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Apocryphal
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That list just reinforces my point of view. For example, I'm struggling to find a difference between: (Quote) I mean, with a 7, you'll play even if you aren't in the mood, but a 6 you'll only play if you are in the mood? Riiiight. Or this: (Quot…
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I use 5 start ratings, and really I suppose that we don't really need all that much granularity to decide if we like something. My five numbers mean something like this: 1. Terrible - don't bother with it. 2. This has some merit, but it's not good e…
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Thanks for the review, @RichardAbbott ! I was kind of intrigued by these when I first heard about them, but could never quite decide if the concept of moving, predatory cities was interesting or gimmicky. I think I fell of the fence on the gimmicky …
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I think it's safe to say that the Ska had a different culture, to the point that Casmir was completely nonplussed by them. But the rest - pretty much the same culture in so far as we can tell.
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(Quote) I don't. The point I was hoping to make was that since humans don;t have natural magic, they have to harness another source in order to use magic, and the most obvious other source is the fairies (including Sandestins and heavy fairies in th…
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I meant to say that I felt Suldrun's Garden was sufficiently self contained, as a story. True, not all loose ends were tied, but I can accept that even in a stand-alone novel. I think that what people were expressing was an increased understanding …
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To me 'Shared World' implies different authors using the same world, specifically. For an author that writes several of his books in the same world, well, those are just novels. The Wooster Series being a good example. The stories are not specifica…
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LOL You would definitely get some battle on the Tolkien vs Vance front as a writer. A bunch of us spent the whole summer slowly reading the LOTR and we call gained new appreciation for Tolkien's skills as a writer. He was quite remarkable. I enjoy V…
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That's interesting. What about the magic? Are you allowing PC magicians? And if so, what magic do they use?
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@Akrasia - Welcome to the Book Club! By 'natural magic' I mean the power that seems to be inherent in fairies to cast curses or fling people abroad without having to resort to some ritual or formula. It's as natural to them as breathing. As the sec…
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@Loz Do you think there's anything to be read into the fact that one of the most touching relationships was so short lived? Jaime doesn't survive the chapter, and Suldrun doesn't make it to the second half of the book. So happiness is fleeting in Ly…
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@Loz Can you tell us anything about how you've adapted Mythras mechanically to Lyonesse?
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Is Lyonesse high fantasy or low? I've seen claims made for each.
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Fascinating. A lot of that didn't come through in this book, but I can see where I got the idea that magic was fueled by fairies (sandestins, in particular). Sandestin seems to be a made up word (though I do find a resort by that name in Florida).
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Tamurello is a bit of a dark horse. He's a baddie, for sure. It's not really clear he's all that big. Smaller than Murgen, anyway. Casmir is amoral, but unable to affect the world much, directly, though he creates lots of ripples that seem to magni…
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Just to note I've moved a comment from @Loz in this thread from elsewhere. It appears two posts above this one in case anyone missed it. And, that's a great analysis, IMO. It helps me put a finger why I really like some of the characters - or maybe…
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There's one sequence on page 322 that leads me to wonder if Vance commenting on his own creation: "Well, then, what do you think of my villa?" Garstang shook his head. "I am beyond speech". Aillas said: "There is too much t…
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Good points, @Bill_White . Welcome to the book club! If I'm right, I've listened to a few of your gaming sessions via podcast!
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Yes, a glossary and better map might have helped. I rather liked a lot of the smaller characters. I was thoroughly charmed by Shimrod's pal, Grofinet. Julius Sagamundus, Suldrun's tutor in one early chapter, was also quite fun. Casmir was also a gre…
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I'm not sure some of those are themes (didn't sending Aillas away happen only once? Once doesn't make a theme - though apparently Vance does this in more than one book of his.) But that said, sending the characters away so they have to explore the w…
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I agree with much of the above, but although magic is gadget driven, most of the gadgets themselves seem to harness fairy or natural powers. re: the Chekhov gun principle, we must note that some of things things may come back in another book in the …
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(Quote) At one point Murgen tells Aillas how to get in touch with the fairies to find his son: "Go the Thripsey Shee just as the first rays of sunlight sweep across the meadow. Do not go by moonlight or you will suffer a death of weird inventio…
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Fascinating! I'll note that the rhyme in Tolkien is on the leading syllables only - Ear; Mar; Tar; Ar. - would we call this a sort of alliteration? Mariner doesn't rhyme with Arvenien.
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I suppose this metric is itself based on old Norse or Saxon rhyming schemes?
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I also fell off the review wagon in the second half of the year. I read some cool books (like The Afterlife of George Cartwright ) that I would have liked to share, but was too busy writing other things, and porting my older G+ reviews over here, to…
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And discussion has started, if anyone needs a prompt. The discussion topics can all be found, here: https://ttrpbc.com/categories/73-lyonesse-by-jack-vance
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@clash_bowley what fairy qualities did you take for OHMAS, and how did you mechanize fairies in that game? btw, I think @rossum is referring to the footnote describing the types and their hierarchies. @Keith the fairies are certainly capricious, b…
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(Quote) This is a great comment and one I'd really like to explore. What are the hallmarks of a long-form fairy tale? What was it that made this seem not naturalistic? I feel like you are correct in my heart, but you mention simplicity of style and …
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I think @dr_mitch nailed the key elements of Vancian style as I understand it. I also haven't read a lot - I only read the Alastor trilogy, which was a very early club pick, but that spurred me on to buying many more of his works, which I'll get to …