| Title | : | Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1596062134 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781596062139 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 670 |
| Publication | : | First published July 31, 2009 |
| Awards | : | Locus Award Best Short Story for “An Invocation of Incuriosity” by Neil Gaiman and Nominee for Best Anthology (2010), World Fantasy Award Anthology (2010), British Fantasy Award Best Anthology (2010) |
Half a century ago, Jack Vance created the world of the Dying Earth, and fantasy has never been the same. Now, for the first time ever, Jack has agreed to open this bizarre and darkly beautiful world to other fantasists, to play in as their very own. To say that other fantasy writers are excited by this prospect is a gross understatement; one has told us that he'd crawl through broken glass for the chance to write for the anthology, another that he'd gladly give up his right arm for the privilege that's the kind of regard in which Jack Vance and The Dying Earth are held by generations of his peers.
Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance Reviews
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Songs of the Dying Earth kind of popped up at my door one day and to be honest I never really had any interest. I adore (and yes, adore is a most fitting word) George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, but I can't say I was at all positive about this anthology. It's pretty much just fan fiction right? Why would anyone pay good money for this?
Not only that, but it's a tribute to an author I've never read. Yes, I have debated picking up Tales of the Dying Earth at one point or another. Yes, I realize I'm criminally under-read if I haven't read Jack Vance. But then again, I have plenty on my plate, why start with a tribute to an author I've never read?
Well, for some reason, and against all better judgment, I found myself picking Songs of the Dying Earth up. One short story won't hurt right? Plus, there are some pretty dang good authors attached to this endeavor.
One story turned to another, and now I'm well on my way to completing this tribute to Jack Vance...one more time...an author I've never read.
And...
Songs of the Dying Earth is easily the best anthology I've ever read and I'm not even done yet. That's how excited I am about this anthology - I'm posting this review at a little over the halfway point (although I usually do like to post anthology reviews in parts anyway to make sure I don't forget earlier stories).
I almost decided to wait until I read Vance's original work before starting Songs, but I decided I wanted to give a clear perspective from someone who's not already a fan. I'm so glad I haven't waited.
The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale by Robert Silverberg (5/5) - A character who reminded me a lot of Kruppe from the Malazan Book of the Fallen owns a rare wine that is being saved for a very special occasion. Today might be that day, but not for the original reasons. Silverberg starts this anthology off with a bang. What a great story that also introduces some of the surprises this world holds.
Grolion of Almery by Matthew Hughes (5/5) - I thought this was even better than the first story even though both were amazing. This story broadens the implications of the world of the Dying Earth and I've become that much more addicted to it. An unwary traveller is trapped with only one option of escape, cooperation.
The Copsy Door by Terry Dowling (5/5) A contest of wizards ensues involving Amberlin the Lesser whose spells don't quite go as planned.
Caulk the Witch-Chaser by Liz Williams (3/5) Not bad, but doesn't have the same charm as the former three. It lacks those witty/odd characters and descriptions that I've already grown to expect.
Inescapable by Mike Resnik (4/5) An enjoyable story, yet again reminding us that not everything is always as it seems in the Dying Earth.
Abrizonde by Walter Jon Williams (5/5) I really loved this story about a man who gets caught in a war of nations, none of which he belongs to, and decides to get involved. Given the indifference the leaders have to his predicament, getting involved is a good idea.
The Traditions of Karzh by Paula Volsky (5/5) The heir to Karzh has never really had the need to apply himself...until he is poisoned (by his uncle) and forced to unlock the cure or die. The ending was very surprising and also quite satisfying.
The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod by Jeff Vandermeer (4/5) I really enjoyed the characters in this one, but didn't love the ending. It also lacked, somewhat, that charm I mentioned earlier.
The Green Bird by Kage Baker (5/5) Probably my favorite so far in this excellent collection. It's witty, interesting, and surprising. The idea of not only a giant pit that people are thrown into is great, but to add to that a colony of survivors developing at the bottom of this pit and I was sold. Cugel the Clever earns his name in this one.
The Last Golden Thread by Phyllis Eisenstein (3.5/5) Another good, but not great story. It was interesting, involved some things (and species) I'm becoming familiar with, but I didn't love it or especially the ending.
An Incident at Uskvosk by Elizabeth Moon (4/5) This was an enjoyable story about a race of Giant Cockroaches and a young man falsely accused.
Sylgarmo's Proclamation by Lucius Shepard (4/5) Shepard has a unique way with metaphors that really gelled with me. I really liked the characters in this interesting tale that revolves around getting revenge on Cugel the Clever.
The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee by Tad Williams (4/5) This story does everything the title suggests, but I think I still wanted a bit more. A presumptuous miscreant forces a wizard to "sell" him a few spells. This reminds me of the part in The Dark Knight where the accountant tries to extort Batman.
"Let me get this straight: You think that your client, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands. And your plan is to blackmail this person? Good luck."
Guyal the Curator by John C. Wright (4/5) This was a surprisingly good tale about a man with a case of amnesia and the last Effectuator, Manxolio Quinc, who uses his effectuating skills to find this man's identity. Many of the words used in this tale made me very glad I've read Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series almost in preparation.
The Good Magician by Glen Cook (3.5/5) A lazy, self-centered man stumbles across something that should not be in his persuit of something he should not be persuing...at least not in the way he was doing it. I liked Cook's style and humor, but the story wasn't my favorite.
The Return of the Fire Witch by Elizabeth Hand (3/5) Another I wasn't a huge fan of. Saloona Morn is all but forced by the fire witch to participate in her plan for revenge. There were some surprises, but overall the story wasn't extremely interesting.
The Collegeum of Mauge by Byron Tetrick (5/5) This is another favorite in a The Name of the Wind sort of way. Drogo gets into a school for wizards, interrupting his search for his father.
Evillo the Uncunning by Tanith Lee (4.5/5) The self-named Evillo, encouraged by tales of Cugel, takes off on an adventure and picks up a magical talking snail. This was one of the more hilarious tales in the anthology. One great quote right at the beginning:
"...life is ever valuable and must be preserved - so that it may also be punished for the insolence of persisting."
The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz by Dan Simmons (4.5/5) The longest story of the bunch (almost 70 pages), the first half is easily 5 stars, but my interest began to wane in the middle and then it picks up again. Still a great story about wizards and warriors, powerful demons (one that took centuries to tame), and a trip across the dying world.
Also, this has one of the best illustrations of the book, including a look at each of the different characters.
Frogskin Cap by Howard Waldrop (2.5 to 3/5) I wasn't too impressed with this story. There really wasn't much to it, but it makes up in it's length (about 9 pages).
A Night at the Tarn House by George R R Martin (5/5) This read like a breeze, of course. The atmosphere was dark, yet playful and really captured the essence of the entire anthology. Some unlucky (and not so unlucky) characters find out that the Tarn House may not in fact be better than braving the terrors in the night - despite the wearies of travel.
An Invocation of Curiosity by Neil Gaiman (5/5) The perfect conclusion to the collection. Gaiman looks at what happens when it's all over and takes this premise in a really unexpected way.
Wow, I'm actually done. The best part is - no more updates! -
***The above quotes really say it all when it comes to the talent of Jack Vance and his singular creation: the Dying Earth***
Easily, and I mean EASILY the single best tribute anthology I have ever read and in the top 10 for anthologies period. What a monumental achievement in honor of such a monumental achiever. I worked my way through this collection slowly, SAVORING all of the deliciously VANCEtastic stories set in the world of the Dying Earth. I am a bit of rabid-mouth-foaming fan of Jack Vance and his Dying Earth and when I heard that a cadre of some of the best authors in the business were putting together a group of brand new stories set in that dense, luscious playground...all I could think was that it had WIN of galactic proportions written all over it:
Well, having finished all of the stories, I am still hovering above planet happy and pleased to report that, as a whole, the collection has EXCEEDED even my very lofty expectations. To be able take such an iconic, richly imagined and unique world dreamed up by a MASTER like Jack Vance and create fresh, vibrant stories that both pay homage to and expand upon the Dying Earth is a truly remarkable feat. George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, along with all the contributing writers, deserve major kudos for pulling this off:
LIST OF STORIES
The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale by Robert Silverberg (6.0 stars): Silverberg starts the collection off by knocking the cover off the ball with this doubleplusgood story. For someone who has been writing as long as Silverberg to be able to “adopt” the spirit, tone and even the language of Vance and his Dying Earth is nothing short of amazing.
Grolion of Almery by Matthew Hughes (6.0 stars): Many have called Matthew Hughes the “heir” apparent to Vance’s Dying Earth and this story is Exhibit #1 in proving that case. Of all the writers in this collection, Matthew does the best job of "channeling" Vance's voice in his story. This story also has the added bonus of using elements of Lovecraftian horror to spice the tale and kick it up a notce...BAM!!!. On the shortlist for “Best Story” in the collection.
The Copsy Door by Terry Dowling (5.0 stars): Excellent story featuring Amberlin the Lesser engaging in a magical contest while cursed with a most annoying form of magic.
Caulk the Witch-Chaser by Liz Williams (2.5 to 3.0 stars): Okay, but not a great story. One of the few weak stories in the collection.
Inescapable by Mike Resnick (6.0 stars): Another on my shortlist for FAVORITE in the entire collection. Watchman Pelmundo becomes bewitched by a woman and ends up getting in WAY over his head. Fans of the original "Dying Earth" novel will get a kick out of the ending of this story.
Abrizonde by Walter Jon Williams (5.5 stars): A great “battle” story set in the besieged castle of Abrizonde. Tense and dramatic at times but with moments of Vance-like humor and a very funny ending. A highlight in a book full of highlights.
The Traditions of Karzh by Paula Volsky (5.0 stars): The "magically" disinclined Farnol of Karzh comes of age and stands ready to inherit his family home and fortune, but only if he can find his particular magical aptitude. A great dark but funny ending (just like Vance would do it).
The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod by Jeff VanderMeer (3.0): The second weak story in the collection from an author who I normally love. Not horrible but suffers from comparison to the surrounding stories and he never really captures Vance’s voice.
The Green Bird by Kage Baker (5.0 stars): Cugel the Clever makes an appearance in this excellent story that is made all the better by a truly SUPERB ending.
The Last Golden Thread by Phyllis Eisenstein (3.5 stars). Probably a better story than I am giving it credit for, but I just thought this tale seemed a bit out of place in this collection.
An Incident at Uskvosk by Elizabeth Moon (4.0 stars). A solid, entertaining story about a day at gambling scheme that goes awry.
Sylgarmo's Proclamation by Lucius Shepard (2.5 to 3.0 stars): Number three of what I would call the weak stories in the collection, but the anthology as a whole is still performing well.
