| Title | : | Madouc (Lyonesse, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0441505325 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780441505326 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 426 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1989 |
| Awards | : | World Fantasy Award Best Novel (1990) |
Madouc (Lyonesse, #3) Reviews
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"I have few virtues, and modesty is not one of them."
"We have been hoodwinked before,"
Out of all the books I've read this year so far, Lyonesse has been the best surprise. To be honest, having picked up Suldrun's Garden only expecting a change, I did not expect to be entertained a lot by this, but Vance's writing had me wowed from the very first chapter. And this third book gave a completely unexpected flavor to the entire series to end things in style.
"There were duels by daybreak and murders by starlight, mysteries and disappearances, and royal banishments"
Between vivid world building and incredible character development, not to mention the ever immersive story telling, I had not being able to find much flow in Vance's writing. It's unbelievable how imaginative everything is, capable of keeping one hooked throughout the entire trilogy. There's a nice variation of the key underlying emotions too, from a sorrowful beginning in Suldrun's Garden, then to a hectic second story with a lot of suspense, and finally coming to this hilarious (for the most part) last entry, wrapping every loose end neatly.
"Was my father put into the hole along with his ‘pedigree'?"
"But what is it? Something like a tail?"
While each of this trilogy could be read as a standalone, I believe it's easier to read the books in order. Otherwise, the sheer amount of characters and locations is not going to make much sense. But if you did keep up with the first book, this is going to help you get some much needed closure on many events that had come to pass during first two books.
None of us is wise beyond all others.
A phenomenal ending to a phenomenal series. Devoured every bit and loved every second of it. I'm going to miss all these wonderful characters.
Review of book 1
Review of book 2
"Bad habits are easy to learn and hard to forget!"
Highly recommended to all fantasy lovers!
"All is changed! Henceforth I shall be known as Falael the Good!" -
Jack Vance delivers!
Finishing his Lyonesse trilogy started as a bit of a chore but Vance made the final stretch all down hill with beer at the finish line.
Wrapping it all up nicely from his 1989 vantage point, this novel had the whimsical, light hearted feel that the previous two (1983’s
Suldrun's Garden and
The Green Pearl published in 1985) lacked. Both vintage fantasy products and both making an interested reader stay at least mildly curious, but Vance was holding something back, neither had that certain MAGIC that makes a good fantasy tick.
Madouc was the victory lap and was charming, adventurous, sometimes comical and always fantastic.
Of course the greatest attribute and the shining star in this firmament is the character of Princess Maduoc herself: a changeling heroine of spritely temperament and pixie charm. Maduoc must stand high in the running for most interesting of his characters, she was a peach.
If you’re a fan, you’ll want to read the whole trilogy but I’m going to hand out some unorthodox advice – if you’re not a Kool-Aid drinking JV disciple, skip the first two and reach for the third, it’s a great story and well told.
-
One should always take a particular pleasure in any tale so well crafted as to resolve nearly a hundred plot threads satisfactorily. And one should always take a great thrill in seeing seemingly minor characters take on such an immense importance and suddenly be revealed to be the single most important thread tying an epic fantasy trilogy together, too!
And not only does it take place in the mythical lands in-between England and a few of the other Isles, but it's steeped in borrowed and made-up mythology, rampant with kings and queens, three whole kingdom's worth, the land of the Fae, and the ending fate of so many heroes and well-established antagonists.
Am I seriously impressed by these three works? Hell yeah. All together, they make one of the richest near-Earth fantasy I've ever read. It's a fictional country dab in the center of the Isles, but everything else is steeped in our history and myths, but it's far from cheap. It's easily one of the deepest and best-crafted fantasies I've ever read.
Yes, there are a few that out-do it, and I'm sure we can all name them, but this one stands nearly as tall as them and should never be overlooked among all the generalized and oft-repeated and overdone photocopies of modern fantasy.
Quality is Quality, and This Is Quality. :)
And we get reunited families, a total breakdown of friendly relations, and an all-out war that destroys and rebuilds the three kingdoms. What more could anyone ask? -
"Lasciatevi condurre nella foresta di Tantrevalles,
al cospetto di Throbius, Re dei fatati.
Alla ricerca di risposte nella memoria celate"
Benvenuti nella fiaba di Madouc.
Terzo e conclusivo romanzo della trilogia di Lyonesse in cui le vicende narrate si concentrano maggiormente sulla figura della giovane Madouc alla ricerca delle sue particolari origini. Poco spazio per Aillas, Dhrun e Shimrod il mago.
Dei tre romanzi è quello che focalizza con più vigore l'attenzione sull'aspetto fiabesco e al puro intrattenimento, tralasciando il tema socio-politico presentato precedentemente e relegandolo a semplici accenni.
Madouc è una bambina pestifera e sfacciata ma parla e ragiona da adulta, forzatura poco credibile.
Devo ammettere che pur essendo una piacevole lettura non raggiunge il livello dei primi due romanzi dove le dinamiche erano a me più congeniali.
Un pensiero sulla trilogia di Lyonesse:
Si tratta sicuramente di un buon fantasy, molto incentrato sull'aspetto fairy tales e leggendario, un salto a piedi uniti oltre il velo per poter trascorrere ore piacevoli in compagnia di personaggi magnifici e gesta che di eroico hanno ben poco. La magia che Vance presenta in questi romanzi è quella che preferisco di gran lunga a quella strutturata di Sanderson, qui risulta misteriosa, insondabile, senza regole, strepitosa. Sta all'abilità dello scrittore non renderla un deus ex machina.
