Product Description
Subterranean Press is pleased to announce a small limited edition of the rare novella by Jack Vance that was eventually expanded into his novel Blue World.

The Kragen has been out of print for nearly twenty years, with the exception of its appearance in the Vance Integral Edition, a set of volumes published over the past few years that carried a cover price of $1500, for the least expensive edition alone.

Here's your chance to acquire a Vance limited at a bargain price, and cast your eyes upon a novella rarely seen since its original appearance in 1969. ... Read more

Product Description
Jack Vance is science fiction s world-builder par excellence, a multi-award-winning Grand Master and much-loved doyen of the art of the planetary adventure. In a career spanning 59 years, Vance has been responsible -- more than any other writer in the field -- for creating exotic alien cultures and living, breathing worlds, among them Tschai, Durdane and Big Planet, Trullion, Cadwal and Wyst, Aerlith, Fader and Dar Sai.

Now, in a single impressive volume, The Jack Vance Reader brings together three of the master's very best planetary adventures: the internationally acclaimed Emphyrio, the classic interplanetary whodunnit, The Domains of Koryphon, and the provocative and unforgettable The Languages of Pao. ... Read more

Book Description
One of Jack Vances enduring classics is his 1964 novel, The Dying Earth, and its sequelsa fascinating tale set on a far-future Earth, under a giant red sun that is soon to go out forever. This volume comprises all four books in the series, The Dying Earth, The Eyes of the Overworld, Cugels Saga and Rialto the Magnificent. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

From a weak beginning to supreme mastery
The first piece of this book is early Vance from 1950. The legendary Dying Earth. In reality, it's clearly the weakest of the lot, and it would be good for Vance's reputation if more people began to see beyond their nostalgia and acknowledge the fact. All real artists develop, and Vance is a real one and a big one. Only easy things come to even talented people early in their life, and, sadly for new writers, the modern publishing world isn't the place to grow. Marketing people of course try to hide this harsh reality. Fortunately for all true readers, Vance grew up in a different world. He would only have been exploited in today's.

The next piece from 1966 is better, and shows Vance as a work in solid progress. However, it's not until the stuff from the late 70s and early 80s that this collection shows Vance at his peak.

You hear many people these days saying that Vance's main worth is to be found in his influence on subsequent writers. This is absurd, and betrays a certain lack of sensitivity to what Vance is trying to do in his fiction. More people need to start reading him more carefully, especially his dialogues. They are often odd because they are often meant to be odd, as well as amusing in some way, often in a wry sort of way. Once you begin to appreciate Vance's style, you'll never be able to rank him below any writer. Vance is the favorite writer of people like G.R.R. Martin for a reason. And please, don't think that this is the only Vance you'll need to read. His ouvre is rich and varied, and the worst mistake you can make is to avoid the rest of it in the belief that he is a one trick pony. All of Vance's work from the 70s and later should be read and read again by every lover of good fiction.

Overhyped Hodgpodge
I looked forward to a bunch of great stories about the future of earth and how mankind was dealing with it.Instead this was three or four books obviously done at different times that were were slapped together to form a somwhat continuous story for the most part.I liked the first couple of stories and then the repetitiveness of Cugel wore me out.Unrepentent, scurrilous Cugel was funny for the first 30 pages but after what seemed like 1000 pages I wanted to bump him off myself.
Please beware of the other reviews.Unless you want a semi humorous fantasy novel telling a bunch of semi linked stories about a dying earth with lots of magic then stay the heck away from this.

Sheer Brilliance
In both conception and execution, a work of genius. It is compulsory reading for all lovers of fantasy fiction. Jack Vance's writing is uniformly brilliant and it is a mystery why it hasn't been awarded the accolades it richly deserves. Do yourself a big favor and get this book and hole up with it. I know you'll treasure the experience.

Inspiring Wizard of Words
In the ancient Earth's Last Days, even the collected remnants of mankind's Forgotten Lore will make a man into a Magician King. My all time favorite fictional work. The chapter entitled Mazirian the Magician was actually my introduction to Master Vance, found in an ancient fantasy anthology.When I finally (desparately) got my hands on The Dying Earth it changed my life and my work forever. A truly awesome read.

Exaltation & Debasement, Hilarity & Wickedness
I'll try to be short, but I cannot resist this opportunity to bang the gong for one of our greatest American authors, the immortal JACK VANCE (b. 1917), and what will likely be his most enduring work, "The Dying Earth."

Folks, it's all here--drama, heroics, adventure, atmosphere, a keen understanding of human nature, all liberally garnished with one of the dryest senses of humor ever.I first encountered the lead-off short story of the opening collection "The Dying Earth" back in 1969 in a paperback short story collection, and it grabbed me by the throat even at age 12.I found a used paperback of "Dying Earth" just a few years later and discovered to my continuing delight that the promise of that anthologized tale, "Mazirian the Magician" was more than born out by the rest of the book.

Other critics have classified Vance as science fiction's "premier stylist" and I tend to agree.Characters in the end-of-time world Vance creates here speak in almost Shakesperian dialogue, with outlandish flourishes of verbosity.I can certainly understand if more literal minded readers are put off by what appears to be a pretentious or effete manner of writing.BUT if you can get on Jack's wavelength--and it isn't difficult--you are in for one of the most unique and imaginative collection of page-turners ever written.

I'll leave to new readers the pleasure of discovering for themselves Mazirian, T'sais & T'sain, Liane the Wayfarer, Chun the Unavoidable, and of course Cugel the Clever--not to ignore the redoubtable Rhialto the Marvellous.Fictional characters definitely, but also vehicles for Vance to express his sharply perceptive take on the human condition in all its extremes of exaltation and debasement, hilarity and wickedness.These stories represent Vance across his career as a professional author (the first of the "Dying Earth" tales were written while he was still a merchant seaman in the 1940's) through 1983, when "Rhialto" was published.Throughout, the quality and consistency of his writing is FORMIDABLE.His unique voice and style were apparent from the beginning, and if anything, as he matured, he tended more toward the sardonic humor that REALLY ran riot by the time "Rhialto" was published.

I envy you new readers the opportunity to laugh out loud for the first time at Vance's over-the-top characterizations and allegories; you like me will surely be dazzled by the threads of plot drawing all the early cast of characters together throughout "The Dying Earth" to make a complete (and intensely satisfying) story cycle.Really, the riches available here between two covers can be rediscovered for the rest of your life.For those of us who waited years between "Dying Earth" collections, you newcomers are on the shores of paradise; despite the crummy, knock off cover and shabby typos this omnibus collection is blighted with, the quality of the work outshines any such drawbacks.

