Vance, Jack

Average customer rating:

Overhyped Hodgpodge
Sheer Brilliance
Inspiring Wizard of Words
Exaltation & Debasement, Hilarity & Wickedness
A particular taste

Tales of the Dying Earth
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)
Planet of Adventure
The Demon Princes, Vol. 2: The Face * The Book of Dreams (Demon Princes)
Lurulu (Ports of Call)
The Jack Vance Treasury

ASIN: 0312874561

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.

Customer Reviews:

Overhyped Hodgpodge.......2007-01-29

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.......2007-01-26

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.......2006-06-19

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.......2006-02-08

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...

A particular taste.......2006-01-20

Weirdly enough, this set of books - which make up the set - didn't appeal over-much to me. I found them a little slow paced and ones that meandered along, rather than sought any real conclusion. In most of these tales, the plot is not plain to see, even though you may be deep within it: within this saga, the telling of the story is very much placed ahead of the necessity of a plot, if indeed there is one.

However, I love Vance's books and although these tales are ones that I haven't reread as often as others, the humour and comedy held within them, retains the values and relevance of the book; without this I feel, the book would suffer greatly and be remembered as a meandering set of tales telling of a far far far future were technology is so advanced and assimilated within a culture, that it appears as magic.

Average customer rating:

Araminta Station (Cadwal Chronicles #1)
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Underwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0887330592

Ecce and Old Earth (Cadwal Chronicles, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Ecce and Old Earth
disappointing
Great journey. The weak ending matters little.
An enjoyable read

Ecce and Old Earth (Cadwal Chronicles, Book 2)
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Throy (The Cadwal Chronicle, Book 3)
Araminta Station
Night Lamp
Alastor
Emphyrio (Millennium SF Masterworks S)

ASIN: 0312851324

Customer Reviews:

Ecce and Old Earth.......2005-11-17

"Ecce and Old Earth", sequel to the thunderous "Araminta Station", is actually more like two novels screwed together than a single work. The first hundred pages take us back to Cadwal, where we last saw Glawen Clattuc battling Kirdy in the waves of Deucas. Now he has the last letter from Floreste, which tells him where his father is being held. With Chilke bound by bureaucracy and Bodwyn Wook unwilling to act, Glawen is left mounting a one-man rescue mission through the steaming jungles of Ecce, battling exotic wildlife, severe weather, and the machinations of the dreaded Simonna and Spanchetta.

That part of the story is wrapped up quickly, and we then shift to Old Earth, where we find Wayness Tam intrepidly hunting for the Charter and the Grant-in-Prepetuity that together confer ownership of the entire Planet Cadwal. This is the meat of the novel. Plotwise this book is not nearly as complicated as "Araminta Station". The entertainment comes from watching the bizarre lifestyles that have developed on Earth during the inervening millenia. Here we see progress and stagnation side by side, inbred monarchs, modern artists, fusty scholars, fraudulent treasure-hunters and many more all bumping around on a planet that's gradually sinking into useless oblivion. As we expect, Vance provides each member of this eclectic cast with a unique voice and overriding personality. The result is a feast of wit as they bounce off each other:

"Kiev is like a great laboratory where reverence for poast aesthetic doctrine crashes headlong into utter contempt for the same doctrine - sometimes in the same indvidual - and the collision produces a coruscation of wonders." (p. 190)

"Countess Ottile lives in seclusion, seeing no one but doctors for herself and veterinaries for her dogs. She is said to be extremely aravicious, though she commands great wealth. There is a hint or two that she is, let us say, eccentric. When one of her dogs died, she beat the attending vertinary with her walking stick and drove him away. The veterinary seems to have been of philosophical disposition. When the journalists asked if he intended to sue, he merely shrugged and siad that both beating and biting were accepted hazards of his profession, and there the matter rested." (p. 206)

"Peace returned to Pombareales - but not for long. A few days later it became known that the collectors had all paid very large sums for doubloons stamped from lead, then plated over with a thin wash of gold. Their value was negligible. Collectors are not a fatalistic lot. Consternation gave way to outrage and fury even more intense than the previous enthusiasm." (p. 289)

I will give props to the ending, which is probably the funniest scene in the book while also being the most emotionally satisfactory - no mean feat. The story is resolved in style, though with the nausea-inducing Julian Bohost still active, we're guaranteed much more action and amusement in the final volume of the trilogy.

disappointing.......2003-07-12

one of my favorite writers. not an awful book, but miles from his best.

plot centers around a lost document (whoever finds it owns the world) and trying to find it. whoever possesses it owns an entire world.

science fiction only to the extent in the future there are no photocopy machines, no directories, and real property law makes no sense.