Vance si conferma uno scrittore capace di rendere originale ogni sua opera con il suo stile unico e creativo.
------------------------------
"Let yourself be led into the Tantrevalles forest,
in the presence of Throbius, King of the fairies.
Searching for answers hidden in memory"
Welcome to Madouc's fairy tale.
Third and final novel of the Lyonesse trilogy in which the events narrated focus more on the figure of the young Madouc in search of her particular origins. Little room for Aillas, Dhrun and Shimrod the magician.
Of the three novels, it is the one that most vigorously focuses attention on the fairy-tale aspect and pure entertainment, leaving out the socio-political theme presented previously and relegating it to simple hints.
Madouc is a pestiferous and cheeky child but she speaks and thinks like an adult, an unlikely stretch.
I must admit that although it is a pleasant read, it does not reach the level of the first two novels where the dynamics were more congenial to me.
A thought on the Lyonesse trilogy:
It is certainly a good fantasy, very much focused on the fairy tales and legendary aspect, a leap with feet together beyond the veil to be able to spend pleasant hours in the company of magnificent characters and deeds that have very little of the heroic about them. The magic that Vance presents in these novels is the one I much prefer to Sanderson's structured one, here it is mysterious, unfathomable, without rules, amazing. It's up to the writer's skill not to make her a deus ex machina.
Vance confirms himself as a writer capable of making each of his works original with his unique and creative style. -
We are vagabonds, and each of us follows a dream.
What an apt one line review for the whole series: it captures the rambling style of presentation, the numerous characters setting out on quests and the mythical, otherworldy setting of the Elder Isles, home to Arthurian knights and fairy shires or ‘shees’, powerful wizards and ambitious kings.
I am talking about the whole series, because that is the best way to experience the journey, starting with the story of Suldrun, following the curse of the Green Pearl, and now searching for some closure in the company of Madouc.
There is a symmetry to the three part Lyonesse sequence: Suldrun in the first book is the lonely, melancholic daughter of King Casmir. Unable to confront directly her father’s wishes, she is exiled to a forgotten garden by the sea. Madouc in the third book is also the (adoptive) daughter of Casmir, but her temperament is as fiery as her red hair, and her rebellion is an active one, where she takes the reins of her destiny in her own hands and is not resigned to the dictates of Casmir / Fate. The two princesses frame the middle section, where at first nothing significant seems to happen, but where the Green Pearl may be the key to a danger that can destroy the whole realm.
Travante looked off down the road, smiling. “It is an extraordinary quest. I am searching for my lost youth.”
“Indeed!” said Madouc. “How did you lose it?”
Travante held out his hands in a gesture of puzzlement. “I cannot be sure. I had it one moment and the next time I thought to notice it was gone”
“I suppose you are sure of your facts.”
“Oh indeed! I remember it distinctly! Then it was as if I walked around the table and poof! I found myself an old man.”
“There must have been the usual and ordinary intervals in between?”
“Dreams, my dear. Figments, wisps, sometimes a nightmare. But what of you?”
“It is simple. I do not know my father. My mother is a fairy from Thripsey Shee. I am seeking my father and with him my pedigree.”
“And Sir Pom-Pom: what does he seek?”
“Sir Pom-Pom seeks the Holy Grail, in accordance with King Casmir’s proclamation.”
From all the panoply of oddball vagabonds, knights, monsters and scoundrels I believe the recently introduced Travante is the one that I identify with the easiest, and the one that holds the key to the attraction exercised over time by the works of Jack Vance. His fantasy is not the typical heroic or ‘grimdark’ fare, and his quests lead his characters to surprising locations:
The mind was a marvellous instrument, thought Shimrod; when left to wander untended, it often arrived at curious destinations.
It is the journey itself that matters, our search to recapture the sense of wonder, of re-discovering the world with the innocent eyes of the child. Lyonesse is not without its classic fantasy epic political / military plot – following the conflict between Casmir and Aillas for control of the Elder Isles, and it also has a cataclysmic finale with a sort of evil overlord , but my lasting impression of the series is of a huge and colourful tapestry of minor characters and exotic locations, of sometimes humorous, sometimes deadly encounters with fairies and trolls and highway bandits. I was thinking of making a connection to the grotesque and detailed wood panels of Hieronymus Bosch (“The Garden of Earthly Delights”) but I’m not convinced the approach is similar – Vance is more humorous and optimistic than the Dutch painter.
The dialogue I have quoted earlier is a good example of the flowery language used in the story. The following one illustrates the light touch at introducing a new character called Gundeline, a fairy:
… a slender maiden of enchanting charm, with flowing lavender hair and green fingernails. She mimed, preened, cut capers, but never spoke, and no one knew her well. She licked saffron from poppy pistils with quick darts of her pointed green tongue.
I could go on with more examples of the style that often appears to overwhelm the straight story and prefers flights of fancy to logic and seriousness. The prose, like the legendary and secretive Sir Pellinore, demonstrates a pronounced “frivolous bent”.
So for a time the two dallied in the glade, at last becoming languid.
In case you are wondering, this above quote is how Vance describes a sexual encounter.
