The Dying Earth Series by Jack Vance, Michael Shea

Seekers of wisdom and beauty include lovely lost women, eccentric wizards and man-eating melancholy deodands. Twk-men ride dragonflies and trade information for salt. There are monsters and demons. Each being is morally ambiguous: the evil are charming, the good are dangerous.

Scoundrel Cugel is sent far away, by a magician he has wronged, to retrieve magical lenses that reveal the Overworld. Goaded by a homesick monster magically attached to his liver, he journeys across wastelands home to Almery. With a cult group on a pilgrimage, he crosses the Silver Desert, and meets more danger and betrayal as he betrays others.

Cugel the Clever was seeking revenge when he met Mumber Sull who was seeking justice. Revenge and justice may seem empty dreams when the sun may flicker out at any moment, but such is the nature of man as it has always been since the dawn of time.Mumber Sull owed his loyalty to the long-vanished overlord Simbilis, whose knowledge and science were legendary, whose domains had extended over a vast terrain, and whose whereabouts had been lost for centuries... moreCugel the Clever was seeking revenge when he met Mumber Sull who was seeking justice. Revenge and justice may seem empty dreams when the sun may flicker out at any moment, but such is the nature of man as it has always been since the dawn of time.Mumber Sull owed his loyalty to the long-vanished overlord Simbilis, whose knowledge and science were legendary, whose domains had extended over a vast terrain, and whose whereabouts had been lost for centuries. He persuaded Cugel that if they could but find Simbilis, they would both gain their just rewards.The story of their quest for Simbilis is a marvellous fantasy of wonder and adventure millions of years from now, on the Dying Earth that Jack Vance first described and which has now, by permission, been further chronicled by Michael Shea. less

Pity poor Cugel. Not for nothing is he known as the Clever, hero of a hundred mischiefs. But this time the Laughing Magician has triumphed - and Cugel is marooned, penniless, half a world from home. His return to Almery will be extended and exhausting. And Cugel has only his flamboyant resourceful cleverness to rely upon. A lesser mortal might quail, but Cugel...is Cugel.

The Laughing Magician combines two of the most popular novels in Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" series. Both recount the adventures of Cugel, also called Cugel the Clever, forced by a mordant magician into a quest across an Earth of the far distant future. In this Rabelaisian picaresque, Cugel has only his wits - and loose morals - with which to survive a world teeming with tricksters, monsters, and magicians... moreThe Laughing Magician combines two of the most popular novels in Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" series. Both recount the adventures of Cugel, also called Cugel the Clever, forced by a mordant magician into a quest across an Earth of the far distant future. In this Rabelaisian picaresque, Cugel has only his wits - and loose morals - with which to survive a world teeming with tricksters, monsters, and magicians. Vance's vivid, witty prose and rich imagination is combined with Stephen Fabian's gorgeous art. less

Rhialto the Marvellous takes up the personal and political conflicts among a conclave of two dozen magicians of Ascolais and Almery in the 21st Aeon. The shocking appearance of the Llorio the Murtha, a powerful female force from an earlier aeon threatens to unbalance nature by “ensqualming” or feminizing the magicians. This triggers a tremendous struggle for power and the other mages turn against Rhialto... moreRhialto the Marvellous takes up the personal and political conflicts among a conclave of two dozen magicians of Ascolais and Almery in the 21st Aeon. The shocking appearance of the Llorio the Murtha, a powerful female force from an earlier aeon threatens to unbalance nature by “ensqualming” or feminizing the magicians. This triggers a tremendous struggle for power and the other mages turn against Rhialto.Hoping to reestablish his rightful place, Rhialto travels to other aeons to restore the missing Perciplex which projects the Mostrament, the constitution of the association. In his final adventure, Rhialto must, ultimately, travel to the very ends of time and space to confront an old adversary whom he had wronged and must commit further misdeeds to restore order.Out of this welter of exotic politics, values systems, personal eccentricity, and magic, the figure of Rhialto slowly comes into focus and takes on dimension. He is a vain, apparently superficial man, not ashamed to demonstrate his melancholy to enhance his reputation. But he is courteous, patient, and subtle, even kind. He is self-aware and introspective as Cugel never could be—the wisest and most sympathetic of all of Vance’s wizards. less

Travel into the future: to an earth with a dwindling red sun that meekly fills a dark blue sky; and earth that is on the brink of dying out; and earth where science and magic mean the same thing; an earth populated with vibrant, interesting people and creatures that are unaware of the fate their planet has in store for them. Jack Vance is one of the most remarkable talents ever to grace the world of science fiction. His unique, stylish voice has been beloved by generations of readers... moreTravel into the future: to an earth with a dwindling red sun that meekly fills a dark blue sky; and earth that is on the brink of dying out; and earth where science and magic mean the same thing; an earth populated with vibrant, interesting people and creatures that are unaware of the fate their planet has in store for them. Jack Vance is one of the most remarkable talents ever to grace the world of science fiction. His unique, stylish voice has been beloved by generations of readers. Some of his enduring classics are the 1950 novel The Dying Earth and its sequels, The Eyes of the Overworld, Cugel's Saga, and Rialto the Marvelous. less