Lyonesse (novel)


Lyonesse is a novel by Jack Vance published in 1983.

Plot summary

The story is told in several interlocking threads which are not always chronological.
King Casmir of Lyonesse arranges the marriage of his daughter Suldrun to Faude Carfilhiot, Duke of Vale Evander. In this Casmir hopes to bring armies through Carfilhiot's lands in South Ulfland, so as to attack the rival kingdom Dahaut on two fronts. Repelled by Carfilhiot, Suldrun refuses. In a rage, Casmir confines her to her garden, barred on two sides by a steep ravine, the third by a wall and a locked gate, and the fourth by the sea. Suldrun is content to be alone until one day a half-drowned sailor washes ashore.
Princes Aillas and Trewan of Troicinet are sent on a sea voyage to visit the various kingdoms of the Elder Isles to gain experience at statecraft. While in port, Trewan learns that his father has died and that the line of royal succession now passes from King Granice to his youngest brother Ospero and then to Ospero's son Aillas, bypassing Trewan. He conceals this knowledge from Aillas and, late at night, pushes Aillas overboard. Aillas washes ashore at the foot of Suldrun's garden. While he recovers, they become lovers and plan to escape. However, they are caught and betrayed by the Queen's confessor Brother Umphred and Casmir orders Aillas imprisoned without even bothering to learn his name. In due time, Suldrun delivers a son named Dhrun, and gives him into the care of her former nurse to hide him from her father. However, Dhrun is taken by the fairies and replaced with the changeling Madouc. Casmir retrieves the baby and, none the wiser, takes her back to the castle. Believing that Aillas and her son are dead, Suldrun hangs herself in her garden. Aillas manages to escape and returns to the garden where he learns from Suldrun's ghost that he has a son, but he is perplexed to see the Princess Madouc in a royal procession. Aillas learns of the changeling from the old nurse and sets out on a quest to find his son, using a "Never-Fail", a talisman that points him in the right direction, obtained from the fairies at no small price.
Dhrun, a cheerful happy baby, is raised in Thripsey Shee by Twisk, Madouc's mother, who stole him from the old nurse's family, leaving Madouc, her willful and cranky child by an unknown vagabond. Time passes differently in the shee than in the mortal realm; Dhrun lives 9 years in the shee in the span of one mortal year. Since he is not a true fairy, he is cast out of the shee, but without malice. Dhrun sets out through the forest of Tantrevalles, a haunted place where the human presence is weak and the supernatural is very real. He rescues Glyneth, a girl of about 14, from a troll, and they have a number of adventures before joining Dr. Fidelius, supposedly a physician specializing in the treatment of sore knees, who travels between the country fairs of Dahaut in a medicine show wagon pulled by two two-headed horses.
Faude Carfilhiot, wanting to be a powerful magician but lacking the patience to learn the necessary skills, schemes with his lover Tamurello. They will use Melancthe to seduce and distract Shimrod while Carfilhiot steals his magical apparatus, by which theft Shimrod would be so weakened as a magician that he could not retaliate. The plot is successful but Shimrod's equipment is protected by magical locks and is unusable. Shimrod learns from a magic monitor that watches his house that the thieves who tortured his house servant and stole his goods were a handsome young aristocrat and an older robber who complained that years of climbing on rooftops had left him with sore knees. Shimrod adopts the guise of Dr. Fidelius, a specialist in sore knees, in hopes of finding the robber, who will lead him to the aristocrat.
Aillas' quest to find his son is interrupted when he is captured by the Ska. He tries to ransom his freedom, but they are not a numerous people and need labor more than gold. The Ska lay siege to Carfilhiot's castle Tintzin Fyral, and Aillas gets a good look at the castle's defenses. He is then sent to work as a house slave at Castle Sank, home of the Ska Duke Luhalcx and his family, where he becomes infatuated with Lady Tatzel, the Duke's daughter. Aillas escapes Castle Sank with two other slaves, Yane and Cargus, but they are recaptured and sent to the fortress Poëlitetz, which guards the boundary of Dahaut and North Ulfland. Here, Aillas is assigned to a work crew digging a secret tunnel from Poëlitetz out to the plain in front of the fortress. Aillas leads another escape, and after a series of adventures finds himself on the southern outskirts of Avallon, the capital city of Dahaut. The Never-Fail indicates that Dhrun is northward, in the city or beyond.