The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee by Tad Williams (4.5 to 5.0 stars): A classic Vance-like tale with spells, scoundrels and a very hungry deodand. It is quality stories like this that give you hope that the world of the Dying Earth can be made to live again.
Guyal the Curator by John C. Wright (4.5 stars): I am continually surprised the John C. Wright is not more well known. His writing is consistently of the highest quality and this story is no exception. A terrific tale with a superb ending.
The Good Magician by Glen Cook (3.0 Stars): Not a bad story but not one of my favorites despite being a fan of Glen Cook. A group of wizards including Rhialto the Marvellous and Ildefonse the Preceptor stumble on a lost city and an ancient secret that could spell doom for the Dying Earth. Would have been much better had the story been shortened.
The Return of the Fire Witch by Elizabeth Hand (2.5 stars): Like "The Last Golden Thread," this story just seemed out of place in this collection and I didn't get the "Dying Earth" vibe from it. Paytim Noringal wrangles her neighbor Saloona Morn into doing a bit of durty work. Overall, MEH.
The Collegeum of Mauge by Byron Tetrick (4.0 stars): Now we are back on track with this fun little story about a yound wizard in training, Dringo, who joins a Wizard's college to help him find his true father. Fans of the Dying Earth series will appreciate the tie in here.
Evillo the Uncunning by Tanith Lee(4.5 to 5.0 Stars): Easily the nuttiest, zaniest story in the collection about a young orphan and a mysterious "talking snail." Laughed out loud more than a few times during this one.
The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz by Dan Simmons (5.5 stars): The longest story in the collection and in the running for the best. A superb story that is given time to develop into a truly memorable Dying Earth tale. Simmons is amazing.
Frogskin Cap by Howard Waldrop (4.0 to 4.5 stars): Oddly enough, this was my very first exposure to Waldrop and I was very impressed. Not only a great story, but I now have another author to check out.
A Night at the Tarn House by George R. R. Martin (4.5 to 5.0 stars): GRRM really comes through with this darkly funny tale of a fateful stay over at a very unusual inn.
An Invocation of Incuriosity by Neil Gaiman (5.0 stars): Gaiman does a stellar job of not only wrapping up the anthology, but also providing a coda for the entire Dying Earth series...and it's a coda that brilliantly leaves doors open.
Overall, this is AS GOOD AS IT GETS. A must for fans of Jack Vance and the Dying Earth series and for those few out there that are not fans of the Dying Earth, all I can say is.... HUH?
HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION. -
“We must begin our odyssey at once!” cried Dame War Maven Derwe Coreme. “Activate you jinker or jinker your carpet or wake up your rug or whatever the hell you must do. Treasures and booty await!”
I’ve read the original tales of the Dying Earth several years ago, quickly followed by anything else from Jack Vance that came into my hands (like Planet of Adventure or the Lyonesse epic), and yet I’m still dreaming of walking once again along the lilac shores of Tenebrosa Bay, bathed in the fading light of a tired sun. The man who guided my first journey there has departed this earth for the final journey into the unknown, but the siren song of his imagination is still heard by readers young and old. Some of these readers have become writers in their turn, and have come together in this amazing collection to pay their dues to the artist who fired up their dreams with wizards and monsters, thieves and concubines, demons from parallel dimensions and scholars of ancient texts.
The names of the contributors alone should suggest this is a special moment in the annals of speculative fiction. The end results of their efforts to capture the spirit of the Dying Earth is proof enough that Jack Vance lives on through the people whose lives he has enriched. I am not going to pick favorites, or give individual ratings: I believe all the stories are well chosen and deserve to be included here.
When I settle into a Vance story, I see the sense of wonder and the confidence and the generous spirit of someone who was given a childhood and adolescence free from fear and without want, who used those years to explore the world and, through that exploration, came to embrace it with exuberance. [Dean Koontz in the Preface]
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Robert Silverberg – “The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale” starts us on the journey with the elegiac tale of Puillayne of Ghiusz, wizard and poet, collector of magical artifacts and of rare wines. He likes to spend the last days of the planet in the company of friends, slowly depleting his famous cellar and nursing his existential spleen.
“What is our world? It is but a boat
That breaks free at sunset, and drifts away
Without a trace.”
When danger comes knocking at his door, Puillayne discovers that he is not yet ready to renounce life.
“Forget the darkness, dear friend, and enjoy the beauty of the wine.”
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Matthew Hughes – Grolion of Almery offers us his own version of the resourceful scoundrel who lands in magical trouble when he seeks refuge in a strange house. Grolion is a worthy scion of Cugel the Clever, for those familiar with the original stories.
“My experience is that unhelpful situations will always yield to a man of guile and resource. I will exert myself.”
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Terry Dowling – The Copsy Door is a portal fantasy with traces of horror as laid-back stoner magician Amberlin the Lesser is tricked into participating in a deadly spell contest with two of his more accomplished rivals. His final prize sounds like a good resume of the magic tricks that made Jack Vance such an inspiration:
‘What is missing from our lives are the elements of absurdity and genuine surprise. You have provided these things in ample measure – and are therefore our winner!”
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Liz Williams – Caulk the Witch-chaser is a fine example of the hunter becoming the hunted, a twist of fate that honors the sharp sense of humour and the amoral characters of the original Dying Earth stories.
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Mike Resnick – Inescapable is a riff on the Vance tale of the alluring golden witch named Lith and her nemesis, Graebe the Unavoidable, a morality play about desire and retribution
He would speak of honor and she would speak of trinkets. He would promise love, and she would snicker and point out that the poorest jewel lasted longer than the greatest love. He would beg just to be with her, and the golden witch would vanish, only the echo of her amused laughter lingering in the empty air.
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Walter Jon Williams – Abrizonde is a variant of the typical Cugel story, where an innocent man is caught in a larger conflict but, using guile and ruthlessness, he ends up on top of the situation. Abrizonde is a mighty fortress guarding the mountain pass between two kingdoms. The ruling magician of the fortress comes under simultaneous attacks from his two enraged neighbors and forces young architect Vespanus of Roe to help with the castle defense.
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Paula Volsky – The Traditions of Kharzh is a fun sketch about the dangers of indolence when your father is a powerful magician. The imminence of death proves to be a great motivator for quick learning of spells. Young Farnol must renounce his pursuit of leisure and embark on an urgent and very dangerous journey.
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Jeff Vandermeer – The Final Quest of Wizard Sarnool applies his interest for underground passages filled with monsters to a tale of a powerful wizard who sends two of his indentured minions on a quest to retrieve one of his former lovers from a dungeon he himself has designed. The two unwilling slaves might find more than Sarnool bargained for in their underground adventures.
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Kage Baker – The Green Bird features the one and only Cugel the Clever involved in one more adventure that is designed to bring him incredible fortune, yet lands him in deep trouble with angry magicians.
“Hast ever heard of Daratello the Psitticist? He was a mage, and a pupil of none less than great Phandaal. Deep and subtle was his power, and prudent his employment of it; yet he was hunted to his death long ago, for reasons which he ought to have foreseen.”
Not only is this one of the most memorable episodes in the collection, but Kage Baker is very articulate about the lasting appeal of Jack Vance:
Many years later I encountered the tales of Cugel the Clever, a liar and a thief in a doomed world of liars and thieves, as hapless as Wile E. Coyote and several degrees less moral than Harry Flashman. Probably the least attractive hero it would be possible to find, struggling through a universe like a Hieronymus Bosch painting, a hero only in that nearly everyone else he encounters in that universe is on the make too; and yet the Cugel stories are howlingly funny.
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Phyllis Eisenstein – The Last Golden Thread is another variant of the golden temptress Lith story, but even before she appears on the scene, young Bosk Septentrion is more than willing to give up a boring life as a merchant of mushrooms for a place among wizard Turjan’s apprentices.
“Why would you give up a soft life with a firm future for a world of endless questions?”
Why do any of us keep reading about strange lands and dangerous beauties and magical spells, instead of being satisfied with our 9 to 5 jobs? Phyllis Eisenstein answers in the afterword of her novella:
For this is a world – of danger, wonder, and delight – that has been impressed on our imaginations as few others have.
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Elizabeth Moon – An Incident at Utvosk invites us to participate in a day at the races. This being the Dying Earth, the horses are replaced by giant cockroaches and various magical spells are deployed in the hope of influencing the end results. The proverbial stable boy of fantasy may yet surprise everyone.
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Lucius Shepard – Sylgarmo’s Proclamation A famous wizard proclaims that the end of the world is only days away, so a bunch of wizards hire warriors Thiago Alves and Derwe Coreme to retrieve specific spells allowing relocation to distant stars from a tower in the middle of wilderness. Thiago and Derwe respond to the call of adventure, but they may pay with their lives for the privilege, despite the promises of their guide Melorius:
“Travel the Great Erm in complete security! Enjoy the companionship of beautiful women lacking all moral rectitude! Come away to Cil and Saskervoy ... with a first stop at my subterranean palace for a feast to end all feasts.”
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Tad Williams – The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee offers an elegant and darkly humorous example of the dangers implied by trying to blackmail a practitioner of magic. Lixal is a member of a traveling circus show who hopes he can trick his audience out of their money with a few well placed spells.
“Our rural folk tend to carry both grudges and sharp hand tools, so I have no urge to excite malice.”
He ends up in a much worse situation than the one he bargained for, but at least he gains a partner for a board game where Lixal wagers with his own life. Mr Williams is also kindly providing us with a great quote for the rediscovery of Jack Vance by young readers:
Readers who love wit and imagination have not fully lived until they have spent a while sitting at the master’s feet, laughing and marveling.
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John C Wright – Guyal the Curator brings back one character from the first Dying Earth volume, mixing a bit of science-fiction into the magical equation with spectacular results. Who will be saved when the sun finally blinks out? The powerful magicians, or the humble servants? What will happen to the Museum of Man and all the accumulated knowledge of the past aeons?
The fame of Manxolio Quinc rested on a mystic weapon thickly fraught with ancient reputation, called the Implacable Dark Iron Wand of Quordaal, which he was seen to carry with him, and from which a ominous sussuration oft could be overheard.
Mr Wright argues that we need Jack Vance more than ever today, when the genre becomes victim to its own commercial success:
Even now, when fantasy is so common that it outsells science fiction, and every book seems oddly bland and similar, the work of Vance from half a century ago still stands out, an oasis for the imagination, an airy garden in the midst of an overfed swamp.
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Glen Cook – The Good Magician pits Alvaro Morag, The Long Shark of Dawn, against a clique formed by the most powerful wizards of the dying earth. Alvaro, a minor practitioner, stumbles upon the location of a secret library and the other wizards decide to use him as a human shield against the mansion defenses. As this is a world turned upside down already, expect the unexpected and you will not be let down.
