Quotes from book
The Birthgrave

The Birthgrave
Tanith Lee

The Birthgrave is a 1975 science fantasy novel by British author Tanith Lee. The novel was Lee's first published novel for adults, and also the first novel in The Birthgrave Trilogy. Inspired by Lee's own personal dreams from her early twenties, the story follows a nameless protagonist through various towns on a journey to discover who she really is and what she is capable of. The Birthgrave received mostly positive reviews and was nominated for the 1975 Nebula Award for best novel.

Tanith Lee photo

“I should have felt pity, but I felt only contempt. I knew had it been a girl she would have mourned less, and it angered me.”

Tanith Lee book The Birthgrave

Book Two, Part II “The Water”, Chapter 1 (p. 173)
The Birthgrave (1975)

Tanith Lee photo

“Sickness, the serpent, is coming to bite you,
Death, the old dark man, is coming to carry you off,
Rest uneasy, you stinking carrion, on your gold beds.”

Tanith Lee book The Birthgrave

Book Two, Part II “The Water”, Chapter 1 (p. 170)
The Birthgrave (1975)