The Dying Earth

5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
A set of short stories that kicked off Vance's classic Dying Earth universe, where the world is old, mankind is a shadow of its former self, the sun is on the verge of going out, and many things are still, barely, possible.

Review
I first read this several decades back, and I loved its unexpected wordplay, its unapologetic cynicism, and its bizarre landscapes and characters. Despite all its flaws, all these years later (and having read everything by Vance), I still love it.

Most of these stories are part of a loosely connected larger narrative, and the separate “Guyal of Sfere” stands out in a somewhat jarring way, but it's also one of my favorites. Part of the essence of the Dying Earth overall is a clear acknowledgement that not only is the Earth dying, mankind and its culture is as well. Almost everything good is gone, and with it most of humanity's knowledge as well. The world is littered with ruins and mysteries and scraps of dusty greatness, which the characters are often vainly trying to recover to serve their own ends. There's a strong sense of futility to it all, especially in stories like “Liane the Wayfarer”, though in some ways that's a story about hope. Like Liane, many of the characters are reprehensible rogues, and often not charming ones, but selfish, greedy, and violent. Several of the stories don't have a traditional arc and resolution. Despite all that, the world is a fascinating one full of mystery and discovery and opportunity.

The book (and Vance in general) has its weaknesses, as in the treatment of women. This is not so much something that hasn't aged well as something that was an issue all along. Women are in these stories primarily as one dimensional objects, as trophies and objects of lust for the men; there's little chance of them playing a really important role. Vance is almost as dismissive of many, many other groups (including many I belong to). Despite that, I love his writing.

If you haven't read any Vance, this is a good place to start. There are some things to look past, but if you can do that, this is the gateway to a vast universe of adventure in a language that is unique, memorable, and a whole lot of fun.

terribly dated, but still strangely addicting (today it feels quite ridiculous as prose and ideas, but I still can't stop reading and the world is very original and surprisingly nasty)

7/10

The pros are a bit dated for me, but after the first couple of stories, I got into it.

I can now say definitively, I'm a fan of Dying Earth Fantasy.

This writing feels just a little better then 15th-century Le Morte d'Arthur. It's unnecessary “disconnected”(?). The first reviewer says it best: is grandiloquent and eccentric, harsh and grating, and crammed full of hard words”

This is an awful book, for me at least. If I were to try to give it a compliment, it is as bad as Shakespeare or some other book of these kind. It is highly regarded though, as it is the book who influenced D&D's magic system.

So there is 100 spells left in the world, there is just a handful of wizards left. They are all very powerful, and seek knowledge.

The first tale of the book is a very short story of one of these wizards on a quest for another wizard, in order to gain the knowledge of one of his spells. He can create like and give it intelligence. Or some at least.

Naturally, these wizards all want to create women to “make them company”, and they basically don't care that they are brain dead.

Read 1:28 / 6:24 22%