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Elizabeth Hand – The Return of the Fire Witch may be the only story I would have personally left out of the collection. It’s not bad, but it tries too hard to emulate the flowery prose of the master, with mixed results. It also confirmed my conviction that men like me are hopeless at identifying colors. What the heck is brazen tigerlily or pale marigold?
She remained a remarked beauty. Like her neighbor, she was flame-haired, though Paytim’s was brazen tigerlily to Saloona’s pale marigold, and Paytim’s eyes were green.
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Byron Tetrick – The Collegeum of Mauge brings us to a special school for mages, a place where young boy Dringo arrives at by mistake, as he travels distant lands searching for a missing father. At Mauge, the boy discovers instead friendship, danger, adventure, hidden talents and a truth far stranger than he even imagined.
“I’ve traveled far this day with only the scrape of my soles as comfort, and caws and screeches to distress me.” He held out a hand. “Gasterlo. We’ve outdistanced death and surely we are meant to be friends.”
Mr Tetrick is a personal friend of Jack Vance, so he has more insights about the meaning of the dying earth than most of us. Instead of despair, it should inspire us to appreciate the time we have left and to do our damn best to enjoy the wonders of the world.
“I see the sun still rises. It appears that this tired old earth has one more day in it. Let us get started.”
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Tanith Lee – Evillo the Uncunning is reminding me a lot of the classic fairy tales of Brothers Grimm. A golden boy is found near a village, he leaves in search of adventure and meets his destiny in the form of a magically cursed animal (a snail in the case of Evillo) . Instead of gaining gold or fair maidens, Evillo mostly struggles to live for another day while luck apparently travels elsewhere.
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Dan Simmons – The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz is probably the best story in the whole collection, despite very strong competition. It simply has everything in it that made the Dying Earth such an enduring concept: powerful magicians, dangerous exploits, beautiful language, epic scope, humour, sword fights, romance, originality, sadness and wonder walking hand in hand.
“Shrue, tell me the truth. You never had any plans to flee the Dying Earth when its last days came, did you?”
“No,” said Shrue. He showed a quick, uncharacteristic grin. “It’s all just too damn interesting to miss, isn’t it?”
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Howard Waldrop – Frogskin Cap is a nice detour debating the merits of true science confronting supernatural beliefs, but it suffers a little from coming right after the Simmons novella.
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George R R Martin – A Night at the Tarn House is spectacular in a horror heavy setting. I expected the best from one of my favorite short story writers, and I was not let down. Word to the wise: avoid the Hissing Eels if you spend the night at the Tarn House.
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Neil Gaiman ��� An Invocation of Incuriosity closes the collection with a flourish, linking the distant days of the Dying Earth with a present day flea-market in Florida.
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Wheww! What a Trip! This is huge, I recommend taking it in small doses, one story at a time, both to prolong the pleasure and to avoid saturation of the imaginary muscles with such a rich menu. I hope some day a sequel of sorts will be put together by a new generation of Jack Vance fans. Until then, I raise my glass to the ones who contributed here:
He raised his flute in a toast and the others raised theirs. “To knowing that every day is a good day to be alive,” he said and drank. -
An amazing collection and utterly delightful tribute to grandmaster Jack Vance. Vance is among the most highly regarded and influential (as well as prolific) SFF authors of the post-war period. As attested to by the all star cast of contributing authors in this volume, his influence on a generation of SFF authors is perhaps unrivaled. All cite his masterful world building, sheer imagination and evocative prose.
These stories are all set within Vance's world of the Dying Earth, the stories of which are widely considered Vance's magnum opus. Many of these stories intersect, to a greater or lesser degree, with the characters and settings from Vance's own writings. Many of the authors also adopted a Vancean writing style to some extent, yet manage to convey their own personal and unique styles.
Easily the best tribute anthology I've seen. *Highly recommend* to all Jack Vance fans!
The True Vintages of Erzuine Thale by Robert Silverberg (5.0) - Silverberg does a masterful job adopting Vance's style and manner, perhaps going even a bit too far with the Vance-ian syntax
and formality of language.
Grolion of Almery by Matthew Hughes (5.0) - Matthew Hughes has quickly become one of my go to SFF authors when I'm looking for something fun and out of the box, and this is a superb example of the inventive and farcical Dying Earth style tales he crafts so adeptly.
The Copsy Door by Terry Dowling (3.5) - A tale of three wizards forced to compete against each other for survival, one of whom is severely handicapped in his conjuring ability by a curse and must get, uh, creative. Humorous and good fun.
Caulk the Witch-Chaser by Liz Williams (2.5) - Decent story of an enscorcelled witch-chaser compelled to hunt down a brood of owl witches with a predictable ending.
Inescapable by Mike Resnik (3.5) - A fable like story about a fool in love with a chilling twist.
Abrizonde by Walter Jon Williams (4.0) - A young magician is unexpectedly caught in a besieged castle and must utilize his limited skills and knowledge to survive. Williams' creativity shines as he describes the many arcane and outlandish spells employed by the magician and his rivals.
The Traditions of Karzh by Paula Volsky (3.5) - An uncle poisons his nephew in an attempt to compel him to acquire some knowledge of magic in order to save himself. The nephew sets out on a quest to find a crucial element needed to facilitate that knowledge, risking life and limb. The story is well put together and entertaining.
The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod by Jeff VanderMeer (3.5) - Well written and amusing tale of a spiteful magician who sends anyone who betrays or displeases him to exile in a labyrinth of dismal underworld caverns. Quite a bit of creative world building here, and some unexpected twists.
The Green Bird by Kage Baker (4.0) - This story sees Cugel the Clever escaping prison and attempting to steal a magical bird. Nice twist.
The Last Golden Thread by Phyllis Eisenstein (4.0) - Very charming tale of a boy's apprenticeship to a powerful magician. His adventures prove challenging, emphasizing the saying that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Eisenstein does a spectacular job bringing her character to life.
An Incident in Uskvosk by Elizabeth Moon (3.0) - Solid story, but not a standout, and not much of a Dying Earth vibe.
Sylgarmo's Proclamation by Lucius Shepard (3.5) - Shepard does a wonderful job immersing us in the world of the Dying Earth and tying the story solidly into Cugel cannon, but the story fell a bit flat for me. The Cugel here is older and more ruthless, lacking the farcical haughtiness and loquacity we've come to expect from him.
The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee by Tad Williams (4.5) - Williams expertly employs some Vancean style you-get-what-you-deserve humor in a clever and witty tale of a knave seeking to learn some magic in order to line his pockets.
Guyal the Curator by John C. Wright (3.0) - Competently written, yet seemingly misses the mark as it doesn't really capture the feel of Vance's Dying Earth, perhaps because the language and characterizations felt overly stilted.
The Good Magician by Glen Cook (4.0) - A group of renowned magicians seeks to uncover the secrets of an ancient lost city. Solid story.
The Return of the Fire Witch by Elizabeth Hand (3.0) - Another charming story of two witches, neighbors with a love hate relationship. Great writing, but the story is a bit overburdened by the Vancean style adopted by the author.
The Collegeum of Mauge by Byron Tetrick (4.0) - Cute story of a young magician seeking his long absent father, with a fabulous tie-in with Cugel and Iucounu the Laughing Magician.
Evillo the Uncunning by Tanith Lee (5.0) - Exquisite. A young adventurer unwittingly follows in the footsteps of Cugel, encountering surprise after surprise, including a magical, talking snail that becomes his travelling companion. Lee's style is radiant, her prose enchanting. As noted by others, this is also the most humorous story in the collection, and I think perhaps the best. I have not read much by Lee, and this reminds me I must read more.
The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz by Dan Simmons (4.0) - The longest of the collection, Simmons tells a fantastic tale of two powerful magicians competing to unlock a treasure trove of ancient magical secrets, with the fate of the Earth hanging in the balance. Typically the magicians of Dying Earth are quite eccentric or farcical, yet Simmons depiction is a bit more straight laced and traditional.
Frogskin Cap by Howard Waldrop (2.0)
A Night at the Tarn House by George R R Martin (4.0) - Excellent story, quite dark, and unfortunately lacking Vance's signature sprinklings of levity.
An Invocation of Incuriosity by Neil Gaiman (5.0) - An amazing, masterful coda to the collection, and The Dying Earth series as a whole! -
The red sun pulled itself from sleep and glared upon the world that it must still serve, though itself of more than pensionable age.
George R.R. Martin, "A Night at the Tarn House"
This collection of stories - love letters, really - set in the world of Jack Vance's Dying Earth was published in the waning years of the Grandmaster's life, just one more side project that
George R.R. Martin found to distract himself from finishing the ASOIAF series. Many of the authors are renowed, although others are not, but the heartfelt effort in each tale is immediately evident; each story includes a note from the author about how Vance's stories affected and influences their lives and their own work. The anthology will be appreciated and treasured most by Dying Earth fans who will enjoy seeing the return of favorite locations and characters (Chun! and of course Cugel) but could also serve as a gateway for those who have yet to experience the final days of Vance's Dying Earth.
- The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale by
Robert Silverberg - 4/5
- Grolion of Almery by
Matthew Hughes - 4/5
- The Copsy Door by
Terry Dowling - 3/5
- Caulk the Witch-Chaser by
Liz Williams - 3/5
- Inescapable by
Mike Resnick - 3/5
- Abrizonde by
Walter Jon Williams - 3/5
- The Traditions of Karzh by
Paula Volsky - 4/5
- The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod by
Jeff VanderMeer - 3/5
- The Green Bird by
Kage Baker - 4/5
- The Last Golden Thread by
Phyllis Eisenstein - 3/5
- An Incident in Uskvosk by
Elizabeth Moon - 4/5
- Sylgarmo's Proclamation by
Lucius Shepard - 3/5
- The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee by
Tad Williams - 4/5
- Guyal the Curator by
John C. Wright - 2/5
- The Good Magician by
Glen Cook - 3/5
- The Return of the Fire Witch by
Elizabeth Hand - 3/5
- The Collegeum of Mauge by
Byron Tetrick - 4/5
- Evillo the Uncunning by
Tanith Lee - 5/5
- The Guiding Nose of Ulfänt Banderōz by
Dan Simmons - 3/5
- Frogskin Cap by
Howard Waldrop - 2/5
- A Night at the Tarn House by
George R.R. Martin - 4/5
- An Invocation of Incuriosity by
Neil Gaiman -4/5 (also included in Gaiman's collection
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances) -
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT
Fantasy Literature.
Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honor of Jack Vance is the best anthology I’ve ever read. These stories will be enjoyed by any SFF reader, but they’ll be ten times more fun if you’ve read Jack Vance’s The Dying Earth, because they are all written in honor of that fantastic work. Each tale is written in the style of Vance, which is quite amusing in itself, and each takes place on the Dying Earth, that far-future wasteland in which natural selection means survival of the cleverest, nastiest, sneakiest, and most self-serving.
Songs of the Dying Earth was written by “many high-echelon, top-drawer writers” (as Mr. Vance says in the preface): Robert Silverberg, Matthew Hughes, Terry Dowling, Liz Williams, Mike Resnick, Walter Jon Williams, Paula Volsky, Jeff Vandermeer, Kage Baker, Phyllis Eisenstein, Elizabeth Moon, Lucius Shepard, Tad Williams, John C. Wright, Glen Cook, Elizabeth Hand, Byron Tetrick, Tanith Lee, Dan Simmons, Howard Waldrop, George R.R. Martin, and Neil Gaiman. And there’s an introductory “appreciation” by Dean Koontz.
It was pure pleasure to listen to these authors emulate Jack Vance’s writing style and to fill their stories with Vance’s beloved (if I can call them that) characters such as Rhialto the Marvellous, Cugel the clever, Derwe Coreme, Guyal, Turjan, T’sais, Ioucounu the Laughing Magician, Lith, Chun the Unavoidable and, of course, plenty of Deodands, sandestins, pelgranes, and Twk-men. They used some of Vance’s neologisms and hilariously named magic spells (e.g., The Spell of Forlorn Encystment, The Excellent Prismatic Spray, The Spell of the Macroid Toe) and plenty of those other strange things we find in Vance novels: colors that don’t exist, baroque architecture and fashion, slimy creatures that squirm and pulsate, eyeball jelly, blue concentrate, miniaturized enemies, nostrils used as doorways, pulp, ichor, fungi, and empty eye sockets… as Kage Baker said in her afterword, the Dying Earth is like a Hieronymus Bosch painting.
These stories were so well done that much of the time I forgot that I wasn’t actually reading Jack Vance. Many of the tales give us supplementary history about some of Vance’s well-known characters and they fit into the canon so smoothly that I’m afraid I’ll forever be remembering them as original Vance! Every story in this anthology is a lot of fun (except for Elizabeth Moon’s because I have a phobia of cockroaches), and they are all highly recommended reading, but my favorites were those that best affect Vance’s florid style, magniloquent dialogue, distinctive character names, black humor, and sense of irony — not so easily done. Those that accomplish this best are:
* Tad Williams, whose story about a low-order traveling magician who gets stuck to a Deodand was the funniest
* Terry Dowling, who made me late to work because I was sitting in the parking lot and laughing at his magicians’ contest
* Kage Baker, who had won me over even before she has Cugel say to himself “What, though, Cugel! Have you not an unfailing way with the female sex? If you cannot ingratiate yourself with the old witch, you are not your father’s child.”
* Tanith Lee, whose style is spot-on in every respect and gets extra points for creating a spell “extrapolated from Phandaal’s empurpled theorem of Locative Selfulsion”
* Walter Jon Williams, who creates a delightfully clever hero, puts a disagreeable wife in a bottle, and makes up some nice new words
* Mike Resnick, who explains the origin of Chun the Unavoidable and why he sews eyeballs onto his cloak
* Matthew Hughes, whose unlucky protagonist inhabits flying insects who keep getting squashed
* Neil Gaiman, whose charming last story answers the ultimate question: what happens when the sputtering sun finally goes out?
Something that makes the Songs of the Dying Earth very special (especially to me, a rabid but newer Vance fan) were the authors’ afterwords in which they explain what Jack Vance’s work means to them. I was amazed at how similar their stories were: almost invariably they were between 13 and 15 years old, looking for something to do, found a Vance novel on their brother’s bookshelf or one of his stories in a pulp magazine, became completely enthralled, scoured the bookstores and newsstands for more, and eventually read all of his work. They consider Vance a major influence in their own writing, and (almost all of them say this) he’s one of the few authors they still feel the same way about today as they did when they were teenagers. I found this fascinating. And kind of sad, for I have never experienced the joy of needing to hunt for, and therefore eventually finding, a treasured book that I didn���t know existed. I’ve never seen an Ace Double at a newsstand. This was all before my time and I feel like I’ve missed out.
The afterwords were beautifully nostalgic, but in reality I’m thankful to Subterranean Press and Brilliance Audio, that scrounging around on used bookstore floors is a thing of the past for Vance fans. Both of these houses have lately been supplying us with Vance in print and audio, and both have published Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honor of Jack Vance. Sub Press’s print version has terrific illustrations by Tom Kidd. Arthur Morey does the narration for the audio version and, because he also narrated The Dying Earth stories and uses the same voices for the characters in this anthology, it helps give the impression that these are actually Vance tales. Mr. Morey “gets” Jack Vance — he has the wry tone just right. He really had me laughing at the bad-poetry-quoting barbarians in Robert Silverberg’s story.
Songs of the Dying Earth is a must-read for Vance fans. If you haven’t read The Dying Earth, I highly suggest that you read it first (may I recommend Brilliance Audio’s versions?). Mr. Martin and Mr. Dozois, please give us more Songs of the Dying Earth! -
6.5/10
Songs of the Dying Earth is a nice anthology but, as a fan of the Dying Earth series (especially to Cugel and Rhialto’s stories), I expected something more from so many talented authors gathered in this book.
Of course, every anthology has its good and bad, and I did actually liked most of the stories, some for the story itself and others more for the ideas, but only a few really stand out for me in the end.
One is certainly “The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale” by
Robert Silverberg, who did a very good job at catching Jack Vance’s style and sense of humor.
“The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughingly Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee” by
Tad Williams, is another one as he also did a very enjoyable story, and, of course, the longest and best of all “The Guiding Nose of Ulfänt Banderōz” by
Dan Simmons.
Still it’s worth a read if you want to see something more in the Dying Earth universe, just don’t have high expectations. -
This is the reason why I hunted down a copy of
The Dying Earth and read it. Subterranean Press told me it was publishing a huge anthology of short stories by authors I love, all as a tribute to this Jack Vance guy, who is apparently a Big Deal. See my review of The Dying Earth for thoughts about Vance and my reaction to his series.
As far as anthologies go, this one is awesome. There are no two ways about it: fans of The Dying Earth will love most, maybe not all, of these stories; neophytes like myself will still find something to enjoy. Every author brings his or her interesting perspective to the table. That's what make this book work, especially for a reader like me, who isn't too enthusiastic about the original Vance tales. As Dan Simmons notes in the afterword to his fun novella, The Guiding Nose of Ulfänt Banderōz, they aren't imitating Vance so much as paying homage to him. That makes the anthology work well.
Here are some highlights.
The first story, by Robert Silverberg, is "The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale." It's a good way to start off the collection, for it isn't a travelling tale and has few characters. But it gets you into the mood of the Dying Earth, that sense of inevitability that seems to plague every action.
I liked "Grolion of Almery," by Matthew Hughes, even more. Grolion is an anti-hero who cares mostly for himself, an archetype we will see pop up frequently throughout this anthology. Hughes, and Terry Dowling in the next story, "The Copsy Door," have a good handle on the whimsical side of Vance's magic. Anything, and I mean anything, can happen with magic. And it's bizarre. I love the setup for "The Copsy Door," probably because I have a thing for stories where the conflict is an unfair competition.
"Abrizonde," by Walter Jon Williams, is a hilarious story about a magician named Vespanius who gets trapped between two opposing armies as they lay siege to a fort that protects the pass between their towns. Watching as Vespanius engaged in a game of wits with the other sides' faceless wizards was a lot of fun.
There are a few more in between that fans of the Dying Earth might like more than I did, but my next favourite was "The Last Golden Thread." Lith's original story in The Dying Earth was great, both for the way Vance set up the fall of the protagonist and for Lith's tragic circumstances as well. This was a great way to revisit that legend with a fresh take. All of the characters in Phyllis Eisenstein's stories were neat, particularly the mentoring mage who indulges Bosk's obsession with Lith.
One of the true stars of this book is "The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee," by Tad Williams. As with "Grolion," the eponymous character isn't a nice guy, and he deserves some comeuppance, which Williams delivers exactly as promised by the title: laughably and tragically (or vice versa, if you prefer). The book is worth reading for this story alone. The same is true of Simmons' novella, which I've already mentioned. I don't love everything Simmons writes, but this story is good.
The last three stories display the roughly chronological order of this anthology, and we creep up to the very end of the Dying Earth. "A Night at the Tarn House," George R.R. Martin's contribution, was quite clever. I have to admit that Neil Gaiman's closing "An Invocation of Incuriosity" disappointed me. I know that end-of-the-world stories are hard to write, but ever since Good Omens, I seem to have associated Gaiman with such fare. This story didn't really fit with the rest of the Dying Earth motif, nor was it really very interesting.
The few disappointments aside, I really liked this anthology. It took me longer to read than I had hoped but shorter than it might have—usually I don't read such collections all at once but instead intersperse the stories among other novels. How you choose to read Songs of the Dying Earth is, of course, up to you. If you are a Vance fan though, go and get it today.
-
What a disappointment. It was nice to read the appreciations of Vance's work that followed each selection, but the quality of the the stories was all over the place. Several were pretty good -- one story is a clever prequel to Cugel's adventure in Eyes of the Overworld, and a few authors like Tanith Lee managed to capture some of Vance's magic. But the worst stories were just vaguely imitative of Vance's style without the wit and inventiveness. Really even the better stories tended to read like parodies, and the worst were just terrible.
