Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great, if unconventional read, April 26, 2000
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.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leave the mundane behind for a few hours with Cugel !, December 4, 1999
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cugel the Clever, July 19, 2002
By A Customer
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.
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