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Cugel's Saga
''Cugel's Saga'' is a picaresque fantasy novel by American writer Jack Vance, published by Timescape in 1983, the third book in the Dying Earth series, the first volume of which appeared in 1950. The narrative of ''Cugel's Saga'' continues from the point at which it left off at the end of '' The Eyes of the Overworld'' (1966). The Internet Speculative Fiction Database calls ''Cugel's Saga'' " ice as large and less episodic than ''Eyes of the Overworld''", and catalogs it as a novel rather than a fix-up, but also qualifies that label. "This is marketed as a novel, but there is a table of contents, and some of the parts were previously published (although none are acknowledged thus)." Retrieved 2012-05-09. Plot summary The story begins on Shanglestone Strand, a desolate beach far to the north of Almery, where Cugel had been dumped at the end of ''The Eyes of the Overworld'' by a winged demon after he mispronounced the spell intended to inflict the same fate on his nemesis, I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WikiProject Novels
A WikiProject, or Wikiproject, is a Wikimedia movement affinity group for contributors with shared goals. WikiProjects are prevalent within the largest wiki, Wikipedia, and exist to varying degrees within sister projects such as Wiktionary, Wikiquote, Wikidata, and Wikisource. They also exist in different languages, and translation of articles is a form of their collaboration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CBS News noted the role of Wikipedia's WikiProject Medicine in maintaining the accuracy of articles related to the disease. Another WikiProject that has drawn attention is WikiProject Women Scientists, which was profiled by ''Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian'' for its efforts to improve coverage of women scientists which the profile noted had "helped increase the number of female scientists on Wikipedia from around 1,600 to over 5,000". On Wikipedia Some Wikipedia WikiProjects are substantial enough to engage in cooperative activities with outside organizations relevant t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Servants Of The Wankh
''Servants of the Wankh'' is a 1969 science fiction adventure novel by American writer Jack Vance, the second in the tetralogy ''Tschai, Planet of Adventure''. It tells of the efforts of the sole survivor of a human starship destroyed by an unknown enemy to return to Earth from the distant planet Tschai. Plot summary After his starship and crewmates are blown up, Adam Reith is marooned on a planet inhabited by four advanced, mutually hostile, alien species, the Chasch, Wankh, Dirdir and native Pnume, as well as various groups of humans. In his quest to return home, he acquires three human companions (as detailed in ''City of the Chasch''): Traz Onmale, a taciturn teenage barbarian chieftain, Ankhe at afram Anacho, a flamboyant, fugitive Dirdirman, and Ylin-Ylan, a beautiful young Yao woman whom he rescued from a man-hating religious sect. Ylin-Ylan persuades Reith, her lover, into taking her back to Cath. With her wealthy father's backing, Reith hopes to be able to build a spa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbarians And Black Magicians
A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less civilized or orderly (such as a tribal society) but may also be part of a certain "primitive" cultural group (such as nomads) or social class (such as bandits) both within and outside one's own nation. Alternatively, they may instead be admired and romanticised as noble savages. In idiomatic or figurative usage, a "barbarian" may also be an individual reference to a brutal, cruel, warlike, and insensitive person. The term originates from the el, βάρβαρος (''barbaros'' pl. βάρβαροι ''barbaroi''). In Ancient Greece, the Greeks used the term not only towards those who did not speak Greek and follow classical Greek customs, but also towards Greek populations on the fringe of the Greek world with peculiar dialects. In Ancient R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Magazine Of Fantasy And Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas had approached Spivak in the mid-1940s about creating a fantasy companion to Spivak's existing mystery title, ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine''. The first issue was titled ''The Magazine of Fantasy'', but the decision was quickly made to include science fiction as well as fantasy, and the title was changed correspondingly with the second issue. ''F&SF'' was quite different in presentation from the existing science fiction magazines of the day, most of which were in pulp magazine, pulp format: it had no interior illustrations, no letter column, and text in a single column format, which in the opinion of science fiction historian Mike Ashley (writer), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stylites
A stylite ( grc, στυλίτης () 'pillar dweller', derived from () 'pillar' and syc, ܐܣܛܘܢܐ ()) or pillar-saint is a type of Christian ascetic who lives on pillars, preaching, fasting and praying. Stylites believe that the mortification of their bodies would help ensure the salvation of their souls. Stylites were common in the early days of the Byzantine Empire. The first known stylite was Simeon Stylites the Elder who climbed a pillar in Syria in 423 and remained there until his death 37 years later. Ascetic precedents Palladius of Galatia tells of Epidius, a hermit in Palestine who dwelt in a mountaintop cave for twenty-five years until his death. St. Gregory of Nazianzus speaks of a solitary who stood upright for many years together, absorbed in contemplation, without ever lying down. Theodoret claimed that he had seen a hermit who had passed ten years in a tub suspended in midair from poles. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Dying Earth
''The Dying Earth'' is a collection of fantasy short fiction by American writer Jack Vance, published by Hillman in 1950. Vance returned to the setting in 1965 and thereafter, making it the first book in the ''Dying Earth'' series. It is retitled ''Mazirian the Magician'' in its Vance Integral Edition (2005), after the second of six collected stories. The Internet Speculative Fiction Database calls it a "slightly connected series of stories" but it was ranked number 16 of 33 "All Time Best Fantasy Novels" by '' Locus'' in 1987, based on a poll of subscribers. Similarly, it was one of five finalists for the Best Novel "Retro Hugo" in 2001 when the World Science Fiction Society provided 50th anniversary recognition for a publication year without Hugo Awards. Contents All six stories were original to the collection. Retrieved 2012-05-09. * "Turjan of Miir". The wizard Turjan seeks to create living beings, but his experiments fail. For advice he turns to the wizard Pandelume, who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Quest For Simbilis
