Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee

Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee

 

I've been a huge fan of Tanith Lee ever since I read White as Snow, so I ordered this book from Amazon.com. The thing is, I had the book Drinking Sapphire Wine, and it included Don't Bite the Sun, but I hadn't read the book, and I didn't realize it was the same book.

 

I found it really curious that she titled the second part of the book Drinking Sapphire Wine, remembering that I had a book by the same name written by her. So I compared both books, and it turned out they were exactly the same!

 

It turned out that Biting the Sun is actually two books in one, Don't Bite the Sun, and Drinking Sapphire Wine.

 

Anyway, it was an amazing book (or books)! Tanith Lee creates a whole other world, Four BEE, where hedonism rules, and everyone can commit suicide and come back in a different body of their own design everyday.

 

They can get married, for a minute, a day, or a year, to whomever they choose. They can choose to have a female or a male body, or alternating between either as they wish.

 

The main character of the story is pre-dominantly female, though we never actually find out her name. She's tired with life in Four BEE, feeling that everything they do is meaningless and boring, and hating that the Quasi-Robots and the machines are doing everything for them, effectively rendering them useless.

 

Eventually, she rebels and find another way of life for herself and some other people, though of course, the process isn't immediately easy. I loved the story, and I love the whole concept of being able to commit suicide and coming back in another body, though of course, it wouldn't be such a great idea in reality. Tanith Lee works the concept well in the book though, and I'm an even bigger fan of hers now!