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Akrasia
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On the nature of magic in the Elder Isles, I found this discussion (from Chapter 4, section 3, of Madouc) illuminating: (Quote) So magicians (mostly) use 'Sandestin magic' which Shimrod explicitly distinguishes from fairy magic. Magicians command (…
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Apocryphal: It's interesting (to me anyway) that our perceptions of how magic works in the novel differed so radically when reading it. I first read the Lyonesse trilogy over 25 years ago, but I had read Cugel's Saga before that (and had been famil…
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Thanks for that post Loz. I think that I agree with you say there. I had always assumed (perhaps unjustifiably so) that the Lyonesse trilogy and the DE stories were part of the same fictional universe (albeit separated by countless aeons), and so th…
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(Quote) I should hope so! One of the main reasons to role-play in a Vance setting is the prospect of commanding a few Sandestins and miscasting some prismatic spells... :P
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(Quote) As for 'other sources of magic', I'm jumping ahead to the second book, but in it Aillas comes into possession of a magic item (a wineskin) that seems to be powered by a local god (the name of which escapes me right now).
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(Quote) This strikes me as spot on. Lyonesse is a 'high fantasy' series, with a clear and virtuous 'rightful king', written in Vance's erudite and sarcastic style, and with various 'Dying Earth' elements injected into (I have in mind especially th…
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(Quote) Unlike most of Vance's Dying Earth stories, I think that there pretty clearly is a divide between the 'good' characters (Aillas, Suldrun, Dhrun, Glynneth, Shimrod, Murgen, etc.) and the 'evil' characters (Casmir, Carfilhiot, Tamurello, Visbh…
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There really are two overaching storylines in the novels: (a) one involving the political struggle to unite and control the Elder Isles (Casamir versus Alais, etc.); and (b) one involving the magicians, and in particular Murgen's struggle to prote…
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I love this setting. As others have mentioned, the Faerie and Ska are especially evocative -- singular elements of the Elder Islands as imagined by Vance. I also like the Forest of Tantrevalles -- it's this eerie, magical place stuck right dab in t…
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(Quote) Right -- and the reason why Suldrun refuses to marry Carfilhiot is because she senses his sadistic nature (his [moral] 'emptiness'). Carfilhiot also impales his enemies in the Evander Vale.
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(Quote) Yes, and (no spoilers) the second novel has surprisingly little to do with the 'green pearl' itself (though it does play a very important role at the very end)!
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(Quote) This is great. I agree 100%. I think you've captured the essential (but deftly handled) 'morality lesson' of the novels very well. I also think Vance's more amoral 'roguish' characters in his other stories -- I have in mind Cugel especially…
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A more general question: what are the similarities and differences with respect to the 'systems' of magic in the Lyonesse novels and Vance's Dying Earth novels? (Perhaps this warrants a different thread?) I had always assumed that they were quite s…
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(Quote) When Sandestins are used to power magic Vance explicitly mentions this. There is no such mention with respect to the boots -- or with respect to many of the other magic items that are described in the novels (and there are many). Hence I did…
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(Quote) Ah okay, I missed the "so with all magicians of the Elder Isles" bit. That's interesting -- and a bit disappointing (to me). I guess I had assumed a stronger similarity to way that magic works in the DE novels. (It still strikes m…
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(Quote) I'm not sure I agree with this (or perhaps I simply misunderstood your comment). The powerful magicians in Lyonesse -- like those in the Dying Earth -- strike me as very human. Their various quirks and vices are magnified by their great powe…
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Regarding Apocryphal's comment: (Quote) I disagree. :) While some of the 'gadgets' mentioned by Vance in this series involve fairies -- specifically Sandestins -- many of them don't (e.g., Persilian the talking mirror, Shimrod's boots that enable…
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I love the Lyonesse trilogy! It's kind of like Game of Thrones -- but weirder and funnier. One question: will the TTRBC be discussing the entire trilogy in January or only the 1st book? FWIW, I've mentioned this at my blog: https://akraticwizardry…