The Dying Earth
Actual title Mazirian the Magician. Cover art by Geoff Taylor. Another cover: George Barr, Underwood-Miller, 1976.
Retro Hugo Award novel nomination 2001.
Contents:
- Turjan of Miir (1950)
- Mazirian the Magician (1950)
- T'Sais (1950)
- Liane the Wayfarer (1950)
- Ulan Dhor Ends a Dream (1950)
- Guyal of Sfere (1950)
Many eons from now, our Sun has dwindled to a cold red star. Soon it
must flicker out... yet still men and women live, and love, and seek
what adventure their strange world holds. And that is plenty – for on
this ancient Earth the laws of physics weaken, and magic has returned
to its own. Enchantment rules, from the Iron Mountains to the dreaming
city of Kaiin.
Meet T'sais the sorceress, Turjan the scientist, and Liane the
rogue. Journey with them through dim forests and ancient
seabeds – across the mystical landscape of The Dying Earth.
Jack Vance
John Holbrook "Jack" Vance (1916–2013) was an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction writer. Though most of his work has been published as by Jack Vance, he also wrote 11 mystery novels using his full name John Holbrook Vance, three under the pseudonym Ellery Queen, and once each using the pseudonyms Alan Wade, Peter Held, John van See, and Jay Kavanse.
Vance won the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1984 and he was a Guest of Honor at the 1992 World Science Fiction Convention in Orlando, Florida. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America made him its 14th Grand Master in 1997 and the Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted him in 2001, its sixth class of two deceased and two living writers.
Dying Earth
The stories of the Dying Earth series are set in the distant future, at a point when the sun is almost exhausted and magic has reasserted itself as a dominant force. The various civilizations of Earth have collapsed for the most part into decadence. The Earth is mostly barren and cold, and has become infested with various predatory monsters (possibly created by a magician in a former age).
The Moon has disappeared and the Sun is in danger of burning out at any time. A certain fatalism characterizes many of the inhabitants as a consequence.
The series shows the influence of the picaresque tale, applied to a science fiction/fantasy setting.
Dying Earth consists of four primary books, and includes eight additional books that complement the series but are not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
