The Eyes of the Overworld

Jack Vance
The Eyes of the Overworld Cover

The Funniest of the Dying Earth

couchtomoon
9/17/2015
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The Eyes of the Overworld (1966), (and damn the editor who thought that was a better a title over Vance's preferred Cugel the Clever, which is a more fitting name.)

Speaking of Severian, here we meet the listless vagabond, Cugel the Clever, which he isn't. But Vance is. Vance isn't the most talented or technical author, but he manages a clever trick by invoking reader responsiveness to his amoral fuckup protagonist. Cugel is a criminal, a liar, a lazy twit. More like Cugel the Crooked and Possibly Deluded.

Finally a fantasy story that doesn't take itself too seriously! When Cugel abandons damsels to distress, when his trickery backfires, when he turns tail and flees the story at the climax, we see Vance's true colors shine through. Those trite, annoying traits of fantasy fiction are lampooned here: the chivalry, the bravery, the moral superiority, those delineated lines of good and evil... it's all exaggerated and flimsy to the point of ridicule. And better yet, despite all of Cugel's shortcomings, you'll cheer when he finally gets laid (if only for a little bit, because that will backfire, too).

This is comedy gold. And even better, it's deadpanned the whole time. No authorial elbow nudges here.

If you only read one Vance selection, make sure it's this one.

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