#the silver metal lover

[hlfzetsf]

My fanart of "The Silver Metal Lover" by Tanith Lee. If I were a little more inspired I'd have drawn an actual scene from the book, but I just wanted to get down how I felt the characters looked in my head.

[rayless-reblogs]

2024 Book Recommendations

I have an embarrassment of riches this year -- I had the chance to read a lot, and I kept finding so many good books. So many that instead of my normal ten recs, you're getting fifteen.

As always, these recommendations are not complete endorsements. Especially with the older books, there are definitely elements present that are questionable and even offensive.

Dragons – Pamela Wharton Blanpied (fantasy written as nonfiction, the first section recounts what happens when dragons invade Earth, the second section is a treatise on the habits and biology of dragons, and the third is a fascinating series of field notes from those who dare to befriend the monsters)

The Chatham School Affair – Thomas H Cook (mystery, a rural school, a beautiful lonely teacher, a lake, luscious language, loaded with atmosphere, you keep making and remaking your theories as you guess what happened)

Plain Bad Heroines – Emily M Danforth (mystery, braided narrative between the early twentieth century and present day, copious narrator commentary, cheeky footnotes, extremely funny but also extremely dark, gothic tropes, mostly female cast)

Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Doerr (sci-fi, braided narrative spanning centuries, the story of one ancient text's journey through history, ancient Greece, medieval Constantinople, the present day in a small-town library, space travel and ai, it all comes together across the endless reach of time and you feel a lot)

Fanny Herself – Edna Ferber (pre-WW1 coming of age women's story, old-fashioned Anne of Green Gables thoughtfulness and sweetness in some places, rousingly modern in other places, strong focus on the heroine's Jewish identity, extremely funny narrative voice, the love of nature versus the industrial verve of Chicago, will our heroine keep her soul?)

The Vows of the Peacock – Alice Walworth Graham (Middle Ages, poetic fantastical language, Isabella the She-Wolf of France, messy politics, a darkly sexy historical villain, a complex but at times quite moving arranged marriage, an absorbing female protagonist)

A Thousand Ships – Natalie Haynes (Homer's women retell Homer's stories, angrily, tragically, bitchily, including many women you might not have thought of [and it isn't just the women Homer mentioned – we get into the weeds], the story is cut into bite-sized pieces that still offer filling food for thought)

The Masqueraders – Georgette Heyer (Georgian-era glitz and witty repartee, the heroine lives as a man, her brother lives as a woman, their father is full of wild schemes that might very well get them all executed for treason, the romance is a slow burn, and we get highwaymen)

Venetia – Georgette Heyer (a Regency-era GH romance, if you know GH then you know she's the author every other Regency romance writer is trying to be, it's funny, it's daring, it's tender, GH's romances are solid, but this one especially stands out for its strong-willed and capable heroine)

The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson (the house is a character, and not a nice one, psychological instability, unreliable narrator, creeping inchoate horror, whose hand am I holding, let's dwell on the unhappiness of being a smart woman in the 1950s)

Thornhedge – T Kingfisher (Sleeping Beauty but WHAT IF, I love the heroine, her name is Toadling, it's funny, it's romantic, it's thoughtful, it's even folkloric, there's a lot about ugly lady lake trolls, the prose reads beautifully, and it's compact, it doesn't waste your time and is short enough to knock out in a day or two)

The Silver Metal Lover – Tanith Lee (sci-fi, awkward dystopian-glam girl falls in love with a robot, whom she does not own, the sci-fi is as soft as pudding but it's more about the vibes anyway, inimitably stylish Tanith Lee weirdness, the robot is an absolute doll along with being a robot)

Pony Confidential – Christina Lynch (a pony is on a revenge mission against his former Horse Girl, but what if it was both funny and serious, but what if there was also a murder mystery, but what if we dwelt on human-animal negligence a la Black Beauty, but what if we also brought in Homer's Odyssey, it gets emotional)

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich – Deya Muniz (fantasy, graphic novel, nonbinary protagonist lives as a man and is appalled to suddenly fall in love with the local heroic princess, gorgeous gorgeous shoujo-ish art, also very funny, it will make you crave cheese)

The Alice Network – Kate Quinn (WW1 and WW2, braided narrative, women acting as spies in occupied France, little-known historical events unfold on the page, so much Baudelaire, an old heroine and a young heroine and both are smart and bitter and compelling, but there's still room for some sweet romance and sharp humor)

[ayegomorrah]

Reading my first Tanith Lee. I think im in love

[daily-rayless]

Silver from The Silver Metal Lover. I was trying to go for a mix of 1980s future sci-fi, glam rock, and Renaissance, and I'm pretty pleased with how he came out.

I tend to like robot characters, and Silver definitely is one of Tanith Lee's better creations -- amiable, capable of supportiveness and warmth, but often very unknowable below the surface, even a bit remote and disquieting at times. And, of course, the whole cosmic allure thing.

I put off reading TSML for a long time and I'm glad I got to it. Jane and Loren portraits to follow.

[oenoneone]

His eyes were like two russet stars. Yes, they were exactly like stars.

"Jane, a pane of crystal, the sound of rain falling on the silken grain of marble; a slender, pale, chain of a name. Jane."

