Product Description
“Thank You, Mr. Vance,” by Dean Koontz. © 2009 by Dean Koontz.
“Preface,” by Jack Vance. © 2009 by Jack Vance.
“The True Vintage of Erzuine Thale,” by Robert Silverberg. © 2009 by Agberg, Ltd.
“Grolion of Almery,” by Matthew Hughes. © 2009 by Matt Hughes Company Ltd.
“The Copsy Door,” by Terry Dowling. © 2009 by Terry Dowling.
“Caulk the Witch-Chaser,” by Liz Williams. © 2009 by Liz Williams.
“Inescapable,” by Mike Resnick. © 2009 by Mike Resnick.
“Abrizonde,” by Walter Jon Williams. © 2009 by Walter Jon Williams.
“The Traditions of Karzh,” by Paula Volsky. © 2009 by Paula Volsky.
“The Final Quest of the Wizard Sarnod,” by Jeff VanderMeer. © 2009 by Jeff VanderMeer.
“The Green Bird,” by Kage Baker. © 2009 by Kage Baker.
“The Last Golden Thread,” by Phyllis Eisenstein. © 2009 by Phyllis Eisenstein.
“An Incident in Uskvesh,” by Elizabeth Moon. © 2009 by Elizabeth Moon.
“Sylgarmo’s Proclamation,” by Lucius Shepard. © 2009 by Lucius Shepard.
“The Lamentably Comical Tragedy (or the Laughably Tragic Comedy) of Lival Laqavee,” by Tad Williams. © 2009 by Tad Williams.
“Guyal the Curator,” by John C. Wright. © 2009 by John C. Wright.
“The Good Magician,” by Glen Cook. © 2009 by Glen Cook.
“The Return of the Fire Witch,” by Elizabeth Hand. © 2009 by Elizabeth Hand.
“The Collegeum of Mauge,” by Byron Tetrick. © 2009 by Byron Tetrick.
“Evillo the Uncunning,” by Tanith Lee. © 2009 by Tanith Lee.
“The Guiding Nose of Ulfänt Bander–oz,” by Dan Simmons. © 2009 by Dan Simmons.
“Frogskin Cap,” by Howard Waldrop. © 2009 by Howard Waldrop.
“A Night at the Tarn House,” by George R. R. Martin. © 2009 by George R. R. Martin.
“An Invocation of Incuriosity,” by Neil Gaiman. © 2009 by Neil Gaiman. ... Read more

Product Description
Vintage paperback reprint. Mystery novel by famed science fiction writer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Tschaï: The best geo-political SF adventure ever written
I recommend to read the 4 books to get the whole picture.
The style is efficientand fluent, the idea is innovative, the adventure is really captivating, the geo-politic of Tschaï is quiet complex to avoid a boring story. To have in your collection.

The best, the only
If you don't fall in love with SF reading Tschai, you neverwill. Tschai is magnificent.

SIX stars!

Great reading
The creation of this series of books must have been mind-boggling. An awesome book I keep reading over and over again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Early Jack Vance

The following comments are for the short novel House of Iszm.

To be frank this novel is not one of Jack Vance's better efforts. It was written in the 1950's, published by Ace and reads like a modest first draft in need of revisions.

The author constructs a detailed framework to hang an uninteresting tale of inter-planet stratagems.What really exasperating are the possibilities inherent in the plot that are not developed.

The saga is pure space opera; two planets vie to control a third to increase wealth and power. One of the planets is dominated in it's physical and religious aspect by an enormous tree; an idea ripe with possibilities that is discarded after a few tantalizing paragraphs. Fortunately for the reader Vance's extraordinary imagination shines through in spots preventing this book from being a total loss.

