The Lyonesse Trilogy by Jack Vance

[GRWelsh]

We all know that Jack Vance was EGG's favorite author, and that the magic system in D&D was derived from THE DYING EARTH by Jack Vance. But Erik Larson's post the other day referencing the Green Pearl reminded me how underrated the Lyonesse Trilogy by Jack Vance is. In a just world, it would exceed the popularity of THE WHEEL OF TIME by Robert Jordan and even A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE by George R. R. Martin because it is better than both of them. The Lyonesse Trilogy is made up three books: LYONESSE: SULDRUN'S GARDEN (1983), THE GREEN PEARL (1985) and MADOUC (1990). It is one of the best fantasy series ever, and starting this thread prompted me to begin reading it again... It is as good as I remember. My history as a Jack Vance fan began in the 80's when my Mom let me get some paperbacks out of a bargain bin somewhere, and one of them was BIG PLANET. That novel was first published in a magazine in 1952, then had several cut versions published in book form, and I was lucky enough to get the 1978 Ace paperback that had the restored text. It sat on my shelf for a few years because to me it looked "old fashioned" and so not interesting. But one day I was bored enough that I gave it a chance, and really enjoyed it. Years later, while at a summer session at IUP, I browsed the local book shop in Indiana, PA, and came across the Ace paperback edition of LYONESSE: SULDRUN'S GARDEN, and remembering that I enjoyed BIG PLANET, I picked it up... This is when I really became an Vance fan, and by the time I finished this trilogy, I was buying anything by Jack Vance that I could get my hands on. I spent the early 90's hunting down and reading his early classics as well his then contemporary CADWAL CHRONICLES... So, I got caught up on THE DYING EARTH, DEMON PRINCES, PLANET OF ADVENTURE, MASKE: THAERY, EMPHYRIO, GALACTIC EFFECTUATOR, THE GRAY PRINCE, TO LIVE FOREVER, THE FIVE GOLD BANDS, and all of the short story collections... everything! In retrospect, the Lyonesse trilogy, masterpiece though it is, starts out as a bit of departure for Jack Vance since its foundation is European legend and folklore with links to the Arthurian cycle and the myth of Atlantis, rather than relying on the usual "everything-from-whole-cloth Vancian imagination." Yet, these links give way fairly quickly to the usual Vancian inventiveness of odd cultures and strange creatures... In the end the links to history and folklore end up being fairly superficial. That's a good thing, since although Arthur is alluded to, the allusion is oblique and this is not another retelling of the Arthurian cycle. And the Atlantis link only serves to provide foreboding feeling that all the schemes and battles are futile in the end, not unlike for tiny figures fighting for control of the surface of a planet whose sun is flickering and about to go out forever.

[GRWelsh]

Perhaps the most effective criticism of Vance is that many of his books are a lot alike in that they usually focus on a young man who is extremely competent, or becomes so, who is slender and sinewy rather than bulky, who is intelligent and perceptive, has been wronged, and spends much of the story overcoming bullies and obstacles while travelling through eccentric societies engaging in baroque, overly formal dialogue. Indeed, many of Vance's protagonists and plots seem to be nothing more than frames upon which to display his real interests, which are his endlessly inventive foreign cultures and alien societies, his sophisticated yet incredibly clever and amusing dialogue, and his unparalleled descriptions of color, music, clothing, and landscapes. As a result, the conclusions of his stories, although always neatly and logically wrapping up all of the loose ends, sometimes feel brisk or lacking in an epic or emotional weight -- the journey is far more satisfying and memorable than the ending. In spite of these criticisms, which I admit have some validity, Vance is one of my favorite writers since no one else can do what he does, at the level he does it. He is the nonpareil Jack Vance. His voice and style is so distinct that, once you become a fan, when you find a Vance story you haven't read yet it feels like uncorking a vintage Bordeaux you've never tried but that you know you're going to love.

[grodog]

The Lyonesse books were my first exposure to Vance. I read one or two in high school and they went right over my head, I'm sure. I should reread them sometime.

Allan.

[GRWelsh]

Something else that makes the Lyonesse Trilogy a departure for Vance, and in a good way, is how it has several female protagonists. The vast majority of his fiction is male oriented*, with a male main character and for the most part women being femme fatales, elusive or mercurial love interests, and ill-favored antagonists. The Lyonesse Trilogy really feels like an attempt by Vance to do some different things, including having female protagonists. The dedication in the first book -- "To Norma: wife and colleague" -- seems appropriate to this effort. Although it is arguable that one male protagonist is the "main character" of the entire trilogy, he does share the stage with at least three major female protagonists who have multiple chapters in each book during which they are the main character.

* In a Vance-style footnote, I'd like to point out that I don't think there is anything wrong with a male author writing exclusively from a male point of view, but that when they experiment beyond it I recognize and admire the effort.

[Scott]

I started reading the Lyonesse books. It’s almost like finding the source of EGG’s vocabulary. So much of his best flavor text comes straight from Vance.