Reviews

Quite enjoyable book. Had some moments I felt Jack Vance could have capitalised on, which failed to quite meet expectation, but were highly enjoyable all the same. A bizarre, farcical version of the Odyssey, if taken primarily by land instead of sea. Worth a read if old fantasy tales that tell uniquely odd stories are your bag. I don't know if I would read more of the series, but I enjoyed the read primarily for Cugel. Cugel the Clever. Clever indeed...

ibrow's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I read this as a teenager (and the rest of the Dying Earth quartet) and now reread in my late thirties. Even as a teen I realized Cugel was sort of problematic as a character, but reading now as an adult, I found him unbearable to the point that I couldn't even enjoy the worldbuilding or fun of the adventure and setting. It's okay to have an anti-hero, but it's hard to enjoy a book where the protagonist is so purely self-centered and immoral with no redeeming qualities.

While I still thought the original Dying Earth book (the collection of six short stories) was excellent, I don't know if I can bring myself to read through the rest of the Cugel trilogy when I dislike Cugel so much.

mikepalumbo's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

tpalmi's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

azm0's review

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2.0

I’m not sure if I was expecting well-developed characters or good writing, but I didn’t get either. This felt like, and is, a collection of short stories tied together with an interesting take on how magic might be manifest in a fantasy realm. For the impact that his work had on the famous game by Gygax and Arneson, Vance definitely gets credit, and I did enjoy that mechanic of his work. Another item of interest is that this was released prior to LOTR, so it was nice to have a fantasy land devoid of the typical elves, dwarves, and orcs. I don’t feel it’s enough to save the book, however, and I don’t understand all the high marks it gets. Maybe Vance gets better, and I certainly have enough of his work to find that out. Please tell me, does Vance get better???

akirathelemur's review against another edition

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5.0

Absolutely wonderful book. Hallucinatory writing. A cheerfully amoral narrative. One of the more compelling settings in speculative fiction. But man, Cugel is just a straight up fucking psychopath, isn't he? Not exactly an antagonist to root for. Still, a hell of an entertaining read.

farilian's review

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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