Like the prose and the plot in Lyonesse, my review rambles, and I am loath to explain how the numerous plot threads are solved, not so much refraining from giving out spoilers, but mostly from a reluctance to let go of the Elder Isles and of the wonderful adventures I was witness to. I have turned the last page of what I consider his best work, but I am consoled somewhat by knowing I have many of Jack Vance’s books still to discover, so many worlds still to explore, wizards and scoundrels and fiery maidens to lead the way:
The roads never end; they simply join into another road, so that a wanderer never comes to the journey’s end. -
Jack Vance is a pro. Getting to the end of this 1200-page fantasy epic was an emotional journey. The third volume can stand alone, as the best of the trilogy, where Vance let loose and indulged in his trademark brand of hilarious hijinks to the fullest extent. His world building is still cumulatively breathtaking and his imagery always gorgeous. He is a fantastic wordsmith, a practiced encyclopedia consultant, and a brilliant author who has explored his own vast and complex vision in dozens of novels revolving around the same creepy, perverted, elegant, conniving tricksters, recast as necessary, and always garbed in the most charming period attire, typically sporting wens and goiters, protuberant sacs and jiggling jowls. And those are just the human players in the production. The fairies and wefkins, wizards, spirits, and gryphs and other denizens of his fantasy empire all arrive in due course with their bags of spells and luscious attributes in tow.
He does not bother to explain magic systems or justify long stretches of historical politics in his novels, but rather, relishes the seamy textures of his enigmatic prose and depicts familiar struggles to highlight aspects of human nature. 14-year-old girls spout invectives and arguments worthy of a corrupt parish minister. Old serving maids whine and croon with the elegance of Shakespearean side characters. This is the territory of Vance, where kings and lowlifes pull equal weight, and the kingdom of men is only a struggling shire in a timeless hierarchy of universes only the author fully comprehended.
Like a traitorous magician, Vance guides you with a masterful, and devious hand through the winding, and treacherous paths of his lighthearted fantasy. Each section can be read as straight satire, or gobbled up like a poetic feast of literary invention.
While the world of Lyonesse was written in the spirit of Arthurian legends, its whimsical intelligence is in a league of its own. -
-
Each of the three Lyonesse books has some aspect that makes it my favorite. This last book is slightly more straight forward than the first two books, which are more erratic in structure. This takes away some of the strangeness and wonderful complexity that permeate those books, but in turn it has the charming and willful Madouc and her quest to find her pedigree, which is just sparkling with Jack Vance’s witty humor. Every other page I couldn't help but chuckle or on occasion burst out in pure satisfactory laughter. In parts this book also has a distinct air of Jane Austen which I really love; the summer palace at Sarris, the dialogues while walking in gardens, Madouc’s tiresome maidens, and Madouc’s reaction to the luxurious rooms at Falu Ffail.
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ORIGINALLY POSTED AT
Fantasy Literature.
Well, here's the finale of Jack Vance's Lyonesse, and I'm sorry to see it end. This novel was about Madouc, the changeling princess of Lyonesse, and her interactions with Casmir, Sollace, Aillas, Dhrun, Shimrod, Throbius, Sir Pom-Pom, Umphred, Twisk, et al.
Madouc maintains the quality of this excellent trilogy — it's filled with clever prose, charming characters, and lots of imagination. Jack Vance's careful planning produced a tight plot and Madouc wrapped up all the loose ends from Suldrun's Garden and The Green Pearl.
I thoroughly enjoyed Lyonesse, but it may not be for everyone. It occurs to me that these books are a lot like Monty Python. They're fast-paced, weird, silly, outrageous, and (somehow) smart.
I'll give you one example: the magician Murgen realizes he's being spied on by someone who is disguised as a moth, so he sends Rylf to follow the moth and find out who it is. The moth flies away and joins a thousand other moths who are flying around a flame. As Rylf watches, one of the moths eventually drops down, turns into a man, and walks into an inn. But Rylf doesn't take note of the man because, as he figures, the laws of probability suggest that the particular moth he's after must still be flying around the flame.
If you don't find that hilarious, you may not enjoy Lyonesse as much as I did.
Part of what I love most about Jack Vance's humor is that he doesn't tell us it's funny. It's a completely deadpan delivery. So, when King Throbius (King of the Fairies) assures Madouc that “fairies are as tolerant as they are sympathetic,” there's no narrator or character who explains to Madouc (and, thereby, us) that this does not mean that fairies are tolerant. I have never read any author who does this as beautifully as Jack Vance does, and I loved it.
I've said it twice before, so I won't say again that Lyonesse ought to be reprinted.
Read the rest of my Lyonesse reviews. -
The concluding volume to the Lyonesse saga is where Vance finally hit his stride. In the two previous volumes, I found it pretty unclear as to what Vance was aiming for here-- was it a fantasy parody or just a humorous romp? In fact, I think what Vance produced here is something akin to a faerie tale; a Brother's Grimm tale set on the Elder Isles off the coast of Ireland and France but one laced with snappy dialogue and a series of strange events.
Madouc is the daughter of a Faerie with an unknown father. After she was born, she was substituted for Dhrun, the son of the princess Suldrun, and brought up as a princess of Lyonesse while Dhrun lived with the Faeries. While Madouc appeared in earlier volumes, here she takes the center stage. Madouc is a witty, clever and precocious child to be sure, constantly pushing the boundaries. In Madouc, we follow her adventures first at home in the castle, and then on a 'road trip' to find her pedigree (e.g., her father).
Madouc is peppered with Vance's snarky and agile dialogues among the characters and I chuckled throughout. What do we have here? A lovely, indefatigable 'princess', several magicians, Kings of various flavors, all kinds of intrigue, Faeries of various stripes and temperaments, and lots of adventure.
