Customer Reviews

Lyonesse II: The Green Pearl and Madouc (Fantasy Masterworks) (Bk. 2)

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2 star:		(1)
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While many readers may find Jack Vance's tramp through some of the more remote territories of the English language to be a challenge, those of us who take a particular delight in the art and development of language will find the journey well worth our time and attention. The characters thrive in the subtext of their conversations, and words that may seem puzzling at first glance can add whole new shades of meaning to a particular passage. With the right word, just so, Vance can expand the situation into heights of irony or satire. Like Gene Wolfe, Vance is a craftsman who takes particular delight in coining words, and giving readers as much to enjoy in the telling as in the tale. In this regard, Lyonesse may be his best. Unfortunately for the more junior reader this may render the books inaccessible; for those willing to give it a go, Lyonesse is very, very rewarding. Not just sci-fi or fantasy; this is literature.

At age 12 I stumbled upon "Big Planet" in the public library (1967). I didn't understand why I liked Jack Vance so much then -- I think it was the exotic mood that his stories evoked. 15 years later, having read most of Vance's (then published) works, I was very excited to read Lyonesse: Suldren's Garden. I was captivated. Then The Green Pearl and later, Madouc. What a fantastic series. I constantly struggle to decide which of Vance's works is my favorite. It's safe to say that Lyonesse is in the top 3, though. By the way, I convinced my daughter at age 13 to read the series, and she has re-read it many times since. It's her favorite fantasy series, as well as mine.

Read the Lyonesse books. And beware, afterward you may struggle in vain to find another author with Vance's writing skill.

I wish i had the ability to express how this book made me feel... all I will say is that it made me feel good. Really good. Please give it a shot!!!!!!

What gibberish has this other reviewer,Rockyn,left.And to boot,giving away certain plotlines...most unhelpful.Jack Vance is a master storyteller and the Lyonesse series is among the best he has ever written.Fantastic books.What rubbish spews from jabbering apes.The books characters come to life from the pen and mind of a great literary master.Thank you Jack Vance.Incredible series.

Please ignore the overtly ignorant review left by the one called Rockyn. By his/her own words has "Rockyn" revealed a great deal of ignorance over the literary-classical field at large. Jack Vance was born 1916, while the talented, modern, and very recent Clancy was born 1947. Imitation? I think not. However, Jack Vance is that rare type of classic author who has in a word, captured that tiny and precious jewel of fantasy in the rough and polished it to something of veritable worth. Why, George R.R. Martin himself is widely known to have been deeply inspired by Vance, going so far as to quote that he tried to imitate the man when penning his first novel. Now, if your the kind of reader who appreciates a quick and thoughtless romp through the goblin-woods; the kind of cliche and easily understandable fantasy swill that forays transparency upon the first read, drop what you are doing now and go pick up the latest Dragonlance or whatever raff is being hawked in the bookshops today. If Lyonesse had not been written, then we would not have the post-modern fantasy masterworks that we all froth and yammer over. In closing, yes the reading can at times be a little difficult to understand considering the elevated vernacular of classic fantasy of the time. Read these wonderful stories and appreciate them for what they are and what they've done for you as the reader. As for the rest, who's faces goggle in terror each time they set eyes upon those huge, heavy, cankerous, dusty, bound tomes called dictionaries, there's always an open seat for the mono-syllabic at junior Yahtzee.

Do your sanity a favor and skip this messy tangle of a tale. Vance imitates Tom Clancy's style by introducing new characters and situations every chapter or so. But he doesn't succeed in making any of the characters particularly interesting, nor does he really excite the reader into eager anticipation of the next page.

Mr. Vance also seems to be in some sort of wager that he can A)cram entire histories of ancient wars into a few pages and B) do so using an over-abundance of ten dollar words where a nickel will do nicely. Really, does the reading public want to clamber over "obfuscation", "collation", and "squamous" when so many other quite suitable words exist. I felt like I was trudging through a required literature tome and that I should have had a dictionary nearby just to divine Vance's thought process. Thanks, but no thanks.
There is a decent story or two hidden under all the compost. In retribution for the punishment received by the readers, Mr. Vance should have to actually read this torturous rag himself, outline the real tales, and reconstruct the whole thing. Or at least spend money on an editor who has the cajones to kick his tail-end into gear. Good luck with that.