Jack Vance or There are Doors?

Dave Rolsky · 20 Dec 2002, 23:29 · from urth-v0212.mbox · original

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From: Dave Rolsky <autarch at urth.org>
Subject: Re: (urth) Jack Vance or There are Doors?
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2002 17:29:04 -0600 (CST)
Message-ID: <urth-v0212-2499 at digest.urth.net>
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On Thu, 19 Dec 2002, cilluff1 at optonline.net wrote:

> Hello, all.  I was looking for any opinions here, I am just about to fini=
sh
> RTTW, and was looking next either to read Jack Vance's Tales of the Dying
> Earth or Wolfe's There are Doors.  I'm intrigued as to the Vance work to
> see how it influenced the Urth novels, but have never read any Vance
> before.  I also have never read any Wolfe other than the Urth/LS/SS cycle,
> so don't know what to expect from There are Doors.  Any recommendations or
> views on these books from the list?

I think you might as well read the Dying Earth stories, since they're a
quick, easy read.  Contrary to some other views on the list, I think Vance
is a good but definitely not great author.  I do think he should get some
credit for writing such an entertaining set of stories where the main
character in most of them (Cugel) is a completely unlikeable bastard ;)

Hmm, I don't have a Vironese name but I think I do win for most Wolfe-ish
email address ;)

-dave

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