Poetic and prolific UK author Tanith Lee (1947-2015) ranged from the sun-dappled lands of fantasy to the mist-shrouded shores of horror, and seemingly everywhere in between. Spooky, sensual, and superbly-crafted, Lee’s genre-stretching work featuring vampires, doomed heroes, cursed lovers, gothic manors, crossed identities, unholy seductions, shapeshifters, demon princes, possession, sorcery, and madness was fantasy as much in the tradition of the Weird Tale as it was horror made fantastic by the unique talent of a careful and clever artist.
In 1980, Lee became the first woman to win the British Fantasy Award (aka The August Derleth Award) for Best novel, Death’s Master. Over a career spanning 90 novels and more than 300 short stories, Lee forged a well-trodden path between the increasingly commercially divergent genres of Fantasy and Horror, earning her numerous accolades and the devotion of a legion of fans.
Header image is Michael Whelan’s “Daughter of the Night” from Night’s Sorceries.