The series as a whole should come with a disclaimer that it is a faerie tale and not 'serious' fantasy, although often enough serious motifs and such emerge that you can recognize Vance at his most melancholy. One character, for example, who teams up with Madouc is searching for his lost youth, for now he is old and his youth passed him by.
Madouc brings the series to an end, and I thought it to be the best of the three. Madouc as a character is really fun, especially her snark. 4 stars!! -
I first read the Lyonesse trilogy in the early ‘90s (Suldrun’s Garden, The Green Pearl, Madouc) and enjoyed it, especially the first book, as I recall. The “Lyonesse” entry on Wikipedia offers a very thorough plot summary, though with spoilers galore (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyonesse...).
The trilogy is vintage Vance. Full of his usual sardonic wit, odd characters and wonderful writing, a sample of which I reproduce below. The scene is from chapter 12 of The Green Pearl; Aillas and his captive Ska maiden, Tatzel, are crossing North Ulfland and come to a farmstead where Aillas finds himself engaged in a philosophical debate with the farmer regarding greed vs. altruism:
The same ideas had occurred to Cwyd. He said: “Hear how the storm yells, like a giant in pain!” And again, with russet eyes fixed knowingly upon Aillas: “Pity the poor traveler who must brave such ferocities! And all the while we sit snug before our fire!” And again: “In conditions like this the word ‘avarice’ loiters sickly by the wayside while the concept of ‘gratitude’ marches forward in triumph, like Palaemon’s conquering army!”
Aillas responded: “When storms rage, then is when folk become aware of their common humanity, and like you and Threlka, they willingly extend hospitality to those unfortunate enough to be at disadvantage, just as you, in your hour of inconvenience, will hope for the same! In these cases, the thought of payment is cause for embarrassment, and the host cries out: ‘What do you take me for? A jackal?’ It is heartwarming to meet such folk out here on the high moors!”
“Exactly so!” cried Cwyd. “Out here on the high moors where conditions are so hard, ‘sharing’ is the watchword, and each gives of what he has without stint! I open my larder wide and light my best and most cheerful blaze; you are of the same disposition with your superfluity of silver coins; thus we honor each other!”
“Precisely to the point!” declared Aillas. “I will reckon up my little store of coins and whatever I find to be superfluous you shall have! We are in accord; let us say no more on the subject….”
Cwyd mused. “Our conversations have raised a number of interesting points. I could describe every turn of a long road, reciting each of the perils to be found along the way and its remedy, thus saving your life a dozen times, and you would gratefully reward me with a bag of gold. However, if I casually mentioned that the man you wished to see at the end of this road were dead, you might thank me but give me nothing, though all went to the same effect. Is there not an inherent disequilibrium at work here?”
“Yes indeed,” said Aillas. “The paradox resides once again in the distortions worked upon the fabric of our life by greed. I suggest that we free ourselves of this ignoble vice, and seek to help each other with full and wholehearted zeal.”
Cwyd grumbled: “In short, you refuse to pay me what my information is worth?”
“If you saved my life even once, how should I pay you? The concept is meaningless. For this reason such services are generally held to be free.”
“Still, if I saved your life a dozen times, as well as your father and mother and the virtue of your sister, and you gave me a single copper groat, at least I could put my belly up to the board and drink a mug of beer to your health.”
“Very well,” said Aillas. “Tell me all you know. It may be worth a copper groat.”
Cwyd threw his hands in the air. “At least in dealing with you I exercise my tongue…. Where do you fare?” (pp. 218-220)
Having reread the trilogy, I find that this time I liked the third book best. The best parts were Aillas’ tale before he becomes king of Troicinet; Dhrun’s adventures after he’s expelled by the fairies from Thripsey Shee; and Madouc’s quest to find out who her father is. In between these passages, the story tends to lose focus and power, and becomes a soap opera of political machinations.
Despite such reservations, the trilogy remains one of my favorite Vance works. Like Kirth Gersen of the Demon Princes series and Miro Hetzel of The Galactic Effectuator, Aillas and Madouc have remained memorable characters, and I would certainly recommend this to any interested reader or Vance fan. -
2021 reread:
When Madouc is onscreen, the book sings! She's a remarkable character, and inspired some of Vance's funniest skits. Her copper-gold curls! Very entertaining stuff -- such as the "twinkle-toes imp-spring," a spell she learns from her Mom Twisk for, as Madouc tells it, "defense against tyrants." I could also count on Aillas, Dhrun, and Shimrod for more Good Stuff, and King Casmir's wicked plots, along with King Aillas foiling them: more of the Pure Quill. Plus Twisk, Madouc's reluctant fairy-Mom: priceless. And all presented dead-pan....
But there is more tedious wheel-spinning than I recalled. Which can be skimmed, but still....
So it's really more of a 4 star read this time, but the stellar stuff easily kicks the book back up to an overall 5-star read.
The Wikipedia article plot summary is a good memory-aid but I'm going to tag it for SPOILERS:
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I liked Madouc more this time than the first time I read it. Still, it failed to work the usual Vance magic on me. Effectively, it mostly provide more of the same (as was in the first two books). Usually, with Vance, that's more than enough.
