Goodman Games

It amazes me I grew up with the old DM's guide in the early 80's and never bothered with the suggested Appendix N reading at the back. Probably too young to appreciate it. I was reading Dragonlance novels and Conan comics back then anyways.

I'm loving Dying Earth. It's well written, I kind of feel like I'm actually there. Looking forward to more of Vance's work. Also like this Dying Earth DCC boxed set rumor I read somewhere...

I'm reading it right now and LOVING it! Currently nearing the end of "The Eyes of the Overworld".

And the boxed set is definitely happening. Jobe Bittman is writing it and it was officially announced it at the last Gen Con "What's New at Goodman Games" seminar which you can listen to over at the Spellburn podcast.

I read Eyes about a year and a half ago, or so.

I really need to read it again...

So much Appendix N, so little time.

I've always felt the two Cugel novels are the best in the Dying Earth series. They're all good, but I'd probably have a new reader go to Eyes of the Overworld before any of the other novels.

Michael Shea's authorized sequel to Eyes of the Overworld is really good as well. Not as incredibly good as Cugel's Saga or Shea's later Nifft the Lean books, but well worth reading.

Michael Shea's work is top-notch. His In Yana, the Touch of Undying is also a great read.

Griffith wrote:Michael Shea's work is top-notch. His In Yana, the Touch of Undying is also a great read.

That's another of my favorites.

George R.R. Martin edited a Dying Earth tribute collection called Songs of the Dying Earth a few years back. About half of it consists of famous F&SF writers making fools of themselves and demonstrating how hard it is to write like Vance. But several of the stories are very good, and a couple are terrific.

Here's a thread at Dragonsfoot where I engaged in some Vance/Cugel fan-fic: http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewt ... 48&t=10384

billolmesdahl wrote: ↑Thu Apr 06, 2017 8:44 am I've always felt the two Cugel novels are the best in the Dying Earth series. They're all good, but I'd probably have a new reader go to Eyes of the Overworld before any of the other novels.

Thanks for this rec -- I'm hoping to start my Vance reading this week.

Bilgewriggler wrote: ↑Thu May 04, 2017 3:30 pmMichael Shea's authorized sequel to Eyes of the Overworld is really good as well. Not as incredibly good as Cugel's Saga or Shea's later Nifft the Lean books, but well worth reading.

So, Cugel's Saga is a sequel to Eyes of the Overworld, as it starts with Cugel where Eyes left him. Shea's book A Quest for Simbilis seems to have a similar start, so...
(a) is the order Eyes, Symbilis, Saga?
(b) is the order Eyes, Saga, Symbilis?
(c) do Saga and Symbilils form some sort of fork in the timeline, where it's one or the other?

Just curious. I'm reading Cugel's Saga for the first time now and don't yet know if it ends much like Eyes does, or not, so I don't know what the "proper" order for the stories might be.

I guess I'm the rare reader who likes the original Dying Earth book more than the Cugel books. Eyes of the Overworld is great, Cugel's Saga is fun but suffers from being more of the same, but the variety of the world is on full display n the first book. I never read Rhialto the Marvellous, though I should get around to that sooner rather than later.

For other "dying earth" (not Dying Earth) stories, my favorite of the genre is Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun.

Viriconium, by M. John Harrison is also good.

And Clark Ashton Smith, though a little dated, also contributed to the genre pre-Vance.