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Writer Jack Vance Dead At 96
New submitter angelofdarkness writes "Jack Vance died Sunday evening. He was 96. Thank you for the stories and adventures and for influencing the games I still play after all these years.
From the article: 'A science fiction Grand Master, Vance is probably best remembered for his four Dying Earth novels, which take place in a far-future Earth where the sun has dimmed and magic has been reestablished as a dominant force. They feature a brilliant picaresque adventure tone, including the unforgettable thief Cugel the Clever, and they were also celebrated in a recent anthology Songs of the Dying Earth, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. These books contain Vance's characteristic ironic, lightly humorous style, which has influenced generations of science fiction writers." Reader paai points to the official Jack Vance website, and this 2009 profile in the New York Times.
For many, Vance is most remembered for "Vancian" casting in Dungeons and Dragons where spellcasters prepare their spells in advance and then cast the spells, causing them to leave their minds. Gary Gygax, one of the two major founders of D&D, liked Dying Earth and so incorporated the idea into the game. The casting idea does show up in the Dying Earth, but in a very different way, where spells are big and rare, and having a spell in one's mind takes up a lot of space. In contrast, in most versions of Dungeon's and Dragons a wizard could have many spells memorized at the same time. To some extent, Vancian casting has been a cause of controversy, with some people blaming it for being partially responsible for the overpowerd nature of spellcasters in some editions, especially 3.0 and 3.5. Yet, many who rejected 4th edition did so because 4th dropped the Vancian casting.
Vance is also remembered in D&D in a different way- the legendary lich-wizard "Vecna" was named that as an anagram of Vance. Jack Vance had a lot of influence on a lot of different aspects of scifi and fantasy culture.
posted to: http://foreverness.jackvance.com/
Thank you for your written works --- they meant a lot to me, and I would have been a better person if I'd discovered them when I was younger. Thank you to your family for sharing your gifts with us --- I know that must have been a sacrifice at times and it is appreciated.
I just wrote in a card being given to a young lady who is just graduating high school,
``Life is a message written in ink. Write carefully, write beautifully, & write w/ character.''
Congratulations on a life written w/ care, using beautiful words and w/ a character which shines as an example of what men should aspire to be.
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
... and a very nice man. One of Science Fiction's most elegant and imaginative writers.
Credo quia impossibilis -- Tertullian
Jack Vance: I read around 10 of his books as an SF obsessed teenager. A particular personal favourite was the Tschai cycle. But, that's already 30 years ago. I wonder how his stories hold up these days? I find much classic SF too simple nowadays.
Easily one of the Top 10 SF Writers of all time, and a huge stylistic influence on the field.
My own tiny tribute, along with scans of some of his rarer first editions from my library.
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
And now that he's passed, in 75 years people will be able to read what he wrote in the public domain. So most likely no one will read it, except for the one book on project Gutenberg.
Hidden Persuaders, a classic.
I've actually never gotten around to Dying Earth, but I have vivid memories of being immersed in Vance's Lyonesse trilogy (Starting with Suldren's Garden). At a time when it seemed like everyone was aping Tolkien, Vance went back to a sort of magical Camelot mixed up with Atlantis and Midsummer Night's Dream. It's one of the books I recommend to anyone who will listen to me.
You are totally blocking my view of the wall. - Dogbert
The King death rumor is just that... a rumor. He's alive and well.
http://en.mediamass.net/people/stephen-king/deathhoax.html
"Never give up, for that is just the time and place when the tide will change." -Harriet Beecher Stowe ^_^
Vance can be read multiple times. He never wasted words, every sentence drives the plot or sets a scene. He was funny, witty, stylish and laconic. Often his writing is as compressed as the notes in a screenplay.
I re-read the Tschai novels every 5 years or so. I enjoy them immensely.
His short(ish) novel "The blue world" can't get old, as it is mainly an intemporal replay of much of man's history.
Maybe we deserve this world ?
Same here for the Tschai books, my copy got pretty worn out.
I sampled a comic book version of it recently, but that was not for me. Perhaps I'll try the original again one of these days.
The first SF I read was the Demon Princes, many decades ago. Got me hooked on the genre for a while. Still my best travel agent to faraway places you can only go in your imagination.
I've never heard of the guy and was looking a bit into his stuff on Amazon. How "humorous" are his writings?
Those who haven't read The Dying Earth series, or Jack Vance's later Lyonesse series really are missing a treat. It isn't for no reason that in 2006 his fans published a meticulously copy-edited 44-volume edition of his works, usually selling for over $3500. (There are cheaper editions, of course.)
