Jack Vance is one of the most remarkable talents to ever grace the world of science fiction. His unique, stylish voice has been beloved by generati...
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Jun 23, 2011
Dan
rated it: 
Earth is on its last leg. The sun is a red giant, the moon has vanished, and magic has returned.
This omnibus includes the following four books:
The Dying Earth: The Dying Earth is a collection of linked short stories. And here they are:
Turjan of Miir: Turjan, a wizard, seeks the help of Pandelume, another wizard, in creating artificial life. Turjuan is a good intro to the Dying Earth. The basics of the setting are covered and it sets the tone for the rest of the shor More...
This omnibus includes the following four books:
The Dying Earth: The Dying Earth is a collection of linked short stories. And here they are:
Turjan of Miir: Turjan, a wizard, seeks the help of Pandelume, another wizard, in creating artificial life. Turjuan is a good intro to the Dying Earth. The basics of the setting are covered and it sets the tone for the rest of the shor More...
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Jul 08, 2011
Matt
rated it: 
Awesome. Especially the volumes that tell of Cugel and his exploits. Compare him to Tom Jones or Barry Lyndon, but in a surreal fantasy setting on our own world, surrounded by crumbled civilizations and overlooked by a sun that could blink out any any moment.
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Aug 22, 2010
Chris
rated it: 
I guess Jack Vance thinks everyone in the far, far future is a sociopath. :)
If the protagonists (please note I don't use the phrase 'good guys') aren't abandoning their party mates at the drop of a hat, bargaining for their lives with the lives of others, killing or abandoning weaker or vulnerable individuals to survive, or otherwise acting entirely in their own interests, they're probably asleep, and dreaming of ways to act entirely within their own interests.
That being More...
If the protagonists (please note I don't use the phrase 'good guys') aren't abandoning their party mates at the drop of a hat, bargaining for their lives with the lives of others, killing or abandoning weaker or vulnerable individuals to survive, or otherwise acting entirely in their own interests, they're probably asleep, and dreaming of ways to act entirely within their own interests.
That being More...
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Feb 17, 2010
D_Davis
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I just cannot get into this. I read the first book contained within, and beyond a few moments of entertainment, it didn't do much for me. I started the 2nd book over the weekend and could not get into the prose or the story. Just not something for me. Oh well, glad I gave it a shot.
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Aug 06, 2011
SO....After having this on my wishlist for over a year and thinking i'm getting it in the mail... I receive a book today that's from the person whose supposed to be sending it to me and i open the package up and...the moron sent me the wrong book!! Instead of Tales of the Dying Earth, i receive My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler!! WTF! How dif. are those two books... i mean come on people, get with it. The sad thing is, this is the 4th time this has happen
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Nov 30, 2011
Jason
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The first book, "The Dying Earth," is a collection of short stories. I found these less entertaining. They were quirky and fun, but not really gripping. I wasn't sure I wanted to continue reading until it turned out that the next books in the collection were novels. I enjoy Vance more when he's telling an extended narrative. The next two books (Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel's Saga) follow the adventures of--you guessed it--Cugel. I'm almost done with Cugel's Saga right now and I'm lo
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Feb 16, 2011
Tim
rated it:
Two good books and two somewhat bland ones. The original Dying Earth novel is so average you may actually want to skip it altogether or least read it last. It’s a collection of rather pointless meandering fantasy stories involving one note (if that) characters by a young writer just learning the craft. Rhialto is somewhat better, coming as it did later in Vance's career, but still manages little in the way of actual charm.
The Cugel works, however, are probably some of the cleveres More...
The Cugel works, however, are probably some of the cleveres More...
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Jul 07, 2010
Hugo
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This is a collection of Jack Vance's Dying Earth stories, written between 1950 and 1984, and as such it shows different levels of quality. The starting stories, in the section The Dying Earth are the original ones, written for magazines and all independent (although with some returning characters), while the next two sections (Eyes of the Overworld and Cugel's Saga) features Cugel as the main protagonist. As such, he comes off as fairly unsympathetic - he is vain, greedy and egoistic - but never
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Jan 08, 2011
Adam
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I got this book a year ago, partly because I kept hearing how this 'Vance' character was a master fantasy writer that I had somehow missed, and partly because it followed one of my rules for purchasing books (if it has a wizard or a spaceship on the cover, buy it!). The moment I started reading the first novel in this book, I knew Jack Vance was something special. It took me a year to read it because the writing was so good, I wanted to stretch out how long I could read it for the first time.
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Feb 23, 2009
Todd
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Tales of the Dying Earth is an omnibus of four books. I have only completed the first book, The Dying Earth, and am disinclined to read the rest.
The Dying Earth is a collection of loosely-connected short stories, each a quest involving monsters, magic and predictably beautiful women. There are rich descriptive passages, but, as with so much fantasy, psychology and social topography are naively simplistic. The stories contain some exciting flashes of imagination, but much also is fami More...
The Dying Earth is a collection of loosely-connected short stories, each a quest involving monsters, magic and predictably beautiful women. There are rich descriptive passages, but, as with so much fantasy, psychology and social topography are naively simplistic. The stories contain some exciting flashes of imagination, but much also is fami More...
