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lacunaboo's review against another edition
4.0
This is actually a series of two books included in one volume: Don't Bite the Sun, and Drinking Sapphire Wine.
I have to say, I enjoyed the first book better than the second. Lee created a very colorful and strange world here, and she throws the reader right into it without any introduction or warning. As a result, it takes a good long while for you to stop thinking, "What the HELL is going on here?!" Once you get the hang of it, though, you're kind of hooked.
I admired the tone of the first book. It relates the tale of a person (sometimes in a female body, sometimes male) who has become disillusioned with the hedonistic way of life provided in the cities of the Fours. Is life getting boring despite all of the available ways to delight your senses? Go ahead and kill yourself, you can personally design the body you next inhabit right away. Want to have love with somebody without tying yourself down? Get married for just an afternoon, freeing yourself up for other lovers afterwards.
Our protagonist (whose name we never actually learn) doesn't even quite realize what the problem is for some time, but understands only that something is missing. That something turns out to be any sort of meaningful connection to other living beings, or perhaps any meaning to life itself.
The second book tells of the beginning of a resistance to that way of life. It wasn't bad, but didn't seem to hold quite the same tone as the first book, and didn't take things far enough for my liking. In the end, though, this story emphasizes that it's what's inside that counts - an admirable point.
I have to say, I enjoyed the first book better than the second. Lee created a very colorful and strange world here, and she throws the reader right into it without any introduction or warning. As a result, it takes a good long while for you to stop thinking, "What the HELL is going on here?!" Once you get the hang of it, though, you're kind of hooked.
I admired the tone of the first book. It relates the tale of a person (sometimes in a female body, sometimes male) who has become disillusioned with the hedonistic way of life provided in the cities of the Fours. Is life getting boring despite all of the available ways to delight your senses? Go ahead and kill yourself, you can personally design the body you next inhabit right away. Want to have love with somebody without tying yourself down? Get married for just an afternoon, freeing yourself up for other lovers afterwards.
Our protagonist (whose name we never actually learn) doesn't even quite realize what the problem is for some time, but understands only that something is missing. That something turns out to be any sort of meaningful connection to other living beings, or perhaps any meaning to life itself.
The second book tells of the beginning of a resistance to that way of life. It wasn't bad, but didn't seem to hold quite the same tone as the first book, and didn't take things far enough for my liking. In the end, though, this story emphasizes that it's what's inside that counts - an admirable point.
kedawen's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books I can read over and over. Such a great story, and an amazing world - unlike any other book I've ever come across.
biddywink's review against another edition
3.0
The second novella, "Drinking Sapphire Wine," of the two which compose this book, saved this from two stars for me. I did not like "Do Not Bite the Sun," but I kept going because this book was recommended to me by someone whom I esteem. Still, why must everything end with pregnancies?! This Bitter Infertile is yet again displeased and made to feel, yet again, lacking in basic human function. Some fun to get these feelings from my leisure reading. Sigh.
sam_roberts's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
honniker's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. There are such wonders in it that I had a hard time labeling it. I bought it for my birthday last year and hadn't actually planned on reading it quite yet (*Looks at giant pile of library books*) but I opened it up and the first thing I saw was a glossary of "Jang Slang." That, combined with the first line: "My friend Hergal had killed himself again" and there was no going back.
Sometimes book with a lot of world building or a made up language take a bit of getting into and this book was no exception, but once I got into it, I was enthralled. You go on a journey while the protagonist finds herself. (I don't think she is ever actually named) I was caught up in the Jang lifestyle and really felt the heroine's feelings of wanting something more. There were sad moments and happy moments and moments of tenseness. At no point did I feel like the story dragged or was I sitting there thinking "Why don't they hurry up already?" I almost cried when the book ended and it left me with such feelings I had to sit there for a few minutes and contemplate.
If you like science fiction, if you like survival stories, if you like stories of people finding themselves, dystopians, world building or basically any kind of book, you should read this one. It's amazing!
Sometimes book with a lot of world building or a made up language take a bit of getting into and this book was no exception, but once I got into it, I was enthralled. You go on a journey while the protagonist finds herself. (I don't think she is ever actually named) I was caught up in the Jang lifestyle and really felt the heroine's feelings of wanting something more. There were sad moments and happy moments and moments of tenseness. At no point did I feel like the story dragged or was I sitting there thinking "Why don't they hurry up already?" I almost cried when the book ended and it left me with such feelings I had to sit there for a few minutes and contemplate.
If you like science fiction, if you like survival stories, if you like stories of people finding themselves, dystopians, world building or basically any kind of book, you should read this one. It's amazing!
authrcatlabadie's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not really a science fiction person, but this book mesmerized me and I devoured it. My favorite character was the pet, of course, but all in all a wonderful, moving read.
hailie's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
I loved the false Utopian world that this story provided.
The novel(s) provided a narrative on the search for a “real” life.
I loved the false Utopian world that this story provided.
The novel(s) provided a narrative on the search for a “real” life.
glaiza_echo's review
4.0
A little like Virginia Woolf's [b:Orlando|18839|Orlando|Virginia Woolf|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404345499s/18839.jpg|6057225]. Both stories follow characters who experience body/gender swapping. I loved Tanith Lee's lyrical futuristic world building and wry humour in her satirical take on gender norms.
If this book had a soundtrack - I think the whirlwind of drama that is built into a piece of music like Danse Macabre would suit the characters' moods.
There's an interesting climatic moment in the story involvingthe reintroduction of violence/the idea of murder by the protagonist into this isolated Utopian society and the consequences of trying to address that issue .
Mirroring and Ego related themes which are present in [b:The Silver Metal Lover|567708|The Silver Metal Lover (Silver Metal Lover, #1)|Tanith Lee|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403170262s/567708.jpg|1561956] also resurfaced here.
Also, the androids/robots/AI and their logic were a well played chilling twist towards the end.
If this book had a soundtrack - I think the whirlwind of drama that is built into a piece of music like Danse Macabre would suit the characters' moods.
There's an interesting climatic moment in the story involving
Mirroring and Ego related themes which are present in [b:The Silver Metal Lover|567708|The Silver Metal Lover (Silver Metal Lover, #1)|Tanith Lee|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403170262s/567708.jpg|1561956] also resurfaced here.
assimbya's review
3.0
Tanith Lee's books have this odd, undefinable, dream-like quality to them. They certainly have the same logic as most dreams, or at the very least feel as though they do. Biting the Sun, a science fiction dystopia in which the world is controlled by some form of robot and the majority of humans are encouraged to spend the entirety of their lives in blissful ignorance of the real realities of life and humanity (there's a 'never growing up' metaphor that isn't quite a metaphor throughout the book), is no exception. It wasn't entirely to my taste (I'm not much of a science fiction person), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. A piece of advice - don't think about it too much. Just go along with it, like a dream.
pi_a_la_mode's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75