Fans of Vance should read these early novels to appreciate the maturity in later books. Casual readers should look to later works; this story will disappoint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Brave Free Men
The last ten years have seen a Jack Vance renaissance of sorts, with some of his best early work returning to print.New omnibus editions of The Demon Princes, the Alastair novels, "The Dragon Masters" and the Planet of Adventure novels have been put into print.But nobody has yet reprinted the Durdane Trilogy, presumably because the publishers don‛t think there would be much interest.On the other hand, many Vance devotees list this trilogy among their favorites.

Clearly Durdane is not typical Vance work.Compared with his other books, "The Brave Free Men" has only a few instances of humor, little sparkling and delightful prose, and none of those famous Vance societies that seem completely insane yet also entirely plausible.(Which isn‛t to say that the book doesn‛t unfold in a strange society.Rather, we never get a full explanation of what life in the various cantons is like.Instead, we must make do with tantalizing hints and brief glimpses of odd behavior.)The writing is quite plain, and the action is straightforward.Gatzel Etzwane, possessing the tools to manipulate Torcs, sets out to reorganize Shant for war.His adversary: the Roguskhoi, mysterious man-apes who roam the interior of the continent.Etzwane finds numerous obstacles to his efforts: rigid social structure, inadequate technology, and an apparent conspiracy among high-ranking officials.There are ample plot twists and turns, and an ending that explains all the mysteries and apparent contradictions.

As I said, the book is a departure from Jack Vance‛s typical style.The dry irony is mostly gone.Perhaps Vance felt like trying a story with plain style, so that he could focus on plot complexity.Indeed "The Brave Free Men" starts off with an apparently normal pace.At the end, however, you realize that quite a lot has happened, for a novel of only 250 pages.In that respect, "The Brave Free Men", though not Vance‛s best, is well worth reading.

A final note: The Durdane Trilogy is, in fact, a trilogy.It contains three books, no more and no less.Various editors and publishers muddied the waters by printing books under two different titles for their own strange purposes.Here are all the titles:

Book 1: "The Anome", also published as "The Faceless Man"
Book 2: "The Roguskhoi", also published as "The Brave Free Men"
Book 3: "The Asutra"

All three have been out of print for twenty years, so you‛ll have to search through libraries, Z-shops or old dusty used book stores to get them.As you do so, remember to try looking for the alternate titles.

Beatufil as per usual
Vance has created another consuming world with this book;rich with culture and mystery.A young man find himself in a uniques position to affect change.

Here,you find Vance creating one of his famous characters;hard,ruthless if necessary,clever and quick-wittedand brave.In this instance,unlike others,this charcter Gastel has not receievd advanced training as a scout (Adam Reith - Planet of Advanture) or trained to be a killer by his grandfather(Keith Gersen - Demon Princes).

In this instance,we see how it is possible for this toughness to be created from thin'ish' air.Perhaps,the tough, ruthless chararacter is one of Vance's favourites.

Another classic from the master,nontherless.

A rough journey through a decadent world
The Durdane saga is vivid in every details. Only problem is that it's not printed anymore. As good as Tchai, with the mysterious intricacies of a strange rough world, where savageness and decadent societies coabitate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Mediocre Vance is Still Great
I'm not sure exactly what this book contains, but from the title and author it seems to include a novelette called "I-C a B.E.M." which Jack Vance wrote in the late 60s or early 70s about a secret agent whose body contained surgically implanted gizmos to give him certain advantages over the opposition, sort of like James Bond with more and better gadgets and the gadgets inside.The story was set on Earth in the very near future, which at the time was the 1990s. The agent carried out some kind of mission in equatorial West Africa.I believe there was a sequel called "The Augmented Agent".

This is not one of Vance's classics, but even mediocre Vance is well worth reading.The trademark irony and wit, the elegant language, the hero who does more thinking than slugging, are all here.Only the lush and well-described setting and powerful story lines of more classic Vance novels are missing.The setting here is contemporary equatorial West Africa, a boring place to me, and is described in perfunctory fashion.I forget what task the agent had to perform, which speaks for itself.