I'm not sure why I was ... not dissatisfied, but complacent. This book leaves most of the politics that made the first book a little slow, and concentrates more on human stories. Perhaps it's simply that I didn't take much to Madouc herself, though it's not so often I actually like Vance's protagonists. Perhaps it's a certain young adult (as when Madouc name s the stable boy Sir Pom-Pom) feel that didn't match the rest of the book. On the other hand, I did enjoy struggles with ogres, etc.
The fairies play a larger role in this book, but by now I found them a little on the tiresome side. Vance brings in the Holy Grail, and that may have been too much. I think, largely, that the series, in this book, simply goes on too long. Even Vance himself seems to hurry to end this with a fairly long end section that tidily wraps up loose ends, but nonetheless seems rushed.
All in all, pleasant and readable, but not really enticing. If you haven't read the first two books, this one will not really stand alone. If you have, by all means read this one. There's nothing wrong with it - it's just not great.
All in all, I'm glad I re-read the trilogy - it's better than I recalled it being. But it's also a long way from being the best of Vance's work.
CVIE V -
Madouc was first published in 1989 as a hardcover novel. It is currently in print in a trade paperback edition published by Spatterlight Press. There is also a Kindle edition available. My out of print paperback edition has 535 pages of text. Madouc is the third novel in a Vance trilogy called Lyonesse and is also referred to as Lyonesse III. This is the second time I've read it in recent years, and I rated it a 5 both times. Lyonesse: Madouc won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1990. It is pure fantasy rather than science fiction. I consider it a masterpiece and one of the most engaging and interesting fantasy novels I have ever read. I found all three Lyonesse novels to be witty, imaginative, creative and captivating and highly recommended them.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
Madouc is similar to the other Lyonesse novels in that there are many fascinating characters that are well developed, with multiple intriguing subplots, amazing world building, imaginative stories and tales, engaging adventures, and many comical dialogs and situations. Character development is especially prominent in Lyonesse: Madouc which has a major focus on the young, half fairy woman called Princess Madouc. She was brought to the Lyonesse court because King Casmir believed she was the child of his daughter Princess Suldrun and an unknown father. When he later learns that she is not his grandchild he does not disclose this to anybody because he wants to marry Madouc to royalty from another kingdom to assist in gaining alliances. But he finds that Madouc is opposed to such plans just as his daughter Suldrun was. Unlike Suldrun, however, Madouc has a strong sense of self determination, with a feistiness and vigor that make her a formidable opponent. She does not become remote and withdrawn the way Suldrun did but strikes out on a quest to find the truth of her parentage and even bravely and cleverly confronts King Casmir in front of royalty from other kingdoms. In one humorous section she even throws rotten fruit at several people she dislikes.
Madouc's search for her "pedigree" takes her on a fantastic quest that also includes her friend, Sir Pom Pom (She calls him Sir Pom Pom even though he is a stable boy) and his search for the Holy Grail and a stranger they meet named Travante who is searching for his lost youth. It is a fascinating and adventurous journey of self discovery, bravery and perseverance. Vance presents a remarkably detailed and creative picture of a fairy world called Thripsey Shee where Madouc meets her mother and engages the assistance of her mother and the fairy king in attempting to identify her father. After learning that her father called himself Sir Pellinore, she continues on to a dangerous but sometimes comical trek where they encounter two hostile goblin knights riding griffins and a three headed ogre named Throop who lives in a castle. Throop could know what happened to Madouc's father, might have possession of the Holy Grail and possibly (although the prospects are unlikely) knows the whereabouts of Travante's missing youth. Even though all three of Throop's heads would rather eat his guests than talk with them, the three heads are intrigued by the offer of gifts so, after discussing it, they decide to restrain their appetites.
There is much more to the novel, including an attempt to assassinate a king and all out war that involves much of the Elder Isles. Vance eventually ties all of the subplots, storylines, events and characters together in a fitting conclusion that I found very satisfying. But all three novels need to be read in order to fully appreciate the whole saga and rereading the trilogy is helpful because there are so many details and so much that happens in these novels.
The Lyonesse trilogy has incredible world building, many interesting developed characters, intriguing plots, subplots and encounters, brilliant, often witty, dialog, hilarious humor that is cleverly integrated into the drama, a very captivating storyline and an tremendous amount of creativity and imagination. Jack Vance is truly a phenomenal and unique voice in recorded literature. Very highly recommended! -
An amazing read! I really didn't want this trilogy to end. I would happily continue to read this for years and years, with little humorous side jaunts here and weird strangenesses taking place there, ad infinitum.
If you've not yet read Jack Vance, you need to know that there is no other writer like him. Although many say it takes a bit to get used to the eloquency of his prose, it is infectious. Beside Vance, all other authors seem pedestrian in their vocabulary and turns of phrase.
Personally, every single page of Vance that I read is a sheer delight.
If you've read other Vance and have not yet got to the Lyonesse trilogy, please spare no time! It is first-rate Vance: witty, full of elevated diction, humorous (yet wicked), and simply wonderful.
And not just the writing - the characters in Lyonesse will stay with me forever: Shimrod, Aillas, Casmir, Madouc. Even the minor characters, such as the little acrobat who speaks gibberish and, working with his fellow entertainers, cunningly tricks our valiant heroes and steals their horses (and boots).
It is a magnificent masterpiece, this work by the venerated Vance.
Warning: Read them in order - pick up Sudrun's Garden first, then The Green Pearl, and finally get to this book, Madouc.
Highest possible recommendation. -
This series was fantastic. Vance's prose is beautiful and subtly hilarious; his imagination is astonishing. I got into Vance through Dying Earth but where that series is a bit hit-and-miss this one was excellent from beginning to end. By the time I was only halfway through the trilogy I was already looking forward to reading it a second time.
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The last book in Lyonesse makes me happy as well as a bit unhappy, I am happy that I have read such an fantastic book and unhappy as the series ends here, if only we could have more of
Aillas, constrained by a hundred heavy responsibilities, was somewhat more still and reflective than Dhrun. His status required that he mask his natural passion and intensity behind a face of polite indifference: to such an extent that the trait had become almost habitual. Similarly, he often used a mildness close upon diffidence to disguise his true boldness, which was almost an extravagance of bravado. His swordsmanship was superb; his wit danced and flickered with the same sure delicacy, coming in sudden flashes like sunlight bursting through the clouds. Such occasions transformed his face so that for a moment he seemed as youthful and jubilant as Dhrun himself.
This describes my favourite character in series in a succinct way, Vance has a gift of writing small but perfect descriptions about landscapes, personality traits and not to mention food
For days wagons had been arriving from all directions, loaded with sacks, crocks and crates, tubs of pickled fish; racks dangling with sausages, hams and bacon; barrels of oil, wine, cider and ale; baskets laden with onions, turnips, cabbages, leeks; also parcels of ramp, parsley, sweet herbs and cress. Day and night the kitchens were active, with the stoves never allowed to go cold. In the service yard four ovens, constructed for the occasion, produced crusty loaves, saffron buns, fruit tarts; also sweet-cakes flavoured with currants, anise, honey and nuts, or even cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. One of the ovens produced only pies and pasties, stuffed with beef and leeks, or spiced hare seethed in wine, or pork and onions, or pike with fennel, or carp in a swelter of dill, butter and mushrooms, or mutton with barley and thyme.
And who wouldn’t get hungry by reading such a wonderful description about food.
This book can be summed up in one line, it is about Madouc who wants to find her pedigree in this cruel world of Elder isles which is beautiful but has dangers hidden everywhere.
It is about Madouc’s coming of age as well as a tipping point in the history of Elder isles, where in things start getting more and more clearer.
And Vance wonderfully resolves all the mysteries which we can remember and which we have forgotten sometimes, because this series is really an experience which is not to be missed.
Very highly recommended. -
This third and final book of a series completes a large narrative, tells its own stories, and leaves one big mystery open at the end (Joald was hinted at in the first book). It could probably be read on its own, but that would seem unlikely - the title doesn't exactly jump off the shelf by itself. A really good book and series.
Why not five stars? Some of the scenes of army and battle went by very rapidly - I could mentally picture a map with moving arrows. The clever maneuvering of the second book was replaced by brute force. I got the feeling that the Troicinet navy was a major thing, but unfortunately none of the books describe the naval point of view. Very minor quibbles, though.
I really liked Madouc's story and her maneuvers around the Fey. This copper haired maiden and part rebel is a strong character in many ways. She smoothly handled both a the three-headed ogre AND her headstrong companion in the same scene. If there's one quote I could use to sum up the entire venture, it would be from her other companion in that scene. "We are vagabonds, and each of us follows a dream." -
La tercera parte me ha parecido la más floja de todas. Mantiene el estilo más hilado del segundo, pero la historieta de Madouc me parece más típica que la de Suldrun y no lo suficientemente diferentes, y queda poco del estilo de los hermanos Grimm que me gustó en el primero. De todas formas, ahí dejo recomendada la saga, que me ha parecido original y divertida en la forma de enfocar la fantasía clásica.
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I had a lot of fun reading this trilogy. Vance kept me engaged from start to finish. No filler here. What a finish! Princess Madouc, gets serious character development in the finale, and Vance doesn’t disappoint. 5 star fantasy. Excellent!
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Il libro in realtà l'avevo finito da qualche giorno, ma ci ho pensato un po' prima di scrivere questa recensione.
Il voto definitivo è di 3,5 stelline, un po' più basso degli altri due perché secondo me non ha soddisfatto le aspettative settate nei due libri precedenti.
Come sempre, partiamo prima dalle cose positive.
Il libro riprende un po' lo stile della saga, lasciando da parte la geopolitica in favore di un'ambientazione più fiabesca con una principessina un po' ribelle che di volta in volta parte per delle ricerche differenti per scoprire qualcosa del suo passato, incontri con vari esseri fatati e artefatti magici... Rispetto a "Il giardino di Suldrun" qui le avventure di Madouc mi hanno intrigato di più, forse per il caratterino di questa bambina che riusciva persino a tenere testa a Casimir e alle sei smorfiose che aveva come damigelle.
Mi è piaciuto tanto anche lo svelamento graduale delle origini di Madouc e del suo ruolo nel compiere la profezia su Dhrun, il figlio di Aillas e Suldrun, e nell'ostacolare i piani dell'antagonista principale proprio dall'interno del suo stesso palazzo. Trovo che si accordasse benissimo con lo stile fiabesco della saga e che contribuisse a quel senso di ineluttabilità generato prima dalla profezia e poi dall'ascesa di Aillas come sovrano.
I parallelismi e le anticipazioni a quella che poi diventerà la saga di Re Artù in questo caso si fanno molto più forti ma gli eventi mantengono comunque una dimensione perfettamente distinta. Ciò da un lato evita che Lyonesse sia un mediocre reboot e dall'altro riprende il concetto, trovato anche nella saga di Avalon di MZB, per cui la storia è destinata a ripetersi di epoca in epoca.