Great journey. The weak ending matters little........1999-05-05

After reading "Araminta Station", you can guess what this one will be about: the rescue of Scharde Clattuc (on Ecce) and the search for the original Charter (beginning on Old Earth). The "Old Earth" bit occupies most of the book. It's a fine hunt, with who knows how many people following who knows how many scents to the Charter; the momentum builds slowly but surely; and we get a classic Vance travelog on the way; but I am bound to say that the very end of it all - the actual discovery of the Charter - is disappointing. Were it not for the stumble at the end I would prefer this even to "Araminta Station".

An enjoyable read.......1999-03-10

Vance writes in a very eloquent almost poetic style. His characters are nicely developed and interesting - although he tends to drop them rather abruptly. The plot was quite simple in this one, as our heroes wander through space searching for some lost documents.

Average customer rating:

Throy
A serious disappointment
A too short conclusion to a wonderful story.
I can only surmise that Vance was tired of Cadwal.
Welcome conclusion to monumental trilogy

Throy (Cadwal Chronicles, Book 3)
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Ecce And Old Earth
Araminta Station
Night Lamp
Lurulu (Ports of Call)
The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)

ASIN: 0312851332

Customer Reviews:

Throy.......2005-11-30

Sad as it may seem, my credibility as a reviewer rests on reporting that "Throy" is a disappointing ending to the otherwise excellent Cadwal Chronicles trilogy. This volume picks up shortly past where "Ecce and Old Earth" left off. Glawen and Wayness return to Cadwal, bearing the new Charter and giving the good guys proper legal authority for defending the planet. The villains, as is usually the case, care very little for their proper legal authority. Proper illegal authority will be quite good enough for Julian, Smonny, Dame Clattey and Titus Pompo, thank you very much.

Consequently, it falls on Glawen to take yet another jaunt through the galaxy to unravel their sinister schemes. The problem, as others have reported, is the simplicity of the plot. There are insufficent twists and turns, Glawen and his new sidekick (same as the old sidekick) simply pursue a lead straight to the destination. While there are a couple of semi-interesting planets to visit along the way, nothing stands out for particular brilliance in "Throy". None of the societies on parade can match the wonderful silliness of the Bold Lions from "Araminta Station", or the Funusti Museum in "Ecce and Old Earth".

"Throy" does contain a few Vancisms - i.e. classic one-liners dripping with irony, and an appropriate final fate for all villains of significance. However, the ending may carry certain problems beyond just the simplified plot. Without giving too much away, I will say that it involves death in large numbers. Fur sure it's the villains that do the killing. However, the alleged good guys, if they feel any sorrow for what happened, conceal it remarkably well. The dead people were not largely good people, yet most weren't precisely guilty of any capitol crime. The unspoken assertion that the political situation on Cadwal could only be resovled by mass slaughter may leave some feeling a bit queasy. The idea of a "happy" ending where most of the planet lies dead may leave one wondering whether Vance's normally perfect moral compass somehow ended up pointing south when he wrote it.

A serious disappointment.......2003-10-11

I adored the first two books in this series and despaired at ever being able to find a copy of Throy on sale. Finally, it surfaced on Marketplace, and I snapped it up...to find a book about a third the size of the others, no sub plots, and abrupt solutions to plots carried throughout the other two books. "Gutted", as we say in the UK! Sure, the Vancian humour is there...but this is a pale imitation of the man at his best. A real anticlimax :(

A too short conclusion to a wonderful story........1999-08-03

In the first two books of this trilogy was set a tangled web of intrigues so complex that you would have expected a much more elaborate conclusion. But as is often the case in Vance's stories, the end is rather abrupt (see the Lyonesse trilogy for another example). It evokes me of a child building a nice tower with blocks, then destroying it in a blow when she's had enough. If you've read the preceeding books, you might want to refrain from reading this one to keep the magic alive. You can't? I know, it's irresistible... But you've been warned!