I was really hoping that between the brief essays from each author celebrating Vance, the very nice illustrations, and the mostly high-caliber authors taking part in the anthology, this would be a book I'd want to keep on my shelf and return to occasionally, but instead I have taken months and months to force myself to wade through these stories. -
A favorite anthology:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... -
This is one big collection of short stories, more than 700 pages, at least in the Dutch translation, and as colorful as the setting of Vances Dying Earth obviously is (albeit a litte dim due to toe dying sun), and as diverse its characters, there was a bit of repetition here: wizards trying to outsmart each other, creatures trying to devour people and impressive made up names suggesting weirdness. So to read these stories one after the other can be a bit of a slog - even though they will still be entertaining. I think this would be more enjoyable reading two or three stories at a time and read something else in between, because then the stories will retain some of their freshness. Also I though a couple of entries were a little sleight, or didn't do much with the idea that the magic in this setting is a form of highly developed technology and treated this as purely a fantasy setting. But there were a couple of stories that tried to do a little more with it, that tried to explore the vast idea of the dying of all civilisation, or look at the underpinnings of this world and its consequences. Also almost all the authors joyously imitated Vances inimitable style and in my opinion mostly succeeded, so the stories have a playfullness and versatility in language that brings enjoyment. I enjoyed each authors recollection of when en how they met the works of Jack Vance and how they were inspired by it also very much. I must say I enjoyed the entry by G.R.R. Martin, who has a couple of characters meet in an inn. He has a knack for describing memorable characters, and shows why he is a master of the genre. Neil Gaiman was also great, connecting the time of the dying earth to our own in a way. It had a melancholy feel, like most of his work. The story by Dan Simmons was pretty large scale in a good way, also with some interesting ideas and characters, but his wizard was maybe a little bit too heroic to really fit into the Vance-mold. Better was the story by John C. Wright. He used evocative language that really brought the long ages to life and also suggested the scientific background of many artifacts in a great way. His ending was perfectly Vancean, and it stimulated my own imagination. Jeff Vandermeer added a lot of weirdness, which worked well, but it felt at times like weirdness for weirdness' sake. Robert Silverbergs tale was elegiac and enjoyable. So a lot here to take in and enjoy. The translation was mostly well done, but for some of the introductions where it was clear this was translated from English. The stories themselves worked very well in Dutch too (even when some of the names were left in English). All in all I recommend this book to every lover of sci fi and fantasy, there are some great authors included here and every reader will find something to enjoy, guaranteed!
-
Contributors take a moment after the story to relate how he/she fell into Jack Vance and what it meant for his/her writing. I haven't earned a place at their table, but am compelled to do the same: In college, as part of an exchange learning trip to Ireland, where I spent a good portion of the trimester skulking the many bookshops across the country, much to the bewilderment of the extroverts I was with. In the Ossory bookshop in Kilkenny I snagged this much-talked-about volume in the 1981 Granada Science Fantasy edition for the regal price of two pounds less one penny and over the course of two(?) hours let its words shoot lightning through my back-brain. Again, to the bewilderment of extroverts and possibly the consternation of the fine proprietor of the B&B, who would have liked for this American to please not hang around during the day.
(I am certain about the price and location because I just took that volume from the shelf behind me and read its yellow sticker. It has been supplemented and replaced twice, but I can't part with the original.)
The fascination is to see which themes get emphasized for each author: Is it the luxurious language? The healthy problem-solving approach of overfancy lunatics trying to talk themselves out of trouble? The sense of End Times joie de vivre? The menace of monsters and the sociopathy of the powerful? That Cugel is, in fact, a jerk and can barely hide it?
At the end of this surfeit of riches, I'm struck most by "The Return of the Fire Witch", which finally tells a story of two female wizards--"witches" and the distinction is unclear--whose dynamic is just as backstabby as the men but is informed by different basic interests and mutual regard.
And then there is the later stories, which take the Dying Earth from the early evening of Earth and into nightfall, as the sun sputters and has its "bad days" and even magic starts to fail.
And finally I can't help but grin when an author slips in mentions of "Effectuators", "Pnumekin", and "star lords". It's a cheap joy, but I'm all about cheap joys. -
"Songs of the Dying Earth" is an homage to the Dying Earth world of
Jack Vance. The list of authors who have contributed to this tome reads like a who-is-who of today's top fantasy writers and I am delighted to hold this marvelous collection in my hands. As setting and style are predefined, the stories don't win prices for special originality. However, almost all entertain and some even manage to capture the unique spirit of Jack Vance or to enrich the existing tales. It was a pleasure to roam once more the familiar world and to see some famous authors play with the toy. Each story features an afterword in which the author describes his or her relation to Jack Vance.
(B) The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale by
Robert Silverberg is a light, melancholic story. A man reflects on his life and has to find a way to get rid of intruders. The pieces of poetry add much to the atmosphere, the extensive listings of various items on the other hand slow down the speed too much.
(B) Grolion of Almery by
Matthew Hughes is a dark adventure story about a very special house. It starts quite interesting, telling the story from an unusual perspective, but the events in the end went over my head.
(A) The Copsy Door by
Terry Dowling is a wonderful light story about a sorcerer who finds himself trapped in a troublesome situation. Very clever and very funny.
(C) Caulk the Witch-Chaser by
Liz Williams felt unmotivated. Caulk is forced to look for an owl in a very dangerous country. I didn't understand why he could be forced nor did I like how the story unfold.
(A) Inescapable by
Mike Resnick tells the story of a watchman who falls in love with a beautiful witch. This is a funny and smart story, making the connection to a very famous Vance story. Highly recommended.
(A) Abrizonde by
Walter Jon Williams is a highlight. Vespanus, a constructor by profession, is stuck in a castle which is under attack. With the help of his servant he invents counter-schemes but the enemies are not dumb. Very smart and very entertaining.
(B) In The Traditions of Karzh by
Paula Volsky Farnol of Karzh has to show his mastership as a sorcerer. He has neglected this part of family tradition as best as he could but now he is forced to gain knowledge - quickly. I was turned off by the boring way how the quest starts. The adventures though were interesting, especially the encounter with the pelgrane.
(A) The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod by
Jeff VanderMeer is the next highlight. Its strong points are the characters. They are on a quest but they are also forced to think about who they are. I find it amazing how Jeff is able to describe believable relationships in just a few words. Recommended.
(B) The Green Bird by
Kage Baker is a Cugel story. It's not bad and the twist at the end is really good but it never felt like the real Cugel.
(A) In The Last Golden Thread by
Phyllis Eisenstein a merchant son desperately wants to become a sorcerer. His motivation is led astray when he meets a famous witch looking for a golden thread to complete her carpet. A very well told story with neat ideas.
(B) An Incident at Uskvosk by
Elizabeth Moon features interesting characters and events but I had a big problem with the social structures. Usually the servants look for holes in their arrangements with the master and try to cheat them. Not so in this story where we have a powerless dwarf who is trapped in an unfortunate situation. I don't know how this fits into the Dying Earth scenario.
(A) Sylgarmo's Proclamation by
Lucius Shepard is a dark revenge story with great imagination and gets an A-. What I didn't like was the sinister way in which Cugel is described and actually I didn't care much what became of him in the end. The rough way of life is described excellently though.
(A) The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee by
Tad Williams not only has the longest title, it's a funny story in which the blackmailer has to pay for his crime. There is a dark twist in the end that provides some unsuspected depth. Recommended.
(A) Guyal the Curator by
John C. Wright starts very slow with setting up the scene. An effectuator, whose main source of power is a special wand, wants to help a man who has lost his memory. Obviously this man has some insight into the artifact so both begin to look for traces. What begins is an exciting adventure with religious overtones. Recommended.
(C) Stripped down to the bare essence, The Good Magician by
Glen Cook is not a bad story. The inferior sorcerer Alfaro has a vision. A bunch of top-class magicians are summoned immediately to investigate the secret, which goes far back into history. It's nice to meet some old characters, but I found the plot hard to believe and disappointing.
(C) It's telling that the introduction to The Return of the Fire Witch by
Elizabeth Hand doesn't loose a word about the story. After some pages I felt puzzled and confused - and gave up.
(B) The Collegeum of Mauge by Byron Tetrick is a very light and cheerful story about a man who is looking for his father. He stumbles into a group of wannabe sorcerers who have just started with their training. To be honest, the begin reads more like fan fiction but the second half is fine, introducing an interesting twist.
(A) Evillo the Uncunning by
Tanith Lee is by far the funniest story of the collection and in true tradition to Jack Vance. An orphan with a tough childhood meets an intelligent snail and starts the adventure of his life. His naive worship for Cugel combined with the magic skills of the snail lead to unexpected situations. Highly recommended.
(A) The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz by
Dan Simmons is the longest piece and pretty much reads like a Jack Vance story. The keeper of the Ultimate library has died and turned to stone. This attracts many magicians who are still on Earth, among them Shrue the diabolist. Although he quickly finds the library, it's only the start of an exciting and dangerous adventure. A beautiful story with special care on the characters, breathing life into the dying Earth. It even features a second illustration showing the main protagonists.
(B) The Frogskin Cap by Howard Waldrop is a short piece which shows that even at the end of days someone cares for knowledge. Nothing special but well told.
(A) A Night at the Tarn House by
George R.R. Martin is exactly that. Three different people meet in a shabby Inn. Nothing is at it seems and strange things happen. This is a dark, vicious story with great characters. Recommended.
(B) In An Invocation of Incuriosity by Neil Gaiman the sun finally dies. Does it mean the end? Not if you have a backdoor! An interesting story although it doesn't do full justice to the Dying Earth setting.
Afterword
My first Jack Vance book was
Alastor and I have read it many times. On various rainy Sunday mornings I stayed in bed, picked up the book and enjoyed the exotic worlds, the different people and the unusual societies. Later I read almost everything written by Jack Vance, the
Tales of the Dying Earth being one of the last but I immediately loved Cugel and his funny adventures and admired the setting at the end of Earth's days. -
Millions of years hence, the Sun has grown old, bloated and red and is about to go out. In these dying days humanity, now capable of great feats of magic, shares the much-changed Earth with hostile races such as the deodands and pelgranes. This is the vivid setting of Jack Vance's Dying Earth series, four books (now usually published in one volume, Tales of the Dying Earth) which now stand as one of the cornerstones of modern fantasy.
Songs of the Dying Earth is an all-star 'tribute album' by some of the biggest names in modern SF and Fantasy, featuring twenty-three stories set in the Dying Earth setting. With a lot of ground to cover, let's get straight into it:
'The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale' by Robert Silverberg sees a melancholic wine-drinker confronting a problem. An interesting little story, if a tad predictable.
'Grolion of Almery' by Matthew Hughes is excellent. A man seeks shelter at a house and falls into the complex schemes of the house's caretaker, with destructive results. This story throws together elements of humour and horror. The Dying Earth meets Little Shop of Horrors by way of Cthulu. Funny, clever and a great last-minute twist.
'The Copsy Door' by Terry Dowling is likewise superb, featuring the mage Amberlin the Lesser, cursed by a particularly annoying form of magic, inadvertently getting into a contest of wills with other mages to unexpected results.
'Caulk the Witch-Chaser' by Liz Williams is somewhat unremarkable. A witch-chaser is employed to hunt down some witches in the marshes, but is unhappy with the process by which he was hired. Williams tries to hit the Vancian mode of speech and doesn't quite nail it. That said, the end is nicely dark and twisted.
'Inescapable' by Mike Resnick sees city watchman Pelmundo become bewitched by a woman and end up getting in over his head. This is another strong story and the ending will likely provide long-term readers of the Dying Earth series with a big grin.
'Abrizonde' by Walter Jon Williams is a highlight, featuring the besieged castle of Abrizonde and charting the fortunes of the hapless Vespanus who is trapped within. This is a great story, tense and dramatic with an amusing finale.
