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The Eyes of the Overworld (Tales of the Dying Earth Series)

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Jack Vance's Dying Earth Series, of which 'The Eyes of The Overworld' is an integral part, takes place far in the future when the sun is a bloated red orb that may wink out at any moment. Denizens of this time are a technoglogically backward and disaffected lot. The setting of this story is when human history is at its end. Everything possible has been tried and tried again. Indeed, every molecule of air has been breathed before by countless individuals.

Anti-hero of this decaying world is Cugel, raconteur and self-serving everyman. Through the caprice of a magician Cugel is sent to a far-flung corner of the Dying Earth to retrieve items that the magician covets. His return, if it is to be effected, will be by any means that he can manage.

Vance's descriptions of his world are vivid. The plot is picaresque and linear and Cugel's motivation(s) to get home adds momentum to the tale. Vance's underlying philosopy may seem mordant to those raised on the Hollywood ethos, but the reader eventually realizes that no one cares for Cugel but Cugel. The Dying Earth stories take up an oft-neglected theme in literature; that of the individual against everything. Antagonists abound and surcease of life's travails seems almost impossibly far off.

However, what really distinguishes Vance's work is his use of dialogue. Best described as mannerist, characters speak in an archaic, overly-detailed mode that is at the same time descriptive, emotionally evocative., and humorous. While a pleasure to read, it is doubtful that this dialogue could ever be convincingly spoken. Accordingly, one should not expect audiobook formats of Vance's work anytime soon.

'Eyes of the Overworld' is followed by the excellent 'Cugel's Saga' wherin the same plot is reworked in an entirely different way. The other main component of the Dying Earth stories is a collection of short stories with the same name as the title of the series. The series is not for everyone, especially those who favor Harlequin-type plots and characters.

I first read "The Eye of the Overworld" in 1965 in the serialisation in MF&SF when the name Jack Vance meant little to me. A generation later my original soft-cover copy has fallen apart with over-use...fortunately a later copy still serves me well when I want to forget about mortgages and school fees ! I can dip into the book at almost any part....Azenomei Fair, the river, the Silver Desert, Iucounu's manse....to be transported for a while to the strange world of the dying earth. Cugel must be the most engaging scoundrel in fantastic literature, combining low cunning, self-interest,and innocent amorality with the survival instincts of a sewer rat.The great humour of this book is brought out by Jack Vance's mastery of English and love of resounding phrases, when even an inn-keeper speaks like a character from Jane Austen.I mean, would you like someone to answer,"Such was the specific appelation" or "Yes"? The combination of bizzarre characters, creatures, and situations makes "The Eyes of the Overworld" my favorite Vance book,a book to read again and again as the wonders therein are unending.

Set in the time of Vance's Dying Earth series, when our sun is on the verge of going dark forever, we are introduced to one of Vance's more remarkable creations: Cugel - a/k/a, Cugel the Clever (as he refers to himself).

In the annals of fiction, Cugel is without doubt in a class by himself. He is anti-hero rather than hero - egotistical beyond belief, selfish beyond all doubt, vain as a peacock, and with an inflated sense of self-worth that would put a greek god to shame.

Caught in an attempt to steal from a powerful wizard, Cugel is exiled rather than slain, sent by that very magician on an impossible quest halfway around the world. In a world populated by monsters, madmen, magicians and mayhem, Cugel's odds for success are almost non-existent. Added to his burden is the fact that the magician, in an attempt to spur Cugel to success, has attached a demonic creature to Cugel's spleen; if Cugel delays overlong in accomplishing his mission, the creature will kill him. But Cugel, who aptly styles himself "Cugel the Clever" is nothing if not resourceful; with pluck, bravado and Narcissian vanity, he sets about accomplishing his mission via outrageous schemes and outlandish scams.

In short, the book is an absolute delight; laced with action, humor, and magic, it is an easy read that you won't easily forget and won't want to end.

Cugel the Clever is sent on a quest by Iuconou the Laughing Magician to retrieve the fabulous ... No doubt I've put you off already. But Vance is determined to pay lip service to his Quest motiff, and no more. Cugel is asked to retrieve just one of the Eyes of the Overworld: he finds them immediately and it turns out that there are over a hundred to choose from. The rest of the story involves the long obstacle course that he faces on his way back home. It's an inverted quest.

In fact it's a series of novellas, published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, 1965-1966 - not that this is a problem. Vance's powers of invention over the course of it all, are phenomenal. He seems incapable of running out of ideas. Most of the ideas are humourous: one or two, like the ghostly city that appears each night like a siren by the banks of a river, are genuinely sad and disturbing.

Cugel the Clever IS clever, but his cleverness is useful chiefly in counteracting his own stupidity. He's also utterly ruthless. He would sell his grandmother for the price of a bottle of wine, then haggle over the price of the wine, and then somehow manage to get it for free anyway. On just one occasion, he shows - but this is open to interpretation - finer feeling. It isn't even certain how likable he is. It's clear that there must be a day of reckoning when he finally returns to face the Laughing Magician, and only when that day occurs will the reader discover which of the two he wants to win.

When they do finally meet, incidentally, the storyline twists several times like a snake before lashing its tail in an unexpected direction. Don't try to guess. Just enjoy the ride.