This is a relatively minor work by Vance, and I wrote this review only because the Editorial Review above seems bizarrely out of place.The Editorial Review, apparently of a work by James F. Tiptree, Jr., seems to have nothing to do with Jack Vance or "The Augmented Agent".I suppose it's conceivable that the volume contains both the titular works by Jack Vance and some short stories by James F. Tiptree, Jr., but I've never heard of an odder couple.If that's the case, I would expect the work to be listed twice, once under Vance and once under Tiptree, and the Editorial Reviewer to describe the Vance works in the Vance listing and the Tiptree works in the Tiptree listing. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

Great book!
Jack Vance begins with a colony of humans isolated on a 100% ocean planet. They've been there for more than a dozen generations, and have settled into a surprisingly sophisticated life style considering their total lack of metals, glass, and masonry.

More than half the novel is used to set up the nature of the society and how a portion of the inhabitants become dissatisfied.

From then on Vance demonstrates how, with a few vague hints from the Memoria written by the revered Firsts, the dissenters can start a Renaissance on their Blue World.

Classic Vance
Vance is in top form as he creates a society evolved from shipwrecked misfits and malcontents on a world covered entirely with oceans. Enormous floating vegetation pads provide living space. After ten generations the writings of the founders are subject of scholarly debate; all subsistence is from the sea; work is apportioned via guides; and a huge Kraken is worshipped by some and ignored by others.

On the stage steps Sklar Hast-a fine Vance name-who questions Kraken worship and the priesthood evolved to lead the ceremonies. Hast devises a method for capturing and killing the beast that elates one segment of the society and infuriates the remainder. The priest claim that King Kraken will destroy the floating pads if not placated with food offering. Sklar maintains man should not be subject to the beast. Eventually Sklar and his followers split from the Kraken worshippers and sets off to form a new community. The books strength is in its rationalization of a viable society wholly dependent on aquatic materials and a it's captivating story line.

The Blue World first appeared as a short story in Fantastic Magazine in 1964, Ballantine edition published in April 1977.

Vance: Underappreciated Genius
I have reached a point now where I am continuously reading 100 to 200 pages of sci-fi/fantasy novels, then throwing them away and searching for the next Jack Vance work. I keep finding that he has already written entire, masterful books on random notions that I have had about what the next few decades will bring....and he wrote them decades ago. I've been tearing through his work at a steady clip, and haven't been disappointed yet.

For example, I just wrapped up Blue World, which is somewhat of a cross between Moby Dick and The Old Man and the Sea. It's a masterpiece, and more metaphorical and symbolic than most of Vance's works. On one hand it can be read as a straight-forward adventure story about the descendants of shipwrecked starfarers attempting to defeat an aquatic monster. However, it can simultaneously be read as an indictment of religion, orthodox thinking, and institutionalized bureaucracies as being stultifying narcotics that sap human free-will and advancement.

It is amazingly and deliciously subversive.A good read even for those who don't like science fiction or aren't familiar with Vance.

One of Vance's Best
Jack Vance is one of my favorite authors although admittedly he has written a few duds.At his best, as in The Blue World, he has an uncanny knack of making his quirky and exotic societies and locations seem real and believable.While Blue World is technically Science Fiction it's really a story of human triumph and ingenuity.A shipload of people stranded on a world without land, who not only survive but flourish could just as easily have been a 16th century galleon stranding its crew on a desert island.

An entrenched quasi-religious priesthood built up over generations to worship a very large & vindictive sea creature(called a Kragen probably after the Kraken of Norse mythology) who demand orthodoxy and are willing to kill those who oppose their views or threaten to harm the monstrous Kragen is soundly based on human experience.

The interaction of those who want to rid themselves of the beast and those of orthodox view led by the "priests" who see the Kragen as a god-like entity to be worshiped and fawned over is at the heart of the story and rings so true it could be describing the U.S. Senate's conservative vs. liberal debates.The justification for war to rid the world of unorthodoxy is as old as time and shows a real understanding of human nature that Vance often uses to advantage.