'The Traditions of Karzh' by Paula Volsky sees Farnol of Karzh become of age and stand ready to inherit his family home and fortune, but his lack of magical aptitude is a disgrace to the family's honour. His attempt to make amends leads to a dubious encounter with a particularly persistent pelgrane. An extremely good story, with a slice of dark vein and a particularly satisfying conclusion.
'The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod' by Jeff VanderMeer is the weakest story in the collection. The writing is turgid and does not flow well at all, and the failure of the story is all the more irritating as it attempts to resolve the T'sais/Sarnod story from The Dying Earth itself. Disappointing.
'The Green Bird' by Kage Baker similarly invokes Cugel the Clever, the antihero of the second and third Dying Earth books, but to a far more successful end. Cugel learns of the existence of a bird whom has memorised many key spells and sets out to capture it, with typically disastrous results.
'The Last Golden Thread' by Phyllis Eisenstein is one of the more interesting stories in the book. The author does not attempt to match the Vancian mode of speech, and instead tells a melancholic and quiet story about ambitions and desires at the end of time. Affecting and thought-provoking.
'An Incident at Uskvosk' by Elizabeth Moon is a funny little story about a day at the races which ends up being a lot more complicated than it should be.
'Sylgarmo's Proclamation' by Lucius Shepard sees Thiago Alves and Derwe Coreme join forces to track down the troublesome Cugel, with amusing results. A solid if not outstanding story.
'The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee' by Tad Williams is another highlight of the book. Fake wizard Lixal Laqavee, having tired of his life as a conjurer in a circus, decides to learn some real magic, with troublesome results that force him into a highly hazardous alliance with a deodand of dubious reliability and a ravenous hunger for human flesh. Simply put, brilliant.
'Guyal the Curator' by John C. Wright sees Manxolio Quinc, Chief Invigilator of Old Romarth, investigating the arrival of a stranger in the city suffering from amnesia. Their investigation of his origins sees them running afoul of the ill-tempered titan Magnatz. This another successful story, with a startling ending. The only problem with this tale is that the Dying Earth seems to have unexpectedly re-acquired its Moon (which, as previous stories had established, had wandered out of Earth's orbit millions of years earlier).
'The Good Magician' by Glen Cook reacquaints us with Ildefonse the Preceptor, Rhialto the Marvellous and the rest of their ill-assorted circle of allied mages. An amateur wizard, Alfaro, stumbles across a long-held secret which threatens the stability of the Dying Earth. I must admit that whilst the story here is fine, the writing is not very strong and the story is overlong.
'The Return of the Fire Witch' by Elizabeth Hand sees 'good' witch Saloona Morn recruited by her neighbour Paytim Noringal on a mission of wanton slaughter and destruction, to Saloona's distress. This is an oddball story, quite interesting and well-characterised, but one where the author's point seems to have gotten lost in the writing somewhere.
'The Collegeum of Mauge' by Byron Tetrick sees young Dringo joining a magical college to seek out his missing father. The story is quite good, twisting and turning as it goes and with an open-ended conclusion that could be quite interesting to follow up on one day.
'Evillo the Uncunning' by Tanith Lee is another highlight of the collection, as the young orphan Evillo decides to venture into the wilder world and seek his fortune, soon becoming an ally of the sentient snail Khiss along the way. The story is quite bonkers, even by Dying Earth style, complete with a recurring story point highly reminiscent of a recurring storyline in Family Guy (seriously). It's also brilliantly funny.
'The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz' by Dan Simmons is the longest story in the collection, a rich, detailed novella which sees Shrue the Diabolist allying with the redoubtable Derwe Coreme to find the greatest library in all the world, aided by a demonic entity known as KirkriK and involving a lengthy airship chase. Possibly the best story in the book, given room to breathe by its length, Simmons knocks it out of the park with a story that is funny, tender and dramatic by turns.
'Frogskin Cap' by Howard Waldrop is, on the other hand, the shortest story in the collection, a short mood piece with some funny lines and a lack of mortal peril.
'A Night at the Tarn House' by George R.R. Martin sees several folk of mixed repute take shelter at the inn known as the Tarn House (known for its hissing eels) for the night, only for total mayhem to result. GRRM, in only his second non-Song of Ice and Fire-related piece of fiction written in fifteen-odd years, delivers a characteristically sharply-characterised piece laden with very dark humour and a thought-provoking final line.
'An Invocation of Incuriosity' by Neil Gaiman is a coda not just to the collection but to the whole Dying Earth universe. So, what happens when the Sun finally does go out? Gaiman delivers the haunting answer.
Songs of the Dying Earth (****½) is an exceptionally strong collection, a rich and sumptuous banquet of tales from the end of time. The weak links here are not enough to dilute the impact of the best stories in the collection, and the best stories are thought-provoking, memorable and sharply funny. -
I read Jack Vance’s Dying Earth collection a year or two ago (
http://marcusgipps.livejournal.com/61...), and thought it was patchy at best. I could see why it was revered, and the language was wonderful, but I had issues with some of the implementation. It was OK, but it didn’t become my favourite book overnight. So when Subterranean Press, who put out some utterly gorgeous editions and who take too much of my money, announced this collection of short stories based on Vance’s work, I didn’t jump at it. Even the presence of Neil Gaiman and Tad Williams, two of my favourite SF authors, didn’t convince me. However, when Harpercollins published a standard Hardback edition in the UK, and then offered me a free signed copy (signed by the editor, George RR Martin), I figured it was worth having. It then sat on my pile of unread books for a ear, until I decided it was really really time to give it a go. Also, for some reason the idea of short stories was hugely appealing to me, even though it meant lugging a seriously hefty tome around in my bag.
I’m not going to talk about all of the stories, because frankly I can’t be bothered. Also, there was a slight tendency for them all to merge in my memory quite soon after reading, if I’m honest, which I suppose says something about the strength of Vance’s setting and style. That said, nothing here was dreadful by any means. Some of the stories used Vance’s actual characters and locations, some struck off into new ground, but by-and-by they worked well. Some better than others, unsurprisingly – well, it’s an anthology, of course there’s going to be variation – but this was obviously edited very carefully. Probably not worth reading if you know nothing about the original books, but then I’m not even sure about that, now I think about it. If you like some of the authors involved, and you want a nice variety of short stories, this is well worth a go.
I read a signed hardback, but the paperback is out now, ISBN: 9780007277483 -
I'm thrilled that so many good authors came together to honor one of my own favorite writers. It's an especially nice tribute as I read it after Vance's death this year.
Wisely, most of the authors here emulate Vance or make use of his world, but don't try to imitate him. Many acknowledge that it may not be possible to imitate him successfully (as those few who have tried have I think demonstrated). That last is also part of the problem with the anthology - it's Vancian, but it's not Vance. Good as they are, most of these writers are not as good as Vance - at least in doing what he did so well.
Still, the stories are fun and very readable, and it's entertaining to go through the Dying Earth from a slightly different angle, and to see the possible fate of some of that world's characters.
Unfortunately, the good writing and fun stories are slightly marred by poor copy-editing. There is a fair sprinkling of typos and some missed words that surprised me in an otherwise carefully put together book.
To my taste, the best stories were:
"The Copsy Door" by Terry Dowling
"Inescapable" by Mike Resnick (mostly for the plot, which ties back to the Dying Earth story that struck me most when I was young)
"The Traditions of Karzh" by Paula Volsky
"The Last Golden Thread" by Phyllis Eisenstein (one of the best in the book, and by an author who I wish would write more)
"The Good Magician by" Glen Cook (one of the stories that most captured the feel of a Vance story) -
I want to be very careful writing this review as to not be a spoiler. I had never read The Dying Earth going into this book, and for that I believe it was that much more rewarding. Not knowing that some of these stories were so closely related to - precluding or tying in or generally explaining - The Dying Earth, I never knew where the plot was going, which was great and always exciting.
The world is as rich as any I have ever known. Simply put, Jack Vance is a brilliant story teller. Every review you will read of him highlights the language he uses. Rightly so, because it is unique and addictive. The folks who wrote SotDE honored his language style and made it their own (a hard task if you ask me).
There are many great authors in this book, from old school guys like Robert Silverberg, to the infamous George R.R. Martin. It includes as many female authors as men, which is refreshing, and I didn't read a single story that I didn't enjoy. That, my friends, is a book worth reading.
When you're done, if you haven't yet, be sure to read The Dying Earth. It's perhaps the coolest fantasy book I've read since ... hmmm .... -
I purchased this in hardcover years ago when it first came out. It has sat for several years collecting dust. Why? I don't have a good reason...
This anthology was amazing! Each story has a mini biography about the author and a little blurb about the story. This is followed by an awesome illustration then the story. At the end of each story the author tells about their first encounter with the world of the Dying Earth how it and Jack Vance has inspired them.
Some authors build on what Mr. Vance has already penned. While others blaze their own trails across the Dying Earth. My favorite is Inescapable by Mike Resnick. Mr. Resnick's story features the origin of Chun the Unavoidable. A must read for fans of the Dying Earth books. Recommended! -
Just excellent. You have to understand that you'll be swimming in Vancian flowery language and gentle humour, with lots of magic, some cruelty, etc.
I don't remember any of the stories being weak. How rare is that?
Bonus: it's a honkin' big book so you get a supersized serving of fun.
I have a Tor edition here, red and brown cover. There are so many typos, spelling errors, and whatever in here that I wondered if they are deliberate, to avoid copyright or something. Sometimes three on a page. The Vancian style calls for plenty of big words, and many of them are correctly presented, which makes it all the more strange that so many small and medium words are wrong. -
This was a tribute anthology by a group of professional sci-fi and fantasy authors, all of them fans of Jack Vance's Tales of the Dying Earth. They each wrote an original short story that took place during Vance's fictional distant future. It was okay. Of the 22 tales in the anthology, 4 were awesome, 6 were good, 2 were mediocre, and the remaining 10 ranged from simply boring to really bad. Over-all it was worth the read.
In Jack Vance’s truly great Tales of the Dying Earth, the world is ancient beyond memory, with the cycle of human civilizations having risen and fell into ruin, risen and fell into ruin, risen and fell into ruin tens of millions of times throughout the Aeons. In many of those more advanced civilizations science evolved to a very high level, to a state of magic, creature-based technology that literally dipped into other universes in order to function. Even when the civilization inevitably collapsed in the usual ritual, some of that lore remained to be absorbed into other civilizations, sometimes to build upon, more often to use side by side with other tech. And all of this happened many, many times throughout human history. The science-magic demonstrated by the beings of the Dying Earth tales are an eclectic mixture of lore saved from throughout at least the previous few Aeons, with some occasionally inspired innovations from those practitioners whose tales we've followed and come to love. Even though book descriptions, and even some reviewers, have been fond of saying that “science has given way to magic,” this is actually not true. The magic demonstrated in Vance’s stories IS science, but it’s hi-tech far beyond what we’ve currently attained, as well as the solving of puzzles from different angles that our scientists refuse even to speculate on.
