Tales of the Dying Earth Series-Jack Vance

Tales of the Dying Earth Series-Jack Vance

1.     Mazirian the Magician (1950) AKA: Tales of the Dying Earth Book I, The Dying Earth

2.     Cugel the Clever (1966) AKA: Tales of the Dying Earth Book II, Eyes of the Overloard

3.     Cugel: the Skybreak Spatterlight (1983) AKA: Tales of the Dying Earth Book III, Cugel’s Saga

4.     Rhialto the Marvellous (1984) AKA: Tales of the Dying Earth Book IV

These four novels have also been referred to as the "Dying Earth Series" but Spatterlight Press refers to them as "Tales of the Dying Earth."  Spatterlight releases are based on the Vance Integral Edition so their title of the series is the one used here.  The four novels are not really a series because the first and fourth stand-alone as independent novels and do not share the same characters or continue the storyline.  Only the two middle Cugel novels constitute a real series because the main character remains the same and the storyline continues.  It should be noted that there is also a book collection of the four novels that has the title "Tales of the Dying Earth."

The stories in these four fantasy novels are all set on Earth in the far distant future where the red sun barely shines.  Magic is accepted as an everyday event just as science is.  Most of the science and magic from the past has been forgotten or lost.  Only 100 magic spells are still known.  Many ancient ruins can be found but their history is mostly unknown.  There are only a few thousand people left living on Earth.  Everyone knows that the Earth is dying because the sun is burning out, but there is no hint about how much longer the Earth will last.  It could be imminent or many years in the future.

See reviews of each novel under the individual novel’s titles

Mazirian the Magician-novel, six chapters (1950) (author’s preferred title)

AKA: The Dying Earth, Tales of the Dying Earth, Book I

Mazirian the Magician is a collection of six somewhat related stories. None of the six stories or chapters were previously published.  They were written during Vance’s war time service.

1. Turjan of Miir,14 pages
2. Mazirian the Magician, 15 pages
3. T'sais, 4 pages
4. Liane the Wayfarer, 10 pages
5. Ulon Dhor, 24 pages, AKA: Ulan Dhor Ends a Dream
6. Guyal of Sfere, 41 pages, sometimes printed as an excerpt

Cugel the Clever, novel, seven chapters (1966) (author’s preferred title)

AKA: The Eyes of the Overworld, Tales of the Dying Earth, Book II

Cugel the Clever is a fix up novel.  Six of the seven chapters were previously published independently of the novel.  Only Cil was not published prior to the novel.

(MFSF=The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction)

1. The Overworld, first published in MFSF in 12/65, 25 pages., novelette
2. Cil, first published as part of the novel The Eyes of the Overworld, 22 pages, novelette length
3. The Mountains of Magnatz, first published in MFSF in 2/66 but revised, 26 pages, novelette
4. The Sorcerer Pharesm, first published in MSFS in 4/66, 22 pages, novelette
5. The Pilgrims, first published in MSFS in 6/66, 33 pages, novelette
6. The Cave in the Forest, first published as the first part of The Manse of Iucounu, 11 pages, short story
7. The Manse of Iucounu, first published in MSFS in 7/66, 16 pages, short story

Cugel: the Skybreak Spatterlight, novel, six chapters with 15 subchapters (1983) (author’s preferred title)

AKA: Cugel’s Saga, Tales of the Dying Earth Book III

Cugel: the Skybreak Spatterlight has 13 subchapters or stories.  Two of these were published on their own prior to the novel being published.  These two are The Seventeen Virgins and The Bagful of Dreams.

I. From Shanglestone Strand to Saskervoy chapter has two sections:

1. Flutic

2. The Inn of Blue Lamps

II. From Saskervoy to the Tustvold Mud-flats chapter has three sections:

1. Aboard the Galante

2. Lausicaa

3. The Ocean of Sighs. 

III. From Tustvold to Port Perdusz chapter has two sections:

1. The Columns

2. Faucelme

IV. From Tustvold to Port Perdusz chapter has two sections:

1. On the Docks

2. The Caravan

V. From Kaspara Vitatus to Cuirnif chapter has two sections that were previously published prior to the novel:

1. The Seventeen Virgins. (22 page novelette in October 1974, Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)

2. The Bagful of Dreams. (41 page novelette in May 1977 as part an anthology titled

Flashing Swords! #4: Barbarians and Black Magicians)

VI. From Cuirnif to Pergolo chapter has two sections:

1. The Four Wizards

2. Spatterlight

Rhialto the Marvellous, novel, three chapters (1984)

AKA: Tales of the Dying Earth, Book IV

Rhilato the Marvellous (with two l’s) has three chapters. One of these chapters, Morreion, was previously published prior to the novel.

1. The Murthe
2. Fader’s Waft
3. Morreion (First published in April 1973 as a novella in the anthology Flashing Swords! #1)