-And don't stop there--Vance collections "The Demon Princes," "Lyonesse Trilogy" and "Planet of Adventure" are no less beguiling in their own uniquely Vancian way.However, for me, nothing can surpass "Dying Earth" for that thrill of discovery and the lingering golden-hour whisper of an exotic life of tingling weirdness awaiting man's last days on an indescribably ancient Earth where the sun spasms and casts long, ruddy shadows into eternity... ... Read more

Amazon.com
Jack Vance excels at writing a series of shorter works that together comprise a grand, interstellar adventure. Such is the The Demon Princes, a series of five tales that chronicle Kirth Gersen's quest for vengeance against the five demon princes. The princes led the Mount Pleasant Massacre, a raid that destroyed Gersen's family and his world. But now Kirth is on their trail, and no matter how many galaxies there are to search, he will find them one by one and exact his revenge. This first volume collects three of the five Demon Prince stories, while the second volume will carry the remaining two.Book Description
Kirth Gersen carries in his pocket a slip of paper with a list of five names written on it. Theses are the names of the five Demon Princes who led the historic Mount Pleasant Massacre, which destroyed not only Kirth's family but his entrire world as well. He roams the universe, searching the endless galaxies of space, hunting down the Demon Princes and exacting his revenge. Three princes will fall before Kirth's work is done, and two more await their doom.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Almost great
I enjoyed this book.The characters were excellent, the writing was competent and the story was great.This is the first Vance novel I've read and I went out and picked up another one the next day (not as good).

The relationships with the women were weird and juvenile.He seems to be hung up on women that are inaccessible and in at least one case, underage.Creepy..?A little.Fortunately its not a deal breaker for the book.

The author's intelligence carries the day and he's able to muscle through the writing.He's able to maintain a sound narrative despite the uninspiring dialogue but what the hell.. its SciFi

Out of this World!!!
Meet Kirth Gersen.A rouge, a detective, a sociopath, and a man hell-bent on revenge.Kirth is scouring the galaxy to exact revenge on the 5 demon princes that destroyed his village and killed his family.This book contains the first 3 stories of Kirth Gersen, and how he used his brains and luck to overcome his very clever enemies. In each of the books the reader will be pleasantly surprised by the manner our protagonist accomplishes his tasks.

Someone should make a movie series based on this character.It would be a cross between Indiana Jones and Flash Gordon and would be simply amazing.

Any fan of science fiction or revenge tales should rush out and buy this book!

Relic113

Not Free SF Reader
The Demon Princes series is a very serious revenge story, or series
even. Think Red Sonja, or The Executioner, or The Punisher. Each of
these is basically novella length.

A boy's family gets killed by some very, very bad men. His
grandfather trains him to be a killer to gain revenge. His grandfather
dies, off he goes to kill some people that aren't that easy to kill.

Classic Vance
Classic Vance which is to say excellent.

I am over the age of 13.(but just barely)

Demon Princes by Jack Vance
Vance is my favorite fantasy author. The Demon Princes is a fine example of Vance's story telling ability, in the vein of classics such as The Faceless Man. Extraordinary imagination, fabulous imagery, and a smooth style are the standard Vance trademarks. ... Read more

Product Description
Nebula and World Fantasy Grand Master Jack Vance is one of the most admired and cherished writers of science fiction and fantasy in the world, and is one of the truly important and influential storytellers of the 20th century.From his first published story "The World Thinker" in 1945 to his final novel Lurulu in 2004, Vance has shown an astonishing range of inventiveness, versatility and sheer storytelling power, as well as a gift for language and world-building second to none. Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy and Edgar awards, his acclaimed first book The Dying Earth and its sequels helped shape the face of modern heroic fantasy for generations of readers -- and writers! In more than sixty novels, he has done more than any other author to define science fantasy and its preeminent form: the planetary adventure.Born in San Francisco in 1916, Vance wrote much of what you'll find between these covers both abroad and at home in the hills above Oakland, either while serving in the merchant marine or traveling the world with his wife Norma, all the while pursuing his great love of fine cuisine and traditional jazz.Now, at last, the very best of Vance's mid-length and shorter work has been collected in a single landmark volume. With a Preface by Vance himself and a foreword by long-time Vance reader George R.R. Martin, it stands as the capstone to a splendid career and makes the perfect introduction to a very special writer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Jack Vance Variety
This collection of 18 short stories/novelletes provides a good sample of the variety of stories that the Grand Master put out.

Two of the stories were Hugo Winning novelettes (which I had first read in the early 70's in first THE HUGO WINNERS anthology), THE DRAGON MASTERS(1963) and THE LAST CASTLE(1966).I just reread these two stories, and they are actually BETTER than I had remembered them - both of these stories are absolutely top notch.

Many of the other stories are more fantasy oriented, and not really my cup of tea.There are eight pure SciFi short stories - almost all of which are worth reading.I especially liked THE KOKOD WARRIORS(1951).THE MOON MOTH(1961), THE SECRET(1966) and THE NEW PRIME(1951) were also enjoyable.Those four all hold up better to time than SAIL 25(1962), and are more enjoyable than THE GIFT OF GAB(1955), NOISE(1951), and THE MEN RETURN(1957).

If you haven't read THE DRAGON MASTERS, THE LAST CASTLE, or THE KOKOD WARRIORS, you really must get this book and read these three stories.They all hold up extremely well to time, and are true far-future SciFi classics.These three stories, and THE FACE (1979, from THE DEMON PRINCES series), show that when Jack Vance is good, he is VERY good.

Wonderful Vance collection!
Great collection of some of Vance's work, which can be hard to find. ... Read more

Product Description
This 2005 SFBC Edition contains all 5 of the stories previously printed in Vols 1 & 2 : 'The Star King' , 'The Killing Machine' , 'The Palace of Love' , 'The Face ' , 'The Book of Dreams' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Superb Anthology
THE DEMON PRINCES is an anthology of five related science fiction novels written by the Grandmaster Jack Vance between the years 1964 and 1981, set about 1500 years in the future.The hero of the stories, Kirth Gersen, is a kind of "James Bond/Sherlock Holmes in Space"; who, as a young boy finds himself and his grandfather witnesses and sole survivors of a town massacre perpetrated by five "Demon Princes".Kirth's grandfather grooms him to seek revenge, and enrolls him in an elite Intergalactic Police Training Academy, where Kirth excels, and sets out to "The Beyond" to locate and extract revenge against the Demon Princes.