Some of the authors here in the Songs of the Dying Earth anthology were guilty of failing to recognize this in Vance’s work (or didn’t care), and had the magic in their stories function the same as it does in other, more conventional fantasy tales. That was a pet peeve of mine here, and they lost a point off their score for it. Another pet peeve was the referring to the world as “The Dying Earth” in the story, by the characters. Am I to assume that all of the characters read Jack’s books first before they started their adventures? Ridiculous. Another point removed.
Another tricky element was the Songs authors’ usage of one or more of the characters of Vance’s tales in their stories. I decided not to be too strict on that in my grading since some of the authors actually pulled that off very well, particularly in the case of Cugel the Clever. But considering how much material Vance created of Cugel for the assembled celebrated professional authors to study, frankly they better had written him well. Unfortunately, more often than not, attempts to utilize the other more obscure Dying Earth characters failed miserably. In those cases I took a point away, while others ranked among my favorites in the book. For the same reason I decided to be more lenient regarding the attempts to imitate Vance’s style, an odd thing for the authors to attempt in the first place considering these ARE all professional and famous writers in the field. Neil Gaiman, for example, attempted no such a thing. His story both reflected his charming style that the fans know and love, as well as demonstrated a complete understanding of what Vance’s Dying Earth universe was all about, creating one of the very best tales in the book. Too bad they all didn’t do that. Instead, when the attempt to imitate Vance’s decadent style failed, the story became cheap fan fiction that actually made me angry to read. On the very rare occasion when the author did pull it off, it was a bittersweet blessing, making me giddy for the unexpected pleasure, but sad with the stark reminder that there would never be anything new from the pen of the original.
I took a point away if there was nothing about the story that said “Dying Earth,” giving the impression that the author suffered a severe writer’s block/stage fright attack with this assignment, pulled an old story they never published out of a drawer, changed all the characters and places to “T’Sain” and “Land of the Failing Wall” and mailed it in.
I also took a point if the author was lazy, and simply duplicated plot devices used by Vance, using the original story like a template they superimposed their characters upon. This lot was supposed to be better than that, with that being a trick I would expect from an anthology compiled from fan fiction amateurs. There was no excuse for it here.
The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale by Robert Silverberg (1/5) – An odd one to begin the anthology with. This story was truly boring. An arrogant drunkard gets robbed. That’s it? This was a Dying Earth tale to you, Silverberg? Where was the majesty, the excitement, the weird? At the end of it I found myself staring angrily at the final page as if I was the one who had been robbed.
Grolion of Almery by Matthew Hughes (5/5) – Fortunately I kept reading after Silverberg’s clunker or I would’ve missed this truly delightful gem. Even though the name of the titular character is unfamiliar, we know this person very well, and with the really great mimicry skills displayed by Hughes, we know who he is from the moment we meet him. Matthew Hughes is the type of fan who wasn’t content to merely enjoy the work of his idol, he wanted to BE him. Following in the shoes of mimicry clones before him like those who copied the styles of Marlon Brando, Jack Kirby, and Muhammad Ali, Hughes was gutsy enough to actually intend this tale to be a prequel to one of Vance’s books, an extremely big risk that he managed to pull off in one of my Top Two favorite stories in the book.
The Copsy Door by Terry Dowling (4/5) – This was a fun story, with one element in it giving me pause: the adding of stage magic legerdemain to the Dying Earth magicians’ shtick. At first it angered me, but because the story took place shortly after the time of Grand Motholam, which was considered the golden age of the greatest magicians of all time, I let it go. It’s possible that the entertainment element is one of things that gave Grand Motholam its reputation. I wouldn’t have done it that way, and I think the story would’ve been better without it truly, but without a definitive ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ from Vance to confirm, this addition to the Dying Earth lore could be legit.
Caulk the Witch-Chaser by Liz Williams (4/5) – This was a solid, good story, involving some concepts we’ve never heard of in the Tales of the Dying Earth. Powerful, magic using were-creatures. It was weird and eerie, and could take part in a far off part of the Dying Earth we’ve never seen before.
Inescapable by Mike Resnik (1/5) – I hated this one. Like Matthew Hughes’ tale, this one also had the audacity to attempt to attach a prequel to one of Vance’s stories, but failing miserably. Can you make a successful prequel while having the characters you have borrowed being nothing the way they were in the original? That would be a ”No.”
Abrizonde by Walter Jon Williams (4/5) – This was a very fun tale, and a convincing addition to the Dying Earth mythos. A young traveler, with a suspicious command of certain magical items, has an adventure helping hold down a fortress.
The Traditions of Karzh by Paula Volsky (3/5) – I liked this story of a young, very Vancian-like character on a quest to capture items needed to secure his hereditary estate, and wished I could’ve liked it more. But it suffered from the sin of reusing a Vancian plot device, as well as a loss of steam near the end to where it suddenly got boring.
The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod by Jeff Vandermeer (1/5) – Ugh. I hated this one, too. It also dipped into the above mentioned Vancian plot devoice sin (using a clone of the exact same character!) and didn’t even try to make actual spell names. Was this supposed to be the Dying Earth?
The Green Bird by Kage Baker (5/5) – This one was the absolute best story in the book, and gets a standing ovation from me. Cugel the Clever functions in his classic role as writ by a writer that clearly knows him, and his Dying Earth environment, very well indeed. Loved it.
The Last Golden Thread by Phyllis Eisenstein (1/5) – This one came across as bad fan fiction by someone who seemed over-eager to demonstrate their own mastery of the mercantile arts. Her attempt to show us how certain characters we know are doing after the events we last saw them in were boring, and felt like I was being forced to participate in a pink tea party.
An Incident at Uskvosk by Elizabeth Moon (1/5) – This was one of those “Oh, I am so overwhelmed by this assignment! What am I going to do?! I know! I will simply submit a story I wrote 12 years ago and pretend it was written for this anthology! No one will know!” stories. And it was boring and over long to boot.
Sylgarmo's Proclamation by Lucius Shepard (1/5) - Derwe Coreme returns as a badass kung fu chick in this dry and dull tale full of modern clichéd tropes which features Cugel as an evil wizard.
The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee by Tad Williams (2/5) – This story had a few fun moments, but it functions as if a situational comedy, or one of those “it’s funny because they’re opposites!” buddy cop movies used a Dying Earth setting. I didn’t care for it.
Guyal the Curator by John C. Wright (3/5) – This was okay. It started kind of interesting, with an initial usage of the titular character making me cringe. It could’ve easily received a 2/5 from me. But then something miraculous happened. Wright made Guyal the Curator so convincing in his fully-realized, post Vance tale form it took my breath away. The way Guyal talked, thought, the way his powers worked was exactly the way it seemed that he should be if Jack Vance would’ve showed us himself what Guyal was doing after last we saw him. It was great! Too bad everything before that moment was so bleh.
The Good Magician by Glen Cook (3/5) – The gang of 21st Aeon super-magicians from Vance’s final Dying Earth title accompanies a young wannabe on an adventure. This was an okay story.
The Return of the Fire Witch by Elizabeth Hand (5/5) – This story was magnificent. Featuring a couple of powerful Cobalt Mountain witches, it had a very female oriented flavor to it, while also managing to capture the feel and atmosphere of Vance’s first Dying Earth book. These two characters functioned as remnants of a time long ago, mentioned by Vance in the chapter ‘The Murthe’ from Rhialto the Marvelous. Remember that during the Eleventh Epoch of the 17th Aeon, when the magicians and the sorceresses each strove to outdo the other, causing the War of the Wizards and Witches. These two Cobalt Mountain witches were every bit the way I imagined the average witches were like in that time, looking to The Murthe for guidance. Very clever, and very fun.
The Collegeum of Mauge by Byron Tetrick (3/5) – This story featured some youth training to become wizards. I think Tetrick made the task a little too easy for them, and fudging in places how Vance’s spells were supposed to work. But all in all it wasn’t a bad story. The appearance of a couple celebrities from the original books didn’t suck.
Evillo the Uncunning by Tanith Lee (1/5) – I don’t know Tanith Lee, and never read any of her work before. But this story gave me the impression that she wasn’t interested in writing a Dying Earth tale of her own and just wanted to play silly with the material. Tell me, is all of her work like this?
The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz by Dan Simmons (0/5) – Derwe Coreme returns as a badass kung fu chick, helping one of the 21st Aeon magicians save the world. This was the absolute worst story in the book, and it had the nerve to also be the longest. It was as if Michael Bey wrote a Dying Earth script and predictably filled it with every single modern action film cliché he could recycle.
Frogskin Cap by Howard Waldrop (1/5) – This was a very abstract and quirky story that didn’t seem like it belonged at all. Imagine if the mad poet Navarth was tripping on LSD, and wrote down what he saw in a nine page tale. That’s how odd this one was.
A Night at the Tarn House by George R.R. Martin (4/5) – Similar to the Liz Williams’ story, this one also was a good solid tale. Featuring a powerful necromancer in a story that seems like it could’ve been writ by Stephen King, it’s dark weirdness could’ve taken place in some far off land in the Dying Earth we’ve never heard of.
An Invocation of Curiosity by Neil Gaiman (5/5) – I already mentioned Gaiman. He’s the one that ends the book, and he goes ahead and quite literally shuts out the lights before he leaves. We get to see how a magician of decent force deals with the ultimate event based on his contingency plan. It was very fun, but I expected no less from this particular contributor. -
The story of Songs of Dying Earth are arranged roughly in chronological order, with those closest to the time of Vance's Dying Earth at the beginning, and those in Dying Earth's death rattle at the end. Rating for stories are follows: *** - Great, ** - Good, * - Not worth your time
The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale by Silverberg **
A good opening story, The True Vintage transports the reader back to the saturnine and sensence world of Dying Earth with charm and economy
Grolion by Matthew Hughes ***
If you can spare only one moment to read any of the Songs of Dying Earth it should be this one. Hughes nails the dry wit and philosophising dialogue of Dying Earth's denizens, and presents his story so convincingly that in my memory it merged with the originals.
The Copsy Door by Terry Dowling *
Copsy offers few surprises and little to excite
Caulk the Witch-chaser by Liz Williams *
I like the concept, but not the execution
Inescapable by Mike Resnick ***
Chun the Unavoidable didn't need a backstory, but now he has one, and it's pretty good.
Abrizonde by Walter Jon Williams ***
The tale of Vespanus of Roe is an amusing and surprising delight.
