"Lord Gygax"

[Richards]

I've been rereading some of my Jack Vance novels lately. (Hey, you can never go wrong with Vance!) In Trullion: Alastor 2262 I came across the following passage:

The gong sounded. Akadie gave a nervous start and stumbled to the telephone. After a moment he returned. "Lord Gygax also wants his hundred thousand ozols. He won't believe that I sent off the money. He became insistent, even somewhat insulting."

In the book, Akadie has been tasked with gathering the ransoms of people captured by starmenters (space pirates). He collected the money and sent it on to the kidnappers via courier, only to discover that in the meantime the pirates had been captured, the kidnapped individuals returned, and now all of the Lords who had paid ransom want their money (ozols) back.

Trullion: Alastor 2262 was published in 1973, around the same time that a certain Gary Gygax was publishing a certain fantasy RPG featuring a magic system patterned after the one used in Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" series. It's pretty cool to see a little tribute to Gary buried in a Vance work - "Lord Gygax" is mentioned just that one time, but still, I would consider that to be quite an honor. (Jack Vance is my all-time favorite author, bar none.)

Pretty cool, huh?

Johnathan

 

[Drew]

It is cool, but is it intentional? Col_Pladoh is a big fan of Jack Vance, and was largely inspired by Dying Earth. But, do they know each other?

 

[Richards]

I intend to assume it was intentional until it's been proven otherwise.

Johnathan

 

[PA]

I intend to assume it was intentional until it's been proven otherwise.

It was indeed intentional, at least according to Gary. Now, I agree the guy's not entirely reliable... After all, he never really grew up.

 

[kenjib]

That's cool. It reminds me of the High Priest Klarkash-Ton.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

That's cool. It reminds me of the High Priest Klarkash-Ton.

Or Luveh-Keraph (Lovecraft), "high priest of mystic Bast."

Or Robert Blake (Bloch)

The Cthulhu Mythos "in-joke" list goes on... Ia!

 

[JohnRTroy]

Considering Jack Vance was (a) inspirational for the D&D magic system and (b) TSR got permission to use the Ioun Stones from Vance...I'd say it's not a cooincidence.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Trullion: Alastor 2262 was published in 1973, around the same time that a certain Gary Gygax was publishing a certain fantasy RPG featuring a magic system patterned after the one used in Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" series. It's pretty cool to see a little tribute to Gary buried in a Vance work - "Lord Gygax" is mentioned just that one time, but still, I would consider that to be quite an honor. (Jack Vance is my all-time favorite author, bar none.)

Johnathan

Well, Amigo, we are in complete agreement as to the merits of Mr. Vance's writing.

I was in correspondence with JAck at the time, and laughed when I saw my last name appear in Trullion. I phoned him complained that I wasn't made a vicious starmeter

So it was no accident. When accepting an award at a past DragonCon, Michael Moorcock was kind enough to thank me for "doubling his audience," and I hope that I did that and more for JAck Vance!

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[mythusmage]

The fact Vance made Gygax greedy, grasping, short tempered, and disagreeable should show you how well he knew Gary.

 

[PA]

The fact Vance made Gygax greedy, grasping, short tempered, and disagreeable should show you how well he knew Gary.

I found the portrait rather flattering. But then, they were friends, so it hardly comes as a surprise.