Madouc (Lyonesse Book 3) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jack Vance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1991

The World Fantasy Award-winning third volume of the LYONESSE trilogy brings attention to the faerie changeling Madouc. Where princess Suldrun once meekly endured the proprieties of Castle Haidion, Madouc defends herself with rotten fruit. Vexed, King Casmir arranges a contest to marry her off, but Madouc has other ideas, and enlists the stableboy "Sir Pom-pom" on an impromptu quest to find her father. During their travels, they encounter swindlers, faeries, trolls, ogres, a knight in search of his youth, and a relatively pedestrian item known as the Holy Grail. As the sorcerers Shimrod and Murgen investigate portents of cataclysm in the world of magic, Casmir plans a murder that will bring all the lands under his iron rule; however, his ambitions will be complicated by one small but important oversight—he's failed to allow for Madouc!

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Ace (August 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441505325
• ISBN-13: 978-0441505326
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,296,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Charming Changeling, November 30, 2000

By 

James D. DeWitt "Alaska Fan" (Fairbanks, AK United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Madouc (Hardcover)

Madouc, the third book in Vance's Lyonesse Trilogy, is probably the best. The first two books, Suldrun's Garden and The Green Pearl, are wonderful, but the title character, Madouc, and her search for her pedigree, are among the most charming characters and quests in fantasy. She steals the show.

Casimir, the relentlessly scheming king of Lyonesse, has learned the child he thought was his grandaughter, Madouc, is in fact a fairy changeling. That is somehow wrapped up in the mystery of Dhrun, son of King Ailias of Troicenet, of whom it was prophecied by a magic mirror that he would be the king of all the Elder Isles. Not if Casimir can help it. He wants that throne for himself.

And there are much larger, darker schemes afoot, as the evil magician Tamurello and the mysterious witch Desmei plot against Murgen, the Elder Isle's greatest wizard, who alone keeps the Elder Isles from sinking into the sea.

And into this web of political and magical intrigue wanders Madouc, determined to learn her pedigree, possessed of a bit of her fairy mother's magic and a truly wonderful charm all her own. It is Madouc who sets this novel apart from other fantasies. Vance does a splendid job creating a central figure who will beguile and amaze you.

Vance blends myths from half a dozen cultures into a seamless whole. The Elder Isles are saved, if at a terrible cost. The kingship is resolved, after a terrible war. And Madouc even learns her pedigree. The book is full of surprises, and sly references to other legends. As just one example, you will learn how the Holy Grail got to where Sir Gallahad could find it...

You should read the whole Trilogy. If for some reason you cannot, read Madouc. It's a wonderful conclusion to a wonderful trilogy.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this book is supreme., August 16, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lyonesse: Madouc (Lyonesse Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Fantasy-lovers, take heed! Madouc is third in one of the greatest fantasy trilogies ever written. You will fall in love with the fairy changeling/royal princess whose search for her heritage takes you on a merry chase. Read all three of the Lyonesse books by Jack Vance-you won't regret it. A note: Madouc won the award for Grand Fantasy in the year 1990.

20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it breaks my heart, February 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Madouc (Lyonesse Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

How can this book possibly be out of print? What madness has overtaken the human race, that junk like Gene Wolfe or Dragonlance rules the bestseller list, while this, a supreme accomplishment in the history of the American fantasy genre, languishes in relative obscurity? Jack Vance is so irresistable, so indescribable, that I won't bother to try to summarize Lyonesse; that's for fourth-grade book reports. Suffice it to say that it will haunt your dreams the way any of the other greats of the genre do, only Vance writes much better (and funnier) prose. For the love of all that is holy, get this book, and somehow or another get it back in print with a major publisher.