Conference noted::sf

302.0. "Lyonesse" by PEN::KALLIS () Thu Feb 06 1986 17:25

I don't believe this has been reviewed before, and is worth mentioning.

LYONESSE by Jack Vance is touted as his "high fantasy," and appeared
first in a trade paperback edition.

It is a "high fantasy" in a way similar to "The Glass Mountain," 
"Aladin and His Lamp," or "Jack, the Giasnt Killer" is: that is, it's a
long, drawn-out fairy tale with adult situations (try the Burton _1001
Nights_ to see adult situations, by the way).

It is entertaining, but nothing like, say, "The Dragon Masters," which
has a similar fake-Medieval feel about it. The story is one of those
long epic-journey kind of things, involving a princess, a prince,
their child, fairies, changelings, and magicians/wizards.  Like a lot
of fairy tales, some of the "solutions" come out of a hat (how to magic
bees cause blindness?  Not adequately explained, nor is the reason they
stop doing it), which is less than fortunate, since such "solutions"
come randomly.

It's a good summer lawn-furniture chaise read, but don't expect an
Epic.

Steve Kallis, Jr.