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Green Magic: The Fantasy Realms of Jack Vance
Contains the stories:
"Green Magic"
"The Miracle Workers"
"The Moon Moth"
"The Mitr"
"The Men Return"
"The Narrow Land"
"The Pilgrims"
"The Secret"
"Liane the Wayfarer" (aka "The Loom of Darkness")
"Green Magic"
"The Miracle Workers"
"The Moon Moth"
"The Mitr"
"The Men Return"
"The Narrow Land"
"The Pilgrims"
"The Secret"
"Liane the Wayfarer" (aka "The Loom of Darkness")
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1979
1 person is currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Jack Vance
778 books1,588 followersAka 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 24, 2017
¡REVIEW #1,000!
I can't think of a better way to mark my one-thousandth review than to dedicate it to my favorite author: Jack Vance!
This is a collection of various stories and novellas.
"Green Magic"
A wizard learns of the existence of a fourth discipline and realm of magic: the Green. Eventually, using a beer bottle and a television camera, he is able to spy on this place of ephemeral, indescribable beauty, and soon after enters. 700 years later - but a mere two hours of our time - he returns a changed man. What is this world of man and mud after such a time, in such a place? Nothing but a disappointment. Perhaps after such learning and such adventures, the only way to while away the time is to amuse oneself by playing whimsical tricks on various slow-witted lumps of humanity. I can't help but sympathize.
"The Miracle Workers"
Science as magic and magic as science: is it only a matter of perspective? The novella "The Miracle Workers" is a thrilling (well, a detached and ironic Vancean sort of thrilling) science fantasy and the longest piece in the collection. Medieval warlords and their voodoo-using 'jinxmasters' battle each other and then the strange 'First Folk' who now live in the forests, driven from their homelands - and who are planting new forests to surround their enemies' keeps. Fantasy? A thousand or so years ago, soldiers in an intergalactic war crash-landed on a world of aboriginal insect-men; many years later, their descendants use telepathy and technology they barely understand to fight each other and then the natives - who have created their own verminous armies. Science fiction? A mordantly playful tale, featuring some thoroughly repellent aliens, who come complete with bulbous underarm sacs that spray purple foam.
"The Mitr" and "The Men Return"
Vance's genius is on full display with these two brief, perfectly written stories. One portrays a gang rape and the other features cannibalism; in the end, the mournful and elegiac tone of "The Mitr" and the hallucinatory humor of "The Men Return" make both stories rise above the atrocity and any misanthropy. The former depicts the lonely life of the last human on an inexplicable world ruled by insects, and her first meeting with some brutal off-world humans out on a lark; the latter has insane humans known as "Organisms" versus the slightly less insane but just as hungry humans known as "Relicts" on a chimerical Earth that has drifted into a "pocket of noncausality"
"The Narrow Land"
Poor three-ridge man! He is not like the violent, dirty one-ridge men nor like the austere, logical two-ridge men. Perhaps three eggs should not come into contact with one another when buried together on the beach; the life of such tragic progeny will surely be brief. Or perhaps he will be the vanguard of the three-ridged men's return to dominance!
This could be fantasy or it could be science fiction; no matter, Vance does away with such trifling distinctions when creating this alien world with alien beings ruled by distinctions and challenges that any human can understand. On the one path: slovenly and mercenary stupidity; on the other: insular rigidity. Vance has detailed such situations before, and always with a deeply sardonic eye, but not to my knowledge in an entirely inhuman setting with an equally inhuman cast. But what is a person? Surely not simply a "human". His curious and canny three-ridge man is a typically relatable and sympathetic Vancean protagonist. Wonderful story!
"The Secret"
Another unusual offering from Vance: a fable about life and death. Beautifully told, simple in execution, both simple and profound in meaning. The vision of an idyllic island community that our aging protagonist must soon leave was entrancing.
"The Moon Moth"
If all of Vance's ideas could be distilled into one tale, then that tale would be "The Moon Moth". This is an exquisite gem of a story. A severely formal, thoroughly bizarre culture where pathological self-absorption goes hand-in-hand with intricate social rituals and brutal bursts of violence; a setting that takes place on a watery pastoral world of haunting beauty - and that includes cannibalistic mountain men who stalk its cities at night. An often frustrated everyman of a protagonist, hunting an assassin in a society where every person wears a mask and every mask has layer upon layer of meaning. A murder mystery. Houseboats. Surly shopkeepers and an emphasis on the exchange of goods. Communication through song and music. An author who delights in stylizing the worst of humanity's traits, polishing and reshaping our flaws until they gleam like jewels, our basest impulses transformed into something strange and enchanting.
the collection also features two stories from The Dying Earth and Cugel's Saga.