Jun 17, 2009
Karlo
rated it:
I'm not familiar with Vance or his writing beyond his semi-regular name dropping by recent writers of post-apocalyptic fiction. This is an omnibus of 4 of his novels written over 30+ years. The books are divided into short stories all taking place somewhere in the far future of earth; so far in the future that the sun is now weak, red, and may shortly go out. Magic and Science both coexist, and the weight of history is so heavy that any forest or valley may lead to fantastical discovery.
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Dec 14, 2009
Moonglum
rated it:
All of the dying earth stories in one volume!
I love Jack Vance for many, many reasons-- his influence on Dungeons and Dragons, the detached, awesomely witty, elegant, and matter of fact conversations that his characters engage in, that his writing is probably one of the reasons that I received such high verbal scores on the various standardized tests that I have had to take over the years...
What I found interesting about re-reading the dying earth stories was that I like More...
I love Jack Vance for many, many reasons-- his influence on Dungeons and Dragons, the detached, awesomely witty, elegant, and matter of fact conversations that his characters engage in, that his writing is probably one of the reasons that I received such high verbal scores on the various standardized tests that I have had to take over the years...
What I found interesting about re-reading the dying earth stories was that I like More...
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Apr 01, 2011
Mike
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Can't believe I never read these before. Actually I read a couple of the stories that were included in first book ("The dying earth") but all four books here are extremely good. The first is really a collection of short stories that were edited into a continuous novel, although relatively few characters appear in more than one "chapter". The first book is more straightforward sword & sorcery/science fantasy type stuff, with many bizarre settings and characters. The next tw
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Aug 22, 2009
Nick
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I had dimly heard of Jack Vance as one of the great secrets of the Sci-Fi world, and with a vacation on hand and a beach to read on, I took a chance with a half-dozen of what were recommended as his best. For the most part, Vance amply fulfills the expectations created by all those other authors who cite him as a master. The Tales of the Dying Earth are set eons hence when our sun is dying, and our magicians have dwindled away to a dyspeptic few, mostly engaged in getting revenge on one anothe
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Jul 10, 2010
Boone
rated it:
Absolutely amazing! I've never read anything quite like Vance's Dying Earth stories, and that's a good thing. I'm not a huge fantasy fan, but this is generically classified as fantasy.
Jack Vance has a knack for language. He uses words that aren't well known but add a different type of depth to the story. The dialogue is unique. It's very formal yet at the same time very witty and full of sarcasm. Other reviews condemn the stories for the florid and formal dialogue, mostly bec More...
Jack Vance has a knack for language. He uses words that aren't well known but add a different type of depth to the story. The dialogue is unique. It's very formal yet at the same time very witty and full of sarcasm. Other reviews condemn the stories for the florid and formal dialogue, mostly bec More...
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Jan 12, 2011
Brian
rated it:
Vance does a marvelous job suggesting an ancient Earth, with magical developments and pragmatic peoples. It reads real enough, anyway, to imagine outside the self-centered perceptions of its main characters.
You could say there is a surplus of novels based on role playing games. This is not one of them. Dying Earth is rare example where a series of stories became an integral component in the genesis of the fantasy role playing game genre. Having never heard of it before, and being w More...
You could say there is a surplus of novels based on role playing games. This is not one of them. Dying Earth is rare example where a series of stories became an integral component in the genesis of the fantasy role playing game genre. Having never heard of it before, and being w More...
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Aug 22, 2010
Dave
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Old-school without being cheesy, beautiful scenery, a fascinating world, and speech patterns that will make you smile.
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Aug 10, 2011
Akshay
rated it:
I never read Vance before this and I feel I was the better for it.
He is truly a master of his craft, weaving the narrative of a world far, wide and deep.
His writing is anything but the typical fantasy/sword and sorcery/quest based saga - using human nature, chance and circumstance, Vance creates a stable of characters and stories that would catch anyones fancy and make them wonder about possibilities.
No writer can ask for more.
Not necessarily for everyone, but if youre even a tad curious or ha More...
He is truly a master of his craft, weaving the narrative of a world far, wide and deep.
His writing is anything but the typical fantasy/sword and sorcery/quest based saga - using human nature, chance and circumstance, Vance creates a stable of characters and stories that would catch anyones fancy and make them wonder about possibilities.
No writer can ask for more.
Not necessarily for everyone, but if youre even a tad curious or ha More...
Nov 24, 2008
Scott
rated it:
Recommended and lent to me by a friend under the false pretense of science-fiction, Dying Earth summed up everything that I dislike about sword and sorcery fantasy. Admittedly, I only read the first three of this four novel collection and cannot bring myself to read the first.
The first novel is a number of short stories centered around the premise of an Earth so far into the future that the world seems to have completely abandonned modern civilization and now relies on a sort of medi More...
The first novel is a number of short stories centered around the premise of an Earth so far into the future that the world seems to have completely abandonned modern civilization and now relies on a sort of medi More...
