From Twilight till Dawn: Great Vampire Stories
ed. Martin Greenberg; audiobook read by various narrators (Phoenix Books, 2009)
Six long-ish short stories by female writers, depicting vampires in a less bloodthirsty, less stereotyped fashion. Least accessible is Tanith Lee’s ‘Bite-Me-Not’. Best is Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s ‘Food Chain’, a dreamy, beguiling tale balancing grief with catharsis; found family with trauma bonding.
Dancing Through the Fire
by Tanith Lee (Fantastic Books, 2015)
Lee’s short stories tend to forsake traditional plot arcs in favour of moody subversion, feminist re-slantings, surrealist tints and dream-laden unrealities. The result can be as affective as effective, moving the reader without proffering a destination. SF tale ‘Medra’ proves a standout.
Legenda Maris
by Tanith Lee (Immanion, 2015)
A collection of fantasy short stories linked by ocean settings, merfolk, otherwordliness and loss, remoteness, death, and the murky, mist-laden borders between realities. Lee writes dreamily and somehow without burdening the reader. Unfortunately the two new stories (five pages total) are non-events.