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wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
Anyone who doesn't like Jack Vance is incredibly unlikely to seek out this collection, which means that everyone who seeks out this collection is in for a major treat. All the stories are solid -- no duds. Some are simply amazing. Not groundbreaking amazing. All these authors are sticking solidly in Vance's Dying Earth 'verse. But just good, readable, fun, almost always humorous in parts and haunting in parts (e.g. Totally Vance) stories.
nwhyte's review against another edition
4.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2749746.html
This is a collection of short stories set in the world of Jack Vance's Dying Earth, which I read and enjoyed back in 2004. The lineup of contributors was indeed amazing: Dan Simmons, Robert Silverberg, Elizabeth Moon, Elizabeth Bear, Neil Gaiman. (One sad reflection is that several of them - Kage Baker, Lucius Shepard, Tanith Lee - are no longer with us.) The quality of the stories, as Ian Whates reflected at the time, is a bit variable. This is pastiche rather than originality, and Vance's style in the Dying Earth stories is easy to pastiche. But they are almost all enjoyable enough (as it happens, I didn't particularly care for the John C. Wright one). Several others grabbed me, though: "The Copsy Door", by Terry Dowling, quoted above; "The Green Bird", by Kage Baker; "The Traditions of Karzh", by Paula Volsky; "Evillo the Uncunning", by Tanith Lee.
Basically, if you liked the original Vance stories, most of these will appeal. But if you don't know them, I think it would be a bit confusing.
This is a collection of short stories set in the world of Jack Vance's Dying Earth, which I read and enjoyed back in 2004. The lineup of contributors was indeed amazing: Dan Simmons, Robert Silverberg, Elizabeth Moon, Elizabeth Bear, Neil Gaiman. (One sad reflection is that several of them - Kage Baker, Lucius Shepard, Tanith Lee - are no longer with us.) The quality of the stories, as Ian Whates reflected at the time, is a bit variable. This is pastiche rather than originality, and Vance's style in the Dying Earth stories is easy to pastiche. But they are almost all enjoyable enough (as it happens, I didn't particularly care for the John C. Wright one). Several others grabbed me, though: "The Copsy Door", by Terry Dowling, quoted above; "The Green Bird", by Kage Baker; "The Traditions of Karzh", by Paula Volsky; "Evillo the Uncunning", by Tanith Lee.
Basically, if you liked the original Vance stories, most of these will appeal. But if you don't know them, I think it would be a bit confusing.
angielisle's review against another edition
3.0
I probably would have enjoyed this more if I was better acquainted with Jack Vance's work; alas, he's a hard author to track down now.
That being said, this was like any other collection of short stories - I liked some and disliked others, but the ones I liked make me want to track down The Dying Earth and form my own opinion of the book.
That being said, this was like any other collection of short stories - I liked some and disliked others, but the ones I liked make me want to track down The Dying Earth and form my own opinion of the book.
tachyondecay's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
lordofthemoon's review against another edition
4.0
I rather enjoyed this collection of short stories written in honour of [a:Jack Vance|5376|Jack Vance|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1207604643p2/5376.jpg]'s Dying Earth series but I had the unfortunate problem of never actually having read any of the original stories. Still, if these homages do justice to Vance then I certainly look out for his Dying Earth stories. I loved the baroque language and constant hovering between the border of science fiction and fantasy - the epitome of Clarke's third law. This is very wide world with lots to explore, although it's sad to think that even by the end of the world Mankind will be no wiser than he is today.
hammard's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly good collection of short stories around 1 theme, the perfect blend of science fiction settings with fantasy rules and viewpoints.
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