I can't think of a better way to mark my one-thousandth review than to dedicate it to my favorite author: Jack Vance!
This is a collection of various stories and novellas.
"Green Magic"
A wizard learns of the existence of a fourth discipline and realm of magic: the Green. Eventually, using a beer bottle and a television camera, he is able to spy on this place of ephemeral, indescribable beauty, and soon after enters. 700 years later - but a mere two hours of our time - he returns a changed man. What is this world of man and mud after such a time, in such a place? Nothing but a disappointment. Perhaps after such learning and such adventures, the only way to while away the time is to amuse oneself by playing whimsical tricks on various slow-witted lumps of humanity. I can't help but sympathize.
"The Miracle Workers"
Science as magic and magic as science: is it only a matter of perspective? The novella "The Miracle Workers" is a thrilling (well, a detached and ironic Vancean sort of thrilling) science fantasy and the longest piece in the collection. Medieval warlords and their voodoo-using 'jinxmasters' battle each other and then the strange 'First Folk' who now live in the forests, driven from their homelands - and who are planting new forests to surround their enemies' keeps. Fantasy? A thousand or so years ago, soldiers in an intergalactic war crash-landed on a world of aboriginal insect-men; many years later, their descendants use telepathy and technology they barely understand to fight each other and then the natives - who have created their own verminous armies. Science fiction? A mordantly playful tale, featuring some thoroughly repellent aliens, who come complete with bulbous underarm sacs that spray purple foam.
"The Mitr" and "The Men Return"
Vance's genius is on full display with these two brief, perfectly written stories. One portrays a gang rape and the other features cannibalism; in the end, the mournful and elegiac tone of "The Mitr" and the hallucinatory humor of "The Men Return" make both stories rise above the atrocity and any misanthropy. The former depicts the lonely life of the last human on an inexplicable world ruled by insects, and her first meeting with some brutal off-world humans out on a lark; the latter has insane humans known as "Organisms" versus the slightly less insane but just as hungry humans known as "Relicts" on a chimerical Earth that has drifted into a "pocket of noncausality"
"The Narrow Land"
Poor three-ridge man! He is not like the violent, dirty one-ridge men nor like the austere, logical two-ridge men. Perhaps three eggs should not come into contact with one another when buried together on the beach; the life of such tragic progeny will surely be brief. Or perhaps he will be the vanguard of the three-ridged men's return to dominance!
This could be fantasy or it could be science fiction; no matter, Vance does away with such trifling distinctions when creating this alien world with alien beings ruled by distinctions and challenges that any human can understand. On the one path: slovenly and mercenary stupidity; on the other: insular rigidity. Vance has detailed such situations before, and always with a deeply sardonic eye, but not to my knowledge in an entirely inhuman setting with an equally inhuman cast. But what is a person? Surely not simply a "human". His curious and canny three-ridge man is a typically relatable and sympathetic Vancean protagonist. Wonderful story!
"The Secret"
Another unusual offering from Vance: a fable about life and death. Beautifully told, simple in execution, both simple and profound in meaning. The vision of an idyllic island community that our aging protagonist must soon leave was entrancing.
"The Moon Moth"
If all of Vance's ideas could be distilled into one tale, then that tale would be "The Moon Moth". This is an exquisite gem of a story. A severely formal, thoroughly bizarre culture where pathological self-absorption goes hand-in-hand with intricate social rituals and brutal bursts of violence; a setting that takes place on a watery pastoral world of haunting beauty - and that includes cannibalistic mountain men who stalk its cities at night. An often frustrated everyman of a protagonist, hunting an assassin in a society where every person wears a mask and every mask has layer upon layer of meaning. A murder mystery. Houseboats. Surly shopkeepers and an emphasis on the exchange of goods. Communication through song and music. An author who delights in stylizing the worst of humanity's traits, polishing and reshaping our flaws until they gleam like jewels, our basest impulses transformed into something strange and enchanting.
the collection also features two stories from The Dying Earth and Cugel's Saga.
