CUGEL'S SAGA is the third entry in Vance's DYING EARTH series. I enjoyed it much more than I did its predecessor, THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD.

I attribute that to a tonal shift between the two. While the plots are similar, EYES felt mean-spirited, while SAGA has a sense of fun and "punching up." Cugel the Clever lives up to his moniker, using his wits to manipulate various scoundrels into helping him on his journey.

I'd recommend skipping EYES and going straight to this one.

SIGNS OF LIFE is an expanded version of Harrison's novelette, "Isobel Avens Returns to Stepney in the Spring," which is one of my favorite stories.

Harrison himself described the short story as having "a much springier, smarter, more folded structure than the novel," which I agree with. While the plot of the novel ultimately ends up in the same place as the short story, it takes several detours with the newly introduced characters.

The novel was good, but the short story was fantastic.

At the start of the year, I set a goal of reading 365 short stories, which works out to one per day.

Right now, I'm about two weeks behind. I expect to get back into my routine in the next few days. If I want to reach my goal, I'll have to double up once or twice a week.

I'm not going to stress about it though; if I only read 350 stories this year, it's not the end of the world. More importantly, I've pushed myself this year to read works by several authors I was previously unfamiliar with.