The Eyes of the Overworld

Vance returns to his Dying Earth setting and introduces us to the dubiously titled Cugel the Clever. It's a wonderful read, even if the stories within are very episodic, since Vance's prose is a delight to read - few authors manage to marry precision, clarity and lightness of touch so well. There is the odd misstep - Cugel being sent back in time to search for Totality was a weak episode - but overall the collection is very strong and Cugel such a fun character, despite his rogue-ish ways, you can't help but enjoy reading of his adventures. It's not life changing, but it's damn good fun.

Cugel the Clever stumbles from one adventure to another in a dismal world, ancient beyond memory, in Jack Vance’s The Eyes of the Overworld. Written in 1966, Cugel’s world spanning tale of thwarted ambition and stillborn revenge is darkly epic.

Reading through my omnibus edition of Tales of the Dying Earth, I find the contrast between the 1950 The Dying Earth and the 1966 The Eyes of the Overworld remarkable. The world is the same, but the style of the story is very different. Unlike the loosely connected short stories of the first book which featured a variety of different characters, this whole volume centers upon Cugel the Clever.

This focus upon Cugel isn’t the only difference. I complained in my review that the characters of show more The Dying Earth were unfairly maligned as rapacious. For Cugel, on the other hand, that criticism would be apt. Cugel’s vanity and ambition far outstrip his competence, although not perhaps his luck. He is the classic anti-hero, a liar, a cheat, and a thief whose only redeeming quality is that he discomfits those worse than himself.

Since this is only the second book by Vance I’ve read, I don’t know his motive for trying something different. Perhaps the times had changed, or perhaps Vance had. In any case, the feel of the story is quite different. There was something magical [not Vancian] about The Dying Earth that is missing here. However, I did enjoy Cugel’s adventures, and I can see why Gygax listed The Eyes of the Overworld first in Appendix N, as it contains much more of the magical mechanics that eventually found their way into Dungeons and Dragons.

There is a grandness to the sweep of Cugel’s journey, despite his personal lacks. Since many of the chapters of The Eyes of the Overworld were originally published in magazines, each chapter is relatively self-contained. Thus, Vance has to establish each setting quickly, leading to a plethora of interesting locales. My favorite is the ever-watchful village of Vull, in the “Mountains of Magnatz”.

The anti-hero style of the book does have one thing going for it. What Cugel does to Vull is more satisfying than the ending of Le Guin’s thinkpiece, Those Who Walk Away from Omelas. Vance wasn’t trying to make it high art, which is almost always a mistake. The combination of an episodic structure with the fundamental premise, Cugel’s cupidity gets him into trouble and his luck gets him out again, does not allow Vance to get too clever, which is a good thing.

So despite a big change in style, I did like the second entry in The Tales of Dying Earth, and I’m looking forward to Cugel’s Saga next. Jack Vance made the anti-hero thing work, at least this time. show less

Oddly enough, I think I enjoyed this second book of Vance's Dying Earth much better than the first. It's not only smoother but it also tickles most of my funny bones.

Cugel is one hell of a damned rogue! Very flexible of morals, quick of wit, and easily a loveable/hateable anti-hero. In most respects, I felt like I was reading a high-fantasy version of Gulliver's Travels, always skirting the edge of high satire and always roving knee-deep in extremely lucky circumstance, tragic reversals, and yet more inexplicable adventure.

The man is charmed and cursed in a very enjoyable fashion.

Best of all, Vance never dumbs down his text. I was very amused to find some awesome language and a highbrow vocabulary inserted so deftly. I'm not used to ANY show more modern fantasy being allowed a free hand with words.

Fortunately, this came out in 1966 by a firmly established master of the craft with little interest in catering to the lowest common denominator. :) Go, Vance! :) show less

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

I’ve already said, numerous times, how much I love Jack Vance, so I’ll skip all that this time. You can read other reviews on this page if you missed that.