Nov 19, 2009
Dale
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
May 18, 2011
Sci-fi in fantasy clothing, this is a true classic. The first book, really a collection of short stories itself, was the first in a series. The complete series is available in Tales of the Dying Earth, an anthology collection of all four books in a single volume. This was mentioned in an io9 article on sci-fi books that are really fantasy, though I personally suspect it's more a product of a time when the two genres weren't different, and authors were still figuring things out.
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Nov 29, 2010
Chris
rated it:
Of the four books collected in this omnibus, I can only recommend the first: The Dying Earth contains a set of enjoyable short stories set in a world infused with an atmosphere of magic and mystery. The additional volumes, though at times entertaining, more often than not were a chore to get through, and often felt internally inconsistent. The first volume is definitely worth a read, though, and if you can find the omnibus edition at a decent price, go for it.
3-1/2 stars for The Dying Earth
2-1/2 More...
3-1/2 stars for The Dying Earth
2-1/2 More...
Sep 13, 2011
Manosthehandsoffate
rated it:
This is an ominbus edition of the four Dying Earth books.
From the cover of the book I somewhat expected the setting to be sci fi. Instead it is set so far into the future that there's no reference at all to our time. The setting is pure fantasy and almost all the stories contain a strong element of magic.
The Dying Earth is the first book and is a collection of short stories. I was struck by the dreamy tone of these early stories.
It is followed by two picaresq More...
From the cover of the book I somewhat expected the setting to be sci fi. Instead it is set so far into the future that there's no reference at all to our time. The setting is pure fantasy and almost all the stories contain a strong element of magic.
The Dying Earth is the first book and is a collection of short stories. I was struck by the dreamy tone of these early stories.
It is followed by two picaresq More...
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Jul 06, 2010
Derek
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A collection of 4 books, two of which are collections themselves. I've heard some describe Vance's dialog as Shakespearean, and I think it's apt; it's hard to imagine some of these characters actually talking the way they do in the book, but it's many many many many millennia in the future so who knows how people truly talk? The pseudo-grandiose nature of many of the characters instead seems to inform their speech perfectly, so after taking a few pages to get used to it I found the writing won
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Feb 23, 2011
Chris
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This collection delivered one of the more pleasant surprises I have ever had borrowing a book: I took this on the advice of a friend, expecting a decent series of old style science-fiction with that corny Xanxxar from Planet Zorkon feel; what was delivered instead was an entertaining, hilarious and wildly creative series of tales set in the far future, when the long-suffering sun is in her final days, feebly emitting barely enough red light to keep things on Earth functioning. The first of the f
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Mar 07, 2009
Dave
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this book is an omnibus of four books, so i'll review them one by one. unfortunately i havent read all that much in the last few weeks, so i've only read the first book. :-\ But this is a FANTASTIC series--dare i say even BETTER than Lord of the Rings. yes, i said it, and it's true. i enjoy it far better than LOTR. this book takes place on a future earth when the sun is dying and has expanded to a red giant. because of the weird sunlight, life on earth has changed and human life has reverted to
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Jan 21, 2009
Nancy
rated it:
Tales of the Dying Earth is fantastic. It is divided into four parts: The Dying Earth, The Eyes of the Overworld, Cugel's Saga and Rhialto The Marvellous.
All of the tales take place in a far-off future Earth in which the sun is dying, and in which the earth's population has dwindled. Magic is the rule of the day.
The Dying Earth is a series of tales which are interconnected, following the exploits of a few people (and some very odd creatures & even a demon or two).
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All of the tales take place in a far-off future Earth in which the sun is dying, and in which the earth's population has dwindled. Magic is the rule of the day.
The Dying Earth is a series of tales which are interconnected, following the exploits of a few people (and some very odd creatures & even a demon or two).
More...
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Oct 21, 2007
http://nhw.livejournal.com/99378.html[return][return]This is an omnibus edition of four of Jack Vance's books, The Dying Earth, The Eyes of the Overworld, Cugel's Saga and Rhialto the Marvellous, all put together as a volume in the Fantasy Masterworks series. Grand, original, rich fantasy material, all set at the end of time, on an earth where it is anticipated that the sun may go out any day. The first book is a set of linked short stories; the second tells the story of Cugel's long return from
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Jun 09, 2011
Lincoln
rated it:
I'm gonna mark this book as "reading" because it has four novels in it, which I've been reading haphazardly for awhile now. I have to admit that what I really like most about these is the obvious influence they had on Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" series, especially in the mutated but still resonant words Vance makes up to describe things that don't exist yet.
The "Tales" are comic and light, whereas Wolfe's series is profound (if humorless)- and anyone More...
The "Tales" are comic and light, whereas Wolfe's series is profound (if humorless)- and anyone More...
Jan 31, 2010
Sean
rated it:
A mind-blowing four-book collection, two of which are connected short stories. One of the most creative and adept writers I've ever read, each idea original, each sentence polished to envious perfection. One of the few problems with the TOR edition (the only one I know of in print) is a pretty major lack of copy editing; words are misspelled and/or accidentally replaced throughout the text, marring Vance's ingenious prose. Still, buy without hesitation.
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