Rhialto the Marvellous
Cover art by Geoff Taylor. Another cover: Stephen Fabian. Brandywine Books, 1984.
A collection of three novellas, two new and one revised.
- The Murthe (1984)
- Fader's Waft (1984)
- Morreion (1973)
AS THE SUN FADES, THE LEADER OF THE WITCHES RETURNS
Exiled to a far distant star after the defeat of the witches, Llorio the Murthe has made her wicked way back to the Dying Earth. A dramatic warning from the past alerts the magicians of the 21st Aeon, among their number; RHIALTO THE MARVELLOUS, magician of the highest order. Against the intrigues of the Murthe, Rhialto and his ally, Ildefonse the Preceptor, have a battle of magical power on their hands.
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.
