The Birthgrave

Even more than a breathtaking adventure through a world of violence and magic, The Birthgrave is a psychological exploration of the inner life of a born outsider, an unattached person. The author's direct style and use of the first person places the reader close to the core of the heroine on a violent and troubled quest to find herself. The negative self-image and wandering, restless disposition, powerlessness against subconscious convictions of a person with attachment disorder are beautifully rendered. The description is hands-on, direct, without undue psychologizing. The book has unusual psychological depth in the genre, maybe to be compared with Donaldson's Lord Foul's Bane, although the issues described are very different.

In this tale of blood, love, violence, beauty, magic, dreams, brutal murder, swords'n'sorcery, rape, battle and deadly races, we follow a woman on a journey of self-discovery. First a Goddess, then a slave, later a pawn in the game of an emperor who shows her her true nature and leads her to understand what she is looking for. And then the end of this story.. a twist of the plot and atmosphere so totally unexpected I couldn't believe it at first. Terrific.

This was the first book I read of Tanith Lee and she has since become my favorite author. This is a story of a grown woman who wakes inside a volcano. She finds she is the last of a unknown race and this is her story of her search to find herself. Traveling through lands full of vast ancient cities and strange religions you will find yourself engulfed with the beauty and loneliness of her quest.

This book, more than any other, renewed my interest in reading. It concerns a woman who awakens in a temple within a volcano with no memory of who she is. The rest of the book concerns her travels attempting to discover her identity and the nature of the strange, goddess-like powers awakening within her. One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is the way Lee does not allow the reader to know any more than the nameless heroine herself knows. It also makes this book one of the most addictive reads you're ever likely to come across! Easily the best book Lee has ever written, too bad it isn't more readily available.