Tempting the Gods collects some of Tanith Lee's fiction from the late
80s to the present, from a variety of venues (Asimovs', Weird
Tales, and Realms of Fantasy). They range in tone from the dark
("Cain") and Arthurian Legend ("The Kingdoms of the Air"), to Arabian Nights
adventure ("These Beasts") and the just plain weird ("Tiger I"). All stories
feature Lee's carefully crafted language, tight plotting, vivid imagination, and
matchless evocation of atmosphere. Not all tales are dark — there's even
some humor, such as the new to this collection "God and the Pig." Like Bradbury
and Vance, Lee is a unique stylist. This collection — the first part of a
two part series — is a perfect introduction to her work, some of the best
writing in the weird fiction category.
