Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology

Sixteen new stories from some of today’s most renowned authors. Storyteller is a celebration of Tanith Lee’s legacy—and an object lesson in the breadth of authors she influenced.

Drowning cities and unicorns. Burning deserts and forgotten gods. Golems, elf warriors, and inner-Earthers. Alien lifeforms and museum workers. Ancient plagues and the future of humanity. Much like Tanith Lee’s catalog, each story in this anthology is both unique and compelling: from fairy-tale retellings to romance-tinged high fantasy, from nihilistic horror to gripping science fiction. Immersive, wide-ranging, and sublime, Storyteller features worlds and characters that are sure to travel with you long after the last page has been read.

Authors include Mike Allen, CSE Cooney, Maya Deane, Andy Duncan, Rocío Rincón Fernández, Theodora Goss, CL Hellisen, Getty Hesse, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Starlene Justice, Amelia Mangan, Michael Yuya Montroy, Marisca Pichette, Nisi Shawl, KT Wagner, & Martha Wells

Afterword by Ann VanderMeer. Foreword by Tanith’s widower, John Kaiine.
Editor in chief Julie C. Day, coeditors Carina Bissett and Craig Laurance Gidney, and assistant editor Julia DeRidder.

First Reviews

Every tale in Storyteller is a gem—lush, dreamy, delicately strange. Together, they make a compelling argument: Tanith Lee should be on every shelf, writer and reader alike. —Cadwell Turnbull, award-winning author of The Lesson and the Convergence Saga

“Sixteen authors, including big names like Martha Wells, Andy Duncan, and Nisi Shawl, celebrate the late World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Tanith Lee in this passionate and playful anthology of stories inspired by her work…The result is both a fitting tribute to a master and an enchanting compendium in its own right.”—Publishers Weekly

“…contributors mirror her [Tanith Lee] in literary strength and the ability to spin a compelling, epic story…Each story is emotionally and atmospherically charged…Each pays tribute to the inspiration and gifts of Tanith Lee…[and yet] they are as diverse as Lee’s landscapes.

Packed with diversity, supercharged with emotional and philosophical revelation, and full of surprises and power, Storyteller is a special ‘must have’ acquisition for readers and libraries who have felt the power of Tanith Lee’s voice and will be delighted to find it mirrored by her most ardent fellow writers.” —Midwest Review of Books

“Storyteller is a brilliant tapestry of tales, elegantly illuminating and excavating fantastical worlds. The same fire – profoundly profane, yet almost holy – that lit Tanith Lee’s stories burns brightly here. A fitting tribute to the Queen of Word Witches. Angela “—A.G.” Slatter, award-winning author of The Crimson Road

“Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology is a lovely tribute, indeed. From the first tale to the last, a deep love and admiration for Lee’s life and work shines through in each authors’ interpretation of her distinctive style and voice. These sixteen stories capture the spirit of Tanith Lee’s fiction with their elaborate world-building, complicated consequences, and wild magic everywhere.

It is a wonder to see how unique and yet how familiar this anthology feels.”—Nerdgoblin.com

“This anthology is a community’s celebration of a light that lit their own flames. Each story is a gem, each voice is a force. So much love and admiration is in this book, reminding us that where we come from is a kind place, and those who came before us never depart.” —J.R. Dawson, award-winning author of The First Bright Thing

“Much like Lee’s bibliography, Storyteller includes tales from various genres. ‘Criswell Predicts’ by Andy Duncan is science fiction that references the American psychic Amazing Criswell and illustrates what could happen if his predictions were to come true. ‘In Your Shadow’ by Maya Deane is just the opposite—a fantasy story dealing with reincarnations of elves.The anthology’s characters, much like Lee, are an eclectic bunch of misfits that surprise the reader in each story.

Storyteller is fitting for those who are fans of Tanith Lee as well as those unfamiliar with Lee who want an introduction to the life and work of one of the greats of speculative fiction.”—Aurealis