If your experience with Fantasy is that it is tediously long, badly written, and always involves some morally-beige quest of good conquering evil, then I urge you to read Jack Vance, and in particular the Dying Earth series (collected in "Tales of the Dying Earth"). His immaculate prose and vast command of the English language creates wonderful conversations between characters and a fascinating glimpse into an old version of Earth, basking in the last rays of the sun. Here we have a few last inhabitants, mostly dubious rogues, zealouts, and hermitic alchemists, waiting to trick or be tricked. This is a superb, vibrant and stimulating collection of stories that exudes imaginative power. With the recent death of Mr Vance, we have lost a truly outstanding and wonderful voice.