farilian's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lazylarry's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
luana420's review
3.0
In a way, this fourth and final instalment of the Dying Earth series, most encapsulates what I perceive to be the essence of Vance's post-apocalyptic setting: pompous, venal assholes fucking each other over. The three stories in this collection are all decent and funny, with the middle one, "Fader's Waft," perhaps running a bit long -- tho I understand the repetitiveness of the incidents is part of the point: the wizards are all obsessed with useless kafkaian little rules that go nowhere and are about nothing, and the plot reflects it.
"Morreion" is the most cosmic of all the Dying Earth tales, and I'd say one of the best. The existentialism of the trip to rescue an ancient hero from the edge of the universe, contrasted with the pettiness of the wizards, works very well.
Probably a focus on a different wizard each story would have worked better, as the cabal is pretty weird/wild/entertaining (Pratchett definitely read this before coming up with the faculty of Unseen University) but Rhialto doesn't stand out enough to carry all three.
Goodbye, Dying Earth! I am glad I read you but I feel like the best stuff was all in the first one!
"Morreion" is the most cosmic of all the Dying Earth tales, and I'd say one of the best. The existentialism of the trip to rescue an ancient hero from the edge of the universe, contrasted with the pettiness of the wizards, works very well.
Probably a focus on a different wizard each story would have worked better, as the cabal is pretty weird/wild/entertaining (Pratchett definitely read this before coming up with the faculty of Unseen University) but Rhialto doesn't stand out enough to carry all three.
Goodbye, Dying Earth! I am glad I read you but I feel like the best stuff was all in the first one!
mw2k's review
3.0
More of a 2.66 out of 5 really - only just a passed mark. The least of the four Dying Earth works. Why? Well, it'd be easy to pass these three stories off as rampaging self-indulgence. Vance goes above and beyond with his prolixity, sometimes at the expense of a good story. The stories themselves are occasionally engaging, especially Fader's Waft with the walking embodiment of greed in Um Foad.
And throughout, you do miss Cugel's amorality and decidedly more comic adventures. Rhialto is no Cugel, in fact he's nobody at all, which can be a problem with these stories. Then again, characterisation was never Vance's strongest attribute.
But, Dungeons and Dragons fans, if you ever want to know where a good deal of that game system's spells and the IOUN stones came from, read no further, this is it.
And throughout, you do miss Cugel's amorality and decidedly more comic adventures. Rhialto is no Cugel, in fact he's nobody at all, which can be a problem with these stories. Then again, characterisation was never Vance's strongest attribute.
But, Dungeons and Dragons fans, if you ever want to know where a good deal of that game system's spells and the IOUN stones came from, read no further, this is it.
therewithal's review
3.0
I basically have the same thoughts about this that I had about the earlier Dying Earth books: love the prose and worldbuilding and wit, shame about how he wrote women. It seemed harder to ignore in this one because Rhialto and the other wizards are constantly treating them as things/toys/prizes.
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