Jack Vance, a true legend in sci-fi and fantasy passed away over the weekend. He was 96.
It's a shame, I feel, that Vance isn't mentioned with the big names in fantasy in the mainstream as much. I would suffice to say most fantasy/sci-fi fans know of his work, but maybe haven't read it. Some of it has recently become available on Kindle, which is where I was first able to get it. I actually never saw any of his books in the big book store chains or else I would have picked up some of his work a long time ago. His Dying Earth (which eventually became it's own sub-genre) series of books were highly influential to some of the biggest names in fantasy today, including George R.R. Martin. I've read some of his work and it's poetic, engrossing, and at times, bizarre. I've personally tried to spread the word about Vance when I can, and it's the reason I'm doing so again now.
I hope to read more of his work in the future and continue to let people know about one of the true masters of the genre.
A little trivia for Dungeons and Dragons fans: the old "memorizing and re-memorizing spells" magic system and naming of spells (Bigby's Crushing Hand for instance) were inspired by Vance. Also, the lich Vecna was a tribute to Vance...just a couple of the letters shifted around.
RIP
Jack Vance dies aged 96: master of bold and bizarre science fiction | Books | guardian.co.uk
It's a shame, I feel, that Vance isn't mentioned with the big names in fantasy in the mainstream as much. I would suffice to say most fantasy/sci-fi fans know of his work, but maybe haven't read it. Some of it has recently become available on Kindle, which is where I was first able to get it. I actually never saw any of his books in the big book store chains or else I would have picked up some of his work a long time ago. His Dying Earth (which eventually became it's own sub-genre) series of books were highly influential to some of the biggest names in fantasy today, including George R.R. Martin. I've read some of his work and it's poetic, engrossing, and at times, bizarre. I've personally tried to spread the word about Vance when I can, and it's the reason I'm doing so again now.
I hope to read more of his work in the future and continue to let people know about one of the true masters of the genre.
A little trivia for Dungeons and Dragons fans: the old "memorizing and re-memorizing spells" magic system and naming of spells (Bigby's Crushing Hand for instance) were inspired by Vance. Also, the lich Vecna was a tribute to Vance...just a couple of the letters shifted around.
RIP
Jack Vance dies aged 96: master of bold and bizarre science fiction | Books | guardian.co.uk
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Myth Weaver
Archmage
