N24: The Dying Earth by Jack Vance

Book Review!

N24: The Dying Earth by Jack Vance

In “Appendix N” Gary Gygax recommended Jack Vance’s 1950 novel The Dying Earth, a book considered one of the best fantasy works of all time. When I first read the book I found myself both excited to see where “Vancian Magic” came from and disappointed because the book really contains a collection of loosely connected short stories rather than a novel-length plot.

The Good

*The wizards stand out as amazing. Just within the first 7 pages, I found clear evidence of how Gygax and his friends built the D&D magic system.

The Bad

*Some readers might claim “false advertisement” or some sort of fraud since the book really only contains a series of short stories, instead of a full-length novel.

*Some passages seem confusing upon first read, though they make sense later and upon a second read; some readers today lack the patience to really appreciate this text.

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*Enjoy some quotes from the book: Jack Vance’s narration explained how magic worked in this universe: “These were volumes compiled by many wizards in the past, untidy folios collected by the Sage, leather-bound librams setting forth the syllables of a hundred powerful spells, so cogent that Turjan’s brain could know but four at a time” (6). When the character prepared his spells for the day, he picked three: “the Excellent Prisnatic Spray, Phandaal’s Mantle of Stealth, and the Spell of the Slow Hour” (7).

Overall

For my tastes, I give the work a 6/10 rating. Vance deserves a higher ranking, but the disconnection from tale to tale bring down the overall quality.