Liane the Wayfarer

by Jack Vance

A vain, overconfident, utterly amoral adventurer who calls himself Liane the Wayfarer embarks on a quest to restore a tapestry of a lost homeland to a beautiful witch in exchange for sex. The tapestry is in the possession of Chun the Unavoidable who wears a cape of human eyeballs. Liane is not concerned...

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction

Unknown Binding

About the author

Aka John Holbrook Vance, Peter Held, John Holbrook, Ellery Queen, John van See, Alan Wade.

The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, The Dying Earth , was published in 1950 to great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.

Reviews

[Brooke (B for Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I am Liane the Wayfarer. Peril goes with me.”

[Bradley]

The most surprising shift about this story in my anthology series is the active, peppy language. It sticks out when compared with the older fantasy stories. We’re definitely entering the stage of more contemporary fantasy with this one. Everything else seemed either extremely imaginative or experimental. We’re journeying into the places where fantasy now roosts.

[Lauren Hulse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dazzling, yet thought provoking, with an ending which chills.

[Matthew Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is that good stuff.

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The developers of Dungeons and Dragons knew J. R. R. Tolkien. With the success of The Lord of the Rings it would have been hard to develop a fantasy game without including something of his influence. But other authors were just as influential, including Jack Vance, whose Dying Earth stories contain so many elements of what would be incorporated in that game. Things such as the bronze ring that Liane finds early in this story, a tiara that somehow enlarges itself as you put it on to fall down and encompass your own body, giving you a space to hide in that is apart from the rest of the world. Like a bag of holding. And Liane is a thief and a brigand, one of the D&D character staples, and he runs into a several magic users. Vance was incredibly inventive and this is a prime example. Recommended to any and all fantasy buffs.

[Sara]

Who want forget us just go and ma heart pray to y
ma adv to more of quest of tapestry
parphan of dream just was cry
mirror to near morning to hold dying earth
what can wint done to hut
to our trust in ever
why have ring of hid to go to dark world
i will go to paradise of heart
esp the one that i care for
what we think and talk make the dark go wild
in storm go at forest
to sick ending that war
whit flower just stop drink fire of red wine
gain far from many fault
strang oth
but in the end many trust in light of eyes

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible made up words that don't make any sense

[Jakub Brudny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pięknie, kinowo wręcz napisana przygoda

[Opher Ziv · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ultimate dark fantasy Picaresque short story. Oh so deliciously dark. Pure genius.