I can only surmise that Vance was tired of Cadwal........1999-05-04

The first two books ("Araminta Station" and "Ecce and Old Earth") were wonderful creations. "Throy" is a conclusion, of sorts: but your heart will sink when you see how short it is, and you realise that, given that the storyline had to be wrapped up, it could hardly be any shorter. With one bound, the Yip problem is solved forever. -Still, having read the earlier books, you'll want to read this one, too. Good luck finding it.

Welcome conclusion to monumental trilogy.......1999-04-20

In the Cadwal Chronicles, as in all his work, Jack Vance's sparse and succinct but wonderfully idiosyncratic mode of expression allows the reader to flesh out specific imagery on the bones of his narrative. While the Demon Princes pentology may be his masterpiece, the Cadwal Chronicles set is definitely worth a read. Glawen Clattuc continues Vance's tradition of strong but vulnerable (if not damaged) protagonists who find their destiny through adversity. I wish I could lay hands on 'Throy' for a second read!!

Average customer rating:

a woman who likes vance
Plodding Plotting
An Absolute Classic: Not to be Missed
Good, not great
Freedom

Planet of Adventure
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Demon Princes, Vol. 2: The Face * The Book of Dreams (Demon Princes)
The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)
Alastor
Tales of the Dying Earth
Ports of Call

ASIN: 0312854889

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....

Customer Reviews:

a woman who likes vance.......2006-12-11

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.......2006-09-01

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.......2006-07-11

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.

Good, not great.......2006-05-25

These books move quickly and have flourishes of action, but I think Vance lacks character development. Granted this is pulp sci fi from a master, but it could have done so much more. Characters from different civilizations who could have had very interesting perspectives are used as accessories to an extended travelouge across this planet.

The endless journeying over wastelands serve as excuses for Vance to deploy cool words describing scenery. He and his protege Gene Wolfe match Thomas Hardy in their descriptive power relating to scenery.

Freedom.......2005-05-23

I typed in "Jack Vance" figuring that only a few of his books would still be in print--and John Clute's review in the NY Review of SF had alerted me to the appearance of yet another Vance novel, Lurulu. I was surprised to see Planet of Adventure still around.

Wow, 35 reviews for this collection of 4 novels and the absolute worst review is 4 stars! And I bet every single reviewer is a guy, too! Women do not seem to care for Vance.

Anyway, it's as other reviewers say--this is can't-put-it-down adventure with an occasional touch of humor. Adam Reith, a Star-Trek style human, crash-lands on the planet Tschai and overcomes a staggeringly stacked deck to free himself from the planet. There's that word, "free," and while Vance's works all grapple with it, I think he explores the meaning of freedom most fully in this series.

The four alien races that rule their portions of the E-type planet have human slaves. And the slave mentality, encouraged at times by various myths promulgated by the alien masters, is what Adam encounters. No human has any clue that he is a member of something called the human race, and that humans are a powerful force in the universe. Each group of humans adapts to slavery in a different way, most contemptibly by some humans' surgically modifying themselves to be more like their masters, the Dirdir.

All of the books are readable, but The Dirdir is my fave. The aliens, code-of-honor guys (think Samurai, Trojans, Marines) are believably and even sympathetically developed. As always, Adam is able to figure out a way to defeat them. The last time I read this one I was struck by a number of points of comparison between Adam and the 9/11 terrorists, if one were to look at it from the POV of the dominent Dirdir culture. Food for thought.

Anyway, in each of the groups of humans, Adam encounters one person who is persuaded by Adam's example to join forces with him. The ways in which they work to cast off their conceptual chains gives each real dimension of character (the emblem-bearer is the first and best-developed of these freedom-seekers).

I didn't think about any of this stuff the first time I read these novels. I was just swept away by the compelling action. Warning: Do NOT start one of these novels after dinner or you are going to be one sorry, sleep-deprived individual by the next day.

The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)

Average customer rating:

Classic Vance
Demon Princes by Jack Vance
Classic Vance
I am a monomaniac
The Demon Princes

The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Demon Princes, Vol. 2: The Face * The Book of Dreams (Demon Princes)
Planet of Adventure
Tales of the Dying Earth
Alastor
Lurulu (Ports of Call)

ASIN: 0312853025

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....

