The Jack Vance thread

[Fried Egg]

How good is the final (I think) Dying Earth book, Rhialto the Marvellous? Up to standard or -- best skipped?

I've just finished this book so can now belatedly answer this question. If you liked the rest of the series you will like this but it no longer features Cugel at all.

Anyway, next up for me (as far as Vance is concerned) will either be his "Planet of Adventure" series or else a short story collection: "Fantasms And Magic".

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Check out Big Planet too.

 

[Fried Egg]

Check out Big Planet too.

Will do at some point, not doubt. The titles I listed are just those I already have on my shelf lined up.

 

[Connavar]

I've just finished this book so can now belatedly answer this question. If you liked the rest of the series you will like this but it no longer features Cugel at all.

Anyway, next up for me (as far as Vance is concerned) will either be his "Planet of Adventure" series or else a short story collection: "Fantasms And Magic".

How did you rate Rialtho himself and his stories? The use of the DE world full of wizards,magic. I thought the stories, Rialtho himself was a very fun read. My fav part of the cycle after the best Cugel stories.

You have not read Planet of Adventure before? Its the most adventure,action you will see by Jack Vance. ERB type sword and planet mixed with Vance with his usual weird alien cultures.

 

[thatollie]

Its better than DE short stories that came out before Cugel and second only to the best Cugel book imo. They are dark and real fun,witty. More magic since its about a wizard in that weird future. They surprised me with their quality.

Frankly i have forgotten the details of the first DE stories but Cugel and Rhialtho still make smide at their messed up adventures.

Personally, I preferred the volume of short stories over the other books.

 

[Fried Egg]

How did you rate Rialtho himself and his stories? The use of the DE world full of wizards,magic. I thought the stories, Rialtho himself was a very fun read. My fav part of the cycle after the best Cugel stories.

I loved the characters and the dialogue. The dead pan style of Vance's humour really comes through with this book. The stories themselves, particularly the endings, tended to feel a little flat for me though.

You have not read Planet of Adventure before? Its the most adventure,action you will see by Jack Vance. ERB type sword and planet mixed with Vance with his usual weird alien cultures.

I look forward to it immensely!

 

[BAYLOR]

I loved the characters and the dialogue. The dead pan style of Vance's humour really comes through with this book. The stories themselves, particularly the endings, tended to feel a little flat for me though.

I look forward to it immensely!

Also worth checking out Songs of the Dying Earth Stories in Honor of Jack Vance .Edited by George R R martin and Gardener Dozois.

 

[Aplonis]

Because it's from 1978.

Spoiler Alert: Once you've read the story then it is known that Beauty Dasce is at his private retreat "Thumbnail Gulch" which is on the surface of the dead star half of a binary pair, but under a dome of plastic affixed to the rim of a crater. Gersen (in space suit) has arrived by space ship, parked out of sight some distance away. Gersen has cut a rip into the dome so as to set off alarms (as if from micro-meteor strike) and draw him out. Still it's a terrible drawing. Beauty Dasce is not described in the book as having so brutish a physique. Also you can't see the dome, or more importantly, the pavilion of black cloth tents where he'd imprisoned was keeping the lady whom Gersen has come to rescue.

So Dasce is supposed to be wearing only loose, white pantaloons...without a helmet. Also he had a toolbox instead of a sword. He didn't chase Gersen, but was chased instead. The cover is absolutely dreadful. It smacks of the art having been commissioned over the phone in a two-minute conversation with an artist who had not read the story.

 

[Aplonis]

It seems like most people like The Face best. I've yet to read it. The Demon Princes series is in my Jack Vance "to read" list. I'll be reading it after The Jack Vance Treasury.

I really wish there was a VIE (Vance Integral Edition) of all of Jack Vance's books in E-book formats. It would be great to have all of Jack Vance's books in E-book formats where the VIE texts were used. You know, I'd actually be willing to pay quite a bit for that though obviously not as much as I would for the real VIE.

The very thing which you seek indeed does exist. All of Jack's work are available as both EPub and Mobi here: http://jackvance.com

 

[Connavar]

Hi Aplonis you seem to know your Jack Vance, welcome to the forums. Are you longtime fan ?