Gene Wolfe is a big fan of Jack Vance's writing. Wolfe himself is one of the best writers ever - the Science Fiction Writer's Association named him Grand Master for lifetime achievement this year. (29 named in the last 38 years, 10 still living, Jack Vance was named in 1997)
Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, which made his name, recasts Vance's Dying Earth series, while adding mind-bending depths. Highly recommended.
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" - Patrick Henry
I started reading him in 50s.
I loved everything he wrote.
Dave Barnes 9 breweries within walking distance of my house
Almost a century of life, and plenty accomplished in that time.
Those who haven't read The Dying Earth series, or Jack Vance's later Lyonesse series really are missing a treat. It isn't for no reason that in 2006 his fans published a meticulously copy-edited 44-volume edition of his works, usually selling for over $3500. (There are cheaper editions, of course.)
About a year or two ago I looked for EPUB ebooks from him, but couldn't find them. For him a bit late, but not for me: jackvance.com/ebooks/shop/. No DRM, and a good price. I think I will start reading again! :-) And thanks for the Gene Wolf tip!
Seems all the authors I grew up on are going. Anne McCaffrey last year, David Eddings in 2009, Fred Saberhagen in 2007, Robert Jordan and Roger Zelazny at the far too young age of 58 in 2007 and 1995 respectively, Robert Asprin in 2008 at the hardly older age of 61, Isaac Asimov age 72 in 1992, Arthur Clarke in 2008, and Robert Heinlein in 1988. Just glad Jack Vance lived this long.
I suppose it's only natural-- published, successful authors were all at least 20 years older than I was when I started reading for fun. The first author I read for fun on my own was Tolkien, 4 years after his death, and from there I got into SF/Fantasy. It was also my introduction to bookstores, as the public libraries at that time either didn't carry Tolkien-- still too new for them, or always had all their copies checked out.
When the price of paperbacks went over $5 in the early 1990s, rising at more than double the rate of inflation, it seemed like sheer greed to me. Jarred with the generally positive morality depicted in the books, making that seem hypocritical. So I gradually dropped out, quit buying new from bookstores, and now I hardly ever even visit anymore, not even used bookstores or libraries, and have lost my familiarity with the titles available. Too many other leisure activities to do. And I haven't taken to the e-readers, too much DRM. For me the golden age of the SF/Fantasy book and bookstore was the 1980s. $1.95 each in the early 80s, cheap enough I'd try lots of books, no need to check a review or award list beforehand to see if it was worth the money. Was good while it lasted.
Intellectual Property is a monopolistic, selfish, and defective concept. It is "tyranny over the mind of man"
+1 for Wolfe, Also recommended is Matthew Hughes. Although his most recent series (Hell and Back) deals with an autistic crimefighter allied with the devil (which is surprisingly better than it sounds), most of his work is set in the Archonate, which feels similar to Vance's spacefaring series. I'd particularly recommend his Hengis Hapthorne books, which explore how the forenamed detective deals with the how sympathetic association (aka magic) intrudes on the world.
Another book recommendation would be _Anvil of the World_ by Kage Baker.
Finally, there is also _Songs of the Dying Earth_, where a number of esteemed writers pay homage to Vance by writing a series of short stories set in the world of the Dying Earth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Earth_%28subgenre%29
Jack Vance only wrote four books in his Dying Earth series, and he wasn't even the first to conceive of the idea. (see Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique series).
It's a shame he did not write more in the series.
Perhaps one of the few non-English speaking sci-fi authors but a pillar in paperbacks nonetheless.
My work here is dung.
As far as I know no Vance book has ever been turned into a movie or a series. For some reason, Jack Vance seems to be not as widely known or appreciated for what he brought to the genre.
While I know it might/will be a disappointment once it eventually and inevitably happens, I'd love to see a capable director rise up to the occasion anyway. There's certainly more than enough detailed quality material.
So long, Mr. Vance, and thanks for all the text.
Flourescent (adj): smelling like ground wheat.
I re-read his books regularly. I just finished my fifth read of the Lyonesse trilogy a few months ago.
The reason he's re-readable is because his books aren't about "how the story turns out". They're about atmosphere, imagination, whimsy, and most of all, dialogue. I loved Niven & Pournell's Mote in God's Eye, but when I tried to re-read it I was bored to tears. Not so with Vance's material.
However, I suspect that that's not for everyone. In fact, I think my own tastes have changed - when I was young, reading was about plot, plot, and plot.
