The Book of the Mad
core novel 1993 The Secret Books of Paradys
Record
| First published | 1993 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.09 (410 ratings, collected 2026-10-28) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780879514815 |
| Internal chronology | 4 |
Synopsis
The concluding volume of the Secret Books of Paradys is a novel in its own right, elliptically built across three parallel versions of the city: Paradys, Paradis and Paradise, the last a fog-shrouded metropolis where the sun has not shone for years and a callous, ritual-obsessed people roam its decay. The three cities are joined by a labyrinth of ice whose dangers grow with the will and emotions of the lunatics who travel it, and in each a story unfolds that breaks taboos and relishes horror. The last, longest and most intricate book of the cycle, it ends on an unexpectedly hopeful note.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Secret Books of Paradys
- Series: The Secret Books of Paradys core; position 4 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Tanith Lee
Notes
- From the series record (The Secret Books of Paradys): Four books set in Paradys, a Gothic shadow of Paris across the centuries.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series The Secret Books of Paradys: position 4 of 4: previous The Book of the Dead (1991)
Sources
- Black Gate: The Novels of Tanith Lee, The Secret Books of Paradys
- Reader ratings: Secret Books of Paradys series page
- Bookshare: The Book of the Mad (publisher description)
- Open Road Media: The Book of the Mad
- Black Gate: Tanith Lee's Secret Books of Paradys
- Publishers Weekly: The Book of the Mad
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