Customer Reviews:

Classic Vance.......2007-06-19

Classic Vance which is to say excellent.

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

Demon Princes by Jack Vance.......2006-11-05

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.

Classic Vance.......2006-02-06

Star King is the first and, I think, best of the Demon Princes novels. In essence they are well told detective stories with Keith Gersen seeking to find and eliminate those responsible for the slave raid on his village, with he and his grandfather among a handfull of survivors. What sets Vance's stories apart are the backgrounds. He paints the exotic flora, fauna, societies, planets and places so vividly that you could believe he actually spent a night at the inn on Smade's planet and is writing from first hand experience.

Another thing I like about Vance's writing is that he never talks down to the reader as Arthur Clark sometimes does. Space boats are powered by the Jarnell Intersplit, period! He assumes the reader is smart enough to understand that it operates on physics beyond the normal three dimensions plus time. No need to quote quantum theory so we appreciate how smart he is.

Some people find his stories hard to read. I believe this comes in large part from the unusual names he gives to people, places and things. Keith Gersen is the most normal name in the book. You'll find characters named Sivij Suthiro, Pallis Atwrode, Hildemar Dasce and the like, never a Joe Smith. Persevere and the names add to the exotic flavor of his books.

He does have some rather sub-par books in print but Star King/Demon Princes series are some of his best and at his best he is one of the most outstanding Sci-Fi writers to come along.

I am a monomaniac.......2005-09-11

'The Demon Princes' was once published as five separate books, but in 1997 was reissued into only two volumes, the first volume covering the first three princes and the second volume covering the forth and fifth.

Kirth Gerson is just a boy when his village and planet are ransacked in a joint venture by the five most evil, most powerful criminals ever. They called themselves The Demon Princes. Kirth survives, along with his grandfather, who then raises the boy to become the ultimate revenge maker on the ruthless princes. After the death of his grandfather, Kirth finishes his training and is ready to take on the first of the five demon princes.

The Star King, first of the five books, (or long chapters, if you will) is the story of Kirth's hunt for Malagate The Woe. In a neutral, off-world tavern called Smade's, Gersen meets Lugo Teehalt, who tells him a fantastical story about a beautiful planet he has discovered. Gersen learns that Attel Malagate is after Teehalt's monitor in order to find this world, so Gersen uses the monitor's filament as bait to lure Malagate out. Shaking off assassins and bargaining with influential Institutes, Gersen brings about his encounter with Malagate, culminating on Teehalt's fantastical world.

The second part, The Killing Machine, is about Gersen's hunt for Kokor Hekkus, better known as The Killing Machine. From filthy out-worlds to the renowned institution called Interchange, Gerson is off on another chase. Located far out on a desert planet, Interchange exists for the expedient and safe exchange of kidnaps, acting as liaison for hostage and monetary demands. Freeing two innocent children and a contractor for Hekkus, Gersen finds more than he was looking for when he himself is kidnapped and held for ransom at Interchange. Guessing at a connection between Hekkus and a beautiful woman held for a phenomenal amount of money, Gersen finds himself on the mystical planet of Tamber and smack in the middle of a confrontation with The Killing Machine.

In the third part, Gerson takes on demon prince Viole Falushe at Falushe's Palace Of Love. Getting to the Palace isn't easy. Gersen begins with a visit to the planet Sarkovy, a dismal place famous for its many poisons. Then he flies to earth, to take up with a crotchety old poet named Navarth and his young daughter Zan-Zu. When Navarth discovers that Gersen intends to exact revenge on Viole Falushe, the man who ruined Navarth's young lover, the old poet joins the assassin on a trip to Falushe's Palace Of Love, where Gersen must first identify Falushe before he can eliminate him.

While all three tales contain a bit of mystery over who the real identity of the villain is, the majority of their intrigue and charm come from Vance's imaginative worlds; worlds complete with custom, foods, dress, environment, law (or lack of), flora and fauna, even planetary statistics. There are twenty-six planets in the 'Concourse' around the sun Rigel, and many more in the 'Beyond'. Vance creates a galaxy of rich and interesting places, peoples, and things.

