Cugel's Saga

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Cugel ???the clever??? is one of the scummiest, nastiest, lowliest rogues in all of fantasy literature. He???s got no morals and no respect for women, he???s often a coward, he???s not good looking, nor is he particularly good with a sword. In the words of one of Cugel???s acquaintances, ???who could imagine such protean depravity???? The answer, apparently, is Jack Vance. And that's why Cugel is one of my favorite ???heroes??? ??? because he belongs to Jack Vance.

Cugel???s Saga, book 3 of The Dying Earth and the direct sequel to The Eyes of the Overworld, begins ironically ??? with Cugel again fallen afoul of Iucounu, the Laughing Magician, who has now banished Cugel across the dying earth to exactly the same place he had sent Cugel before and from which Cugel had just returned to seek his revenge. Thus, Cugel begins another long journey back to Almery to get even with Iucounu, and of course it???s another series of hilarious misadventures. These usually involve Cugel entering a village, pretending to be a gentleman and getting involved in some profitable scheme, and eventually having to flee or being run out of town.

During each of these episodes, Jack Vance uses his characteristic humor to highlight absurd human behavior. For example, in chapter 3, after penniless Cugel has just narrowly escaped a man whose ship, wife, and daughters he kidnapped, he happens upon a town in which the men spend their days sunning themselves atop columns of stone while their wives work to pay Nisbet the quarryman to add additional stones to their husbands??? towers, thus elevating them, both literally and figuratively, above the other townsmen. Cugel, noticing how eager the women are to please Nisbet, sees this as an opportunity not only for monetary gain, but also perhaps to score benefits that Nisbet may not have imagined??? Yes, Cugel is a scoundrel, but it???s hard to think too badly of him when most of the people he encounters are equally corrupt. Cugel himself explains it this way:

I am not one to crouch passively with my hindquarters raised awaiting either the kick or the caress of Destiny! I am Cugel! Fearless and indomitable!

Cugel???s various adventures do not become predictable and they never get stale ??? each is unique, fresh, and delightfully funny. Besides the sheer entertainment value, Jack Vance???s voice is consistently a pleasure to read. Nobody writes just like Vance and I never tire of it.

I listened to Brilliance Audio???s version of Cugel???s Saga, which was read by Arthur Morey, who has narrated their other Vance titles. He is excellent as usual ??? one of the finest audiobook readers I???ve ever listened to. He and Jack Vance have entertained me for many an hour as I commute back and forth to work. I???ll bet my colleagues wonder why I???m always chuckling wickedly when I pull into the parking lot.

reviews.metaphorosis.com

Cugel: the Skybreak Spatterlight
Jack Vance
Dying Earth, #3
5 stars

This is Vance at his classic best. The dastardly Cugel once again must fight his way back across the Dying Earth, over hostile regions, past weird and unnatural creatures, and, worst of all, through the endless shades of human culture and habit. Vance is at his literary best, with beautiful, original language sketching characters and actions from base to idealistic, with the would-be urbane Cugel taking it all in stride. Yet, however he schemes, whomever he cheats, he always seems to come off worst. What's a bombastic rogue to do?

Work, mostly - through situations bizarre and farcical, abd usually of his own making. This book is one of the treasures of fantastic writing, and one of the best parts of the Dying Earth sequence. It's far more entertaining than Mazirian and his stuffy magicians, and just as caring as “Guyal of Sfere”, if in an unusual, off-kilter way.Structurally, the story is simple - Cugel gets in trouble, gets out of trouble, gets out of trouble again. And there are a couple of places where an edit would have made for a smoother transition between chapters. But those are minor caveats in what is simply one of SFF's great masterpieces.

If you haven't read Vance before, this is a great place to start, though the story starts in the predecessor volume Cugel the Clever, which is just as much fun. If you have read Vance, and you somehow haven't read this book, buy it right now! In fact, whoever you are, buy this now. Even if you somehow manage to hate it, it's a classic. And most of you will like it a lot.

CVIE VI