The Traditions of Karzh by Paula Volsky **
Broadly this has the outline of a good Dying Earth story, but it lacks in style and playfulness.
The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod by Jeff VanderMeer *
As fantastic as it is tedious. Skip it.
The Green Bird by Kage Baker **
A Cugel story. Judging from the afterword Baker would seem far less infatuated with Dying Earth and Vance than many of the other contributors to Songs, she also seems to understand it far better than most.
The Last Golden Thread by Phyllis Eisenstein ***
Eisenstein's tale would seem to lean far more towards a younger audience than any other story in Songs, and also indulgent enough as to feature T'sais, Turjen and Chun. But it is charming and original nonetheless.
An Incident in Uskvesk by Elizabeth Moon **
Fun and original.
Sylgarmo's Proclamation *
Another story featuring Cugel, but it is in name only. Skip it.
The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee **
A good outline of a story, but lacking in the finer points. The dialogue is particularly cumbersome. Despite these maluses it gets a passing mark from me for the dark and witty ending.
Guyal the Curator **
It has some rough edges, but it is nice to have another story featuring Guyal.
The Good Magician **
Cook alone returns to Rhialto and his fellow sorcerers. The Good Magician is servicable.
The Return of the Fire Witch **
Hand's story of Saloona the Fungalist and Paytim the Fire Witch is dark and highly memorable, but not very satisfying.
The Collegeum of Mauge **
Another story of a young man learning magic, and the third story to feature Cugel. Easy to read, not great, not terrible.
Evillo the Unknowing by Tanith Lee ***
Evillo is a tightly paced, witty, surprising and mostly original tale. Lee emulates Vance's style well, striking good balance between contrived and archaic phrasings and readability, and suffuses the dialogue with pomp, tension and irony. At points it leans on characters or places from the original tales, which have an element of metacommentary to them, but these are weak.
The Guiding Nose of Ulfänt Banderōz *
Dan Simmons seems to have great admiration for Vance, but little interest in crafting a tale in the scope and style of Dying Earth. The Guiding Nose is double the length of most of the preceding stories but lacks qualitatively. With frustrating regularity there are words or turns of phrase that are very contemporary "Peasants of the world, unite" and "epoxy" particularly stick out. There are also several points where plot developments are presented in a manner that seems unintentionally ambiguous and lacking in narrative weight, giving the impression of a draft. I would have probably enjoyed it in a vacuum, but it makes for a pallid imitation. Given its length I'm recommending a skip.
Frogskin Cap by Howard Waldrop *
At a mere 10 pages Frogskin Cap is the shortest story of Songs, and its worst. Unlike the other stories I've recommended skipping Frogskin Cap does not have any redeeming qualities.
A Night at the Tarn House by GRRM ***
A few authors in Songs have tried to bend Dying Earth in their own direction and Martin's is the only one I find worthy. It is well balanced, briskly paced and darkly humourous. The prose is on point, largely disfavoring archaic or arcane phrasings for a timeless quality. Perhaps most surprisingly it makes its own small addition to Dying Earth's lore that feels so natural it could have been there from the beginning.
An Invocation of Incuriosity by Gaiman **
Of all the authors within only Gaiman could have the gall to open and close his Song of Dying Earth in fucking Florida. -
I have been reading a lot of Jack Vance, since I discovered his book series Planet Of Adventure last year, and although I have had his Dying Earth in my collection since ages, it was only last year when I finished reading it.
And what can I add regarding The Dying Earth, which hasn't been said before it's an master piece which has a unique setting of dying earth, along with a cast of morally lose characters, whose deeds borders on evil.
Turns out I am not only one who has been impressed by the master Jack Vance, there is a whole litany of well known authors who have read Jack Vance, and have been inspired by his words.
Some of the authors in this book I have read, and some where I have heard about the first time, but the world and the characters which Vance has created in his Dying Earth is such a wonderful piece, that you can add your own stories to that world, and it just gets enriched by it.
The short stories in this book are all set on The Dying Earth, and involves some of our favorite characters such as Cugel, and I really enjoyed reading most of the stories, although some stories are not as good.
All in all if you don't want to leave the Dying Earth, either you can re-read the original book or you can read this book, and manage to stay in that environment.
I give this book 4/5 stars. -
A thoroughly enjoyable collection of short stories, if you like Tales of the Dying Earth.
4/5 "The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale" by Robert Silverberg
3/5 "Grolion of Almery" by Matthew Hughes
4/5 "The Copsy Door" by Terry Dowling
3/5 "Caulk the Witch-Chaser" by Liz Williams
4/5 "Inescapable" by Mark Resnick
5/5 "Abrizonde" by Walter Jon Williams
4/5 "The Traditions of Karzh" by Paula Volsky
4/5 "The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod" by Jeff Vandermeer
3/5 "The Green Bird" by Kage Baker
5/5 "The Last Golden Thread" by Phyllis Eisenstein
4/5 "An Incident at Uskvosk" by Elizabeth Moon
4/5 "Sylgarmo's Proclamation" by Lucius Shepard
5/5 "The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee" by Tad Williams
4/5 "Guyal the Curator" by John C. Wright
3/5 "The Good Magician" by Glen Cook
3/5 "The Return of the Fire Witch" by Elizabeth Hand
4/5 "The Collegeum of Mauge" by Byron Tetrick
5/5 "Evillo the Uncunning" by Tanith Lee
5/5 "The Guiding Nose of Ulfänt Banderoz" by Dan Simmons
2/5 "Frogskin Cap" by Howard Waldrop
4/5 "A Night at the Tarn House" by George RR Martin
3/5 "An Invocation of Incuriosity" by Neil Gaiman -
Definitely some of these stories only reproduce the worst parts of Vance’s iconoclastic series (dead, leadened prose, redundant perspectives and characters), but the ones that actually manage to imitate him without annoying are very enjoyable, and I think a few might even be better than he could do himself! I’m really pleased with how great it was overall, and was sad to finish it.
-
There were some fine, weird fantasies in here, but also some clinkers. If you were a fan of the Jack Vance series, I'd recommend it. If not, you'll probably find it off-putting.
-
Edited by George R.R. Martin (who contributes a story as well) and Gardner Dozois, this anthology is another journey to the Dying Earth world created by Jack Vance.
Vance himself provides an introduction, and Dean Koontz provides an appreciation. But the heart and meat of the anthology are the stories.
Many of the authors do a remarkable job in capturing the essence of the Dying Earth. The language, the picaresque characters, the strange rambling adventures. Some of the stories feature characters from Vance's stories as main protagonists, others rely on those characters as plot devices, or even just as background color.
So how did they do?
Given the truism that anthologies can vary in the quality and interest stories and authors bring, I thought the quality of the stories was uniformly high. I was gratified that my high expectations were met by the authors and their stories. And the range of subjects and stories is high. Therein you will find more doings of Cugel (contradictory stories, if you wanted to try and take all of these stories as canonical), an architect who uses his skills to defend a castle, magicians large and small scrambling for power as the sun dies, and more, much more.
Dan Simmons has the only novella, the centerpiece of this anthology, The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz. It's one of the stronger stories in the volume. Like his digestion of Keats in the Hyperion novels, and the Iliad in Ilium, Simmons shows that he truly digests and does a good Dying Earth.
Besides his story, I particularly liked Wright's Guyal the Creator (continuing the character's story from the Vance story), Matthew Hughes' Grolion of Almery. (Hughes' own novels show his prior affection for homage to Vance), Paula Volsky's The Traditions of Karzh (showing how a would be wizard really gets his power) and Walter Jon William's Abrizonde (the aforementioned story about a hero architect).
But, really, few of the stories are poor, although I do wonder why Neil Gaiman felt the need to tie in the real world with the Dying Earth in his tale. I found that a bit atonal, even if its a decent story.
In any event, fans of the Dying Earth should not miss this anthology, especially given the list of authors and the love and care they have given the world of Messr. Vance.
The full list of stories:
The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale --Robert Silverberg
Grolion of Almery --Matthew Hughes
The Copsy Door --Terry Dowling
Caulk the Witch Doctor --Liz Williams
Inescapable --Mike Resnick
Abrizonde --Walter Jon Williams
The Traditions of Karzh --Paula Volsky
The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod --Jeff Vandermeer
The Green Bird --Kage Baker
The Last Golden Thread --Phyllis Eisenstein
An Incident in Uskvesk --Elizabeth Moon
Sylgarmo's Proclamation --Lucius Shepard
The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or The Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lixal Laqavee --Tad Williams
Guyal the Curator --John C Wright
The Good Magician --Glen Cook
The Return of the Fire Witch --Elizabeth Hand
The Collegeum of Mauge --Byron Tetrick
Evillo the Uncunning --Tanith Lee
The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz --Dan Simmons
Frogskin Cap --Howard Waldrop
A Night at the Tarn House --George R R Martin
An Invocation of Curiosity --Neil Gaiman -
Reviewers on Audible are all over the rating-board with this one but reviewers of the written version of Songs Of the Dying Earth pretty much agree: this is a great title. On Audible, one reviewer wrote that if you like Jack Vance’s style, this book is for you but if you don’t or don’t yet know Jack Vance, steer clear. I disagree with the last part of this statement. It would suggest that either Jack Vance in general is an author to avoid or that this work does not represent the writings of the Jack Vance. Neither could be further from the truth.
I wondered for the longest time why Fantasy and Science Fiction were often lumped together in the same genre. Separately they were not even similar. For me, at least, Fantasy has always seemed to be about the past and SciFi much more forward looking. Steampunk is kind of exception but in general, again, only for me, the two genres were quite disparate. Not so in the writings of Jack Vance. Particularly in the “Dying Earth” series, one has to think that a dying earth per se is not about something in the past nor even the present. And yet when we read about people, characters, places and things in this series, it very much and simultaneously conjures up feelings of a long past, possibly a middle- or dark-ages-kind-of-time. There is this tension between the past and the future or maybe it is the present but then the tension is between multi-universes or our earth and another earth far, far away. But this is Jack Vance pigeon hole if we must categorize him: Science Fiction and Fantasy at its best.
Jack Vance’s influence on this genre cannot be overestimated. Not that it necessarily always matters, but he has won every significant award in this category. This is a collection of short stories that reflect why so many accolades have been showered upon him. George R.R. Martin edits the work with some of the most esteemed other authors in the field contributing. In general, I think that the book is very well done.
So, bottom line what I would suggest is this: If you know of Jack Vance and like or dislike his style then simply let that be your guide. If you do not know Jack Vance, this would be a great place to start. I did not think ever one of the stories was great but they were all good and some were great. The narration of the audiobook is well-done. The selection informs and entertains. There is a lot of supplementary information conveyed about the author, the series and other masters in the science-fiction-fantasy genre.