As is always the case with Jack Vance books, be sure to keep a dictionary handy and prepare to improve your vocabulary.I find myself looking up a new word on average of once every 4 or 5 pages... and I rarely have to look up a new word when reading books produced by most modern-day authors.

Following are brief reviews of each of the 5 stories contained in THE DEMON PRINCES:

THE STAR KING **** (1964, 170 pages) - A nicely interwoven tale of mystery, intrigue, action, courtship, and alien worlds."They just don't write `em like this any more".

THE KILLING MACHINE **** (1964, 165 pages) - Somewhat similar to THE STAR KING in that Kirth ends up having a hard time telling what the "bad guy" Kokor Hekkus really looks like.The alien world that Kirth traces Hekkus to is something out of the Middle Ages, with castles, princes and princesses, but also includes huge dreadful centipede-like man-killing beasts.Kirth manages to come into quite a bit of money by the end of this story.

THE PALACE OF LOVE **** (1967, 185 pages) - After the princess from THE KILLING MACHINE ends up taking a walk because she can't live with Kirth Gersen's single-mindedness, Kirth tracks the oddball Demon Prince Viole Falushe to his secret "Palace of Love".Interesting subplot regarding the plight of typical slaves on the lawless planets "beyond".

THE FACE ***** (1979, 222 pages) - Fantastic story, it is my pleasure to say that this is one of the best stories I've ever read.It has it all; action, mystery, romance, believable situations, innovative alien worlds and cultures - all leading up to a superb ending.This particular story is so good that it single-handedly brings the entire anthology (which is otherwise made up mostly of 4-star offerings) up to a 5-star rating.

THE BOOK OF DREAMS ***** (1981, 222 pages) - Another top-notch story, which starts out with Kirth Gerson using a ruse somewhat similar to that described in A. Conan Doyle's THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE, in order to attract the interest of the last remaining Demon Prince, H.A. Treesong... he then chases him from one bizzare future human culture world to another - including one funny/wild scene where he buys his way into a high school reunion garden party band as a beginner flute player, to get a chance to kill Treesong.

I only have two negative comments regarding this anthology; 1) About every 100 pages or so, and especially in the first three stories, there would be missing or transformed letters, or even missing words... and at times you will find yourself playing "WHEEL OF FORTUNE" trying to piece a sentence back together, 2) In the first three stories, Kirth's character, while entirely believable and not unlikeable, is a bit wooden and most of the time is fairly unexciting around the women (this is explained away by the fact that he is "a man on a mission", and has to keep his life focused on tracking down the evil-doers).By the fourth story, Kirth's character evolves into a much more exciting, inventive, personable, and introspective person, who is much more at ease with the ladies. ... Read more

Book Description
Jack Vance is undoubtedly one of the most gifted and versatile authors of science fiction today. The winner of a Hugo, a Nebula, and a World Fantasy Award, Vance lays claim to a career that spans more than five decades of critical acclaim and devoted readership. Tor Books has recognized his widespread audience and for years has brought classic Jack Vance novels back into print--most recently The Demon Princes, Volume One, and omnibus containing the first three books of Vance's beloved Demon Princes series. Tor now presents The Demon Princes, Volume Two, and omnibus containing the series' final two novels, The Face and The Book of Dreams.Kirth Gersen carries in his pocket a slip of paper with a list of five names written upon it--the names of five Demon Princes. The Demon Princes are a race of beings who disguise themselves as humans and delight in power and destruction. however, to Kirth they are merely murderers who killed his family and destroyed his home planet--and who deserves to die for those misdeeds. Three have already fallen in Kirth's hands, but there are two more names on his list, two more Princes who will live only long enough to regret their evil ways.Lens Larque was just as unique as the other Demon Princes--uniquely appalling. He was personally ugly, startling vicious, and arrogant above all others. Larque's own mission was a villainy of the highest order, and his personal obsession with success kept him hidden well from attackers--almost well enough. Howard Alan Treesong poisoned his friends, tortured his colleagues, and wrote his own horrific holy book, The Book of Dreams. But, clever as he may be, a galaxy-wide guessing game will be his undoing--and Kirth Gersen's sworn vengeance will be complete. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Not Free SF Reader
Kirth Gersen has disposed of three of the five master criminals (or
corporate executives, if you like) that were involved in a massacre
that killed his family, among others. With three down, there are two to
go, one being very tricky, and the other schizoid and very strange.
There are girls to shag and competing killers to deal with on the way.

Clever and Satirical Escapist Adventure
I originally read the first three novels in this series in paperback, many years ago.The last two novels really make it all come together nicely.

Following the personal vendettas of Kirth Gerson against his "master criminal" (often space-age, corporate 'captains of industry' of a sort) foes is a highly-amusing, highly satisfying read.This series is almost as good as Vance's Planet of Adventure, and the cynical, lyrical Vance style is wholly in place.

HIGHLY recommended.

Vance the master
For a Science Fiction writer, Vance uses damned little science in his novels.What he does use is language; so beautifully that he has created Vance addicts all over the world.

The Demon Princes novels are a rich mine of his wonderful prose and mordant humor.If you have not read Vance, they are a good place to start.

Space Fantasy
Vance's work has never been about 'Science' fiction.The science part has been used to set the scene,rather than serve as a gizmo-ridden concept that you might find used in films.

In this book,probably my favourite from the Demon Princes sequence,the hero,grim,humourless and unbeatable - stalks Lens Larque;a beefy,ugly man with short temper and vengeful aspirations - check the ending:p

What I love about this work is the sweeping vista created,cultures created with a paragraph,yet ones that are so rich that they live and breathe like any other place.

Add to this richness stark,yet purposeful characters with srongly driven goals and objectives.

Awesome

Fourth and Fifth Books of the Demon Princes Series
"The Face", the first book in this volume, is probably the best of the five Demon Princes novels.The reasons are manifest.Villainous Lens Larque provides some of the best challenges and intimidation for our hero, Kirth Gersen.There's the usual helping of exquisite writing and fine descriptions; the menu items during Gersen's restraunt visits are particularly noteworthy.Most importantly, "The Face" is the most morally challenging novel in the series.It presents, to some extent, the best argument for Gersen abandoning his single-minded hunt for revenge in his abortive attempts at romance with two characters.Lastly, "The Face" has a killer ending, laugh-out-loud serious if there ever was such a thing.