May 28, 2024
Green Magic: The Fantasy Realms of Jack Vance is a collection of short works by Vance that was released in 1979. The stories included were first published between 1950 and 1967. There are eight of them, one novella, three novelettes, three short stories and one book excerpt. This would be a good book to start with to begin exploring Vance's shorter works. Each story is described briefly below.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
The first story in this collection is "Green Magic." This is a 12 page short story that was first published in 1963 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It is a philosophical fantasy story rather than science fiction. Howard Fair is well trained in white magic and black magic and knows some purple magic. He is intrigued when he finds an old notebook by his great uncle that describes green magic. He meets some sprites who come from a world of green magic but who warn him that it would be dangerous for him to study it. He is told that his grand uncle studied it and ended up regretting having done so. Despite their warnings, Fair's curiosity and desire to learn are greater than any concerns he has and he manages to persuade the sprites to allow him to learn green magic. His learning is described as a fascinating process and it changes him forever. Is it sometimes better to remain ignorant and innocent? Is it worthwhile to try to discover knowledge that might make you unhappy or discontent? These questions and others are explored in this story which I found to be quite interesting. I rated it a 4.
"The Miracle Workers" is a 74 page novella published in 1958 by Amazing Science Fiction. The original inhabitants of the planet Pangborn are strange creatures called First Folk who have been marginalized by humans who arrived many years ago from another planet but who have lost almost all of their science and technology. One of the descendants of these humans, Lord Faide, has waged war to unite the various areas of the planet where other humans reside. Their solders are mostly foot soldiers who carry crossbows and darts and some mounted, armored knights. The only more technically advance items of warfare are several untried cannon like devices and one small, single person shuttle that Lord Faide can minimally operate. They also employ psychic warfare skills called "hoodoo" that the "Jinxmen" use to influence the opposition soldiers by causing them to have visions. Hoodoo can also be used to insert a demon like mentality into one's own soldiers to turn them into amazingly fierce fighters. Unfortunately for Lord Faide and his soldiers, hoodoo does not work on the First Folk who have decided that they have had enough of human interference. Although there is a lot of killing in the story, I found it rather fascinating and interesting and rated it a 3.5
The third story, "The Moon Moth," is a marvelous work, a novelette of 39 pages that was first published in Galaxy Magazine in 1961. It takes place on the planet Sirene where adherence to specific local customs and protocol is more important than money or even life itself. Edwer Thissell was recently appointed as the new Consular Representative from Earth after the previous Representative to Sirene was killed because he violated a social norm. Thissell has been taking lessons to learn to play various musical instruments in order to communicate with the locals. All communication on Sirene must be made by playing the appropriate musical instruments and singing in a certain respectful way. Social behavior expected on Sirene is so detailed and complex that it is almost incomprehensible to anyone not born in the culture. Slight violations or mistakes might be interpreted as a grave insult or offense and can lead to bodily harm or even death. All of the Sirene residents also wear special masks as must the four men from Earth. Only certain types of masks can be worn depending on the status and musical skills of the wearer. The mask Thissell wears is of the "moon moth." It is a mask of low prestige but a safe one to wear. Thissell is sent a special message by his superiors assigning him the duty of capturing an assassin from Earth who will soon arrive to Sirene. Unfortunately the message is delayed, and the assassin is able to elude capture. Thissell must begin the process of tracking him down in the town where he has to interact with the local people. He knows that violating the strict rules of behavior can lead to severe consequences but he also knows that he will lose his job if he fails. The story is complex, well thought out and skillfully written. It is probably the finest short work Vance ever wrote and is essential reading, a real classic. My rating: 5
"The Mitr" first saw publication in 1953 in Vortex Science Fiction. It is an 8 page short story about a young woman named Mitr who has grown up alone on a planet where there are no other people and her best friends seem to be giant beetles that knock her down and suck her blood, although not to the point of killing her. One day she sees some men who arrive in a spaceship and seem to look somewhat like her. She is tempted to contact them but is also fearful of doing so. I won't divulge the ending, but it was very unpleasant. The story was well enough written but was an unpleasant read for me.
"The Men Return," our fifth story, was first published in 1957 and is a 9 page short story. It is rather like two universes that overlap after the law of causality, physics and reality on Earth is rendered somewhat inoperable and matter now fades in and out of existence. Humans evolved into two different creatures, one rooted in the laws of science and the other having developed in the coexisting world of randomness and surrealism where nothing seems real. Both groups spend all their time seeking food and are not above eating each other. As food becomes more scarce, the groups become more desperate. It is all very bizarre, but I found it rather fascinating and rated it 3: "Liked it."
