Jack Vance: Difference between revisions

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Many of his science fiction works share a common, very broad setting called the Gaean Reach, a huge area with many, many settled stars. The area is so large that the works actually have little in common, except some details of shared culture.

[[Vancian Magic]] is named after Jack Vance.

 

* ''[[Literature/The Dragon Masters|The Dragon Masters]]'': Hugo-winning novella

* ''[[Literature/The Languages Of Pao|The Languages Of Pao]]''

* ''[[Literature/The Last Castle|The Last Castle]]'': Nebula-winning novella.

** ''Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden''

** ''The Green Pearl''

** ''Madouc''

 

 

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* [[An Aesop]] -- One of the stories with T'sais is definitely one, some of the other ''Dying Earth'' stories could be said to be one also. Arguably, Cugel the Clever learns that backstabbing is bad and trust is good by the end of his second book.

* [[Anti-Hero]] -- Liane the Wayfarer. Also Cugel. Also Magnus Ridolph. In fact many of Vance's characters are Anti Heroes.

** One reviewer commented that part of the charm of Vance's work is the incongruity of "dull, stupid, ignorant" people who from time to time use implausibly erudite turns of phrase.

* [[Blue and Orange Morality]] -- A constant theme in his works. No two settings have the same prevailing moral code.

* [[Clarke's Third Law]] -- Ampridatvir

* [[Character Development]] -- Cugel the Clever behaves quite differently towards the end of the second book, capable of making friends who he does ''not'' plan to backstab later.

* [[Dating Catwoman]] -- Aillas, protagonist of the ''Lyonesse'' trilogy, falls in love with the haughty viking-like maiden Tatzel while being a slave at her father's castle. He escapes, comes back as a warrior king, kidnaps her and undergoes many adventures together with her, saving her life several times. Throughout he acts as the perfect gentleman, not taking advantage of his power over her. At one moment she actually offers him sexual favors in exchange for her liberty - but Aillas, wanting a love she is unwilling and unable to give him, declines the offer and sets her free anyway. Finally, when Aillas brings his army to assault the castle, Tatzel takes up a bow and arrow and dies among the last-ditch defenders. The victorious Aillas sadly refuses to look for "the body of the valiant maiden" among the scorched bodies in the ruins of the castle, and goes on to find another and more rewarding love.

* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]] -- Skirl Hutsenreiter in ''Night Lamp'' fits this fairly well. As do many of Vance's female characters, really. In ''Planet of Adventure'', Adam would perhaps have been smarter to keep Ylin Ylan in the fridge.

* [[Eldritch Abomination]] -- Pandelume looks like one, to the point that anyone who looks upon him will instantly go insane, but he behaves like a pretty nice guy. Magnatz is a more straightforward example, since he is unambiguously evil.

* [[Encyclopedia Exposita]] -- In many of the Gaean Reach novels, Vance quotes at length from the philosophical encyclopedia ''Life'', by Unspiek, Baron Bodissey (who was excommunicated from the human race by the Assemblage of Egalitarians. The Baron's response was to comment, "The point is moot." To this day the most erudite thinkers of the Gaean Reach ponder the significance of the remark.).

* [[Happy Place]] -- The Overworld

* [[Jerkass]] -- Cugel the Clever, who was downright evil for the first book he was in.

* [[Jerkass Genie]] -- The sandestin in the ''Dying Earth'' stories.

* [[Vancian Magic]] -- The [[Trope Namer]]. Incidentally, the way it was described in the Dying Earth books had little in common with the magic of ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' -- there were no spell levels of any kind, and it was possible for anyone to attempt to memorize and cast it given enough practice. In addition, extremely powerful spells that could kill people instantly were apparently quite common. Of course, without sufficient practice, [[Hilarity Ensues]]

* [[Wild Card]] -- Cugel the Clever,

 

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[[Category:Speculative Fiction Creator Index]]

[[Category:Authors]]

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