[abookisafriend]

the silver metal lover, by tanith lee: four out of five cogs

jane is living the pampered (and controlled) life of a wealthy woman's scion when she encounters S.I.L.V.E.R., a humanoid robot designed to be the peak of lifelike entertainment. perhaps he is a little too human, as jane falls suddenly in love. but how can you love someone you own -- or worse, someone whom somebody else owns?

this is a classic by veteran scifi writer tanith lee in the also-classic genre of "what if robots, but people?" I have read enough of these stories to wonder whether it isn't a little flat to ask whether a robot is a person when the robot is fictional. the author can decide. it doesn't really answer the ethical question of whether we can create artificial persons or how we'll know when we've actually created sentient life. despite that, this is an engaging story with flamboyant, memorable characters, and I think it rather makes a change to have a young woman fall in love with the android rather than finding ourselves with another male sexual fantasy of a perfected female slave. one must admit, that's where these stories often spring from; see <i>ex machina</i> for an example of the tease or westworld for an entire series based around that premise. (mind you, both stories only start with the fantasy -- but it is undeniably right there in the foreground.) this story is also enjoyable for a relatively early embracing of queer characters. it's a quick read, and you can get it in a cheap paperback edition.

one of the most interesting aspects of the book is the portrayal of jane. she's very young, and her sheltered life has left her a bit of an ingenue ... innocent and inexperienced. one can read the story as a coming of age novel, the story of jane's attempting to come into her own, as much as a star-crossed love story. most of the other characters are sketches rather than deeply developed, but they feel somehow real, and the most ancillary, least developed characters have a vibe that i associate with the classic scifi (e.g. asimov) that i read as a kid, so it works somehow; they feel like they ought to be part of the world.

overall, i recommend the story to anyone looking for a romance with a classic scifi feel, especially if you like the clank-clank.

[ilcuoreardendo-fic]

One of my favorite books. Top 5.

to those who recognise the novel by this page alone, you're a real one

[grimbluesins]

uhhhhhh i have many sonic aus and this is probably my new favorite and the one that has been most developed. it's sonic boom but silver is there. it's like a weird boom remake of 06 but i added the chaos emeralds back because i couldn't figure out how to do the weird magic shit without them.

[image text:] Silver has no idea where he came from. Silver's future contains a shattered, nearly empty universe. He's gone back 200 years to prevent the calamity. He believes Sonic is the cause. (He's right, but not in the way he thinks.) But Shadow is the culprit. Mephiles is the only other being Silver has found. He's guiding Silver in his quest. (Not really.) Nobody knows who or what Void is.

focus shots!!!

(apologies for the quality of some of these. my canvas is so unbelievably large that i had to put it through a fucking jpeg compressor and that's AFTER i exported it at the lowest dpi i could.)

anyway yeah. if you followed me for the wild kratts au you can ignore this i'm sorry. the wild kratts are taking a break from my rabid ass right now.

[colleendoran]

My pencil preliminary test drawings for The Silver Metal Lover, and final digital painting for a variant edition of the graphic novel.

[dolliezsundae]

No one, Not A Single Human On This Earth Can Stop Me From Shipping Everyone(non child) With Echother At The Same Time, While Not At The Same Time.

yes i ship, Sonic and Shadow and knuckles and silver together. separately and together. MIX AND MATCHING!!!

Sonic and Jet? or blaze? YES.

Silver and espio? and/or knuckles? YES.

Knuckles and sonic? and/or shadow? YES.

Metal sonic and sonic? And/or silver? YES.

Amy and blaze?? and or silver??

YES.

the list goes on.

I am down for almost EVERY rare pare. ever. this applies to EVERY media im a fan off. (unless the character is canonically Aromantic, or something then they can be spared) (also no toxic ships >:[)

Love conquers all.

As long as they are in love. its amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! :3

(i cant fall in love, but i wish i could, it looks amazing!)

[countesspetofi]

"Mother, I am in love with a robot."

--The Silver Metal Lover, Tanith Lee, 1981

[abhinavjeweller]

Sterling Silver Spinner Ring, Anxiety Sunflower Fidget Ring, Silver Wide Band Ring Women, Bee & Flower Spinner Ring , Thumb Boho Ring Women

[freshthoughts2020]

[waledxman123]

"Cybernetic Fusion: A Surreal Digital Portrait" Samsung Galaxy Phone Case

"Embrace the future with this captivating t-shirt design, featuring a surreal digital portrait of a human face seamlessly fused with intricate circuit boards, glowing LED lights, and sleek metallic textures. The artwork highlights a cybernetic theme with a striking palette of blue and silver tones, creating a futuristic and tech-inspired aesthetic. Perfect for tech enthusiasts, digital art lovers, and anyone captivated by the blending of humanity and technology. This unique design is ideal for making a bold, modern statement."

visit our stores from here

[elljayvee]

I saw this in a bookshop shortly after I read Red As Blood or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer and wanted to buy it, but had no money at the time. I've wondered about it off and on for years but couldn't quite recall the title, and honestly had started to think I'd dreamed its existence, somehow. And here it is, in a poll.

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

[scarlett-bitch69]

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