Rhialto The Marvelous [Hardcover]

Jack Vance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 1984

Rhialto the Marvellous takes up the personal and political conflicts among a conclave of two dozen magicians of Ascolais and Almery in the 21st Aeon. The shocking appearance of the Llorio the Murtha, a powerful female force from an earlier aeon threatens to unbalance nature by “ensqualming” or feminizing the magicians. This triggers a tremendous struggle for power and the other mages turn against Rhialto. Hoping to reestablish his rightful place, Rhialto travels to other aeons to restore the missing Perciplex which projects the Mostrament, the constitution of the association. In his final adventure, Rhialto must, ultimately, travel to the very ends of time and space to confront an old adversary whom he had wronged and must commit further misdeeds to restore order. Out of this welter of exotic politics, values systems, personal eccentricity, and magic, the figure of Rhialto slowly comes into focus and takes on dimension. He is a vain, apparently superficial man, not ashamed to demonstrate his melancholy to enhance his reputation. But he is courteous, patient, and subtle, even kind. He is self-aware and introspective as Cugel never could be—the wisest and most sympathetic of all of Vance’s wizards.

--This text refers to the MP3 CD Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack Vance is one of the greats of science fiction. He has been writing for more than 60 years, and in 1997 was honored as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America. He is the author of dozens of science fiction and fantasy novels, including the World Fantasy Award winning Lyonnesse series, and the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning The Last Castle. He lives in Oakland, California. --This text refers to the MP3 CD Library Binding edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 219 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Trade Ed edition (November 8, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671559117
• ISBN-13: 978-0671559113
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,849,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great entry in the "Dying Earth" series., January 2, 2000

By 

Jim G. (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhialto the Marvellous (Paperback)

Vance's baroque and vibrant style is in full force here. I must admit that the "Dying Earth" books are among my favorites, as they were my introduction to Vance's work to begin with. This book features Rhialto, a magician residing on Earth at the end of time. As in previous books of this series, there is some time travel...and one of the adventures takes place at the end of the universe (that's right, a finite wall marking the limits of the universe). Vance's characters are fascinating, as usual; unscrupulous, arrogant, witty and clever. His dry humor is evident throughout. Another reviewer takes issue with Vance's use of obscure and self-created words. I think this just adds flavor to Vance's work. Regardless, "made-up" words are a fairly common convention in this genre and I don't think it amounts to much of an issue. Clearly Vance's style is unique, but not so unusual as to be inaccessible (witness his Hugo, Nebula and Edgar awards). If you're familiar with Vance, you've probably already bought everything you can find. If not, this would make as good an introduction to his work as any. They're all good.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Audio version, December 17, 2010

By 

Kat at Fantasy Literature - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rhialto the Marvellous (Paperback)

If you're a fan of Jack Vance, of course you've read, or plan to read, Rhialto the Marvellous, last of the Dying Earth books. If you've not read any of Mr. Vance's work, you can start here -- it isn't necessary to have read the previous installments.

Rhialto, who has earned the cognomen "Marvellous" (this has something to do with him being a bit of a dandy) is one of the last of Earth's magicians, a small group of selfish and unscrupulous men who sometimes work together and sometimes oppose each other as it suits their individual inglorious purposes. The other magicians don't care too much for Rhialto because he is aloof, popular with women, arrogant, and generally unflappable. Rhialto the Marvellous contains three stories which feature Rhialto working with and against his colleagues.

Rhialto is more passive than Cugel the Clever and not as dastardly, so he doesn't drive the plot or leave a swath of destruction in his wake like Cugel does. Plus, he has to share the stage with several other strong personalities, making him not as vibrant as we've come to expect from Vance's main characters.

Nonetheless, this novel is still chock full of the ludicrous circumstances and strange humor that Jack Vance fans love. The first story, "The Murthe," introduces my favorite made-up Vance word: "ensqualm" -- which means to turn a man into a woman. That story was hilarious as it seemed to poke fun of feminine behavior while actually ridiculing men. Arthur Morey, who narrates Brilliance Audio's production and has become one of my favorite audiobook readers, is at top form here as he narrates Vermoulian's dream (AXR-11 GG7, Volume Seven of the Index) in which Vermoulian meets a group of ensqualmed men and describes their behavior:

I found myself in a landscape of great charm, where I encountered a group of men, all cultured, artistic, and exquisitely refined of manner... `We dine upon nutritious nuts and seeds and ripe juicy fruit; we drink only the purest and most natural water from the springs. At night we sit around the campfire and sing merry little ballads. On special occasions we make a punch called opo, from pure fruits, natural honey, and sweet sessamy, and everyone is allowed a good sip... Ah, the women, whom we revere for their kindness, strength, wisdom and patience, as well as for the delicacy of their judgments!...'

He had me laughing out loud already, but when he read their answer to Vermoulian's questions about how they procreate, I nearly spit my Starbucks onto the steering wheel. I went back and read this in my print copy -- it was funny, yes, but Arthur Morey made it even better.

Rhialto the Marvellous is the last of Brilliance Audio's Vance collection so far, and that makes me sad. I sincerely hope they'll soon be adding more Vance titles to their catalog and that Arthur Morey will be reading them. If so, I promise that I'll be reviewing them!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent addition to The Dying Earth series, July 2, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Pittsburgh, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhialto the Marvellous (Paperback)

This is a collection of stories about Rhialto, a magician who lives in Vance's Dying Earth. Fans of Cugel's Saga and the previous Dying Earth books will love it, as will those who just want a good read. Vance's command of the English language is formidable, and his descriptive passages are priceless. This book is humorous, sardonic, and very rich indeed.