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Rating: 
Summary: Epic Fairy Tale
Review: Fairy tale allusions in an epic story. Suldrun's Garden is a light read with some depth. It succeeds on many levels.
Rating:
Summary: Vance Rules
Review: I will keep this review brief - as the other reviewers have stated the Lyonesse Trilogy is a fabulous and unique set of books. The Lyonesse trilogy is engrossing (read all three books practically continuously for 2 days) and hilarious (laugh out loud and you will go back and reread sentences/scenes).
I have not encountered another author with Vance's style (and trust me I have tried .. taking Amazon's recs based on people who like Vance has been a big waste of money and time) -which is why his books are real treasures. Its good that they are starting to reissue much of his work and you can track down a lot of his books through resellers .. trust me 90% of Vance's books are worthy of having a permanent place on your bookcase.
Rating:
Summary: Vance Rules
Review: I will keep this review brief - as the other reviewers have stated the Lyonesse Trilogy is a fabulous and unique set of books. The Lyonesse trilogy is engrossing (read all three books practically continuously for 2 days) and hilarious (laugh out loud and you will go back and reread sentences/scenes).
I have not encountered another author with Vance's style (and trust me I have tried .. taking Amazon's recs based on people who like Vance has been a big waste of money and time) -which is why his books are real treasures. Its good that they are starting to reissue much of his work and you can track down a lot of his books through resellers .. trust me 90% of Vance's books are worthy of having a permanent place on your bookcase.
Rating:
Summary: Oi! Fantasy readers! OVER HERE!
Review: Is this really out of print? In that case I will purchase "Suldrun's Garden" second hand, and the publishers shall get not a groat.This is the first of a fantasy series from the 1980s, by an author whose first work in the genre ("The Dying Earth", 1950) predates publication of "The Lord of the Rings" ... consequently one does NOT get the immitable bits of Tolkein filtered through the D&D Dungeon-Master's Guide, but a book that re-creates mythology in its own right. Well, it sort of re-creates fairytale as well. "Suldrun's Garden" especially. This was (and will be) many people's first Vance book; and so I should mention the most salient point: the style. Unlike most of his competitors Vance can put a sentence together - nay, even a paragraph: imagine that! - and his dialogue is always crisp and delicious. (Supposedly wise wizards mouthing empty inanities are nowhere to be found in Vance.) Inventive, unpredicatble, beautiful ... the publishers can stick that on the back cover of the next edition, if they want. Just so long as they print one.
Rating:
Summary: Best ever
Review: Not a word of a lie. I read this at 12 years old and it was the greatest book I have ever read. I have re-read it multiple times and never have I found a better fantasy novel. Surprises, characters, tears, laughs - Lyonesse has it all. AND - it doesn't lose it in the sequels. If you are reading this review, trust me - get Lyonesse wherever you can and read it.
Rating:
Summary: the best
Review: The best adult fairy tale I have ever read. Vance draws upon a vast tapestry of classic fairy lore to create a wolrd that truly lives and breathes. Yes, it's cute,but it's also funny and very grown up, with likeable characters, and lots of sex and violence. The sequels (The Green Pearl & Madouc) are just as good. Don't read this one on an empty stomach.
Rating:
Summary: enchanted
Review: This book leaves me with amazement at Jack Vance's range of imagination and precision. I am familiar with Vance's early science fiction novels that employ a pleasantly deliberate execution. This work retains that style and yet endeavors and succeeds in contriving an elaborate, far-stretching story of an epic level. His characters are entirely believable and emotionally charged. He draws the plot together in a natural and yet surprising manner, and his depiction of the magical arts and creatures is like a fairy tale of adult proportions. I have read a lot of fantasy novels and this one I have found incredibly refreshing in its originality and delivery. Enjoy! I look forward to reading the remainder of this trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping Reading
Review: This is the first book in the Lyonesse trilogy. Though some of the locations are fictional, others are quite real and it gives the book a plausibility most fantasies are lacking. Jack Vance has created characters that move and breathe in a intricate society of his own making. Book 1 is the quest of Prince Allias to find his son and claim his rightful throne. If you have never read these books, make up for it now.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is the first book of a great fantasy trilogy written by Jack Vance, one of the 2 or 3 best living authors in the genre. The Lyonesse trilogy is undeservedly obscure, it should be mentioned in the same breathe as "The Lord of the Rings", or "Gormenghast", yet it languishes out of print. A wonderful, absorbing read distinguished by Vance's elegant, unusual prose.
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