The sixth story is "The Narrow Land." This is a 23 page novelette that was first published in 1967 in Fantastic magazine. It is a fascinating story that I found totally engaging and thought provoking. One thing that makes it very unusual is that the protagonist is an alien creature that hatches on a beach and then crawls to the water where it tries to survive while exploring its environment. Vance is a superb master at creating other worlds. In this story he creates a world from the perspective of an alien creature who must learn about his new world while trying to figure out who and what he is. Through Vance's masterly use of language, I actually felt like I was viewing the world from the consciousness of this creature. It is amazing how much Vance can create in so few pages. Our main character, Ern, learns that he is one of what he refers to as "water children" and that there are different types of children, some with single crests and others with double crests. They are born with some minimal ability to speak. Ern finds out that he must be wary of predatory birds, a large dangerous creature he calls an "ogre" and "men" who come to the beach to capture water children. Ern learns to speak fluently and to eventually walk on land where he discovers what he is and encounters a frightening world were "children" are eugenically culled and where the single and double crested adult creatures kill each other as enemies. A number of sociological and social psychological issues are presented as the story develops. I found this short work to be a masterpiece and one of Vance's finest writings. It is best read more than once to be fully appreciated. My rating: 5.
"The Pilgrims" is a 42 page novelette that appeared initially in 1966 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and was included later that same year as part of the book The Eyes of the Overworld.
It is a very funny story about the travels and exploits of Cugel the Clever who joins up with a group of zealous religious pilgrims. The bizarre beliefs and odd practices with the witty dialog provide for one of Vance's most interesting and entertaining stories. And Cugel is arguably Vance's most fascinating and colorful protagonist. My rating: 5
"The Secret" is a ten page short story that was first published in 1966 in the British magazine "Impulse," otherwise known as "Science Fantasy" and "SF Impulse." It is pure fantasy rather than science fiction and takes place on an island that could be somewhere in Polynesia. It is inhabited by all younger people. As islanders grow older they are tempted to find out the "secret" by taking a solo voyage to the west. The secret is completely mysterious because nobody has ever returned to the island once they have left. Our main character, Rona ta Inga, is the oldest on the island. Many of the others have formed a group and pledged to never leave their little paradise of an island and ask him to join in the pledge. Rona, however, begins making a boat. What does he find and what is the secret? I rated this a 3.5.
The eighth and last story, "Liane the Wanderer," is actually "Liane the Wayfarer." It appears to be a misspelling or error rather than an intended name change. It has also been known as "The Loom of Darkness." This writing was published the first time in 1950 as part of the Jack Vance novel The Dying Earth and is a 12 page excerpt from that. There are a number of short fiction pieces that appear to be short stories but are actually excerpts from Vance's The Dying Earth. In this story Liane tries to please and seduce a beautiful woman named Lilth who sends him on a quest to obtain the other half of a beautiful tapestry she has that was stolen from her. To do so he will have to venture to the Palace of Whispers and steal back the other half of the tapestry. But the person who stole it is a very powerful character called Chun the Unavoidable. This is a heroic quest fantasy with one of Vance's early characters. I rate it 4.5.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
The first story in this collection is "Green Magic." This is a 12 page short story that was first published in 1963 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It is a philosophical fantasy story rather than science fiction. Howard Fair is well trained in white magic and black magic and knows some purple magic. He is intrigued when he finds an old notebook by his great uncle that describes green magic. He meets some sprites who come from a world of green magic but who warn him that it would be dangerous for him to study it. He is told that his grand uncle studied it and ended up regretting having done so. Despite their warnings, Fair's curiosity and desire to learn are greater than any concerns he has and he manages to persuade the sprites to allow him to learn green magic. His learning is described as a fascinating process and it changes him forever. Is it sometimes better to remain ignorant and innocent? Is it worthwhile to try to discover knowledge that might make you unhappy or discontent? These questions and others are explored in this story which I found to be quite interesting. I rated it a 4.