Faude Carfilhiot leads a band of men out from Tintzin Fyral on a "hunting" expedition to capture one of the barons who oppose his rule. However, it's an ambush, set up by Carfilhiot's enemies working together. His troops are killed one by one but he escapes with his life and seeks refuge at Melancthe's palace. He says they should be lovers; who better, since they are the same person. She disdains him because he inhaled the green fume whereas she tasted it and spat it out. He seduces her. In retaliation, she magically transports him all the way across the Elder Isles to Avallon. Lacking funds, he seeks out the bandit Rughalt of the sore knees, his accomplice, to provide him shelter and funds. Rughalt is practically destitute; his knees are so bad he can no longer burgle houses and his only income comes from robbing the guests of a mean little inn. He sees Dr. Fidelius' wagon at the great fair of Avallon and is desperate for a cure. Carfilhiot tells him Fidelius is probably a quack but Rughalt is adamant; if he got his agility back, he would no longer be poor. Shimrod takes Rughalt deep into the woods and extracts Carfilhiot's name from him.
Carfilhiot, waiting for Rughalt, suddenly intuits that Fidelius was Shimrod. He kidnaps Dhrun and Glyneth and steals the wagon, driving it to Tamurello's mansion, who uses magic to send it back to Tintzin Fyral.
Aillas, now in Avallon, learns from the captain of a Troice ship that his father lies dying; if he dies and Aillas is not on hand, Trewan will be crowned king. As Aillas, Yane and Cargus debate what to do, Shimrod runs up and asks if they have seen a wagon pulled by a pair of two-headed horses. Aillas had, and Shimrod tells him that Faude Carfilhiot has kidnapped two children that were travelling with him. Aillas notices that the Never-Fail is suddenly pointing south, and asks the names of the children. Shimrod and Aillas ride to Tamurello's mansion but arrive too late; Carfilhiot and the wagon are gone. Aillas decides with a heavy heart he must return to Troicinet to prevent Trewan from being crowned king. Accompanied by Yane and Cargus, Aillas arrives at the last possible minute and confronts Trewan with his murderous deed. When Trewan attacks Aillas Cargus kills him, and Aillas is crowned king of Troicinet.
Shimrod can not act directly against Carfilhiot to rescue Glyneth and Dhrun, because that would constitute taking Aillas' side in a political matter and violate Murgen's edict. However, Aillas has learned that Quilcy, King of South Ulfland, has drowned in his bathtub, and that Aillas is his rightful heir by collateral lineage. He lands a force of troops in South Ulfland, proclaims his kingship, and demands a show of fealty from Carfilhiot as Carfilhiot's rightful liege lord. Carfilhiot refuses, and Aillas' Troice troops lay siege to his castle. Aillas' soldiers, informed by his knowledge of the castle's defenses, avoid the traps and pitfalls Carfilhiot has prepared, much to Carfilhiot's dismay. He calls on Tamurello, who confronts Aillas. This gives Shimrod an excuse to call on Murgen, who forbids Tamurello from acting and banishes him to his mansion. Tamurello offers to bring Carfilhiot to his manse, but Carfilhiot refuses to leave his castle. The siege is eventually successful, Dhrun and Glyneth are rescued, and Carfilhiot is hanged as a traitor to his king. When his body is cremated, a green fume escapes and blows out to sea, where it mixes with the spume and condenses into a "green pearl", which sinks into the sea and is swallowed by a fish.
Aillas, now King of Troicinet, Dascinet and South Ulfland, and his son Dhrun, make a diplomatic visit to Lyonesse. Casmir is puzzled as to how Aillas, barely out of his teens, could have a nine-year-old son, and why Aillas' face seems rather familiar.

Reception

reviewed Lyonesse in Ares Magazine #15 and commented that "Lyonesse will not appeal to all tastes; it is emphatically not written in the telegraphic, Hammet-style prose which many readers find appealing. Like a fine wine, it must be savored, and requires a patient reader. But for those with the patience, it is an eminently rewarding experience."
Dave Langford reviewed Lyonesse for White Dwarf #56, and stated that "Though it has its moments these are diluted by merely adequate passages, as though Vance needs to hoard his strength for this marathon."

Reviews