Blue World is Sci-Fi at its best.

Surprisingly good
Jack Vance has some great books, but has also written quite a few not-so-great ones.I expected this book, which was originally a short story but later expanded to novel size, to be one of the not-so-good ones.I was pleasantly surprised.The action is fairly constant throughout the first 3/4 of the book.Things slow down towards the final chapters, and the ending is slightly disappointing.Still, all in all, this is a better-than-average story. ... Read more

Product Description
An opera company composed of aliens from a world no human is familiar with makes a concert hall appearance on Earth. Their music is strange, somewhat disconcerting, but the performance closes to rave reviews. The next day, every one of the aliens has vanished. They didn't leave by spaceship, and it seems impossible to believe they have successfully hidden themselves on a strange planet; so where did they go, and how? ~ ~~ ~ Roger Wool, a young dilettante who was enthralled by the "space opera," wants desperately to find the unknown world of origin of the musicians and hear more of their music. He persuades his wealthy aunt to sponsor a Terran opera company on a tour of the Galaxy, hoping to encounter the mysterious aliens, or their home world. ~ ~~ ~ But alien musical systems are NOT always well-received by people unused to hearing them. . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

You want Space Opera? You get... Opera in Space!
The classic Space Opera, as created by E.E. (Doc) Smith with his Skylark and Lensman series (wonderfully satirised in Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers by Harry Harrison) is here being spoofed. No galaxy-spanningbattles, immense warfleets, super-powerful weaponry, or mighty heroes.Instead, another one of Jack Vance's grand old dames, eccentric anddetermined but also rich, decides to bring culture to the deprivedresidents of distant planets by taking an opera company on tour.Misunderstandings ensue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Limited Edition Hardcover
Contains a foreword and nine stories, including the great "Potters of Firsk" - which was made into a radio play - and the classic "The World Thinker".

- Foreword

- Assault on a City
- I'll Build Your Dream Castle
- Four Hundred Blackbirds
- Meet Miss Universe
- The Potters of Firsk
- Sabotage on Sulphur Planet
- Seven Exits from Bocz
- Winner Lose All
- The World-Thinker ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not Free SF Reader
Fourth revenge.


This is probably the best of the Demon Princes books, as our hero chases his next opponent, Lens Larque, across space and to many planets, finally ending up on one that has a really interesting, if rather bloody local game that they play.

Given there is a fifth book, Larque's chances obviously aren't too good.

The 4th of the Demon Princes: Lens Larque
"It is instructive to note that the author [of LENS LARQUE: THE FLAGELLATOR], Erasmus Heupter, dropped out of sight soon after publication of the article and was never seen again."
- note added to a reprint of the piece, accompanied by a fervent disclaimer of responsibility for the accompanying silly-looking artist's impression of Lens Larque himself

While two of the five DEMON PRINCES volumes are named for Kirth Gersen's targets at those phases of his lifelong quest for vengeance, the remaining three are named for great exploits or conceits (or both) of the larger-than-life crimelords therein. While each title is seen, in the end, to be apt, in some cases the full beauty of it won't be apparent until the end of the story.

Readers unfamiliar with this series might expect all five episodes to follow a similar structure, as Gersen strips away his current target's protective veils of false identities and middlemen to bring about a confrontation. Not so; as noted in various (imaginary) learned tomes quoted throughout the series, the Demon Princes have few points in common, save that 1) each is a master criminal - brilliant, untouchable, and completely indifferent to human pain, and 2) they have a flair for schemes on a grand scale. Even on the matter of ego, Malagate - the only non-human among them - was arguably an exception. Lens Larque, on the other hand - Gersen's current quarry - stands out as exceptionally arrogant, even among this select group who divided the criminal activities of known space as predators might split a kill, ignoring lesser threats.

