Manse of Iucounu, The-Jack Vance novelette, later as a chapter of a novel

 

Manse of Iucounu, The-Jack Vance novelette, later as a chapter of a novel

AKA: Cugel the Clever, chapter VII

The Eyes of the Overworld, chapter VII

Tales of the Dying Earth, Book II, chapter VII

The Manse of Iucounu was published in the July, 1966 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science as a 27 page novelette.  It was later published as part of the novel The Eyes of the Overworld (aka Cugel the Clever) as a 12 page chapter VI called The Cave in the Forest and a 16/19 page chapter VII titled Manse of Iucounu.  So the journal story was divided up into two book chapters with only the second chapter retaining the title Mans of Iucounu. I have a copy of the original magazine issue and it can be read by itself but makes much more sense when read as part of the novel because in the novel we learn about Cugel’s relationship with the Laughing Magician, why Cugel has been transported to where he is and the parasite Frix.

In Manse of Iucounu Cugel meets a magician, Zaraides, and as a reward for assisting the magician Cugel has him remove Firx from his abdomen.  After doing so Zaraides tells Cugel that there is a “tendency of this maleficent incubus to extend its prongs everywhere through the body, until it clamps upon the brain; then you and Firx are one and the same.”  Zaraides also agrees to transport Cugel back at Almery where he began his journey.  After arriving in Almery Cugel has a duplicate of the magical lens or cusp made and plans to offer the fake lens to Iucounu hoping he will view the fake along with the real one and have an adverse reaction.  But when Cugel visits Iucounu no longer appears to be himself and reacts differently than predicted when looking through the two lenses.  Fianosther, the man who encouraged Cugel to steal from Iucounu at the beginning of the novel, enters the story and complicates matters for Cugel.  This an interesting and humorous story but it would disclose too much to describe it in more detail. Rated 5.

Here is what transpired in the original magazine release:

Cugel treks through an old forest until he sees a sign from Zaraides the Sage offering a free consultation for anybody entering a nearby cave.  Cugel goes to the cave to inquire but is captured by the rat-folk who pull him into an underground tunnel. These trident armed rat folk eat people but offer to free Cugel if he lures in two other hostages to replace himself.  Confronted with this challenge Cugel needs to call on all of his talents to try to escape.  Later Cugel meets a magician, The Manse of Iucounu, and as a reward for assisting the magician Cugel is transported back at Almery where he began his journey.  After arriving there Cugel has a duplicate of the magical lens or cusp made and offers the fake magical lens to Iucounu hoping he will view the fake along with a different real one and have an adverse reaction.  But Iucounu no longer appears to be himself and reacts differently than predicted when viewing the two lenses.  Another magician, Fianosther, enters the story and complicates matters for Cugel.  This an interesting and humorous story but it would disclose too much to describe it in detail