"The Miracle Workers" is a 74 page novella published in 1958 by Amazing Science Fiction. The original inhabitants of the planet Pangborn are strange creatures called First Folk who have been marginalized by humans who arrived many years ago from another planet but who have lost almost all of their science and technology. One of the descendants of these humans, Lord Faide, has waged war to unite the various areas of the planet where other humans reside. Their solders are mostly foot soldiers who carry crossbows and darts and some mounted, armored knights. The only more technically advance items of warfare are several untried cannon like devices and one small, single person shuttle that Lord Faide can minimally operate. They also employ psychic warfare skills called "hoodoo" that the "Jinxmen" use to influence the opposition soldiers by causing them to have visions. Hoodoo can also be used to insert a demon like mentality into one's own soldiers to turn them into amazingly fierce fighters. Unfortunately for Lord Faide and his soldiers, hoodoo does not work on the First Folk who have decided that they have had enough of human interference. Although there is a lot of killing in the story, I found it rather fascinating and interesting and rated it a 3.5
The third story, "The Moon Moth," is a marvelous work, a novelette of 39 pages that was first published in Galaxy Magazine in 1961. It takes place on the planet Sirene where adherence to specific local customs and protocol is more important than money or even life itself. Edwer Thissell was recently appointed as the new Consular Representative from Earth after the previous Representative to Sirene was killed because he violated a social norm. Thissell has been taking lessons to learn to play various musical instruments in order to communicate with the locals. All communication on Sirene must be made by playing the appropriate musical instruments and singing in a certain respectful way. Social behavior expected on Sirene is so detailed and complex that it is almost incomprehensible to anyone not born in the culture. Slight violations or mistakes might be interpreted as a grave insult or offense and can lead to bodily harm or even death. All of the Sirene residents also wear special masks as must the four men from Earth. Only certain types of masks can be worn depending on the status and musical skills of the wearer. The mask Thissell wears is of the "moon moth." It is a mask of low prestige but a safe one to wear. Thissell is sent a special message by his superiors assigning him the duty of capturing an assassin from Earth who will soon arrive to Sirene. Unfortunately the message is delayed, and the assassin is able to elude capture. Thissell must begin the process of tracking him down in the town where he has to interact with the local people. He knows that violating the strict rules of behavior can lead to severe consequences but he also knows that he will lose his job if he fails. The story is complex, well thought out and skillfully written. It is probably the finest short work Vance ever wrote and is essential reading, a real classic. My rating: 5
"The Mitr" first saw publication in 1953 in Vortex Science Fiction. It is an 8 page short story about a young woman named Mitr who has grown up alone on a planet where there are no other people and her best friends seem to be giant beetles that knock her down and suck her blood, although not to the point of killing her. One day she sees some men who arrive in a spaceship and seem to look somewhat like her. She is tempted to contact them but is also fearful of doing so. I won't divulge the ending, but it was very unpleasant. The story was well enough written but was an unpleasant read for me.
"The Men Return," our fifth story, was first published in 1957 and is a 9 page short story. It is rather like two universes that overlap after the law of causality, physics and reality on Earth is rendered somewhat inoperable and matter now fades in and out of existence. Humans evolved into two different creatures, one rooted in the laws of science and the other having developed in the coexisting world of randomness and surrealism where nothing seems real. Both groups spend all their time seeking food and are not above eating each other. As food becomes more scarce, the groups become more desperate. It is all very bizarre, but I found it rather fascinating and rated it 3: "Liked it."
The sixth story is "The Narrow Land." This is a 23 page novelette that was first published in 1967 in Fantastic magazine. It is a fascinating story that I found totally engaging and thought provoking. One thing that makes it very unusual is that the protagonist is an alien creature that hatches on a beach and then crawls to the water where it tries to survive while exploring its environment. Vance is a superb master at creating other worlds. In this story he creates a world from the perspective of an alien creature who must learn about his new world while trying to figure out who and what he is. Through Vance's masterly use of language, I actually felt like I was viewing the world from the consciousness of this creature. It is amazing how much Vance can create in so few pages. Our main character, Ern, learns that he is one of what he refers to as "water children" and that there are different types of children, some with single crests and others with double crests. They are born with some minimal ability to speak. Ern finds out that he must be wary of predatory birds, a large dangerous creature he calls an "ogre" and "men" who come to the beach to capture water children. Ern learns to speak fluently and to eventually walk on land where he discovers what he is and encounters a frightening world were "children" are eugenically culled and where the single and double crested adult creatures kill each other as enemies. A number of sociological and social psychological issues are presented as the story develops. I found this short work to be a masterpiece and one of Vance's finest writings. It is best read more than once to be fully appreciated. My rating: 5.