Insomma tutto contribuiva a montare la tensione per uno scontro finale che però non è mai arrivato davvero. So che le scene di battaglia non sono mai state il punto focale di questa saga, concentrata di più invece sull'atmosfera magica, ma dopo tutto questo tempo in cui fermentava l'odio tra Casimir e Aillas e Dhrun io mi aspettavo una resa dei conti un po' più focosa invece che un riassunto di un capitolo scarso. Voglio dire, ormai abbiamo capito quale sarà il finale della storia, tanto vale spenderci un po' più di emozione per enfatizzare invece che liquidare tutto con rapidità.
Lo stesso Casimir, il vero villain della saga perfettamente costruito, alla fine perde clamorosamente il regno e la discendenza ma non c'è una vera battaglia o una scena di chiusura tra lui e Aillas. Come altri due personaggi femminili degli scorsi libri, ovvero Tatzel e Glyneth, Casimir viene semplicemente tolto dalla scena come una qualsiasi comparsa.
Questo devo dire mi ha sgonfiato molto l'entusiasmo che avevo maturato ma questa saga rimane comunque una bellissima scoperta, per cui ringrazio Krell.
E adesso, rimane solo l'ultima isola fantastica del ciclo Bretone per la quale mi affiderò a una penna italiana. Si salpa per Ys! -
"Lyonesse", "La Perla Verde", "Madouc", tre romanzi per quello che è in sostanza un lungo racconto, una lettura piacevolissima per la quale è doverosa una precisazione: pur essendo una trilogia ambientata in un mondo fantastico, popolato da creature magiche, nel quale i protagonisti si muovono per portare a compimento la quest di turno, quella di Lyonesse non è una saga fantasy. Non aspettatevi personaggi iper-caratterizzati, scenari descritti fin nel minimo dettaglio, trama e sottotrame solide, senza buchi, che spiegano tutto e anche più del necessario. Questa è una felice incursione nel favolistico\fiabesco, dove il linguaggio è essenzialmente quello delle fiabe: i personaggi sono appena tratteggiati nel loro essere sostanzialmente degli archetipi, gli scenari dipinti con poche rapide pennellate, le trame coerenti fin quando è necessario. In un mondo nel quale al genere fantasy è stato succhiato anche il midollo (e si provvede ora a rosicchiarne le ossa) pur di assecondare la fame bulimica di lettori avidi di dettagli, questa è una battuta d'arresto con annesso cambio di corsia, un doveroso "alt" che tutti dovrebbero concedersi, per tirare il fiato e ricordare che a nutrire la mente provvede la mente stessa, a patto di essere stimolata dalle giuste idee e da una scrittura di buon livello. Lyonesse non è un capolavoro e non vuole esserlo: è un racconto pieno zeppo di motivi favolistici, colmo di riferimenti all'immaginario celtico e ammiccamenti al ciclo bretone, il tutto reso da un linguaggio lieve, allegro e scanzonato. Nessuna pretesa da parte dell'autore, se non quella di raccontare una storia secondo i canoni della fiaba, infarcendola quindi di simboli familiari all'immaginazione che hanno il potere di comunicare senza dover essere spiegati.
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In many ways, the Lyonesse Trilogy consists of three threads which connect sometimes very tangentially. There is the competition between the various kingdoms, the conflict between the mages, and the quests into 'fairyland'. Each of these stories is dispersed through the novels in varying doses.
In the final volume, it felt at times like Vance had left himself with too much to do. Every now and then, he hit the fast forward button and events whiz by almost in summary. At other times, tangential and inconsequential matters were lingered over. A great deal of writing was spent establishing characters only to rid them from the book in a sentence.
Maduoc eclipses to a greater or lesser extent the main characters from the previous novels. I felt Glyneth in particular got short shrift. Where, for instance, were these swords she brought back from Tanjecterly? The concentration on Maduoc compresses the ultimate conclusion of the struggle between Aillas and Casimir, making it feel a little rushed.
And yet, the novel makes up for these dashed expectations. Shimrod's adventures in the previous novels, at times made disjointed and abrupt by the opaque central mystery now click into place. More importantly, Maduoc is an engaging character and her adventures kept my interest throughout. I was particularly moved by the ultimate fate of one of the minor characters. It was very well done. -
Moments of typical Vance mad genius, let down by a baffling decision to spend over half the book focusing on the most frustrating PoV character I’ve read about since Malta.
There are so many great characters and plot lines left hanging at the end of the excellent book 2. Most of those plots are resolved far too quickly here without any impact because their climaxes didn’t feel adequately earned. There’s also some ridiculous decision making clearly fuelled less by living breathing characters and more by plot necessity.
A very mixed experience and easily the worst in the series, but it still has those fantastic mages. -
This book really disappointed me and I was surprised to see it rated so highly. I struggled to finish it. There are simply too many scenes (and especially conversations) that are repeated over and over again, and are furthermore simply variations on things that happened in previous books. I grew especially tired of the scenes of Madouc's resistance to her "parents" plans. They revealed nothing new about anybody's character and changed nothing. Frankly, I quickly grew tired of Madouc, who is a one-note character with no defining characteristics except a total lack of concern for anybody but herself. When she becomes interested in helping someone else, after spending the entire book disliking and being rude to everyone, it struck me as completely unbelievable. Why does she suddenly feel so much different about one person when she barely tolerates anyone else? Other characters are one-dimensional too--the cardboard cut-out evil king; the flawless hero and his son, who succeed at everything (boring), the self-centered queen (I found her interesting at first, but she experiences no character growth at all and so quickly becomes tiresome).
