Tales of the Dying Earth in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Dec 02, 2008 Derek rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: dying-earth

Cugel's Saga was the slowest, followed by Eyes of the Overworld, though this was likely because of my intense dislike of Cugel as a character: a man seemingly detached from all responsibility for his actions.

The Dying Earth remains my all-time favorite book of all time. ...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: action-adventure, speculative-fiction, fantasy

So far I've finished the first of the 4 novels, "The Dying Earth", published in 1950. It is a group of loosely related stories which take place in the far far distant future. The moon is gone and the sun is red and is danger of going out at any time. Magic has dominance and civilization has become decadent. Only a few thousand people are alive and their are untold mutated or magically mutated species. It is a very dangerous world.
The stories appear to be Satirical, humorous, a bit over the top, ...more

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Feb 13, 2009 David added it · review of another edition

Shelves: sf

While most writers of Sword & Sorcery have looked back to Robert E. Howard either as model to work upon or against, relatively few have followed Clark Ashton Smith. But to a degree that is what Jack Vance did with his Dying Earth cycle.

http://fireandsword.blogspot.com/2008... ...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Craig Herbertson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Well, it's just astoundingly brilliant. Many people playing Dungeons and Dragons would be surprised to learn that Vance unwittingly wrote the rules. It would be trivial to compare this book to a game though, as it is an inimitable masterpiece of the genre ...more

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Aug 13, 2010 Curt Lorde added it · review of another edition

Weirdness. Humor. And moments of 'Huh?' Mr. Vance has presented an aged Earth where the science is a forgotten magic, and the Sun is ready to go out. Sorcerers,rogues and fantasy beings go about their business with this over their collected heads. But don't expect any moody introspection or woe humanity moments. These are lively tales and adventures. Classic. ...more

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