"The Pilgrims" is a 42 page novelette that appeared initially in 1966 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and was included later that same year as part of the book The Eyes of the Overworld.
It is a very funny story about the travels and exploits of Cugel the Clever who joins up with a group of zealous religious pilgrims. The bizarre beliefs and odd practices with the witty dialog provide for one of Vance's most interesting and entertaining stories. And Cugel is arguably Vance's most fascinating and colorful protagonist. My rating: 5
"The Secret" is a ten page short story that was first published in 1966 in the British magazine "Impulse," otherwise known as "Science Fantasy" and "SF Impulse." It is pure fantasy rather than science fiction and takes place on an island that could be somewhere in Polynesia. It is inhabited by all younger people. As islanders grow older they are tempted to find out the "secret" by taking a solo voyage to the west. The secret is completely mysterious because nobody has ever returned to the island once they have left. Our main character, Rona ta Inga, is the oldest on the island. Many of the others have formed a group and pledged to never leave their little paradise of an island and ask him to join in the pledge. Rona, however, begins making a boat. What does he find and what is the secret? I rated this a 3.5.
The eighth and last story, "Liane the Wanderer," is actually "Liane the Wayfarer." It appears to be a misspelling or error rather than an intended name change. It has also been known as "The Loom of Darkness." This writing was published the first time in 1950 as part of the Jack Vance novel The Dying Earth and is a 12 page excerpt from that. There are a number of short fiction pieces that appear to be short stories but are actually excerpts from Vance's The Dying Earth. In this story Liane tries to please and seduce a beautiful woman named Lilth who sends him on a quest to obtain the other half of a beautiful tapestry she has that was stolen from her. To do so he will have to venture to the Palace of Whispers and steal back the other half of the tapestry. But the person who stole it is a very powerful character called Chun the Unavoidable. This is a heroic quest fantasy with one of Vance's early characters. I rate it 4.5.
June 16, 2013
Two stories are duplicated in The Narrow Land, and two others are from the Dying Earth setting, limiting the amount of content that is fresh to me. Still, settling into a Vance collection is always marvelous, and this one volume in itself, a bare scraping, makes an excellent introduction to his work and to the themes he is continually drawn to: the interplay of people, constructed cultures, and a person's internal state.
The stark elegance and mournful tone of "The Mitr" and "The Secret" were a surprise; I've never encountered a Vance story so stripped of language.
"The Moon Moth" features an endlessly intricate human culture with several overt cultural details--the wearing of masks and the musical accompaniment for each conversation--but behind this lies essential differences from typical Western culture that the reader may not realize until the last minute. It's a thoroughly realized story that carries every aspect of its construction to the logical conclusion, and includes an effective mystery that works precisely because of the given rules. And, a remarkable ending that makes you say "Yes, that's the only way it could have ended." Unfortunately the themes of social humiliation and social risk (Thissell's blundering around in a culture of subtle rules and status) is difficult for me to read and isn't something I can enjoy wholeheartedly.
"The Miracle Workers", the other stand-out, presents an intriguing perspective shift of an isolated, medieval-style culture which looks back at its spacefaring ancestors and derides them as primitive, as they have no telepathy or "hoodoo" or "demon-summoning", and considers the pursuit of physical sciences or engineering as unstructured "miracle-working" without a grounding in sound metaphysics.
The stark elegance and mournful tone of "The Mitr" and "The Secret" were a surprise; I've never encountered a Vance story so stripped of language.
"The Moon Moth" features an endlessly intricate human culture with several overt cultural details--the wearing of masks and the musical accompaniment for each conversation--but behind this lies essential differences from typical Western culture that the reader may not realize until the last minute. It's a thoroughly realized story that carries every aspect of its construction to the logical conclusion, and includes an effective mystery that works precisely because of the given rules. And, a remarkable ending that makes you say "Yes, that's the only way it could have ended." Unfortunately the themes of social humiliation and social risk (Thissell's blundering around in a culture of subtle rules and status) is difficult for me to read and isn't something I can enjoy wholeheartedly.
"The Miracle Workers", the other stand-out, presents an intriguing perspective shift of an isolated, medieval-style culture which looks back at its spacefaring ancestors and derides them as primitive, as they have no telepathy or "hoodoo" or "demon-summoning", and considers the pursuit of physical sciences or engineering as unstructured "miracle-working" without a grounding in sound metaphysics.
