| SF Reviews by Aaron M. Renn | By Author - By Title - By Date Reviewed |
Conclusion: Recommended
The last time I read a Tanith Lee novel I hurled it across the room in disgust when I finished and vowed never to be suckered again. But when browsing the new releases section at Amazon I could not resist picking up this handsome paperback reissue of The Silver Metal Lover. To my great surprise, I liked it a lot.
Jane is the 16 year old daughter of an extremely wealthy woman. She spends her days in petty amusements with other rich kids in a life faintly reminiscent of Less Than Zero. (Or perhaps the reverse is true since Less Than Zero came out in 1986 I believe). To Jane, everyone else seems far more sophisticated and clued in than she is, much to her dispair. She's particularly chagrined that she's never found a lover.
Never fear, she stumbles across Silver, or make that S.I.L.V.E.R. - Silver Ionized Locomotive Verisimulated Electronic Robot - and the rest is history. But what a history it is. This is a beautifully written tragic love story, and also a coming of age story for a young woman searching for meaning in her life. There's no doubt in my mind that this book has brought more than a few people to tears, though being the heartless bastard that I am, I wasn't one of them.
There is a downside. Like all of Lee's books I've sampled, this one reads like it was written for a fourteen year old girl, underage gay sex and assorted other adult themes excepted. She's written a number of juveniles and I'm never really sure if any particular book is supposed to be one or not. This is no exception. Regardless, I found it very enjoyable, enough so to maybe give me enough courage to try reading more of her books in the future.
%A Lee, Tanith %T The Silver Metal Lover %I Bantam Spectra %D 1999-05 (original publication 1981) %G ISBN 0-553-58127-9 %P 291 pp. %0 mass market paperback, US$6.99
Reviewed on 1999-06-25
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