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sandygx260's review against another edition
5.0
I wonder how Jack Vance escaped my notice. As a teen back in the early 70’s, I adored Michael Moorcock, Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber (oh how I loved my sword and sorcery), Isaac Asimov, Roger Zelazny, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut (a must read to spark the imagination), Philip José Farmer (who might have corrupted me), and the remarkable Robert A. Heinlein. I soaked up these authors, along with H.P. Lovecraft, tentacle master, and Rosemary Rogers, bodice-ripper queen. No wonder I’m still trying to write the perfect sci-fi horror m/m romance. Bless my parents for letting me read as I pleased.
Ahem. Yeah, I see the hook coming from stage left.
How did I miss reading Jack Vance? I have no idea. I picked up this collection because a number of my favorite authors had contributed stories: Elizabeth Hand, Neil Gaiman, George R.R Martin, Dan Simmons, Robert Silverberg, and Tanith Lee. Cue the worship.
Once I started reading, yep, I realized perhaps I had tried to read Vance and passed on the experience. The words defeated me, the flowery, thick, dense words tossed me out time and time again from enjoying the stories.
Hey, this opinion is from a writer who enjoys flowery prose.
Reading these tales seemed like trying to hack through a dense thorn thicket with a toothpick.
Still, the tone intrigued me. I tried reading the stories again, this time after a few glasses of wine. Wow, snap, I entered the enchanted glade beyond the thorns. I determined I could not enjoy these stories sober. Over the weeks, these became my bedtime stories.
What fun. It’s hard to pick a favorite, although Hand’s, Simmon’s and Gaiman’s tales really satisfied my wine-enhanced mind.
I wonder if I have a Vance book tucked behind my old sci-fi paperbacks from my youth. I’ve moved a few times, but my books always come with me. I still have many a book from the authors I mentioned earlier, and intend to read them a fourth or fifth time.
This collection tells me I need to read Vance for the first time. After a few glasses of wine, of course.
Ahem. Yeah, I see the hook coming from stage left.
How did I miss reading Jack Vance? I have no idea. I picked up this collection because a number of my favorite authors had contributed stories: Elizabeth Hand, Neil Gaiman, George R.R Martin, Dan Simmons, Robert Silverberg, and Tanith Lee. Cue the worship.
Once I started reading, yep, I realized perhaps I had tried to read Vance and passed on the experience. The words defeated me, the flowery, thick, dense words tossed me out time and time again from enjoying the stories.
Hey, this opinion is from a writer who enjoys flowery prose.
Reading these tales seemed like trying to hack through a dense thorn thicket with a toothpick.
Still, the tone intrigued me. I tried reading the stories again, this time after a few glasses of wine. Wow, snap, I entered the enchanted glade beyond the thorns. I determined I could not enjoy these stories sober. Over the weeks, these became my bedtime stories.
What fun. It’s hard to pick a favorite, although Hand’s, Simmon’s and Gaiman’s tales really satisfied my wine-enhanced mind.
I wonder if I have a Vance book tucked behind my old sci-fi paperbacks from my youth. I’ve moved a few times, but my books always come with me. I still have many a book from the authors I mentioned earlier, and intend to read them a fourth or fifth time.
This collection tells me I need to read Vance for the first time. After a few glasses of wine, of course.
mikepalumbo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
scheu's review against another edition
5.0
This anthology was the most entertaining and fun book I've read in a very long time. If I had to describe the content, I would say 'dilettante wizards amuse themselves as the sun burns out'. However, that doesn't quite capture the flavor of these stories. I read The Dying Earth well over a decade ago and admittedly I have not (yet) read Vance's entire sequence, but I'm eager to do so now. My favorite story - a tossup between Dan Simmons' and Elizabeth Hand's homage to a King Crimson song. You definitely don't see THOSE often.
bmg20's review against another edition
4.0
I admit that this was pretty awesome despite the fact that I'm not the hugest of fantasy fans. :) Took me forever to get through but that's because this book is massive. Highly recommended!
aleffert's review against another edition
3.0
This was a decent time and had some good stories in it, but I dunno. I don't think I really needed to read a six hundred page book of Dying Earth pastiches even if some of them were by favorite authors.
kelimar32's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
odustin's review against another edition
3.0
Ok got sucked into a Jack Vance tribute. About half are good and half not so much which seems to be par for books like this. Most did a good job of mimicking his writing style and getting to hear about how Vance influenced the different writers writing was cool. If you like Vance its worth checking out. Some neat continuations of some of his most interesting characters were written which was fun.