Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology edited by Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett, and Craig Laurance Gidney will be published by Essential Dreams Press in July 2025. The anthology includes all original fiction, and as the name implies, each story is inspired by the work of Tanith Lee. Also included are an introduction and afterword, sharing personal stories about Tanith Lee. As part of their bios, each author also includes a bit about their connection to Lee’s work, adding further context and emotional resonance to the stories.
Overall, it’s a strong anthology, with a nice mix of fantasy, science fiction, and dreamy slip-stream stories that cross genres. A few stood out as favorites, and are highlighted here.
“Makers” by C.L. Hellisen gets the anthology off to a good start with a fairytale-like piece full of visceral descriptions. Ru can breathe life into the creations they make out of clay and dirt, a magic which is forbidden. They are sent to a nunnery as a servant, where they meet Olen, falling for her. They also meet the bear god, who challenges them to live their truth, inspiring them to travel to make a new life for themself. The story nicely inverts some expected tropes as it looks at different kinds of courage and the idea of destiny.
“On Her Head a Crown of Stars” by Rocio Rincon Fernandez is a surreal story about a woman whose friend turns into a living saint after an encounter with a unicorn and is sent out to fight a monster, which she then tries to befriend. The story captures a great voice, and is full of striking imagery.
“Data Ghost” by Martha Wells is one of the more science fictional pieces in the anthology. After encountering a ghost station, Deni’s two crew mates are lured away by a mysterious signal, necessitating a rescue. The implant in their head, which their family forced on them, protects them, ultimately leading them to re-evaluate their uneasy relationship with the technology. There are some nice touches of horror alongside the science fiction, making for an atmospheric and effectively eerie story.
“Moons Over Sea” by C.S.E. Cooney features the author’s typical gorgeous prose and distinctive voice. Five foundling children set out to discover the truth about their various birth parents with their adoptive mothers’ blessings. Embrae, the only sister among the group, knows she is born of a sea demon – one who has always refused to have anything to do with her. Instead of seeking her own answers, she decides to secretly help her brothers on their quests. The literally cheeky ending works well, and the humor pairs nicely with a touching depiction of chosen family and love.
“Zugunruhe” by KT Wagner is another visceral story that takes inspiration from fairy tales. Branta and several of her flock have had their skins stolen, trapping them in human form in a tower where they are experimented on by a group of humans who seem to be seeking a cure for an unknown illness. While imprisoned, she develops a relationship with a man she believes to be a fellow prisoner, ultimately learning he is affiliated with her captors. The post-apocalyptic setting adds a new dimension to the fairy tale narrative, and the story does a good job of exploring complicated relationships, love, trust, loyalty, and grief.
“Death Valley ’71” by Amelia Mangan explores the classic triad of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, opening with the narrator meeting a girl in prison who believes her boyfriend is a kind of prophet-like figure with access to alternate dimensions. She tells the narrator about a phone booth in a desert where voices from that other plane can be heard. When the narrator meets up with a rock star of her own, they burn bright across the desert and find the phone booth. After a drug overdose, she ultimately sacrifices him in an attempt to access that other dimension and its gods. There are nice hints of cosmic horror threaded throughout this one, and the language and imagery are striking.