Another notable element is the planet Dar Sai and its inhabitants, the Darsh.Dar Sai is odd even by Vance standards.Giant umbrellas of water protect folks from searing daytime heat, the women grow mustaches, food is prized for its repulsiveness and gender wars are taken to a whole new level.Vance scores particular points by showing us the spoiled tourists who visit solely to mock the backwards Darsh.An just dessert is served for them at the end, of course.

The last novel in the series, "The Book of Dreams", is competent but less biting than "The Face".The new villain, Howard Alan Treesong, is less impressively hateable than Lens Larque or Viole Falshune from "The Palace of Love"."The Book of Dreams" contains vignettes set on numerous planets, none of them particuarly brilliant.The best parts of this novel are the introductory segments to each chapter.Short paragraphs cover a wide range of ground, from the hilarious philosophical basis of the Institute to the stunning character introductions for Treesong's various Paladins. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Jack Vance, an undisputed king of science fiction, outdoes himself in this space exploration novel. Myron Tany has been given command of a space yacht by his crazy aunt Hester, giving him the perfect chance to live out his childhood fantasies of intergalactic adventure, alien encounters and exotic romance.Set in Vance's Gaean Reach universe, Ports of Call is a veritable catalog of adventures, replete with richly-detailed encounters and characters worthy of the series that will no doubt follow this book.This is a light, often comedic space adventure that suffers only a bit from a meandering plot.Vance fans will revel in a terrific read.Book Description
Myron's parents insisted that he study economics, and Myron dutifully applied himself. But Myron had an aunt--his great aunt Hester Lojoie, a woman of great wealth inherited from a dead husband, and even greater flamboyance of nature. And when Dame Hester came into possession of a space yacht, Myron suddenly saw his long-supressed dreams of adventure bloom into new life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Pleasant Space Opera with strange worlds but weak protagonist
Myron Tany wants to travel in space, though his folks want him to finish his education and be respectable.When Myron's great aunt Dame Hester LaJoie receives a slander settlement in the form of a beautiful space yacht, Myron sees his opportunity.

Hester wishes to find the "Fountain of Youth" described in a magazine article, and decides to take her yacht for a trip.After exposing Hester's 'male friend' as a fraud, Myron is allowed to captain the yacht.

They set out on their journey, but Hester soon becomes bored and demands that they visit other spaceports for action.Hester allows shady Marko Fassig to join them on their journey, and after a confrontation, Myron is dropped off at the spaceport of Port Tanjee and left behind.

Myron then joins the crew of the 'Glicca', a space freighter, as a supercargo under Captain Maloof.With shipmates Fay Schwatzendale and Wingo, a cargo bay filled with deliveries, and passengers from a strange religious sect, Myron sets out on his space adventures.

'Ports Of Call' is the first book in Myron's adventures, followed by 'Lurulu', so the story will seem unfinished when you reach the end of the book.However, my major complaint wasn't the abrupt ending but the exit of the most interesting character even before the halfway point; Dame Hester LaJoie.Hester has the sauciness of Vance's usual characters, and Myron, in comparison, is weak, dull, and gullible.Following Dame Hester's absence from the story, the most interesting character of Myron's new crew, Hilmar Krim, is quickly removed from the story also.

Adding to the downside is a tendency of Vance's to be repetitive in certain details and phrases, and poor editing on the part of the publisher.Again, like Vance's 'Night Lamp', 'Ports Of Call' is a good book to read if you are a fan of Jack Vance.Otherwise, pick up 'The Demon Princes' first, for a better taste of Vance.Enjoy!

Ostentatious expression, light comic prurience and violence
I figure Vance must have been in his eighties when this was published, and as a prolifically established name I suspect the quality control had slipped Asimov style. I haven't minded a couple of his books, much as the language is usually pretentious. It's such a ubiquitous flaw, particularly in fantasy (Hugh Cook, Terry Goodkind) to think that virtually mock-heroically pompous expression, reaching for the thesaurus constantly with a High Schooler's concern that clear and precise language isn't somehow impressive enough - or, rather, with the foolish arrogance to feel that using antiquated or obscure constructions and vocabulary displays great intellect. Much as they may hope to, it's not putting them in the league of `great' writers like Shakespeare, Austen or Samuel Johnson: they haven't worked out that the reason classic authors like these sound so different to everyday speech is more to do with historically dated language than some objectively `higher' style - to their intended audience of contemporaries their now elevated sounding words were far more immediately accessible. It might be fun to have a single character that speaks in that self-consciously ostentatious way, but in Vance we have every character, and the narrator, speaking in the same irritating style. Yes, every single one - from carnival entertainers, to isolated tribesmen to a murderous, uneducated, impoverished bar slut. It's some relief that Vance finds it difficult to maintain this contrived style to its most painful level throughout the entire novel - he unwittingly slips into greater sense and clarity here and there - but they are only slips.

There is no plot. There starts to be one, and, who knows, there might be another sequel or two to tie up the starter story, but it's really pretty random. At least this is more justifiable in context than some other equally undisciplined books - as the title suggests, our protagonist is unattached and pretty happy to be fairly aimlessly flitting about from exotic port to port as crew on an opportunistic cargo (and, at a pinch, passenger) vessel. Hey, there are writers whose style and individual episodes are good enough that they can get away with weak or even non-existent plots on occasion (Fry, Wodehouse, Adams, Keillor, Banks), but Vance isn't one of them. OK, there is some charm, some wit - but not enough. Vance perhaps felt he'd bolstered this by adding some daydream titillation - our young hero Myron can't seem to help but find himself in intimate situations with attractive young women. It's not soft porn, but it is somewhere near to Star Trek 1/James Bond. Vance was born in 1916, and his presentation of playthings women and utterly expendable third world characters is neither politically correct nor insightful: rather it tends to confirm why some attitudes were better left in the last century. His men are supposed to be cool, I suppose, never dropping their carefully scripted lines under fire or seduction.

