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Lyonesse by Jack Vance
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Lyonesse (1983)

by Jack Vance

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Lyonesse (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
920118,692 (3.94)25
  1. 10
    The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe (LamontCranston)
  2. 00
    Nine Princes In Amber by Roger Zelazny (corporate_clone)
    corporate_clone: another modern telling of fairy tales, Amber and Lyonnesse have quite a bit in common and may appeal the same readers.
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English (8)  French (2)  All languages (10)
Showing 1-5 of 8 (next | show all)
Classic high fantasy.

After all of the werewolves, vampires, angels, and urban-fantasy, it's nice to settle down with a classic high fantasy novel.

Set in the mythical land of the Elder Isles, before the time of King Arthur, this novel has everything I needed to cleanse my fantasy palate. Good and evil knights, good and evil wizards, evil kings, tortured princesses, good heroes. Lots of magic and magical creatures and a hearty adventure weaving multiple lives together.

It is the first in the trilogy, but it wraps up the story lines it focuses on well enough.

My only caveat is this: It's an older book, and it *feels* and reads like a high fantasy some old white dude wrote. It does take place in a classic European setting with more than its fair share of raping and "erotic" activities, but nothing terribly graphic. Don't expect any progressive ideals or adventures, but sit back and enjoy the classic fun if you'd like. ( )
  suzemo | Mar 31, 2013 |
Classic high fantasy.

After all of the werewolves, vampires, angels, and urban-fantasy, it's nice to settle down with a classic high fantasy novel.

Set in the mythical land of the Elder Isles, before the time of King Arthur, this novel has everything I needed to cleanse my fantasy palate. Good and evil knights, good and evil wizards, evil kings, tortured princesses, good heroes. Lots of magic and magical creatures and a hearty adventure weaving multiple lives together.

It is the first in the trilogy, but it wraps up the story lines it focuses on well enough.

My only caveat is this: It's an older book, and it *feels* and reads like a high fantasy some old white dude wrote. It does take place in a classic European setting with more than its fair share of raping and "erotic" activities, but nothing terribly graphic. Don't expect any progressive ideals or adventures, but sit back and enjoy the classic fun if you'd like. ( )
  suzemo | Mar 31, 2013 |
Magical and enchanting. I loved the language, and the story is complex and intelligent. The characters are not deeply drawn, but compelling nevertheless. I read this first one of the series in less than a day, and can imagine rereading it many times. There is much humor, both subtle and explicit, as well as some rather dispassionate horror, and for me, the story never lagged. I am both eager to read the next book, and wary of finishing the series too soon. I found this fantasy to be unique and am amazed that it has not been more widely recommended by LTers. ( )
2 vote KAzevedo | May 16, 2011 |
This is another book I read as a child, except in this case I didn't really remember much of it -- the only bit I remembered was the punishment of Madouc's mother, but that might have been because I was a teenaged boy at the time. Overall this is a very good book. It took me a while to read because of being distracted with other projects, but the ongoing oppression of Princess Suldrun didn't really help either -- it was interesting at first, but got depressing after a while. Its also disturbing how many times sexual assault is used as a plot element in this book...

http://www.stillhq.com/book/Jack_Vance/Lyonesse.html ( )
  mikal | Feb 3, 2010 |
Showing 1-5 of 8 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (7 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Jack Vanceprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Canty, TomCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Christensen, James C.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Toulouse, SophieCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
van Houten, MickCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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To Norma: wife and colleague
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On a dreary winter's day, with rain sweeping across Lyonesse Town, Queen Sollace went into labor.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0575073748, Paperback)

The Elder Isles, located in what is now the Bay of Biscay off the the coast of Old Gaul, are made up of ten contending kingdoms, all vying with each other for control. At the centre of much of the intrigue is Casmir, the ruthless and ambitious king of Lyonnesse. His beautiful but otherworldly daughter, Suldrun, is part of his plans. He intends to cement an alliance or two by marrying her well. But Suldrun is as determined as he and defies him. Casmir coldly confines her to the overgrown garden that she loves to frequent, and it is here that meets her love and her tragedy unfolds. Political intrigue, magic, war, adventure and romance are interwoven in a rich and sweeping tale set in a brilliantly realized fabled land.

(retrieved from Amazon Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:24:55 -0500)

(see all 5 descriptions)

The Elder Isles, located off the the coast of Old Gaul, are made up of ten contending kingdoms, all vying with each other for control. At the centre of much of the intrigue in this tale is Casmir, the ruthless and ambitious King of Lyonnesse.

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