The Eyes of the Overworld is the second part of Tales of the Dying Earth and the main character is one of my favorite Vance characters: the self-titled Cugel the Clever. Cugel is not the kind of guy you want to have dealings with — he’s clever, sneaky, completely selfish and remorseless. He is always trying to figure out how he can take advantage of other people in order to make his own circumstances better.

In The Eyes of the Overworld, Cugel decides to burglarize the house of Iucounu the Laughing Magician so he can sell some of show more Iucounu’s thaumaturgical artifacts. But the magician catches Cugel and punishes him by setting him on a quest to procure a lens which allows the wearer to view the overworld.

Cugel is clever, but as clever as he is, he often finds himself facing a foe who, at least temporarily, manages to outwit him (which invariably surprises Cugel). This time his quest leads him on a series of misadventures in which he: gets captured by rat people… is forced to be the watchman of a village… steals more than one person’s inheritance… deals with demons… trades a woman for information… impersonates a god… and travels a million years into the past. Wherever he goes, Cugel, sometimes purposely and sometimes unwittingly, leaves sorrow and destruction in his wake. He deprives people of their hope, their faith and, often, their lives.

This doesn’t sound like it should be very entertaining, but oh, it is! That’s because the story is written in Jack Vance’s singular style: high language, bizarre occurrences, and Vance’s characteristic humor. I hate to say it again, but the best comparison I can make is to Monty Python. If you’re a fan of that type of strange dark humor, then this should be your thing.

I listened to The Eyes of the Overworld in audio format. I can’t express how excited I was to learn that Brilliance Audio was producing these, and I’m pleased to report that they did an excellent job. Arthur Morey once again brought out all of the nuances of Vance’s humor and he made a perfect Cugel. In fact, The Eyes of the Overworld was even better than The Dying Earth, probably because it follows the same main character rather than being divided up into separate short stories. I loved it. show less

I've read this in the omnibus Tales Of The Dying Earth. I feel like kicking Cugel's ass, for everywhere he comes, he leaves a path of destruction, death, ... has no respect for customs, profites from others' actions, and yet, one can't help feel to choose his side too when he's cornered. On the other hand, in the end you sort of get the message: what goes around, comes around. Or, don't seek personal revenge, because that is not going to end the circle or spiral. On the contrary, it might get worse. All in all, another nice read, though less exciting (and more nerve-wrecking) than "The Dying Earth", hence only 7/10.

I loved this book. The character is a borderline sociopath but extremely amusing. Accordingly, Vance's prose style is quite artistic. He is the type of writer whose phrases you can roll over your tongue over and over. With risk of being hyperbolic, I would say Vance's work is lyrical. As far as the plot is concerned, I'll offer a little summary: the novel is about a Rogue named Cugel the Clever (he only thinks he's clever--he's actually somewhat of a fool). Cugel decides to rob a sorcerer's private abode. Alas, he gets caught. The sorcerer then forces him to commit to an adventure on his behalf. He has to go and get a magical artifact. Using his sorcery the sorcerer throws Cugel halfway across a decadent world filled with monsters, show more demons, strange cities, horrible wastes, etc. etc.. Thus, Cugel has to finish his mission and make his way home. In terms of structure, the novel is kind of a "picaresque novel," a linear narrative that includes a variety of episodic encounters. If you liked Jack Vance's, *The Dying Earth,* you'll love this--but, never fear! It is not a sequel to that book. It only takes place in the same world as that previous novel. To wrap things up: if you like weirdness and beautiful language, rogue-like characters whose silly behavior will have you in tears, science-romances or romantic fantasies, then *drum roll* this book is for you. show less

This is the second book in the “tales of dying Earth” and follows the journey of our protagonist, the self-proclaimed Cugel the clever, across mountains, deserts and seas.

Cugel is a selfish, greedy and a remorseless charlatan. He is capable of performing a lot of despicable and ignoble actions to get himself out of sticky situations. He is filled with a sense of his own greatness and despite his self-proclaimed title, we find Cugel to be gullible and often a victim of a trick himself.

This book lacks the sense of wonder which was present in “the dying Earth”. But with Vance’s exotic prose and filled with a lot of irony and dark humour, this makes a wonderful read.