In his defence he was consciously writing a light comic daydream novel - it was never meant to be some searing social commentary. I suspect the humour may have worked better for someone with more of his own generation's presuppositions. There's much better Vance out there.

great vance material, does lack any plot direction
As a big vance fan, I enjoyed this book a lot.It is almost like a scrapbook of various vance-designed worlds and cultures, paraded one after another as the protagonist travels from world to world.The book could be 10000 pages long and I wouldn't get tired of this, but as I said, I am a Vance fan.

The big problem some readers might have with this book is the lack of any overall plot or conflict.I wonder how much of this is a function of Vance's desire not to write the first half of a story without any real guarantees hewould be able to finish it (he is quite elderly).In the event, he has finished the sequel, Lurulu, which should be printed late 2004.

Classic Vance
Ports of Call has all the classic Vancean ingredients, interesting travel to a variety of wierd and less than wonderful dystopic worlds where the locals are to say the least idiosyncratic, slippery and all shades on the way to vile. Vance is the master of local colour and characterisation.I particlarly like how he takes out his typical descriptive weapons - detailed descriptions of outre clothing, climate, geography, buildings, the inevitable "Local Bar", local customs and especially the food served at the "local bar" or the hotel that the characters inevitabley book into.Very reminicent of Cudgels Saga and Planet of Adventure. I notice eel is always on the menu somewhere in a vance book. Also inevitably some local huckster it trying to take the hero down.
Its as if Jack has rifled through his entire output and picked up bits and peices, sown them into a verbal quilt and called it "Ports of Call".Thats OK - you get good solid Vance in this book.

Refreshing to this jaded SciFi reader
This was my first Jack Vance read, and to my surprise, I was sucked right into the ride with the rest of the characters.While some people were displeased with the lack of direction, I found it enjoyable to just wander along with Vance wherever the plot took me.The various worlds are colorful, and the characters interesting and varied.

Vance's writing style is refreshingly different after so many SciFi novels that sound the same.There are no cliches - the ideas are fresh, the people are fresh, the dialogue is fresh - it's hard to describe why exactly it feels so different without having you read it for yourself.So do it - if you're a SciFi snob like me, you'l find a good read here. ... Read more

Book Description
Here, collected in one volume, is his Alastor trilogy: three classic SF adventure novels that are Jack Vance at his best.Trullion: Alastor 2262 / Marune: Alastor 933 / Wyst: Alastor 1716The Alastor Cluster: A sprawling system of thirty thousand live stars and three thousand inhabited planets, the cluster is ruled by the mysterious Connatic. He sees all and knows all, but with five trillion people contained within such far-flung boundaries, sooner or later something is bound to give.Trullion: Alastor 2262: An idyllic world where food is bountiful, the oceans are clear, and no one is ever wanting, World 2262 of the Alastor Cluster is in for a rude awakening. The Trill, a once-peaceful race populating the waters of Trullion, are now gambling their lives away on the planet-wide game hussade. What reward could be worth such risks?Marune: Alastor 933: Though the Connatic knows all, there is one man of whom he knows nothing, one man who knows nothing of himself. Pardero is determined to find out who he is and what cruel enemy forced him to forget his own life. But when he finally returns home to Marune, World 933 of the Alastor Cluster, the mystery only deepens.Wyst: Alastor 1716: On Wyst, World 1716 of the Alastor Cluster, millions of people live together in harmony, work only a few hours each week, and share the fruits of their labor equally. Wyst seems a utopia. But the Connatic, knowing better than to take utopia at face value, one day decides to investigate-a decision that may cost him his life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Master of Words and Worlds
Jack Vance is one of the all time great authors in any style. His writing sparkles like a bright mountain stream that twists every which way but always knows where it is going. He creates highly imaginative worlds that come alive to the reader and peoples them with characters that are as real as the folks next door. Alastor was the first I read and is still my favorite but all three are great!

Vintage Jack Vance- highly recommended!
This collection of 3 novels shows Vance doing what he does best- creating detailed & exotic worlds with unconventional social systems, and telling an engaging story through interesting characters.

'Marune' finds a man without a memory- he slowly learns who he is, and who had stolen his mind and why.The answer leads him into Machiaviellian intrigue in a remarkable land of subtle noblemen.

'Trullion' is a water world with a mania for a competitive sport known as Hussade- and Glinnes Hulden has more to worry about than keeping his team together.All is not well among the deceptively tranquil islands.

'Wyst' is a look at a perfectly egalitarian society that is by no means a Utopia."The trouble with Utopia is people".

This book is worth the price for the settings alone- Vance is the best creator of imaginative and vibrant worlds.The plots are interesting as well- icing on the cake.Vance is a master science-fantasy stylist.

A good read
Alastor is a compendium of three novels set in the same science fiction universe: Trullion:Alastor 2262 (first published in 1973), Marune:Alastor 933 (1975), and Wyst:Alastor 1716 (1978). The name Alastor refers to a political entity of 3000 worlds comprising trillions of humans all ruled by the Connatic, a benevolent autocrat. Each story is centered on a particular world of Alastor, each with its own peculiar customs, a staple of Jack Vance's writings.

Trullion is the weakest of the three stories. Unlike most of Vance's stories, this one never captures the attention of the reader. The wrap up of the murder mystery that is central to the plot is unconvincing as are some of the more arcane plot twists.

It should be mentioned that the plot outline of Trullion in the book description above, as well as on the back of the book itself, bears little resemblance to the actual plot. Trullion is about a man who leaves his home to serve in the Connatic's space navy and returns years later to claim his rightful inheritance.

Marune is a typical Vance story. The protagonist is a sympathetic character and the world of Marune contains all of the bizarre social conventions that one expects from Vance. My only complaint is that he pulls a deus ex machina to resolve the story.

Wyst is a blatant critique of communism. Vance has a grand time ridiculing the inherent contradictions of a society that attempts to enforce a radical brand of 'egalism'. One aspect that makes this story unusual is the personality of Jantiff Rovenstroke, the protagonist. For much of the story Jantiff is a weak willed, unsympathetic, character. Towards the end, he is forced to fend for himself and surprisingly demonstrates much ingenuity and self-reliance. This transformation makes Wyst the best of the three Alastor stories.

Wonderful
I've already read this 3 times and it just keeps getting better and better.

