Dying Earth
- This article is about a fantasy series. For a discussion of similar works, see Dying Earth subgenre.
The Dying Earth is a series of fantasy fixups (novels created from older short stories) by American author Jack Vance which has inspired much pastiche, imitation and admiration. [citation needed]
The series consists of the following works:
- The Dying Earth (collection of linked stories, 1950)
- The Eyes of the Overworld (novel, 1966)
- Cugel's Saga (novel, 1983) -- not a fixup; written as a complete novel.
- Rhialto the Marvellous (collection of linked stories, 1984)
Tales of the Dying Earth collects the entire series.
Author Michael Shea has also written a book set in the same fictional world: A Quest of Simbilis (novel, 1974). Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun is set in a somewhat similar world and has been written under Vance's influence. (Wolfe suggested in The Castle of the Otter, a collection of essays, that he inserted "The Dying Earth" into his fictional world under the title The Book of Gold.)
Three of the Dying Earth books had their titles changed by editors or publishers. In the Vance Integral Edition of Vance's complete oeuvre, these books have had Vance's original titles restored. They are as follows:
- The Dying Earth is retitled as Mazirian the Magician.
- The Eyes of the Overworld is retitled as Cugel the Clever.
- Cugel's Saga is retitled as Cugel: the Skybreak Spatterlight.
The Setting
The stories of the Dying Earth take place in the distant future, when the Sun can burn out anytime, the erstwhile great empires left in ruins, and gratitude, honour and generosity is unknown for the residents. The Earth itself is a largely barren, cold landmass, where hybrid monstrosities roam, the Moon disappeared during the aeons, and only few cities and villages remained, which inhabitants try to maintain their exotic and extravagant cultures. Petty landlords and magicians battle for the knowleodge of the forgotten eras, and vile rogues struggle for life at whatever costs. Moral limits and future is something that vanished during the centuries.
Influence on role playing games
- The magic system used in Dungeons & Dragons (in which a wizard memorizes spells out of a spellbook, their number limited by their power, and forgets them upon casting them) was based on the magic of Dying Earth. One of the deities of magic in Dungeons & Dragons is named Vecna (an anagram of Vance).
- Some of the spells from D&D are based on spells mentioned in the Dying Earth series, notably prismatic spray.
- The D&D magic item Ioun stones appear in Rhialto the Marvelous, though with slightly different properties.
- There is also an official Dying Earth role-playing game, published by Pelgrane Press which throws players into Vance's ancient world populated by desperately extravagant people.
- The Eyes of the Overworld are a quest artifact in NetHack. Their role is different from that in the Dying Earth series, so this may be coincidence.
- The deodand race from Dying Earth is used in the Arduin Grimoire.
See also
- The Excellent Prismatic Spray - magazine devoted to the Dying Earth role-playing game and Jack Vance
External links
