Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden (Trilogia Di Lyonesse, #1) (Panther Books) (Fantasy Masterworks)

by Jack Vance

The Elder Isles, located in what is now the Bay of Biscay off the the coast of Old Gaul, are made up of ten contending kingdoms, all vying with each other for control. At the centre of much of the intrigue is Casmir, the ruthless and ambitious king of Lyonnesse. His beautiful but otherworldly daughter, Suldrun, is part of his plans. He intends to cement an alliance or two by marrying her well. But Suldrun is as determined as he and defies him. Casmir coldly confines her to the overgrown garden that she loves to frequent, and it is here that meets her love and her tragedy unfolds. Political intrigue, magic, war, adventure and romance are interwoven in a rich and sweeping tale set in a brilliantly realized fabled land.

• ISBN10: 0575073748
• ISBN13: 9780575073746
• Publish Date: 14 March 2002 (first published 1 April 1983)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 18 March 2008
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Gollancz
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

I liked Madouc more this time than the first time I read it. Still, it failed to work the usual Vance magic on me. Effectively, it mostly provide more of the same (as was in the first two books). Usually, with Vance, that's more than enough.

I'm not sure why I was ... not dissatisfied, but complacent. This book leaves most of the politics that made the first book a little slow, and concentrates more on human stories. Perhaps it's simply that I didn't take much to Madouc herself, though it's not so often I actually like Vance's protagonists. Perhaps it's a certain young adult (as when Madouc name s the stable boy Sir Pom-Pom) feel that didn't match the rest of the book. On the other hand, I did enjoy struggles with ogres, etc.

The fairies play a larger role in this book, but by now I found them a little on the tiresome side. Vance brings in the Holy Grail, and that may have been too much. I think, largely, that the series, in this book, simply goes on too long. Even Vance himself seems to hurry to end this with a fairly long end section that tidily wraps up loose ends, but nonetheless seems rushed.

All in all, pleasant and readable, but not really enticing. If you haven't read the first two books, this one will not really stand alone. If you have, by all means read this one. There's nothing wrong with it - it's just not great.

All in all, I'm glad I re-read the trilogy - it's better than I recalled it being. But it's also a long way from being the best of Vance's work.

CVIE V