The book contains 3 stories and each one though not as good as some of his other novels is still better that most any other authors.I very highly recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description
Rejoin the adventures of Myron Tany, rebellious scion of a wealthy family, as he tours the Galaxy on a very questionable interstellar freighter, in a crew of actors, musicians, thieves and other ne'er-do-wells. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

A satisfying and wistful ending to a spectacular career
This is the most recent and final book by Jack Vance and it is the sequel to Ports of Call (so buy both books and read the other one first; I imagine they will be combined in future as they are a single work).For reasons below, I consider it one of his finest novels and absolutely required for anyone who has read more than a dozen Vance books.

The story here is carried forward by stops in a journey, each episode sketched with ease.The action, worlds and characters are new, yet they deliberately evoke his past themes.From a few pages, fans may recall entire past novels.Vance can therefore write sparingly, and yet marshal a many-hued nuance that is rich and satisfying.

Working thus, Vance delivers a single story that tours the best of his voluminous life's work, illuminated now from the full bloom of his perspective in older age.Dispensing with incidentals, he comes to the essence of each situation and communicates a total world-view that transcends and unites his earlier individual works.

By the end, you get it... and you are filled with an ineluctable joy and sadness.It's a feeling that only deepens when you realize that Vance's last novel was both a masterpiece and an endpiece to his career, and that you have experienced his great art for the very final time.

Jack Vance did not write this book
Lurulu is a sequel to the book "Ports of Call". It was announced a long time ago, and at one point there was another author's name attached to the sequel. Now that it has finally come out, it is obvious that some hack took Vance's scant notes or outline and filled it in as best he could. Many of the characters of Ports of Call are summarily dealt with in a manner very unlike any other Vance series. Ports of Call hinted at certain things happening to the three girls in Moncrief's show and that the crew would have to do something rash to save them from a "fate worse that death". This is completely absent. What happened to the Captain's lurulu on Fluter? Sad to say this current book is a vast disappointment.

Klausner is a parasite!
Harriet Klausner, Amazon's # 1 reviewer, clearly has no idea what Vance is about and I am happy to see that the bulk of Vance readersare discerning and intelligent enough to see that her review is a cynical attempt to suck up more votes by gushing away aimlessly about every new relase that comes out.Bah! What is even more amusing and tragic is that Klausner, perhaps chagrined by criticism of her review by the estimable James Windle 'jimbo', totally changed her review in a desperate attempt to garner more votes. Hahaha. Go away Harriet, you parasite! Your infinite mediocrity will be dealth with accordingly.

As for the book, it is readable and at times amusing, but it is certainly no Maeske: Thaery, Trullion: Alastor, nor Showboat World - less known than some other Vance novels perhaps, but truly brilliant works nonetheless.

Fine Coda to Great SF Literary Career?
I've read Jack Vance's work off and on for years now, but it's only until I stumbled upon "Lurulu" - most likely his last novel - that I realize now that he may be one of science fiction's finest literary stylists. "Lurulu", the sequel to "Ports of Call", is more of an engaging fictional wanderjahr across the galaxy, than your typical space opera replete with starships blasting away at each other and mysterious alien cultures. Once more First Officer Myron Tany and Captain Adair Maloof are the main protagonists and crew of the merchant ship Glicca, as she travels from planet to planet in the Gaean Reach. Tany has some unexpected good fortune thrusted upon him towards the end of this novel, and without disclosing how "Lurulu" ends, will say that it does end at a rather surprising, but satisfying note. If this may be Jack Vance's last novel, then I think it is is merely a fine coda to a great career writing elegant tales of science fiction and fantasy.

sparkling entertainment
Vance modestly describes this book as containing the left-over material from Ports of Call. The stories are not new to a reader of Vance - a hunt for a sex criminal, a foolish religious sect, a dramatic performance that goes wrong, these we have seen before.

What delights about this book, however, what prompts me to give it five stars, is the language. Vance has always been known for his startling turns of phrase, his carved and graven prose, but this is the best and most consistent example of it that I can remember seeing. Where in previous books the wit came in flashes, here I saw the full illuminations. ... Read more

Book Description
Stranded on the distant planet Tschai, young Adam Reith is the sole survivor of a space mission who discovers the world is inhabited--not only by warring alien cultures, but human slaves as well, taken early in Earth's history. Reith must find a way off planet to warn the Earth of Tschai's deadly existence.Against a backdrop of baroque cities and haunted wastelands, sumptuous palaces and riotous inns, Reith will encounter deadly wastrels and murderous aliens, dastardly villains and conniving scoundrels.And always the random beauty in need of rescue.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

You need to read these stories
I bought this book almost without thinking. I remember reading The Dirdir eons ago but being unable to find the other books. Finding all four stories in a single volume was to just too much to pass on.

This story is so much better than I remember and I'm still reading Servants of the Wankh.

Definitely a different feel from modern SF. Vance is a storyteller of the first order. If you read this you'll be looking for his other works; I know I am!

At almost 40 years old, this is still a fabulous series
Jack Vance may be my single favorite author, and this series showcases so much of why.I read this for the third time recently, and even though the series is nearly 40 years old you don't get any sense of dated or anachronistic notions, something I have run into, particularly with works this old or older.A major reason is that this is hardly sci-fi in the sense that it depends on science to explain anything;the setting is technological but the technology might as well be magic for the degree Vance uses only to establish a setting and move on with his story.As illustration, you could move the background of this story to a person magically transported to this world and looking for the magical teleporter stone to get home and it would make no difference aside from a few details.In general, Vance's sci-fi is not science-driven.

The Planet of Adventure series follows the efforts of one Adam Reith, marooned on an alien planet after his ship is destroyed by unknown surface forces, to attempt to procure a spaceship to return to Earth.Various aliens as well as humans (kidnapped from Earth deep in pre-history and brought by various races as slaves) populate the stories, with each village visited usually offering something of the bizarre, unusual, and memorable. The varied societies and customs described seem alive even after the story moves on, a quality that permeates vance's work and may be his single greatest quality.

a woman who likes vance
I love Jack Vance, have read most of his stuff.Planet Adventure was good, not my favorite of his, but good.
And as for the reviewer who wrote that "women don't seem to care for Vance"... what a stupid thing to say, stop stereotyping.

Plodding Plotting
I love Jack Vance for the most part, but found the travails of Starship trooper Reith for the most part plodding, thought for Vance, plodding is excilirating from most other authors.A bad Vance is better than most good works by another.Still, liked his other stuff much better though at times his brilliance wowed me!