The Demon Princes aren't an organization; they merely recognize one another as peers and stay out of each other's way. The Mount Pleasant raid, in which Gersen's home and family were destroyed, is the only recorded instance of a cooperative effort by the Demon Princes - and it was one too many, as Gersen's grandfather reacted by ruthlessly turning his only surviving relative into a weapon to strike even beyond the grave. Given the events of the preceding three books, it's even possible that none of Gersen's targets is aware of the fate of any other. The five books *could* be read in any order without giving away Gersen's solution of each core problem - identifying and isolating his target - but ideally the development of Gersen's arsenal of resources should be read in order.

Through the events of THE KILLING MACHINE and THE PALACE OF LOVE, Gersen acquired tools to smooth his way: a fortune, and Jehan Addels, his canny (and nervous) man of business. (Ironically, through Addels, Gersen himself has acquired aliases and shell corporations to protect his identity even as his targets conceal theirs.) Addels acts as Gersen's unhappy ally, to the point of helping mastermind the legal strategems intended to smoke the whip-wielding Darsh out of concealment long enough for Gersen to trap him.

As in Gersen's other adventures, his is not the only attempt at an epic achievement. Part of the charm of these stories is to try to figure out what the current Demon Prince is up to (as well as being treated to accounts of their past exploits). Another feature is that no Demon Prince is easy to identify, and each is capable of turning the tables more than once in a story. In fact, Gersen's first encounter with Lens Larque turns out as a spectacular revenge indeed - but the joke's on *him*. The Demon Princes didn't get where they are by being fools (insane in some cases, sure, but not stupid).

THE FACE, unlike the other entries in the series, is broken into three acts, each set on a different planet, beginning on Aloysius (Addels' home base), moving to Lens Larque's homeworld of Dar Sai, and culminating on Methlen. The book is worth reading for Darsh culture alone and its stark contrasts: the comfortable Shades in which they protect themselves from the surrounding desert; their strict but alien code of honor and harsh penalties for lawbreakers (their mating/marriage customs expect adults of both genders to be sexual predators, but woe betide he who steals from a neighbour); the men have more whips than Indiana Jones. The Methlen - neighbours only in the sense that they occupy the same solar system - provide yet another contrast. Unlike the deliberately coarse Darsh, who enjoy making outsiders squirm just with their cooking, the Methlen are essentially a country club-type-group who bought their own planet generations ago, and by now have *really* exaggerated ideas of their own superiority, to the point where there are only three kinds of people: Methlen, everybody else except the Darsh, and the Darsh (who are just as prideful, but antithetical culturally).

And the development of the Methlen isn't neglected. Gersen gets involved with Jerdian Chanseth, a young Methlen aristocrat with a great deal of physical charm. Nice touch; Gersen's human enough to fall in love, consider having a *life*, and settling down, even though the relationship from an outsider's perspective looks doomed from the start. Even better, Gersen's romantic entanglements are always relevant to the main plot.

Beware the Touch of Panak
Vance returned to the Demon Prince series after a 12-year hiatus to write this novel and its sequel, 'The Book of Dreams.'These demonstrate the mature Vance.His world building skills are just as fine, but character development has come a great distance Kirth Gersen is not only a full three dimensional character, but he is fully in control of events now.An 'actor' rather than a 'reactor.'This carries over to the rest of the persona as well, except for the villain of the piece, Lens Larque, who must remain a menacing shadow to the very end.

Larque is a Darsh from Dar Sai, a world that was only civilized because of the value of its raw materials.Its people are harsh, prone to games of whipping and violent 'diplomacy.'The sexes don't like each other and the mating customs are half hide-and-seek, and half mayhem.Gersen puts together a ship-napping in order to trick Larque into exposure, has the tables turned on him, and finally arrives on Dar Sai with a new respect for the fourth of the Demon Princes.