The Tschai books (collected as Planet of Adventure) are whacking good fun. A bit slow until the protagonist meets Zarfo, half-way through the second book, but then Vance pulls out the stops and makes up for it. I see that I haven't read it since 2001, so it looks like that just went to the top of my list for summer reading.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Even if you don't like science fiction you should read the Dying Earth trilogy. The language and rhythm of Vance's prose make these works much more than the sum of their plots and characterization. His language is terse yet elegant. His settings are amazingly imaginative but efficiently conveyed. With run of the mill pulp writing you get the plot and the setting. With most big name sci fi writers you also get deep character development and high concept. Those bore me to death. In the Dying Earth through his use of language the characters, settings, and action remain deeply fascinating. There is an ever present cynicism and sense of meaninglessness in the face of the end of the world, making the occasional glimpses of morality and hope more compelling.
Another recently disappeared non-English speaking sci-fi classic authors. His brother Arkady had passed away in 1991.
His books are so very very well written. And when it comes to colors and places and properly placed latinate adjectives that leave you scrambling for your dictionary, there are few better. And the most important thing to know about Jack Vance is that he recognized the most alien of places is the construct of human culture.
I can't imagine even one of his books made properly into a movie unless Punctilio becomes trendy.
To the outsider go pick up any of his books on E-bay, pour yourself a glass of wine by a cozy fire, and let yourself go. How about "The Last Castle" as a start.
And so funny...
Tip: when reading Planet of Adventure, and you come to the part with the Dirdir cage, play Kraftwerk's Man-Machine album in the background.
I have been reading Jack Vance since I was about 11, many years ago. I knew that he was in his mid 90's and blind, and I never expected him to write anything again. However when I was looking at his works on Amazon a few weeks back, I saw that last year, at the age of 95, he was still in good enough shape to have written (or at least dictated) a biography called "This Is Me, Jack Vance! Or More Properly, This Is I".
So, thinking that this would be a good way to show my appreciation for all the fun his works had given me, I purchased it. Now I am glad that I did. Hope that some other fans also did the same! Not a bad way to go, hearing about your latest Amazon sales figures for work that you published at the age of 95.
Everyone you know, hmm? This is like a rich, straight, white guy writing about black culture and what it's like to grow up as a gay black male in the Deep South just because "he has a lot of black friends".
But to reply more seriously, when a game mechanic gets in the way of the enjoyment of the experience, it is a bad game mechanic, by definition. And Vancian Magic has caused more frustration and confusion due to its (by design!!) absurd and anti-intuitive nature than any other mechanic of the d20 system or all of them combined. Yes, this includes the infamous food for ragefests called "Alignment", too. Mechanics can and do get in the way of roleplayers and rollplayers alike, and no where in D&D is this more prevalent than the Vancian Casting system.
D&D is a game, whether it's used for fantasy war simulations or improv theater or, more often, both, and as such, is subject to the rules of game design / theory.
Disclaimer: in every single game of D&D I've ever played in my life, the first system to get hit with houserules is the magic system. There even official supplements which provide not one, not two, but many different ways to alter the magic system so that it doesn't use Vancian Casting at all -- most notably, in Unearthed Arcana for the 3.X editions of the game. 4th edition doesn't really use Vancian Magic, and I think there's a damn good explanation for that.
And just to rub it in a little more: D&D has only gotten to be more like a strict wargame as it has iterated. 4th edition is almost nothing but, and famously so. Your D&D-playing friends probably didn't bother to tell you this because you are obviously not interested in a game you don't play.
... but people keeps mentioning the dying earth series, Cugel and friends; and these are precisely the only four books from Vance that I didn't like much if at all. I found all of his marvellous inventions of many strange civilisations and customs so much more interesting; the space operas, the exotic adventures on strange worlds...
It seems fitting that his passing wasn't noticed until days later, even by those who would be interested. I have yet to meet another person who reads Jack Vance.
Of Mr. Vance's works, my favorites are The Cadwal Chronicles, Eyes of the Overworld, Cugel's Saga, and Clarges. His written style, subtle sense of humor, and penetrating understanding of human motivations have left their imprint on me; no other author I've read is as sardonically amused by the blatantly impossible idealism of science fiction. Mr. Vance's writings taught me that people are people, no matter their place or era. If it was this honesty that hurt his popularity, then God bless him for hewing to the truth.
Thank you for entertaining and enlightening me, Mr. Vance.
Correction...he wrote a suspense novel called "Bad Ronald" that was made into a nice little fringe TV movie in the early 70's. Check it out...and it should definitely be remade.
were also very good -esp Alastor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Vance#Alastor
and often chronicled fantastic events and very level-headed protagonists
-I'm just sayin'
Hey, later not to see such a wonderful book. zgsnbbs.com
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06/06/obituary_jack_vance/
I'm just sayin'