Truly a delight for the SciFi fan, with enough adventure for some tight situations and narrow escapes, plus a bit of detective intrigue (though our 'detective' is an assassin), 'The Demon Princes' is a science fiction romp that should satisfy most palates. Don't forget to pick up volume two at the same time, or you will be left adrift between Gersen's meticulous pursuit of the five men who destroyed his world long ago. Enjoy!

The Demon Princes.......2005-08-17

I think this is one of the best science fiction series written.

The Demon Princes, Vol. 2: The Face * The Book of Dreams (Demon Princes)

Average customer rating:

Clever and Satirical Escapist Adventure
Vance the master
Space Fantasy
Fourth and Fifth Books of the Demon Princes Series
Kirth Gerson takes off after the last two Demon Princes

The Demon Princes, Vol. 2: The Face * The Book of Dreams (Demon Princes)
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)
Planet of Adventure
Tales of the Dying Earth
Alastor
Lurulu (Ports of Call)

ASIN: 0312853165

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.

Customer Reviews:

Clever and Satirical Escapist Adventure.......2006-08-14

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.......2006-02-13

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.......2006-01-20

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.......2005-10-15

"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.

Kirth Gerson takes off after the last two Demon Princes.......2005-09-15

'The Demon Princes' was once published as five separate books, but in 1997 was reissued into only two volumes, the first volume covering the first three princes and the second volume covering the forth and fifth.

Kirth Gerson is just a boy when his village and planet are ransacked in a joint venture by the five most evil, most powerful criminals ever. They called themselves The Demon Princes. Kirth survives, along with his grandfather, who then raises the boy to become the ultimate revenge maker on the ruthless princes. After the death of his grandfather, Kirth finishes his training and is ready to take on the five demon princes. Volume Two covers the last two princes, Lens Larque (The Face) and Howard Alan Treesong (The Book Of Dreams).

The Face has to be my favorite story of the five tales. Gerson hears rumor of Lens Larque, and begins to suspect that Lens is Darsh, from the planet Dar Sai under the Coranne sun. The Darsh are unattractive, heavy boned and often corpulent, and have a foul odor from the unpalatable food they prefer.

Kirth begins his hunt on Aloysius, where he begins to suspect Lens is the owner of a worthless company called Kotzash. Gerson begins to secretively purchase stocks of Kotzash, trying to gain controlling shares. His interests soon take him to Dar Sai, a searingly hot planet where the Darsh live underneath huge umbrellas. Here, he meets a girl from Dar Sai's neighboring planet, Methel. The Methlen are a cliquish folk, arrogant and refined. Kirth falls in love with Jeridan Chanseth, and follows her to Methel while still attempting to uncover Lens Larque. The Face, spanning these three planets, is filled with gripping adventures, close calls, and an ending that will leave you rolling on the floor laughing your hinder off.

The second tale in Volume Two is The Book Of Dreams, and Gerson's pursuit of Howard Alan Treesong. Using trickery and ostentatious foppery, Gerson attempts to lure Treesong out of hiding by circulating a possible photo of Treesong in a contest through his magazine.

Treesong is not only heartless and ruthless but completely insane, and proves to be quite slippery. Gerson uses a pretty girl named Alice to establish communication with the elusive Treesong and bring him out of hiding. Treesong has a strange illusion of several Paladins as part of his personality, and often speaks in different tones and styles.

You will love the ending to The Book Of Dreams almost as much as The Face, where we meet Otho and Tuty Cleadhoe, an older couple with a personal vendetta against Treesong that rivals Gerson's motives.

'The Demon Princes', both Volume One and Two, are the best of Jack Vance's works that I have read to date. If you love vividly strange worlds as much as I do, then you can't go wrong with Vance. SciFi with a touch of humor, and some of the most imaginative worlds and societies in writing, Vance books always seem to satisfy me. Enjoy!