 

[Aplonis]

I am indeed. I even met the Maestro himself once, this while visiting his home as one of the top two worker bees privileged to sit in on the January 2000 working weekend in Oakland for the VIE project. Jack sold me for $500 the privilege to translate his works into Esperanto. Because of some personal distractions during the time of my first marriage, I was negligent in that, with only three stories translated. But since the divorce I'm eager again and now have eight stories done, with another on the way. These can be had at no charge (only in Esperanto) at ESPERANTO.US website in EPub, Mobi and PDF. Also two MP3s.That my project is well and truly authorized is evidenced by the fact that it is linked to directly from JACKVANCE.COM which I hope will put minds at rest. I own a personal VIE set, and further have most of JV's works also as signed, HC, first editions. During the divorce aforementioned, my JV collection had to be assessed, and $5K paid over to my ex in valuation for her half-value. But I still have the books. I read them often. I guess that qualifies me as a fan...although I know at least one yet more avid. Paul Rhoads very kindly does the cover art for my Esperanto translations.

 

[Aplonis]

Today's render from Rhino 5 CAD of the illustrious hat.

 

[Zendexor]

Anyone here like Jack Vance? If so, which Vance series and stand-alone books do you like best?

I just started reading his books and am becoming very fond of them. The Lyonesse Trilogy is brilliant. My user-name is actually taken from the main protagonist of that series!

I'm currently waiting to receive a first-edition hardcover of Araminta Station in the mail. I also ordered a hardback Planet of Adventure omnibus some time ago but it hasn't arrived yet which makes me think it may have gotten lost (unfortunately not a rare thing to happen when ordering books from the USA).

I wish to get these Vance titles eventually:

1. Wild Thyme, Green Magic
2. Blue World, the
3. Jack Vance Reader, the
4. Maske: Thaery
5. Durdane
6. Many Worlds of Magnus Ridolph, the
7. To Live Forever
8. Showboat World
9. Hard Luck Diggings

It's a shame that much of his books are out-of-print and expensive to get. I want to get most, if not all, of the above books in hardcover format. That will cost me an arm and leg, but I'm the type of person who usually always chooses hardcover over softcover. As long as I can find hardbacks of the above for $50 or less, I should be fine.

Durdane is a trilogy; the separate volumes are: 1: The Anome; 2: The Brave Free Men; 3: The Asutra. And in my opinion these are among Vance's finest work. Durdane, a world with its own unique history and customs, is brought to life superbly.

 

[Zendexor]

Best one of the five.

I reckon Star King the best of the five. Note the last two were written after a long gap.

 

[Zendexor]

Well,it depends...do you have any other JV titles at the moment? I personally don't think Araminta is one of his best at all...In fact I struggled to finish it and never bothered with the other two even though I do have them somewhere... It's not bad or anything,it's kind of ok,you might love it,who knows?...but there are lots of much better ones IMHO. I would definitely read his older stuff first,especially the 50's and 60's stuff. The cover is good on your one though!

IMHO Araminta Station can be read on its own even though it ends on a cliffhanger. The reason I say this is that it's not hard to pick up the thread afterwards when you get round to reading the sequels; the plot of the first book is linear enough to make re-connecting with it easy when it comes to reading the second and third (though in themselves the second and third are more complex).

 

[Zendexor]

Demon Princes or Planet of Adventure

For humour you can't beat The Eyes of the Overworld. How to discourage an unwelcome visitor: just say, "I suffer from a spiritual malaise, which manifests itself in outbursts of vicious rage..."

 

[Elvraie]

I just finished The Slaves of the Klau which is a short novel. Quite well written adventure book with good characterization, considering the length, but as usual with J. Vance, a sense of wonder and well defined non-terrans humans. I spent nice, relaxing moments reading it.

 

[Aplonis]

I see many attempts to draw the pelgrane, but none seem to match the descriptions: head two feet long; long, hatchet shaped maw with two fangs rising up, a crest on the head; globular belly with fur (grey if in middle years); and an overall gargoyle appearance with great leathern wings. I can't draw, but I can do CAD and will give it a try. Here I have begun on the beak/snout. The stories don't specify. But I think for being a gargoyle, it might have arms as well as wings. In any case, it's not some kind of pterodactyl...as too-often depicted.

 

[BAYLOR]

Tales of The Dying Earth

 

[hitmouse]

What about it?