An Absolute Classic: Not to be Missed
While the Demon Princes may be a more "mature" work (although with Vance, you are dealing with an author who produces material that is orders of magnitude better than almost every other author out there) Planet of Adventure is, in my humble opinion, the finest pure sci-fi adventure I have ever read (knocking "The Stars My Destination off its perch" and the aforementioned "Demon Princes").

If, while reading Planet of Adventure, you don't fall in love once or twice, find yourself gripping the pages with horror or fascination every twenty or thirty minutes, or feverishly search for further sequesl when you are finished.....there is something wrong with you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Contains six stories
The book contains a preface and six stories.The Last Castle won both the Hugo and Nebula awards.The contents of the book are as follows:

- Preface to the Collection

- Abercrombie Station
- The Last Castle
- The Moon Moth
- Rumfuddle
- Sail 25
- Ullward's Retreat ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

The start of something great!
I came at the Lyonesse Trilogy backwards, finding a copy of the third book of the series (Madouc)in an airport bookstore when I was in need of a good read for a flight. I definitely hit paydirt! It took me several more years to track down The Green Pearl and Sudrun's Garden (both of which were out of print at the time) but each time, the reward was the same.

As with the best of Jack Vance's other work, the universe of the "Elder Isles" comes alive through a wealth of details. But pay close attention - Vance's lively mind is sure to provide surprise after surprise and you need to be ready. Truly a master story teller!

One thing that distinguish this series from many of Vance's other fine series, is the interweaving of multiple perspectives (Suldrun, Aillas, Dhrun, Shimrod and Madouc), each with their own set of facinating tales each of which play a role in the larger geopolitical transformation of the Elder Isles.Usually, Vance focuses on one, or possibly two major characters, but here he manages five without missing a beat.

Some other reviewers disparaged the use of traditional fantasy themes (e.g., kings, sorcerers, princes and princesses), but I think they missed the point. The larger scale only provides the skeleton for the tale. It is the details of the meticulously described and logically assembled, but frequently surprising, world that breath life into the tale. My only complaint - I wanted more! Jack Vance at his worst is well worth reading, but this is among his best!

Stunning.Spellbinging.Excellent.
A friend gave me this book 20 years ago, in 1984.And I never read it.It moved with me from house to house along with a big pile of other unread books.Every once in a while I would give it a glance; but the back-cover copy was not all that interesting, and the map in the front looks crudely hand-drawn, and the first couple paragraphs seeed kind of dry -- whatever, I made no progress, tossed it back on a shelf.I had other stuff to read.

This year I started to play attention to fantasy again, what with the release of Donaldson's new Covenant series and my cousin recommending the Phillip Pulman trilogy to me.Over the Summer I pulled this book from the basement and added it to the to-read stack.Last week I read an old essay from Samuel R Delany saying how wonderful Vance is: ok, I'll give this book another try.

After a couple days to get into it, the book just consumed me, and I burned thru the last 375+ pages in one sitting, staying up all night (til 7am! and I work in the mornings!) to finish it.

Wow.What a book!

Vance takes his time setting everything up just so; but when the match touches the the tinder this book just starts roaring.An amazingly detailed and dramatic plot with dizzying twists and turns.Some of the most richly detailed characters I've ever encountered; believeable yet surprising. Written with a very sure, controlled (even dry) prose.This is definitely a work for grown-ups: very mature, hard-edged at times.Yet light and funny at other times; and warm.This author really knows what he's doing.Rewarding.

Why wouldn't I even give this book a decent chance before?Well -- maybe I was too young before.The presentation of the 1984 paperback didn't give any indication to a teenage boy that he might like the book.The cover illustration is of the Princess Suldrun; the back cover copy says something about the princess being locked up in her garden, until one day a prince washes up on shore -- I guess I thought it sounded like a romance novel.Instead it runed out to be one of the most compulsive page-turning high adventure novels I've ever read.

Note again that this is not a book for kids.Vance's Lyonesse is a tough, dangerous world: ogres raping women, killing & eating children, fathers imprisoning daughters for disobedience, prisoners of war enslaved, and so forth.Very tough-minded.Parents looking for Johnny's next fantasy series after Harry Potter should look elsewhere.Johnny needs a different book; the parents should read this themselves.

Is this a parody on fantasy?
With growing surprise I read the reviews written on this book so far, I can't believe everyone is that fond of this book! I think that no, it's not a bad book, but also most certainly not the best I've ever read. Especially in the beginning I was very disappointed, because I heard so much great stories about it - and if even Frank Herbert, the writer of Dune, says it's a wonderful book, then it really has to be true! But I have some serious points of criticism on the book:

1. Especially in the beginning of the book the story is very cliché. This beautiful princess refuses to marry the man her father wants her to marry, and then meets this poor guy who turns out to be a prince... Can you believe it?!

2. It is very obvious the book is written by a man. Whenever he speaks about women it is like he looks down on them, which annoyed me to no end.

3. The cruelties in this book are written without the slightest hint of emotion. Who cares a girl gets raped? It's only a girl!

4. A nine-year oldboy doing all kinds of heroic deeds? Sure...

I even thought for a moment that this had to be a parody on fantasy books, for many events are so completely unbelievable that I thought this couldn't have been written as a serious book. But, despite my not too positive opinion of the book, I decided to read on, and I gradually began to like the book more. Once I got used to his remarkable writing style, I realized the book really does have its good sides. Though some characters are quite unrealistic, other characters are very good. My favourite is Carfilhiot, the ruler of the fortress Tintzyn Firal, a smart but arrogant man. What I also loved is the politics in the book, which are quite complicated with all those wizards involved. And the details Jack Vance gives about the different characters, places and habits of different peoples are wonderful, they really make the story come alive. And... Well the story just gets to you! Because somehow, I made it to the end and I got carried away so much that I immediately after I finished this book began reading book two, the Green Pearl...

