Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honor of Jack Vance (Unabridged)
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $29.99
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- $29.99
Publisher Description
Jack Vance was a seminal figure in the development of modern fantasy - so much so that it's nearly impossible to imagine the genre as we know it today without him. In the course of his more than 50-year career, he has published dozens of major novels, as well as collections filled with marvelously crafted stories, winning the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Edgar Award, the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America, and several World Fantasy Awards, including the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
Vance's masterpiece, The Dying Earth, may be the most influential fantasy novel of the 20th century, surpassed only by J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. It has not only inspired several generations of fantasy writers, from Gene Wolfe and Michael Moorcock to Neil Gaiman and George R.R. Martin, but its influence has reached deep into the realms of graphic novels, comics, fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, and even computer gaming.
The anthology Songs of the Dying Earth has assembled one of the most distinguished casts of authors ever - including Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Paula Volsky, Mike Resnick, Robert Silverberg, Lucius Shepard, Tad Williams, Tanith Lee, Liz Williams, Glen Cook, and eleven other famous writers - to write stories in honor of the genius of Jack Vance, stories using the bizarre and darkly beautiful far future setting of the Dying Earth, near the very end of Earth's lifespan, where mighty wizards duel with spells of dreadful potency under a waning and almost burnt-out red sun, and adventurers and cutpurses strive to hoodwink and out-trick each other in haunted forests full of demons and monsters strange almost beyond comprehension.
Authors include George R. R. Martin (editor and author), Gardner Dozois (editor), Dan Simmons, Neil Gaiman, Paula Volsky, Mike Resnick, Robert Silverberg, Lucius Shepard, Tanith Lee, Liz Williams, Jeff VanderMeer, Kage Baker, Elizabeth Moon, Elizabeth Hand, Walter Jon Williams, Howard Waldrop, John C. Wright, and Glen Cook. Preface by Jack Vance.
Customer Reviews
This is a great collection of short stories
I can’t recall ever having read any of Jack Vances work, but I bought this book because a couple of my favorite authors contributed stories to it and so it shows up under their collections. I didn’t know what to expect and I also tend to run cool on short stories.
But this turned out to be a great collection of crazy fantasy with only the faintest underpinning of science fiction. The stories reminded me of the classic fairy tales I liked to read when I was a kid. But like those old fairy tales, the stories in this book are not kid stuff. They’re often creepy, sly, satirical and weirdly vivid. There’s hardly any clunkers in the lot and some that have soulful presence. There’s also a goofy, quirky quality to the language and manners of the characters that you might find vaguely familiar even if you’ve never read Vance - Evidently, he’s a granddaddy of the modern fairy tale/wizard story and you probably know him even if you don’t know you do.
One minor annoyance, this audiobook downloaded as 3 separate volumes instead of one audiobook with 3 parts, so be careful that they are played in order.
Other than that, this is a great short story collection, really well-narrated, a lot of fun if you’re looking for some slightly dark, slightly thoughtful, fantasy.