The Dark Side of the Moon: Stories of the Future

Average customer rating:

The Dark Side of the Moon: Stories of the Future
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Underwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0887330223

Average customer rating:

A satisfying and wistful ending to a spectacular career
Jack Vance did not write this book
Klausner is a parasite!
Fine Coda to Great SF Literary Career?
sparkling entertainment

Lurulu (Ports of Call)
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Ports of Call
Night Lamp
Alastor
Planet of Adventure
The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)

ASIN: 0312872798
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Book Description

Rejoin Myron Tany and the crew of the space freighter Glicca as they ply their way from planet to planet, star to star, and adventure to adventure. From one world to the next, they will chase their dreams. Jack Vance has been writing for more than fifty years, and in 1997 was honored as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America. He is the author of the World Fantasy Awardwinning Lyonnesse series, and the Hugo and Nebula Awardwinning The Last Castle. From one world to the next they will chase their dreams in this sequel to Ports of Call.

Customer Reviews:

A satisfying and wistful ending to a spectacular career.......2007-03-07

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.......2005-12-13

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!.......2005-10-15

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 readers are 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?.......2005-08-15

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.......2005-08-13

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.

Average customer rating:

Obfuscation? Indeed.
Let there be no doubt---Jack Vance is the Master
Hire an editor, puh-leese!

Lyonesse (Fantasy Masterworks)
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Gollancz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Lyonesse (Fantasy Masterworks)
Planet of Adventure
Alastor
The Demon Princes, Vol. 2: The Face * The Book of Dreams (Demon Princes)
The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)

ASIN: 0575075171

Book Description

In Lyonesse II: The Green Pearl and Madouc the magical lands of high enchantment - the Elder Isles, the land, long-vanished beneath the ocean, from which King Arthur's ancestors fled to Britain - come to brilliant life again. In this ancient land the realm of chivalry and the world of faerie exist side by side and it is a place of strange beauty, high adventure and eerie magic. Warring kings renew their conflicts, opposing magicians devise ever more strange and sinister stratagems and Madouc, ostensibly the daughter of the ill-fated Princess Suldrun but in reality a changeling, becomes embroiled in political rivalries, military adventures - and the quest for the Grail.

Customer Reviews:

Obfuscation? Indeed........2007-01-18

While many readers may find Jack Vance's tramp through some of the more remote territories of the English language to be a challenge, those of us who take a particular delight in the art and development of language will find the journey well worth our time and attention. The characters thrive in the subtext of their conversations, and words that may seem puzzling at first glance can add whole new shades of meaning to a particular passage. With the right word, just so, Vance can expand the situation into heights of irony or satire. Like Gene Wolfe, Vance is a craftsman who takes particular delight in coining words, and giving readers as much to enjoy in the telling as in the tale. In this regard, Lyonesse may be his best. Unfortunately for the more junior reader this may render the books inaccessible; for those willing to give it a go, Lyonesse is very, very rewarding. Not just sci-fi or fantasy; this is literature.

Let there be no doubt---Jack Vance is the Master.......2006-11-04

What gibberish has this other reviewer,Rockyn,left.And to boot,giving away certain plotlines...most unhelpful.Jack Vance is a master storyteller and the Lyonesse series is among the best he has ever written.Fantastic books.What rubbish spews from jabbering apes.The books characters come to life from the pen and mind of a great literary master.Thank you Jack Vance.Incredible series.

Hire an editor, puh-leese!.......2006-10-30

Do your sanity a favor and skip this messy tangle of a tale. Vance imitates Tom Clancy's style by introducing new characters and situations every chapter or so. But he doesn't succeed in making any of the characters particularly interesting, nor does he really excite the reader into eager anticipation of the next page.
The one early story of a young princess has some value. Then, Jack kills her off and semi-replaces her with an imprisioned husband. Bah!
Mr. Vance also seems to be in some sort of wager that he can A)cram entire histories of ancient wars into a few pages and B) do so using an over-abundance of ten dollar words where a nickel will do nicely. Really, does the reading public want to clamber over "obfuscation", "collation", and "squamous" when so many other quite suitable words exist. I felt like I was trudging through a required literature tome and that I should have had a dictionary nearby just to divine Vance's thought process. Thanks, but no thanks.
There is a decent story or two hidden under all the compost. In retribution for the punishment received by the readers, Mr. Vance should have to actually read this torturous rag himself, outline the real tales, and reconstruct the whole thing. Or at least spend money on an editor who has the cajones to kick his tail-end into gear. Good luck with that.

Authors:

Authors

Authors