Day by Night

 

By Tanith Lee

On a planet where one side is in eternal darkness and the other in eternal day, two societies built on similar patterns are unaware of the other society's existence. In both, the struggling masses are ruled by a technological elite who call themselves princes and princesses. Life for the masses is brutal, harsh and deprived. Life for the elites is luxurious beyond belief.

Princess Vel and her brother Prince Velday are young elites, living in ease and excess on the lightside of the planet. But a friend of theirs, Prince Ceedres, is living in poverty due to the failure of his estate, getting by sponging off his friends. Ceedres wants to marry Vel and thus gain access to her wealth and her estates. Even though Vel actually does loves Ceedres, she also knows he doesn't love her, he wants her wealth. When she refuses to marry him, he frames her for attempted murder of himself, and as punishment, Vel's portion of the family estate is awarded to Ceedres and she is sent to live among the workers.

Meanwhile, on the darkside, is Princess Vitra and her brother Prince Vyen. Vitra is creating the story of Vel, Ceedres and Velday, who she believes are characters she has created. She doesn't know the lightsiders are real and not made from her imagination. Vitra, Vyen and Prince Casrus have a similar story to that of the lightside characters, with slight differences. Vitra and Vyen are the ones whose estate has failed and they have hatched a plot to seize Casrus' property by framing him for assaulting Vitra. The plot works and Casrus is exiled to hard labor with the rest of the working poor and Vitra and Vyen are awarded his estate for their own.

How is it that two separate sets of young elites on opposites sides of the world are living such similar lives? It's like some godlike force is playing with their lives, letting the evil ones prosper and sending the innocent to perdition. But why?

This was quite a good story. Especially once Vel and Casrus are cast out of their comfortable lives of wealth and privilege and forced to confront the reality of the struggle of the working people. The different ways they cope with their circumstances is very gripping. However, the ending is rather lame, I think: deus ex machina. 

Review by James Nicoll Reviews.