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OS CONTOS DE DYING EARTH
Contos de Dying Earth O livro, uma coletânea de contos, é o primeiro da Série Dying Earth e figura entre os 33 melhores livros de ficção pela Locus. Seu autor, John Holbrook “Jack” Vance (1916-2013), vencedor de 3 prêmios Hugo, 1 Nebula e muitos outros, inspirou inúmeros autores. Entre os nomes inspirados por Vance estão George R. R. Martin e, principalmente, Gary Gygax, o pai do RPG mais famoso de todos os Dungeons & Dragons. Em Contos de Dying Earth somos levados para um futuro distante, sob a constante ameaça do nosso sol extinguir-se e, após o estranho desaparecimento da lua, a humanidade vive em profundo niilismo esperando pelo apocalipse iminente. A Terra está morrendo. As grandes civilizações ao redor do globo não existem mais e, com isso, criaturas estranhas espreitam os ermos. Nesse cenário de decadência e desolação, magia e tecnologia se misturam e são usadas por pessoas que não as compreendem de verdade. A versão nacional de Dying Earth ainda conta com um acabamento em alta qualidade. Da impressão em papel pólen ao verniz localizado na capa com arte exclusiva do talentoso Bruno Prosaiko, essa edição é perfeita para fãs antigos e novos de um dos maiores mestres da fantasia.
Paperback
Published June 29, 2023
About the author
Jack Vance
775 books1,610 followersAka John Holbrook Vance, Peter Held, Ellery Queen, Alan Wade.
John Holbrook Vance was an American writer widely celebrated for his imaginative contributions to science fiction, fantasy, and mystery literature. Over a career that spanned more than six decades, he became known for richly detailed worlds, inventive language, and stories that combined adventure with sharp social observation. His work influenced generations of speculative fiction writers and helped expand the literary possibilities of the genre. Vance wrote more than sixty books and numerous short stories, many first appearing in science fiction magazines before later being expanded into novels and collections. His fiction was widely translated and developed an international readership.
Vance grew up in California and spent part of his youth on a ranch near the Sacramento River delta, where he developed a love of the outdoors and an appetite for reading. The family experienced financial hardship during the Great Depression, prompting him to take a variety of jobs before completing his studies at the University of California, Berkeley. During these years he worked in several trades and cultivated interests in music, travel, and sailing, experiences that later informed many of the settings and themes in his fiction. Before becoming a full-time writer he held numerous occupations, including shipyard worker, merchant seaman, carpenter, and surveyor.
His earliest published story appeared in the mid 1940s in a science fiction magazine, marking the beginning of a long writing career. Throughout the following decades he produced stories across multiple genres, though he became best known for science fiction and fantasy cycles that combined imaginative settings with elaborate cultures and social systems. Among his most famous works are The Dragon Masters and The Last Castle, both of which received Hugo Awards. The Last Castle also earned the Nebula Award, confirming Vance's reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in speculative fiction. His fantasy trilogy Lyonesse later received the World Fantasy Award, while his memoir This Is Me, Jack Vance! earned another Hugo decades later.
In addition to speculative fiction, Vance wrote several mystery novels, some under pseudonyms including Ellery Queen. These works often blended crime elements with psychological or social themes and sometimes anticipated ideas that later appeared in his science fiction. His storytelling frequently emphasized cultural conflict, moral ambiguity, and intricate social customs rather than large-scale warfare, setting him apart from many contemporaries in the genre.
Vance maintained close friendships with other science fiction writers and participated in literary communities that shaped postwar American speculative fiction. He traveled widely with his family and spent extended periods abroad, experiences that influenced the exotic settings and cosmopolitan tone found in many of his books. Music also played a role in his life and writing, reflecting his long-standing enthusiasm for traditional jazz.
Despite gradually losing his eyesight later in life, Vance continued writing with the aid of specialized software and completed both fiction and autobiography in his later years. Over time his reputation grew steadily, and he received numerous honors, including the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and recognition as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Critics and fellow writers often praised his distinctive style, wit, and imagination, and his stories remain widely read within the science fiction and fantasy community.
