Stuart's Reviews > Cugel's Saga

Cugel’s Saga (1983) is the third book in the Dying Earth series, coming 17 years after The Eyes of the Overworld (1966) and 33 years after The Dying Earth (1950). It’s also the second book to feature that thieving scoundrel Cugel the Clever, who often finds he is not quite as clever as he thinks, as his schemes generally end in failure at the end of each chapter, leaving him penniless and fleeing his enemies until he encounters the next adventure. This book is a similarly picaresque episodic adventure in the slowly crumbing world of the Dying Earth, as creatures, magicians and humans live their varied lives in the waning days of the fading red sun before it goes dark.

What struck me about this entry is that Cugel has gotten less and less clever, and more often finds himself not in control of the situation. In fact, from the very start he falls into the clutches of a greedy old profiteer who is plumbing the depths of a mud pit for the scales of a fallen demiurge named Skylark from the Overworld, which are then being sold via a middle-man to Iucounu the Laughing Magician, Cugel’s nemesis in The Eyes of the Overworld. Cugel accidentally discovers the most valuable of the scales, the Pectoral Skybreak Spatterlight, which plays a prominent role in the book.

As I mentioned in reviewing Eyes of the Overworld, Cugel is not nearly as clever as he thinks, and this time he ends of doing a series of odd jobs (part-time gigs, if you will) to get by, generally against his will, and while on occasion he manages to enjoy some fine foods and luxury, these moments end abruptly and his ill-gotten gains are soon lost. If this is a morality play, then it is quite repetitive. And though he is sometimes debonair and charming, there is a general lack of savoir faire in his predicaments. I can only guess is deliberate on Vance’s part, but why make your protagonist less charming and cunning, when he was already lacking in moral fiber to begin with? It’s a strange artistic choice, in my opinion.

One aspect of whole series worth noting is all the strange social practices of the societies and towns/villages that Cugel encounters. The recurring theme throughout is how completely bound all these societies are to bizarre, meaningless traditions and practices that they slavishly adhere to. It is obvious to the reader that these practices are patently absurd, but not once does anyone question them except for Cugel, who believes in nothing but his own survival.

It’s not a big leap to think that Jack Vance is poking fun at people’s dogged observance of social conventions, especially when are so exaggerated. For instance, in one village social status is denoted by the height of columns upon which husbands spend the day basking in the limited sunlight, the higher the better, and all the schemes of the wives to get their husbands higher in the world. Kinda like the corporate ladder, methinks.

All in all, it’s an entertaining book, but some of the social comedy gets a bit tired and overextended in parts, and the drive of Cugel to get back to Almery and exact his revenge seems to have cooled greatly, so the story lacks that urgency and momentum. Also, Cugel seems to have lost some of his mojo, which is disappointing. I’m still happy to move onto the final installment, Rhialto the Marvelous, which doesn’t feature Cugel, to round out the series.