You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by vitalbeachyeah
The Dying Earth by Jack Vance
4.0
I find Vance a really fascinating writer. The Dying Earth, like the second half of Lyonesse, is effectively a string of fantastical short stories strung together - a little bit Alice In Wonderland, a little bit Homer's Odyssey, a little bit Grimm's Fairy Tales. As such, this is extremely different to 'epic' fantasy in the tradition of Tolkien. There's no overarching quest or overwhelming battle between Good and Evil. Vance has little interest in developing the characters as psychological entities or showing us their inner turmoil; instead his work is a parade of great ideas presented beautifully, picturesque and often picaresque inventions. There's a deft satirical edge to some of the stories.
Problems? Well, there's some horrible incidental sexism, especially early in the book, which looking through the other reviews put some people off. Personally this sort of thing makes me groan but is not something that'll turn me off the book, which was after all written in 1950; if you disagree, you're better off starting with Lyonesse, written 30 years later and featuring a really excellent and central female character.
The always interesting Keely has written a review of this which chides Vance for purple prose - I strongly disagree. I never think the writing gets in the way of the story; it always flows naturally and compellingly, and creates some lovely pictures. I think Vance has my favourite prose style of any fantasy author I've read (I know, I know...winner of the tallest dwarf contest).
Problems? Well, there's some horrible incidental sexism, especially early in the book, which looking through the other reviews put some people off. Personally this sort of thing makes me groan but is not something that'll turn me off the book, which was after all written in 1950; if you disagree, you're better off starting with Lyonesse, written 30 years later and featuring a really excellent and central female character.
The always interesting Keely has written a review of this which chides Vance for purple prose - I strongly disagree. I never think the writing gets in the way of the story; it always flows naturally and compellingly, and creates some lovely pictures. I think Vance has my favourite prose style of any fantasy author I've read (I know, I know...winner of the tallest dwarf contest).