Gersen's troubles don't end because he has got to the right planet.Next, he must find the right man.Soon you get the idea that the only cooperative people on Dar Sai were not born their.The Darsh have about the same social skills as miners during the gold rush.And about the same amount of rapacity as well.I should also mention that they have the worst food in known space.Winning only a pyrrhic victory on Dar Sai, Gersen heads for its sister planet Methlen, where the beautiful people live.Besides the inevitable conclusion, Gersen also learns the sorrows of love (again) and the joys of delivering a good comeuppance.

There is a lot of subtle and ironic humor in the story, one of Vance's trademarks as a developed writer.As such, interest remains high right through the end as the last twists fall into place.While it was to be only a few more years before the final volume appears it was a very impatient time for the fans.You modern young whippersnappers should count yourselves lucky. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

preachily opinionated, blatantly allegorical, amazingly wonderful stories
About thirty years ago, I saw this paperback in the throw-away box in front a bookstore on 57th street in Chicago, and picked it up on a whim.A few days later, I opened it up...and didn't close it again until I had absorbed both stories, as well as neglected a meal or two and a few important errands.In half a century of reading sf, these - and Sturgeon's Microcosmic God, remain my favorite sf "stories".Jack Vance is a gifted storyteller...a true artist, with your imagination as his canvas.These are parables of pride, greed, ambition, small-mindedness and hypocrisy, and their consequences in two possible future worlds.Not aimed at hard sf junkies, perhaps, but sufficiently plausible to keep one aboard.With stories as well-crafted and entertaining as these, the ride is good enough for one to forget his critical faculties, and just enjoy!

I loaned my copy of this book to a friend many years ago, and have no idea why it took me so long to think of looking for another on Amazon.Eagerly awaiting the arrival of a small package in a few days....

Classic short novelsin the inimitable style and voice of one of SF's masters
"The Dragon Masters" was the first novel by Jack Vance I ever read more than 3 decadea ago, and it remains one of my all time favorite works of fiction to this day.

Vance's style and themes have been remarkably consistent over the years. His special gift (and the real reason to read him) was an amazing ability to construct and describe exotic cultures and civilizations in dizzying detail; colors, textures, cuisines, music, religious doctrines and sexual practices, nothing is left out or skimped over, but such is Vance's talent that he only needs a few deft verbal strokes to accomplish these miraclous vistas. Detractors might artue that all this detail sometimes came at the expense of the plot or character development, but in my mind, the cultures depicted in his books are practically supporting characters in themselves.

And rarely has a writer, even a fantasy oriented writer, effortless demonstrated such a command of archaic and obscure language. Maybe J.R.R, Tolkien and Stephen R. Donaldson could keep up, but not too many others. But this exotica is never forced or labored. it just flows endlessly, like a stream of melody from the Brandenburg Concertos.

Anyway, "Dragon Masters" and "The Last Castle" are typical Vance. Laconic and dour heroes; mordant wit and arch dialog; bitter struggles for power between human civilizations and their would be successors; lengthy descriptions of the mores and philosphies of both human and post human societies; eldritch powers and advanced technologies casually yet thoroughly described in simple yet convincing ways; brutal violence and heroic and derring do all delineated in understated, unemphatic terms. And unresolvedendings that leave room for hope but also will hardly satisfy the casual fan of space opera endings. Most of all, the reader gets the experience of really, really alien and unusual worlds and a future almost completely unlike the typical hard science scenarios or even the usual dragon/fantasy/magical worlds, that more conventional minds might create.