John Holbrook Vance was an American writer widely celebrated for his imaginative contributions to science fiction, fantasy, and mystery literature. Over a career that spanned more than six decades, he became known for richly detailed worlds, inventive language, and stories that combined adventure with sharp social observation. His work influenced generations of speculative fiction writers and helped expand the literary possibilities of the genre. Vance wrote more than sixty books and numerous short stories, many first appearing in science fiction magazines before later being expanded into novels and collections. His fiction was widely translated and developed an international readership.
Vance grew up in California and spent part of his youth on a ranch near the Sacramento River delta, where he developed a love of the outdoors and an appetite for reading. The family experienced financial hardship during the Great Depression, prompting him to take a variety of jobs before completing his studies at the University of California, Berkeley. During these years he worked in several trades and cultivated interests in music, travel, and sailing, experiences that later informed many of the settings and themes in his fiction. Before becoming a full-time writer he held numerous occupations, including shipyard worker, merchant seaman, carpenter, and surveyor.
His earliest published story appeared in the mid 1940s in a science fiction magazine, marking the beginning of a long writing career. Throughout the following decades he produced stories across multiple genres, though he became best known for science fiction and fantasy cycles that combined imaginative settings with elaborate cultures and social systems. Among his most famous works are The Dragon Masters and The Last Castle, both of which received Hugo Awards. The Last Castle also earned the Nebula Award, confirming Vance's reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in speculative fiction. His fantasy trilogy Lyonesse later received the World Fantasy Award, while his memoir This Is Me, Jack Vance! earned another Hugo decades later.
In addition to speculative fiction, Vance wrote several mystery novels, some under pseudonyms including Ellery Queen. These works often blended crime elements with psychological or social themes and sometimes anticipated ideas that later appeared in his science fiction. His storytelling frequently emphasized cultural conflict, moral ambiguity, and intricate social customs rather than large-scale warfare, setting him apart from many contemporaries in the genre.
Vance maintained close friendships with other science fiction writers and participated in literary communities that shaped postwar American speculative fiction. He traveled widely with his family and spent extended periods abroad, experiences that influenced the exotic settings and cosmopolitan tone found in many of his books. Music also played a role in his life and writing, reflecting his long-standing enthusiasm for traditional jazz.
Despite gradually losing his eyesight later in life, Vance continued writing with the aid of specialized software and completed both fiction and autobiography in his later years. Over time his reputation grew steadily, and he received numerous honors, including the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and recognition as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Critics and fellow writers often praised his distinctive style, wit, and imagination, and his stories remain widely read within the science fiction and fantasy community.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 18, 2026
Mediano, vale como curiosidade das raízes da magia vanciana presente no D&D.
March 29, 2025
A riqueza de uma Terra decadente
Jack Vance impressiona com seus contos de Dying Earth, uma terra a beira da catástrofe, onde a humanidade se encontram em assentamentos afastados, costumes diferentes, onde a magia e a tecnologia se mesclam, e onde mutantes e demônios vagam.
A interligação entre os contos é muito bem realizada, onde os vários personagens-foco são apresentados nos contos anteriores, elevando a familiaridade com o leitor.
Infelizmente há alguns erros de digitação e repetição de palavras mas nada que prejudique muito a apreciação da obra.
Ansioso para o lançamento da sequência desta série que influenciou muito o gênero de fantasia e ficção.
Jack Vance impressiona com seus contos de Dying Earth, uma terra a beira da catástrofe, onde a humanidade se encontram em assentamentos afastados, costumes diferentes, onde a magia e a tecnologia se mesclam, e onde mutantes e demônios vagam.
A interligação entre os contos é muito bem realizada, onde os vários personagens-foco são apresentados nos contos anteriores, elevando a familiaridade com o leitor.
Infelizmente há alguns erros de digitação e repetição de palavras mas nada que prejudique muito a apreciação da obra.
Ansioso para o lançamento da sequência desta série que influenciou muito o gênero de fantasia e ficção.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews