This short book was a re-read and unlike quite a few of the author's novels did not disappoint. Sabella has a secret and it is gradually revealed, along with the background of what happened to her when she was about 11 years old and why she now has problems going out in the sun and a few other aspects traditionally associated with vampires.

The setting is Novo Mars, a planet colonised by human beings, where the original inhabitants died out, but have left behind a legacy for a select few. I did at one point think it was straying into the 'dodgy' territory of female masochism etc seen in many other of the author's works, but in this instance there is a sensible biological reason for Sabella's "submission". I liked the dry ironic tone of the story which is told from the title character's perspective. A vampire novel with a difference, and a keeper, which cannot be said about many of the books I read, so a well-deserved 5 star rating. ( )

In my top five of Favorite Tanith Lee novels. A different take on the vampire mythos and well done at that. ( )

Oct 2018, 3rd read, 5 stars: Liked it even better the third time around! Upgraded to 5 stars.

Oct 2015, 2nd read, 4 stars:
This has to be one of the strangest and most unique vampire stories I've read (though admittedly, I haven't read that many vampire stories). Sabella Quey is a reclusive young woman living on her own in Novo Mars when she receives an invitation to her aunt Cassi's funeral. Cassi has left her some money, some items, and an ominous letter stating that she found out Sabella's secret and that is where everything begins... It's really hard to talk about this story without giving away a lot of its twists and intrigue. The plotline is pretty unexpected as Tanith Lee makes a lot of unusual choices and I could not predict what would happen at the end (though it's my second time reading it, I had forgotten much of the story).

At the core, this is a story about self-discovery, acceptance, and redemption. The main character deals with a lot of emotional issues and has to come to terms with herself. I was really impressed with how Tanith Lee pulled off such an usual tale (downright bizarre at times!) about a bloodsucking creature and yet made it so relatable. Sabella herself is a very compelling character. Alluring and cynical, she has a weird sort of sinister appeal and like her victims, you can't help but be drawn in. She's essentially a predator, a killer-- her exploits are often simultaneously sensuous and horrifying-- and yet everything about her reads as incredibly emotionally true. Lee manages to make us sympathize with her and feel for her.

The setting is very unique-- it's a vampire story that's also a science fiction, taking place on a future, human-colonized Mars. The technology reflects what people in the 80s thought the future would be like-- there are self-driving cars and electric flash-guns, but there are also mailmen who deliver letters and packages. Meanwhile, wolves with champagne-coloured fur live in the Martian wilds, and the planet is not without its own long history: "There are genuine ruins (beware tourist traps) here and there. Thin pillars soaring, leveled foundations crumbling, cracked urns whispering of spilled dusts-- all the Martian dreams that old Mars denied to mankind. Though this prior race, whose wreck men inherited, left small self-evidence beyond their architecture. Maybe men find it, anyway, more romantic to guess."

I really enjoyed reading this one again and foresee myself picking it up again in the future. ( )

This review and others posted over at my blog.

I loved Sabella as a character, but as a book, not so much.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s a bad book, but more middle of the road than I was expecting. I mean, I basically expect to expire from joy after every Tanith book I read because her words are like a godsend to me, but obviously, that doesn’t happen.

I signed up for vampires on Mars and I did get one sexy (there’s quite a bit of sex), sulky, somewhat depressed vamp babe, but not much else. I did enjoy the way Tanith painted this future planet – just enough cool sounding gadgets and pink sand to know it’s somewhere beyond our means, but not so much tech that it was taking away from the story. Yet, I wished it had been a bit more spacey? I mean, I can’t think of when I’ve read anything close to vamps in space – the vampire books I generally pick up (which probably isn’t all that often, now that I think about it) usually feel more like fantasy than sci-fi so I was intrigued.

But this book is more about Sabella’s relationships with those she preys on and her aunt’s last will and testament than anything necessarily space or future related. Sabella’s relationship with the man she meets en route to the funeral and the one that follows afterward were strange and often didn’t make sense. Oftentimes Tanith’s characters form a sort of instant attachment or relationship (as in, you pretty much know who is going to partner up), yet it usually ends up more developed by the time the two characters are fully together. In this book, by the end, I was really wondering why the hell Sabella ended up with the man she did and what kind of twisted relationship she was in.

There is an extra…extra-terrestrial plotline thrown in at the end, a sort of origin story for Sabella that links this book further with the sci-fi realm and I wish there had been more development of that earlier on. I was more interested in how vamps ended up on Mars or what happened to turn Sabella than which guy she was going to end up with.

I do always enjoy Tanith’s writing (her language?), even if I don’t enjoy the subject. You are probably thinking that doesn’t make sense. But her words always seem to cast a spell over me and her worlds are so vivid, so even if I’m not interested in all the characters or the plot, there’s still magic in her books for me. Overall, not a favorite of mine, but it’s something different if you’re looking for vampires in space and/or a lady who wears lots of black and has awesome jewelry. ( )

Sabella is the coming-of-age story of a confused young vampire on Novo Mars. Like many of Lee’s books, this one is dream-like and full of supernatural eroticism.

Unfortunately, it is almost painfully slow and the first person narration was not very illuminating. I (finally) reached then end of the book and felt like I did not know the characters at all.
( )