July 10, 2013
I just finished rereading 'Green Magic...', I first read it about 20 years ago. I very much enjoyed this, particularly the first three stories; Green Magic, The Miracle Workers and The Moon Moth. These show Jack Vance at his best.
May 8, 2016
This was excellent classic fantasy and science fiction! Vance is one of those authors who is hella famous within the genre but (like me) you probably haven't heard of him less you've literally tried to study the genre.
This is a collection of his short stories, a mix of fantasy, science fiction, and fantastical science fiction. In some of them he plays with genre by setting the stories in the far future, so things that we would consider "scientific" are seen as magical and intuitive magic is the sensible, everyday way of accomplishing things. In a lot of ways this was hard for me to get into, because Vance works in a different style than I'm used to; my favorite stories generally focus on character and world-building, and Vance goes straight for story. He creates a lot of worlds that I want to know more about, so I'll be picking up some of his longer fiction later. I could also use a little more focus on female characters - there were like two mentioned in the entire book, and they were both used for sex.
My favorite story focuses on a young aquatic creature who notices he's different from the other young beings of his species. His encounters with the adults of his species confuse him, and he tries to understand exactly how he got to be the way he is. This theme of younglings being something fundamentally different from adults shows up in a later story (entitled "The Secret"), another of my favorites.
This is a collection of his short stories, a mix of fantasy, science fiction, and fantastical science fiction. In some of them he plays with genre by setting the stories in the far future, so things that we would consider "scientific" are seen as magical and intuitive magic is the sensible, everyday way of accomplishing things. In a lot of ways this was hard for me to get into, because Vance works in a different style than I'm used to; my favorite stories generally focus on character and world-building, and Vance goes straight for story. He creates a lot of worlds that I want to know more about, so I'll be picking up some of his longer fiction later. I could also use a little more focus on female characters - there were like two mentioned in the entire book, and they were both used for sex.
My favorite story focuses on a young aquatic creature who notices he's different from the other young beings of his species. His encounters with the adults of his species confuse him, and he tries to understand exactly how he got to be the way he is. This theme of younglings being something fundamentally different from adults shows up in a later story (entitled "The Secret"), another of my favorites.
April 10, 2017
This is a nice collection of Jack Vance’s magazine stories, from 1957 to 1967; it also includes for no apparent reason one short story from The Dying Earth collection. It seems like they could have used the space for a similarly-sized uncollected story instead. Similarly, the Cugel the Clever story “The Pilgrims” while from a magazine, had already been republished in The Eyes of the Overworld in 1966, and ends extremely abruptly.
The stories range from science fiction to fantasy. The title story, Green Magic, is perhaps the most “Vance-like” but they are all quite good reads. If you have read Jack Vance, you probably want to read as much as you can, and if you haven’t, this is a good introduction.
The stories range from science fiction to fantasy. The title story, Green Magic, is perhaps the most “Vance-like” but they are all quite good reads. If you have read Jack Vance, you probably want to read as much as you can, and if you haven’t, this is a good introduction.
February 16, 2022
It might be worthwhile to fans to check out Vance's biography.
I like to say the fiction that has most influenced my path is Green Magic by Jack Vance.
There is nothing in the story that would explicitly explain this. It isn’t even a particularly well-written story. I barely recommend reading it! No quotes, no events, just a ….. I wanna say “theme” perhaps, a sense of human insignificance, cluelessness, and an imaginary potential that will never, can never, be achieved.
It’s kind of like saying you were influenced by some little birds flying in and around some shrubs. It isn’t the birds or the shrubs, it’s something much deeper.
The story is about an accomplished mage who, while going through the effects of his disappeared uncle, discovers references to Green Magic. He uses some techniques to contact the plane of Green Magic. Two of the residents are horrified at the pollution and profane disturbance the mage’s effort have caused, and contact him in order to get him to stop. No, he must learn Green Magic. The Denizens of the Green Dimension (let’s call it) are strictly bound not to cause any harm to him, even though they could dissolve him in an instant, so they are compelled to agree.
He struggles through the training, it requires thousands of years. He only makes minimal progress, though he has learned more than everyone on earth through all the ages. His Green Magic is pitiful, and he realizes that even millions of years of additional training won’t make it much better. He wants to give up, and go back home.
