Posted by Richard Simms on March 24, 1998 at 15:19:38:
In Reply to: Re: Comments on Vance Villains posted by Terry on March 02, 1998 at 14:11:07:
Here's a twist on the Vance Villians discussion.
Sometimes the line between hero and villain is blurred in Vance's books.
Examples? Why Cugel himself....and Apollon Zamp in Showboat World. These two immediately spring to mind.
Of course neither is an out and out servant of the devil himself in the way King Casmir or Woudiver (The Dirdir) are ,
but if the stories were not seen through their eyes and Cugel/Zamp were peripheral ( I know pure conjecture ) we would see them as utter scoundrels and nothing more.
I suppose we still do but the narrative encourages us to root for them whatever their shortcomings!
Apollon Zamp is no more morally gifted than his rival Garth Ashgale and Cugel is no more altruistic than...well just about everyone else he met on those malodorous journeys!
They are both wonderful characters naturally..perfect anti heros created by a master.
There's a gulf between them and the Glawen Clattucs' and Gastel Etzwanes' of Vance's worlds though!