Madouc

Lyonesse, Book 3

By: Jack Vance

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

The World Fantasy Award-winning third volume of the Lyonesse trilogy brings attention to the faerie changeling Madouc. Where princess Suldrun once meekly endured the proprieties of Castle Haidion, Madouc defends herself with rotten fruit. Vexed, King Casmir arranges a contest to marry her off, but Madouc has other ideas, and enlists the stableboy "Sir Pom-pom" on an impromptu quest to find her father. During their travels, they encounter swindlers, faeries, trolls, ogres, a knight in search of his youth, and a relatively pedestrian item known as the Holy Grail. As the sorcerers Shimrod and Murgen investigate portents of cataclysm in the world of magic, Casmir plans a murder that will bring all the lands under his iron rule; however, his ambitions will be complicated by one small but important oversight-he's failed to allow for Madouc!

©1991 Jack Vance (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• 1990 World Fantasy Award, Best Novel

"It's hard to imagine a better performer of a high-fantasy novel such as this than Kevin T. Collins. His voice carries a hint of high-born caste, of chivalry, of faintly stilted dialogue in which every sentence carries multiple subtle meanings." (AudioFile)

“Vance has the narrative force, the willingness to look very coldly at violence and cruelty, to not shy away…. He has an amazing ear and writes a beautiful sentence.” (Michael Chabon)

“(Vance) gives you glimpses of entire worlds with just perfectly turned language. If he’d been born south of the border, he’d be up for a Nobel Prize.” (Dan Simmons)

Jack Vance at his finest

My only sorrow is that there shall never be another voice quite like his. Many imitate. Few achieve.

This should have been a stand alone book.

This was a big disappointment. I loved the first and second book, but this one should have had the beginning and ending cut, and it should have been a stand alone book all about Madouc. I love the character Madouc and she's certaintly worth her own book. As is though, this book really felt like the beginning and the ending were a continuation of the trilogy,, but not so much the middle. Maybe Madouc should have been introduced in the first book like Dhrun was.That would have made the entire series better, but I would still love to read more about Madouc. Madouc's character was made even better by the voice Mr Collins selected for her and the way he just really brought her character to life. I'll be looking for more of Vance's and Kevin T. Collins' works.

One fantasy author to rule them all

Lyonesse is a series I will listen to over and over again. Vance is addictive, his writing style, his stories, his sheer imagination. Also George RR Martin's favourite author.

More of a children's book, with exceptions

The other books were more about the islands' political, military and magical interactions, with personal stories telling how that unfolded.
This one was mostly about a little girl's quest to find herself, with the islands' story as the backdrop, which really only comes back to the fore at the very end.

Don’t Miss Out

Jack Vance is a great writer - a writer’s writer, esteemed by other greats like JRR Martin and Roger Zelazny. What’s more, he’s a master of numerous genres. I believe the Lyoness trilogy is his best work.

And the vocal performance of Vance’s work by Kevin T. Collins is just fabulous. Towards the end of the book I found myself fairly amazed not only by Collins’ ability to come up with distinctive voices but to make them all believable. He’s a phenomenal voice actor.