The worst part was that the last 40 pages turns into a gallop to the finish line where Vance essentially summarizes what should have been the plot of the last 200 pages of the book. After Casimir's plotting has lasted for 3 books and grown increasingly dull and tiresome, the final contest is resolved in less than a dozen pages. The conflict between the wizards is over before you know it. Literally enormous events are given no more than a paragraph's worth of attention.
Vance's editor should have told him to cut the first 300 pages down to 100 and find something more interesting for Madouc to do than simply defy and mouth off to everyone constantly (she does have one interesting adventure, but that is it).
Thinking about the whole series, I liked the first book best because the characters actually experienced loss, pain, and difficulties. There was tragedy, there were reversals of fortune--in short, there was tension about whether the main characters (all appealing people) would win out, and how. This tension was mostly missing in the second book, but at least the characters were still likable. Here I found irritating protagonists and very little drama. -
Una conclusión satisfactoria a una trilogía que disfruté mucho.
Empecé a leer Lyonesse hace años porque quería una serie de fantasía medieval que involucrara diferentes razas y creaturas mágicas (una combinación que a pesar de ser supuestamente sobreusada, he batallado mucho para encontrar) y específicamente en ese sentido los libros fueron diferentes a lo que esperaba; sus conflictos eran primordialmente humanos y estaban centrados en ambiciones humanas, quedando la magia en segundo plano.
A pesar de eso la saga no me decepcionó, Jack Vance tiene un talento excepcional para escribir personajes interesantes e interacciones entre ellos y esto fué para mí lo que cargó a los 3 libros. Madouc en partícular fué un personaje maravilloso y todas las escenas donde aparece son un deleite, creo que el autor capturó muy bien la naturaleza libre y caprichosa (pero no necesariamente maliciosa) de las hadas en ella, y de los 3 libros ella fué mi protagonista favorita.
Mi única queja seria de este libro es el hecho de que a veces el ritmo al que avanza la historia es raro. Algunas escenas se extendieron mas de lo que me pareció necesario y el final sufrió por ello, una de las confrontaciones finales se sintió apresurada y se resolvió mas rápido de lo que me habría gustado, sobre todo tomando en cuenta que las bases de la misma vienen desde el primer libro. Aun así, estoy de acuerdo con la decisión de Jack Vance de terminar la historia en 3 libros en lugar de extenderla mas y convertirla en una serie mas larga. -
Coming off from the disappointment of a previous novel almost immediately always makes the review of its direct sequel a challenge, because you have to deal with the failed expectations of the last book. Madouc was initially not giving me much hope and I was anticipating a bittersweet reaction…I’m not entirely sure what happened, but that was not the case.
Madouc is…an interesting creation. Not the most original character and she mirrors the melancholic Suldrun in many ways, but there’s something about her placement in the story that works just fine for me. King Allias is just one of the many characters that ended up failing to meet my expectations, but that’s on the Green Pearl, not on Madouc. I have decided to spare Madouc and pretend it’s its own thing. Honestly, that interim sequel was in hindsight a complete waste of time and I did not care for the large majority of stories told in it. Good thing it’s well written, otherwise…
Madouc…has moments. With the fairies, especially, I love that stuff. I cannot be mad at that kind of stuff. It has many other weak moments and now I can kind of confidently say that a much better version of these books could have existed if the second and third book were combined to form a masterpiece, but, whereas Suldrun’s Garden was a masterpiece and Green Pearl wasn’t, Madouc stands somewhere in between. There are far worse fates than that. -
I’m a real fan of Vance’s writing, but there’s not much more I can say on the subject that I haven’t already. Recently I picked up and had to give up on a few books because the writing was too darn explanatory: telling me how the characters are feeling, telling me all the background of the world. Vance doesn’t really do that, and when he does, it’s not for the same reasons as most Fantasy authors - it’s to build this feeling of absurdity, fantastic, or cleverness. It’s subtle and underhanded a lot of the time.
There’s one scene early on where a familiar/demon/fairy is following a particular moth who joins a big old cloud of other moths but doesn’t end up following when one of those moths turns into a human, because the laws of probability dictated that the moth of interest was still in the cloud of moths. I love that, it’s very Vance.
Despite the writing, Vance still has some issues. It’s great to have the fairy-tied-to-a-post story come back and be important - that’s definitely a strength of this series compared to the Dying Earth - stuff comes back and is important and connected. But it also leans into his trend of having casual sexual assault do a lot of lifting in his stories. You can argue however you want about that (I think inclusion of murder, torture, trauma, sexual assault, etc. as character development isn’t an automatic grounds for dismissal of a book, but it’s often a sign of lazy surface-level thinking or writing), but in a book that’s more whimsical than dark and brooding it’s a jarring inclusion nowadays and a very dated approach to the subject which suffers where the rest of his writing is very creative.
Likewise you’ve got a couple scenes where a young girl is looking down at her breasts and seeing how they’ve grown, which is straight out of the /r/menwritingwomen subreddit. I have yet to see a scene where a young boy looks in his pants and sees his penis growing bigger but hopes it doesn’t get as big as John’s penis because that would be too much. -
I loved this whole series.
Wonderful fantasy.
Clever, entertaining, and beautifully written.