I can't guarantee that you will enjoy these two short novels as much as I have; but I can guarantee that you won't find a more unique talent in science fiction or fantasy. ... Read more

Product Description
This 1979 edition reprints the original Dell Books original paperback publication from 1970. Emphyrio tells the story of a young man who overturns the foundations of his world, and is a stand-alone novel, not part of a series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A solid tale - short, fast and surprising
Ghyl Tarvoke is the son of a wood carver on Halma, where a neo-feudal system is in place. His father, a semmingly quiet, and unobtrusive man, teaches Ghyl about wood carving. Ghyl, however, is far more interested in the legend of Emphyrio, who was an ancient figure of rebellion on Halma. Ghyl's inquisitive and adventurous spirit lead him to ask questions and seek answers about Halma, and a solid adventure story ensues. Discoveries are made, and the revelations are paced perfectly and are unexpected. Ghyl's father is a quiet hero, and his actions create an excellent character, rather than his words. The book is well written , with a strong economy of words. It is just the right length. Like Ghyl's father, the story is deep beneath the unassuming surface.

I recommend
This book haunts me. That is, from time to time I realize I'm thinking about it, and how many books can you say that about?I won't presume to go over the plot, but there are truly beautiful passages in this short novel.Since reading it I have always taken a second look at carved wooden screens searching for perfection that will never be found.

Good luck finding a copy though.Used bookstores are your best bet.

A Story of Destiny
This is a well-written story by Jack Vance. In the city of Ambroy, Ghyl Tarvoke grows up in a feudal-like society where mass production isforbidden and craftsmen are exploited. Early in the book Ghyl is seven whenhe sees a puppet show. This proves to be a pivotal event in his formativeyears.

Over the years Ghyl starts to question the morality of the rulingelite, who literally tower over the masses. His actions are influenced bythe mythological hero Emphyrio...

The culture of Ghyl's world isunwittingly oppressed by corruption. But is someone oppressing theoppressors? As Ghyl reaches maturity he sets out to fight this and make thetruth known.

This is the first novel I've read by Jack Vance, and I haveto say it's intriguing. Vance makes his characters sound very believable.(I've never come across a character more obnoxious than Nion Bohart.) Inthe back of my mind I suspected that this book might have been one of theworks that influenced the look of "Star Wars" - especially withthat combination of space-ships and old-fashioned dress. A paragraph inchapter 5 actually refers to a conflict called the Star Wars. Also to anemperor. If it wasn't "Emphyrio" that was the influence I'mpretty sure it was "The Dying Earth". That and"Dune".

In any case, "Emphyrio" is well worth a read.It makes you think that anyone can fight injustice if they're determinedenough.

What SciFi should be.
Jack Vance is one of the most underrated scifi writers.His worksdemonstrate a mastery of language, a remarkable realism found in very fewother scifi compositions, and a rich imagination in both the technology andsociety he fabricates for the equally rich characters of hisstories.

_Emphyrio_ is one of his finest works, and, in general, one ofthe finest scifi works anyone has written.In it, Vance demonstrates avision for a marvelous, yet haunting, future for humanity.But instead ofwriting this vision in a clumsy, grandiose and falsely sweeping manner, aswould be reminiscent of lesser scifi works, Vance focuses on theparticulars.For example, in his choice of the protagonists, Ghyl Tarvokeand Amiante, Vance carves out a finely detailed father-son relationship. Through their eyes, the reader is then led to an understanding ofcomplexities of the socioeconomic structures of the city of Ambroy, andeven the planet of Halma.The entire story is tightly knit together by themythology of Emphyrio, which serves as a backbone to the progress of theentire story.It is sufficiently vague as to be believable, butsufficiently inspiring as to guide the protagonists forward in their searchfor truth.

And even though the particulars may seem foreign, and thoughthe societies may seem alien, the underlying conflicts are entirely human-from social rehab to exploititative economics. Vance leaves the reader withthe feeling that perhaps each man, in his own way, can find the strength tobring about vast social improvements.

Triumph of the common man over adversity
That's basicaly what I saw here. I know it sounds lofty, but from humble beginnings one young man attempts to redeem his whole world.This book was re-published lately under the SF masterworks series and I'm glad thatseries was begun. Please look out for them all. It is the first series I'veever truly agreed with wholeheatedly. ... Read more