Of course, THEY expected this development, and send him back. Now our mage has acquired a rarified sensibility for phenomena and an impossibly demanding ascetic sense. Human food seems worse than excrement, the air foul and toxic, he cannot tell the difference between beautiful women and ugly ones. He is powerful, but his powers seem useless, not even worth using.
It would be a spoiler to reveal the rest, but anyway, whatever point I wanted to make has been made, but it isn’t explicit, and if you don’t get what it is, you probably never will.
I like to say the fiction that has most influenced my path is Green Magic by Jack Vance.
There is nothing in the story that would explicitly explain this. It isn’t even a particularly well-written story. I barely recommend reading it! No quotes, no events, just a ….. I wanna say “theme” perhaps, a sense of human insignificance, cluelessness, and an imaginary potential that will never, can never, be achieved.
It’s kind of like saying you were influenced by some little birds flying in and around some shrubs. It isn’t the birds or the shrubs, it’s something much deeper.
The story is about an accomplished mage who, while going through the effects of his disappeared uncle, discovers references to Green Magic. He uses some techniques to contact the plane of Green Magic. Two of the residents are horrified at the pollution and profane disturbance the mage’s effort have caused, and contact him in order to get him to stop. No, he must learn Green Magic. The Denizens of the Green Dimension (let’s call it) are strictly bound not to cause any harm to him, even though they could dissolve him in an instant, so they are compelled to agree.
He struggles through the training, it requires thousands of years. He only makes minimal progress, though he has learned more than everyone on earth through all the ages. His Green Magic is pitiful, and he realizes that even millions of years of additional training won’t make it much better. He wants to give up, and go back home.
Of course, THEY expected this development, and send him back. Now our mage has acquired a rarified sensibility for phenomena and an impossibly demanding ascetic sense. Human food seems worse than excrement, the air foul and toxic, he cannot tell the difference between beautiful women and ugly ones. He is powerful, but his powers seem useless, not even worth using.
It would be a spoiler to reveal the rest, but anyway, whatever point I wanted to make has been made, but it isn’t explicit, and if you don’t get what it is, you probably never will.
September 17, 2020
I am a great Jack Vance fan, but not so much of his earlier, sci-fi books. For this collection, I only want to say: if you read nothing else, read the story called The Moon Moth (1961). This is what Vance does best - culture building. Not world-building, as they say today in the fantasy genre. But blowing apart all your old notions of what culture IS, from the very basics on up.
Edwer Thissel, emissary to the planet Sirene, still struggles to communicate by singing while playing one of a half dozen small musical instruments hanging at his waist. Vance adeptly makes clear the subtleties that can cause a newcomer to make deadly mistakes:
So, enjoy this most Vance-ish of other-worldly adventures, I invite you, as I thoughtfully strum my zachinko.
Edwer Thissel, emissary to the planet Sirene, still struggles to communicate by singing while playing one of a half dozen small musical instruments hanging at his waist. Vance adeptly makes clear the subtleties that can cause a newcomer to make deadly mistakes:
"...you couldn't even walk around Fan in that regalia you're sporting now. Somebody wearing a Fire-Snake or a Thunder Goblin - masks, you understand - would step up to you. He'd play his krodatch, and if you failed to challenge his audacity with a passage on the skaranyi, a devilish instrument, he'd play his hymerkin - the instrument we use with the slaves. That's the ultimate expression of contempt. Or he might ring his duelling-gong and attack you then and there."
"I had no idea that people here were quite so irascible," said Thissell in a subdued voice.
So, enjoy this most Vance-ish of other-worldly adventures, I invite you, as I thoughtfully strum my zachinko.
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October 17, 2023What if i find that unque old notebook to learn me green magic.what i will done.realy i wand white magic to give a peace to world that the war and blody blood suffring like palstine pep .i want to shut the war down enghe killing .the palastine pep died and no one care.fake the world how shut his eyes to see. Blody tow eyes.
July 29, 2025
Contains a few classics and two Dying Earth stories.
Personally, I think I would have liked to meet Cugel in his fix-up novel, but I now understand why people get such a kick out of that character.
Vance really is a mixture of PG Wodehouse and Clark Ashton Smith.
A recommended collection.
Personally, I think I would have liked to meet Cugel in his fix-up novel, but I now understand why people get such a kick out of that character.
Vance really is a mixture of PG Wodehouse and Clark Ashton Smith.
A recommended collection.
February 5, 2023
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Green Magic - 2/5
Green Magic - 2/5
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