I still don't think this is one of the best books I've ever read, but I do think it is worth reading. So my advice is: if you like fantasy and can live with the points of criticism I have, give this book a try.

go do as I tell you and get this book
The fact that this book is not constantly in print and available everywhere is, in a world where Dungeons and Dragons style series fantasies and deriviative, pseudo-literary fantasy garbage, like the works of Neil Gaiman and Gene Wolfe, are all over the bestseller lists, is an unutterable obscenity that defies human comprehension. Vance is the greatest prose stylist in the history of genre fiction, heck, maybe in the history of fiction. Lyonesse is funny, sad, arch, inventive, adventurous, philosophical, page-turning, perfect. The characters are more real than any of the people you know, and you will love and hate them more than your own friends and enemies. The Elder Isles are more real than New York or London and much more interesting. You should get every book in this series (there are three) immediately, no matter what the financial or personal costs, and immediately make them the centerpiece of your life until you have read them all. Then, you should read Vance's Tales of The Dying Earth, which is just as good. Then, you should re-read the Lyonesse books. There, that's it. Now, go do as I tell you and thank me later.

enchanted
This book leaves me with amazement at Jack Vance's range of imagination and precision.I am familiar with Vance's early science fiction novels that employ a pleasantly deliberate execution.This work retains that style and yet endeavors and succeeds in contriving an elaborate, far-stretching story of an epic level.His characters are entirely believable and emotionally charged.He draws the plot together in a natural and yet surprising manner, and his depiction of the magical arts and creatures is like a fairy tale of adult proportions.I have read a lot of fantasy novels and this one I have found incredibly refreshing in its originality and delivery.Enjoy!I look forward to reading the remainder of this trilogy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The most believable, best work written in the fantasy genre
As a true fan of good fantasy and science fiction for some 20 years now, I've always searched for books which really fulfull the promise of those genres.In a time when both genres seem to have collapsed into a state where one rarely finds work which isn't some sort of commercialadvertisement for childrens toys and tv shows, Jack Vance stands out like abeacon of pure genius.The dying earth is a series of vignettes in thefantasy realm of the same name invented by Vance.Humorous and brilliantlywitty, yet darker and in many ways more believable (on a human level) thanhis space operas, the dying earth presents characters and situations usingVance's unique and eclectic mastery of the english language which sweep thereader away into another world from which it is hard to escape.This,ultimately is what good fantasy should do, and so often fails toaccomplish.Readers should also seek out "The eyes of theoverworld", "Cugels saga", and "Rhialto themarvelous", which occur in the same 'world'...

Vance got even better
I am a great fan of Jack Vance, but this is not one of my favourite works. I find the characters opaque and unlikeable. Vance's verbal pyrotechnics remain spectacular, of course. But I far prefer later Vance such as the'Lyonnesse' series, the 'Cadwall Chronicles' ('Araminta Station' et seq.),and the 'Alastor' novels. These contain heroes who are likeable as well asdauntless, and romantic interests who are loveable as well as beautiful. For people who like 'The Dying Earth', I suggest 'Cugel's Saga', 'Eyes ofthe Overworld', 'Rhialto the Marvellous', and 'Showboat World'. People whofind the characters of 'The Dying Earth' repellent, or the languageover-elaborate, should try 'Araminta Station' (SF) or 'Lyonnesse I:Suldrun's Garden' (Fantasy) before they give up on Vance.

exellent,a one book,one sit read.
this is a book of science fiction and fantasy combined.in book one of this four book sieres we,re introduced to a variety of people.turjan,creator of life.t,sais,who see's everything with evil intent.on her planet she meetsher sister who sees everything with the goodness of her soul.here hersister travles to a planet called earth where the sky is blue to findlove.here t,sais meets a hooded man who saves her from distruction his nameis etarr(I liked him)his is a story of love for the wrong woman!thereare manny other characters in this book to many for me to give a properfeel for each one. mazirian,liane,ulan dhor...JACK VANCE IS A MASTER STORRYTELLER...

A true classic, beautiful beyond belief.
Any attempt to convey even a vague sense of the wonder and beauty of JackVance's writing in this book is doomed to failure. It takes its placealongside the works of Lord Dunsany (The King of Elf Land's Daughter), E.R.Eddison (The Worm Ourobouros), and, yes, Tolkien. Read and be enchanted.

One of the most influential fantasy novels of all time
Originally written in 1950, this 'novel' is actually six semi-interlocked tales of Earth millions of years in the future.The sun has become red and dim, the landscape is peopled with sorcerers, demons, weird nightmare creatures, and the baroque remnants of mankind.Magic and science have blended almost into one.

Vance's language is evocative and unique; his style is unmistakable.Other of his novels- far below this in quality- have won the Hugo and Nebula. Read this book and live a dream. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A genuinely unique and hilarious adventure
Had to rate this just to help overcome the injustice of the one star review above.This is a book I've read time and again over the last 10 years and it never fails to amaze me.Vance's language alone takes you to another planet. The vistas and cultures he creates are savagely beautiful and ironic.His characters are loveable, laughable, inventive and twisted up in plots, sub-plots and intrigues that are mad works of clever comical genius.
Jack Vance is wildly unlike any other author in the world.He can show you life in a light unlike any you have previously imagined...A true gift that only a great book like this can achieve.

I Too Want A Showboat!!
This is one of my very favorite non-magical Vance works, and it is amazing.I want a Showboat so BAD after I read (and reread) this book...!I would call mine "The Golden Conceit."LOL

Rascals and Rogues Galore!
Showboat World is probably my favorite Vance story. Some of my other favorites include Trullion, Araminta Station, and The Moon Moth. Apollon Zamp has more character flaws than almost any other Vance "hero" besides Cugel. In my humble opinion, this story would adapt well to film. Brad Pitt would have to put on a few pounds but would be a natural for Zamp. I know there is a role for Patrick Stewart in there somewhere. Can you imagine the showboats? The opera singers and orchestras? The jugglers, clowns, contortionists, midgets, mimes, actors, and so much more!Where is Cecil B. DeMille?

Excellent and Enjoyable
_Showboat World_ takes place on Big Planet, which was introduced in _Big Planet_ (duh). Here we follow the story of Apollon Zamp as he attempts to travel a great length to enter a showboat contest. The novel is a vastly entertaining picaresque, as he depicts how rival showboat owners attempt to sabotage each other's efforts; how the showboat owner must manage his performers, who do not shrink from stealing from him; how entertainments must be modified to avoid riling the inhabitants of the various towns and cities along the river, each with its own unique culture. The beguiling female lead, Damsel Blance-Aster, provides an element of mystery that is only resolved at the end of the novel. Highly recommended.

Cultural fantasy
I quite agree with the review by James Beerbower. This is a caleidoscope of hypothetical cultures, traversed by a group of people who get by on an almost animal cunning. However it escapes me why anyone would call this SFor even would want to read it. ... Read more