred which had spurned them on previously, there is still quite a jaundiced viewpoint towards human nature through much of the book. At least by the end two of the characters have been spreading a message of love, peace and the value of the human soul for some years.

Given the standard of the writing I didn't want to be too harsh, but on the other hand, giving this 3 stars would mean "I liked it". As I found it dragged, I have to award a 2 star 'OK' valuation.

Много неравномерна поредица се оказа, направо love-hate relationship, в зависимост за коя част става въпрос. Първата и третата книга спокойно биха могли да са една цялостна история, майсторски изпипана, най-изящен филигран. Втората книга беше напълно излишна. Настоящата - четвърта - част дава завършеност на историята: тъжно-приказна, сладко-горчива завършеност.

Тук идва онзи праг, отвъд който нищо за Принца на Демоните, Господар на Нощта, няма да е каквото е било. А дъщерята на безсмъртен и смъртна ще мине по целия път от лутащо се безсмъртно създание, през безпощадна и могъща богиня, до просто мъдра и познаваща света старица, в чиято младост океанът е избухвал в пламъци, а ангели и демони са се сражавали в небесата.

Начинът на поднасяне на сюжета обаче изобщо не можа да ме грабне - все се губех какво се случва и защо. Героите не ме развълнуваха, действието беше твърде досадно-протяжно и удавено в ненужни екзотични детайли и странични приказни истории, репликите - излишно състарени и неразбираемо-парадоксално-сюрреалистични някак по шекспировски, с цялата тази шестваща лудост и пластове от илюзии. Не успях да оценя навремето Шекспировите големи трагедии, какво остава пък за далеч по-скромната интерпретация на Танит Ли. Краят е може би най-силната част, но съответно и най-кратката.

Като цяло, светът на плоската земя е изключително интересен и богат като идея и реализация. Но Танит Ли е имала слабост към част от създадените образи и тъкмо техните истории (първа и трета книга) са чиста, въздушна наслада. Останалите части са художествено пипнати, но откъм въздействие са доста далеч. При все това любителите на по-мрачното и далеч от стандартните занаятчйски щампи фентъзи ще намерят прекрасен нов свят за пътешествие и разучаване. Но и ще се сблъскат с онези провокации, които лишават част от по-новите истории от теми за размисъл или дори от мрачна псевдореалистична свежест.

Някой ден може да отворя и последната част, която е разкази с героите от четвъртата част.

⭐️2,5 звезди за 4-та част ⭐️

Parece que tiene mucho que empecé Flat Earth, se siente como que han pasado tantas cosas. Al principio me pareció meramente interesante y no tenía idea de que terminaría tan fascinada con Tanith Lee y este universo tan original y complejo, lleno de grandes personajes y hermosas descripciones.

Tenía un poco de preocupación de que terminara en un tono agridulce y oscuro como el resto de la serie, pero me alegra que fuera un final tan satisfatorio. Siento que no se quedó solo en frases bellas y elaboradas, sino que además de ser una excelente historia, permite tener una travesía emocional que concluye de una forma muy acertada.

Aunque es posible leer la serie en cualquier orden, si recomendaría empezar con Flat Erth e ir avanzando desde ahí para comprender Delirium's Mistress y apreciarlo cabalmente.

Though it took me very long time to finish Delirium's Mistress, I enjoyed it very much. This book is not my favorite in the Tales from the Flat Earth, but the story is still magnificent, full of details and imagination. I think the characterization of the heroine Sovaz/Azhriaz/Atmeh is at first a little flat, but with the story going on, she becomes more and more interesting. The whole story is her journey of self-discovery and of pursuit of identity, and I especially love the ending scene.

Book 4. What I consider the "meat" of the Flat Earth series. This is the book that caused me to call Tanith Lee "religion." You can read this book first & then find yourself searching for 1, 2 & 3 to research the history this one draws on.

Rockin'.

The Basics

This is the fourth installment in Tanith Lee’s Tales of the Flat Earth. Last we left off in Delusion’s Master, Azhrarn, Prince of Demons, had fallen in love with a mortal and sired a child. This is the story of that child.

My Thoughts

Tales of the Flat Earth is Lee’s masterstroke when it comes to fantasy writing. It’s a dark fairy tale that makes no attempt at being anything but purely adult. I have copies of the previous three books that plainly state “adult fantasy” on the cover, as if to say, “don’t say we didn’t warn you.” And going back to that “masterstroke” statement, its scope is enormous and the writing is perfectly beautiful. It’s purple, but it suits the world and these characters and the lustrous quality of everything shown.

From birth until Azhriaz’s ultimate fate, Lee covers it all. She is amazing at showing a character’s entire life, leaving out no detail, and yet condensing it so perfectly. It never drags. And it’s never rushed. But you’ve lived an entire life with Azhriaz, gone through all her changes (which include several name changes to denote her different stages), and it’s incredibly satisfying.

It’s hard for me to go into details without spoiling, because this is the fourth book in a series, but I will say it’s hard to get me hooked into a series. I tend toward standalone novels. Trilogies and series are hard to commit to for me. I ask a lot of a story that long. Namely that it be engaging throughout and have a world worth exploring. So admitting that I mostly avoid long series of books, that should be a testament to how wonderful these books are. I’ve been making my way through this series over the years, and I’m always so involved in the story and characters, every time. The same goes for this particular volume.

Lee is a highly overlooked author who deserves a great deal more attention, and this series is a fantastic place to start if you’re interested.

Final Rating

5/5

Plenty of good stories included as Azhriaz takes on several names and different roles and stations. She wanders the Flat Earth and the seas below, she becomes a goddess ruling a city the size of a continent and receives tributes, and becomes the daughter that she never had the chance to be. Throughout she is searching for self-exiled and thoroughly mad Chuz, pursued by a revenge from the gods, and assisted by some characters from previous books. Not as much erotic description or even the chance for amorous activity beyond the first episode presented.