A quest for Simbilis

Paperback, 204 pages

English language

Published July 3, 1985 by Grafton.

ISBN:: 978-0-586-06549-5
OCLC Number:: 59236852

(1 review)

In den letzten Tagen der sterbenden Welt

Die Sonne flackert wie eine Kerze im Wind. Men- schenfeindliche Wesen durchstreifen die Wälder, Berge, Täler, Wüsten und Ruinenstädte der Erde: Graus, Erbs, Leukomorphen und Deodander – alp- traumhafte Geschöpfe biologischer Experimente, die vor Jahrzehntausenden stattgefunden haben.

Die Macht der wissenschaftlichen Zauberer von einst ist geschwunden, die meisten ihrer Werke sind schon vor Äonen zu Staub zerfallen.

Aber es lebt noch einer der Uralten, Mächtigen an einem unbekannten Ort. Der Name des Zauberers ist Simbilis.

Ihn suchen zwei Männer, die seine Hilfe in An- spruch nehmen wollen. Ihr Weg führt sie über Länder und Meere – und in die Unterwelt.

3 editions

Robert reviewed A quest for Simbilis by Michael Shea (A dying earth novel)

Review of 'A quest for Simbilis' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This book [1974] by Michael Shea is the sequel to Eyes of the Overworld aka Cugel the Clever by Jack Vance [1966]. Vance would go on to write his own sequel Cugel's Saga aka Cugel: The Skybreak Spatterlight [1983]. Comparing the two books is fascinating.

Both begin at the same place and same moment with Cugel finding himself deposited on the same beach he had arrived at in the first book. Here the immediately diverge. Vance takes Cugel across the ocean and then on a somewhat round about trip home.

Shea on the other hand takes Cugel on a quest to find the Wizard Simbilis in the hope that he can be persuaded to return him home and confront his nemeses. The writing is disimler. in both Cugel is cunning and faces constant change in circumstance. Vance who is writing at the height of his powers does this to much …

This book [1974] by Michael Shea is the sequel to Eyes of the Overworld aka Cugel the Clever by Jack Vance [1966]. Vance would go on to write his own sequel Cugel's Saga aka Cugel: The Skybreak Spatterlight [1983]. Comparing the two books is fascinating.

Both begin at the same place and same moment with Cugel finding himself deposited on the same beach he had arrived at in the first book. Here the immediately diverge. Vance takes Cugel across the ocean and then on a somewhat round about trip home.

Shea on the other hand takes Cugel on a quest to find the Wizard Simbilis in the hope that he can be persuaded to return him home and confront his nemeses. The writing is disimler. in both Cugel is cunning and faces constant change in circumstance. Vance who is writing at the height of his powers does this to much greater effect. Vance's Cugel is constantly making great fortunes and loosing them a page later. Shea's cugel has a more typical difficult journey. The winds of fate blow less hard.

Its unclear if Shea has attempted to approximate the language of Vance, but if he has he has not come close. Vance writes with blinding wit, Shea stands in pale comparison.

Still Shea does manage to capture some of the incredibly diverse settings that Vance has conjured.

I would not recommend this book. It's fine, but surely only of interest to those who have read both of Vance's previous efforts. Those who have will be somewhat disappointed. Still it is not without merit, and is a short enjoyable read. Readers who have not read the two works by Vance would be much better starting there. Those who want more Vance should try Songs of the Dying Earth, the anthology edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.