Book Review: The Dragon Hoard by Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee does whimsy and I'm very confused
Tanith Lee is one of those writers that fantasy writers love and emulate. Her prose is impeccable. Her take on older stories is always adding new perspectives. Her characters are often fascinating in their evil. Alongside classics like Birthgrave, the Flat Earth series and Paradys there are dozens of bizarre and creepy books that bring fantasy to a new level.
In her career she's had a few outliers. The Gods are Thirsty is a historical fiction about the French Revolution and how things can go very badly very fast. Silver Metal Lover is one of those science fiction books that brings the Turing Test into love and while it's pretty obvious that the robot is only telling her what she wants to hear, how much do we distinguish between true love and love that goes on in our heads (yeah, I have issues)
This is the first time (and probably the last time) that I've read a whimsical book by Tanith Lee. I know that she's written books for children and YA readers that tone down a great deal of sex and violence and nihilism, but this is the first time I've read a book where the main purpose was to amuse the reader.
Stephen King wasn't kidding when he talked about how the first published book is the one that is the least like the author (actually that was an insight by Jack Finney in regards to Invasion of the Body Snatchers but he agreed with it) but I've never seen a first book that was quite as much of a weird outlier than this one. Tanith Lee is not the writer you go to for whimsical children's books.
Then again, there are some very Tanith Lee touches. The plot moves in unexpected ways. There are certain bits that fit together like puzzle pieces. Her characters are exaggerated, especially the ridiculous evil witch Maligna who has bats in her hair. She's also very cheerful about playing around with tropes. The aforementioned Dragon's Hoard is taken without a problem because honestly the dragon doesn't care. One character is cursed to want to give everything away. There are a couple nasty wolves that are often used for comic effect. The curse that turns the Prince into a raven is mostly used for comedy.
There are also points where characters get names like Goodness and Fearless and oddly enough they actually live up to those names.
The main feeling I get from this book is a wonder at what Tanith Lee's career could have been. I don't want Tanith Lee to be any different. I only wish that she had lived on after 2015 and was still writing, but strange to think of an alternate world where Tanith Lee had a Terry Pratchett like career.
