Product Description

Drawn to the ominous house of Scarabae by the promise of passion, Rachaela soon finds herself a prisoner of her own desire, seduced into a dark and dangerous existence by a lover who bears her family name.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #387237 in Books
• Published on: 1992-11-01
• Released on: 1992-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback

From Publishers Weekly
Rachaela Day is an emotionally distant bookshop clerk in present-day London. Abandoned before birth by her enigmatic father, Rachaela has lived alone since the death of her mother. She accepts a mysterious invitation to stay at the seaside house of Scarabae with her estranged father and his family. The Scarabae, whose existence Rachaela's mother fearfully concealed, eventually reveal themselves to be a clan of vampires who must interbreed to keep their bloodlines intact. Mesmerized by her father's spell and seduced, Rachaela flees, only to find that she is pregnant with the heir to the family's legacy. Twelve years later, Rachaela must return to the Scarabae to rescue her daughter, Ruth, who has been taken back in order to fulfill her horrible destiny. Lee ( Sabella ) writes horror stylishly, with passages that often approach the lyrical. Unfortunately, certain elements in this work are overwhelmed by her verbose descriptions, most notably those of the places where the story is set. Additionally, the narrative, which moves at a steady, albeit lingering pace, contains many characters and events that strongly recall similar vampire works .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

really good creepy
this is my first tanith lee. i'm completely entranced. lee has an odd and interesting way of turning a phrase, and a manner of description more delicately nuanced than most 'genre' fiction. i guess the right word for what i am trying to say is 'literary,' but to catagorize lee's unique style at all, seems to me to somehow minimize her gift--her unique voice. if you're a smart reader who yearns for fantasy/gothic/horror with more than the usual dose of panache, character development, surprising sentences, i think you might like tanith lee very much. dark dance is a good place to start--and there are two more in the series.

Not Free SF Reader
A loner bookworm nerd girl is doing her own thing, working away, when she gets an invitation.

She accepts, and ends up staying with a very strange bunch, and she soon is in further than she thinks, pregnant, with the vampiric Scarabae hovering around, wanting to use her for their own ends.

Tanith Lee; a Literary Genius!!
All I am about to say about this author and this book, is that it is well worth your time to read this tale. I feel that you will leave this book, feeling amazed and smitten by the beloved Rachella. Tanith Lee tops my list of extraordinary storytellers, she has captured the hearts of all her fans and will not ever let go. This book is beautiful. Read it. (and the other 2 in the Blood Opera series.)