This book is on my to-reread list, since I just don't remember it that well. I remember liking it and being extremely confused by (and possibly a little young for) Sunshine. Also, I have watched Buffy since the last time I've read this book and my knowledge of contemporary vampire fiction is a bit better than it was.

[book: The Sunne in Splendour] was one of the best books I have ever read. My mother gave it to me to read several years ago, but it took until one of my best friends picked it up and devoured it and that I actually read it. I fell in love with Penman's writing style and descriptions. I have never read anyone more capable of bringing a world to life than her, never been more immersed in a book than I was in this one. The characters, who are real historical figures, are all written sympathetically and even when Penman clearly has an agenda, I never felt as though she was purposely foisting her view of Edward IV and Richard III on me.
This is a great book for any person who has ever wanted to explore history and a brilliantly executed tour de force in general.

I have always been interested in the rather old school sci-fi, like Lewis's Space Trilogy and such. Back when there was very little character development and the protagonist existed as a vehicle for imagining a world vastly different than our own. Lindsay's book is very much in that vein; an exploration of what it means to be human using aliens. He has the bright idea of creating humanoids with extra sensory organs that mutate throughout the story and are used to explicitly display that which we can only infer. Lindsay's theories are fascinating, if very bizarre, and he at least does not fall into the trap of having a clear and obvious moral.
This was read at C.S. Lewis's recommendation and I'm not sure whether i enjoyed it or not, but I was enthralled by it nonetheless.