''A Quest for Simbilis'' is a novel by Michael Shea published in 1974. Plot summary ''A Quest for Simbilis'' is a novel in which the plot is a sequel to Jack Vance's '' The Eyes of the Overworld'' (a.k.a. ''Cugel the Clever''). Reception Dave Langford reviewed ''A Quest for Simbilis'' for ''White Dwarf'' #74, and stated that "Vance can be relied on for unwavering polish, but tends to recycle old plot elements; Shea, though more rough-hewn, adds innovations plus a touch of true, murky hellfire from an imagination fuelled by Hieronymus Bosch." Reviews *Review by Dave Bischoff (1974) in Thrust Thrust is a reaction force In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can al ..., #5 1974 References 1974 American novels 1974 fantasy novels DAW Books books {{1970s-fantasy-novel-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Shea (author)
Michael Shea (July 3, 1946 – February 16, 2014) was an American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author. His novel ''Nifft the Lean'' won the World Fantasy Award, as did his novella ''Growlimb''. Life and work Shea was born to Irish parents in Los Angeles in 1946. There he frequented Venice Beach and the Baldwin Hills for their wildlife. He attended UCLA and Berkeley and hitch-hiked twice across the US and Canada. At a hotel in Juneau, Alaska, Shea chanced on a battered book from the lobby shelves, '' The Eyes of the Overworld'' by Jack Vance (1966). Four years later, after a brief first marriage and one year hitch-hiking through France and Spain, he wrote a novel in homage to Vance, who graciously declined to share the advance offered by DAW Books. It was Shea's first publication, ''A Quest for Simbilis'' (1974), and an authorized sequel to Vance's two Dying Earth books then extant. ISFDB notes that it "became non-canonic" in 1983 when Vance "continued ... ''The Eyes' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Green Pearl
''The Green Pearl'' is a novel by Jack Vance published in 1985. It is the second book in the '' Lyonesse'' trilogy, which also includes ''Suldrun's Garden'' and ''Madouc''. Plot summary In a fishing village in South Ulfland, a fisherman catches a flounder and discovers a green pearl inside. In Lyonesse, King Casmir plots to destabilize South Ulfland by sending two agents, Sir Shalles and Torqual. Torqual plans to conquer all of the Elder Isles for himself and Casmir soon grows exasperated with Torqual's demands for ever increasing amounts of gold. Casmir is also troubled by a prophecy made at Suldrun's birth that her son would rule the Elder Isles; Casmir believes Suldrun gave birth to a girl, the princess Madouc. He applies to the magician Visbhume, who tells him that Suldrun's child, Madouc, is a fairy changeling. In South Ulfland, Aillas sees a party of Ska approaching Sank on horseback, including the Lady Tatzel. Aillas pursues and captures her, declaring she is now his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otherworld
The concept of an otherworld in historical Indo-European religion is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of ''orbis alius'' (Latin for "other Earth/world"), a term used by Lucan in his description of the Celtic Otherworld. Comparable religious, mythological or metaphysical concepts, such as a realm of supernatural beings and a realm of the dead, are found in cultures throughout the world.''Gods, goddesses, and mythology'', Volume 11, C. Scott Littleton, Marshall Cavendish, 2005, , . Pp. 1286-1287 Spirits are thought to travel between worlds, or layers of existence in such traditions, usually along an axis such as a giant tree, a tent pole, a river, a rope or mountains. Indo-European reconstruction Many Indo-European mythologies show evidence for a belief in some form of "Otherworld" and in many cases such as in Persian, Greek, Germanic, Celtic, Slavic and Indic mythologies a river had to be crossed to allow entrance to it and it is usually an old ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Gray Prince
''The Gray Prince'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Jack Vance, first published in two parts in ''Amazing Science Fiction'' magazine (August and October 1974 issues) with the title ''The Domains of Koryphon''. Given that the novel's setting, the planet Koryphon, is integral to the plot, ''The Gray Prince'' may be said to belong to the science fiction subgenre of the planetary romance. Also significant in this regard is the work's original title, ''The Domains of Koryphon'', which gives prominence to the setting of the conflict narrated in the novel rather than to one of its many characters. Narrative The conflict central to the plot arises from opposing claims to the land of the Alouan on the Uaia continent, with one side (the Uldras) asserting a right derived from original tenancy and the other (the Land Barons or "Outkers") a right based on the strength and determination to defend established property ownership, even if the property in question was originally stol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lyonesse
Lyonesse is a kingdom which, according to legend, consisted of a long strand of land stretching from Land's End at the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England, to what is now the Isles of Scilly in the Celtic Sea portion of the Atlantic Ocean. It was considered lost after being swallowed by the ocean in a single night. The people of Lyonesse allegedly lived in what is described as fair towns, with over 140 churches, and worked in fertile, low-lying plains. Lyonesse's most significant attraction was a castle-like cathedral that was presumably built on top of what is now the Seven Stones Reef between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly, some west of Land's End and north-east of the Isles of Scilly. Lyonesse is mentioned in Arthurian legend, but particularly in the tragic love-and-loss story of Tristan and Iseult. Lyonesse is most notable as the home of the hero Tristan Tristan (Latin/Brythonic: ''Drustanus''; cy, Trystan), also known as Tristram or Tristain and si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