I first read this engrossing story when I was 18 and living in the barracks in Germany in 1975. After I read it, almost everyone who could read in my Tank Batallion(killer tank, not water tank) read it and I never saw my copy again. It brings back so many memories to read again of Cugel the Clever and dream of the cusps. Tho' now I am 50 years of age.

What a joy, to discover that others of my generation (40/over)likewise found/find 'Eyes' to be perhaps both Vances & Science Fictions most engaging & playful little 'novelette' classic. Perhaps the best transference of 'Walter Mitty'to the ends of earthly history, albeit with an uncanny ability to survive at all costs! Jack Vance has influenced at least several generations of young sci/fi readers and is clearly one of the first american writers to stretch/mesh sci/fi with pure fairytale/fantasy elements. Thus, he was (&still is) instrumental in the highly successful growth of sci/fantasy into the vast market it has now become! Bravo, to both JV, and the many other readers who, like me, at least have very fond memories of how 'Eyes' captivated and helped us see beyond the still somewhat myopic horizon of the world, circa 1965. If someone wants to use their connections in Hollywood or NY, I'll help write the filmscript for this ultimately cinematic masterpiece. Robert Downey, Jr. would be perfect as Cugel the Clever!

Vance's totally original characters, his vivid imagery drawn with amazingly sparse prose, and his wonderfull plots are more then classic. You can't claim to know sci-fi and not have read this. I've read it at least 5 times...and I'm a 44 year old physician

I have read this book over and over again. Vance's style is unique; it is hard to explain why, it has to do with the way he uses language. What comes out is a story that is sometimes wildly hilarious, in an odd, incongrous way. Cugel, the main character (known as "the clever"), gets out of one jam after another in a curiously inept manner, all the more funny because of the language he uses...there I go, trying to explain it again, and I just can't. You'll notice it right away, if you read the book. The storyline is fascinating..the Earth, thousands of eons in the future, when the sun is a dying red giant and history has been written and re-written countless times. Hundreds of religions and philosophies compete with one another in this world, as do an equal number of civilizations with histories extending back for millenia. Cugel is journeying through this dying Earth, trying to return home, a wonderfully funny vagabond with a knack of surviving anything that comes his way.

The Eyes of the Overworld is the second part of Tales of the Dying Earth and the main character is one of my favorite Vance characters: the self-titled Cugel the Clever. Cugel is not the kind of guy you want to have dealings with -- he's clever, sneaky, completely selfish and remorseless. He is always trying to figure out how he can take advantage of other people in order to make his own circumstances better.

In The Eyes of the Overworld, Cugel decides to burglarize the house of Iucounu the Laughing Magician so he can sell some of Iucounu's thaumaturgical artifacts. But the magician catches Cugel and punishes him by setting him on a quest to procure a lens which allows the wearer to view the overworld.

Cugel is clever, but as clever as he is, he often finds himself facing a foe who, at least temporarily, manages to outwit him (which invariably surprises Cugel). This time his quest leads him on a series of misadventures in which he: gets captured by rat people... is forced to be the watchman of a village... steals more than one person's inheritance... deals with demons... trades a woman for information... impersonates a god... and travels a million years into the past. Wherever he goes, Cugel, sometimes purposely and sometimes unwittingly, leaves sorrow and destruction in his wake. He deprives people of their hope, their faith and, often, their lives.

This doesn't sound like it should be very entertaining, but oh, it is! That's because the story is written in Jack Vance's singular style: high language, bizarre occurrences, and Vance's characteristic humor. I hate to say it again, but the best comparison I can make is to Monty Python. If you're a fan of that type of strange dark humor, then this should be your thing.

I listened to The Eyes of the Overworld in audio format. I can't express how excited I was to learn that Brilliance Audio was producing these, and I'm pleased to report that they did an excellent job. Arthur Morey once again brought out all of the nuances of Vance's humor and he made a perfect Cugel. In fact, The Eyes of the Overworld was even better than The Dying Earth, probably because it follows the same main character rather than being divided up into separate short stories. I loved it.

I loved this book. The character is a borderline sociopath but extremely amusing. Accordingly, Vance's prose style is quite artistic. He is the type of writer whose phrases you can roll over your tongue over and over. With risk of being hyperbolic, I would say Vance's work is lyrical. As far as the plot is concerned, I'll offer a little summary: the novel is about a Rogue named Cugel the Clever (he only thinks he's clever--he's actually somewhat of a fool). Cugel decides to rob a sorcerer's private abode. Alas, he gets caught. The sorcerer then forces him to commit to an adventure on his behalf. He has to go and get a magical artifact. Using his sorcery the sorcerer throws Cugel halfway across a decadent world filled with monsters, demons, strange cities, horrible wastes, etc. etc.. Thus, Cugel has to finish his mission and make his way home. In terms of structure, the novel is kind of a "picaresque novel," a linear narrative that includes a variety of episodic encounters. If you liked Jack Vance's, *The Dying Earth,* you'll love this--but, never fear! It is not a sequel to that book. It only takes place in the same world as that previous novel. To wrap things up: if you like weirdness and beautiful language, rogue-like characters whose silly behavior will have you in tears, science-romances or romantic fantasies, then *drum roll* this book is for you.