Jack Vance
At times it is difficult to determine the difference between a science fiction story and a fantasy. Perhaps the most influential writer in the blending of the two genres has been Jack Vance. His first book The Dying Earth was set on a future earth where magic has replaced science, and the individual stories consisted of a series of adventures reminiscent of the fantasy quest. Another early book was The Languages of Pao, perhaps the best science fiction novel ever written about linguistics.
In the Sixties Vance was most successful with three acclaimed novellas and a series of fast-paced adventures. The novellas were "The Moon Moth," a mystery that examined a society in which people communicate largely by wearing elaborate masks; "The Dragon Masters" and "The Last Castle," were both sf stories which wore much of the paraphenalia of fantasy. Both stories won Hugo Awards and affirmed Vance’s reputation as one of the major writers in science fiction.
The adventure series told the adventures of Kirth Gersen who was orphaned as a child when his entire world was destroyed by a group of piratical "Demon Princes." Much like the Batman of comic book fame, Gersen devoted his life to avenging himself on the five callous murderers. While the individual novels such as The Star King and The Palace of Love can best be described as mystery adventures on the surface, they all featured the richness of worlds and characters that make all Vance novels joys to read.
In the past three decades Vance has concentrated most of his efforts on several well-received series. Such science fiction series as Planet of Adventure, The Alastor Cluster, and The Durdane Trilogy all feature typical Vance exotic settings wrapped around satisfying mystery and adventure plots.
Perhaps his best recent science fiction series has been The Cadwal Chronicles, consisting of the novels Araminta Station, Ecce and Old Earth, and Throy. The world Cadwal is an immense nature preserve whose sparse population lives in a rigid caste structure, with full Agency members on top, followed by semi-official collaterals, and finally semi-human Yips on the bottom. The stories are a sprawling canvas of detailed and exotic world-building, featuring lush adventures, biting satire, and rich characterization, all strongly-plotted both as mysteries and tales of political intrigue.
Vance also received acclaim in the 1980s for the pure fantasy Lyonesse series, containing the novels Lyonesse, Lyonesse: the Green Pearl, and Lyonesse: Madouc, the last of which won Vance a World Fantasy Award as Best Novel.
Although Vance is now retired as a writer, his vast backlog of outstanding stories continue to be reprinted both individually and in omnibus editions such as The Jack Vance Treasury and The Jack Vance Reader. Any reader who enjoys wondrous settings and beings in a fast-paced mystery setting should run–not walk–to wherever you can find any of the Jack Vance books mentioned above. You will not be disappointed.
Chronology
1916 / Born August 28 in San Francisco, California.
1945 / First published with “The World Thinker” in Thrilling Wonder Stories.
1950 / First book The Dying Earth published.
1957 / Publication of Big Planet.
1958 / Publication of The Languages of Pao.
1961 / “The Moon Moth” published in Galaxy .
The Man in the Cage, by John Holbrook Vance, wins Edgar Award as Best First Mystery Novel.
1963 / “The Dragon Masters” wins Hugo Award as Best Short Fiction.
1964 / The Star King serialized in Galaxy.
1967 / “The Last Castle” wins Nebula and Hugo Awards.
1976 / Publication of The Best of Jack Vance.
1984 / Receives World Fantasy Convention Life Achievement Award.
Publication of Lyonesse.
1988 / Araminta Station published.
1990 / Lyonesse: Madouc wins World Fantasy Award as Best Novel.
1992/ Guest of Honor at Orlando World Science Fiction Convention.
1996 / Publication of Night Lamp.
1997 / Receives Nebula Grandmaster Award from Science Fiction Writers of America.
2007/ Publication of The Jack Vance Treasury.
2008 / The Jack Vance Reader published.
2009/ Publication of Wild Thyme, Green Magic.
In the Sixties Vance was most successful with three acclaimed novellas and a series of fast-paced adventures. The novellas were "The Moon Moth," a mystery that examined a society in which people communicate largely by wearing elaborate masks; "The Dragon Masters" and "The Last Castle," were both sf stories which wore much of the paraphenalia of fantasy. Both stories won Hugo Awards and affirmed Vance’s reputation as one of the major writers in science fiction.
The adventure series told the adventures of Kirth Gersen who was orphaned as a child when his entire world was destroyed by a group of piratical "Demon Princes." Much like the Batman of comic book fame, Gersen devoted his life to avenging himself on the five callous murderers. While the individual novels such as The Star King and The Palace of Love can best be described as mystery adventures on the surface, they all featured the richness of worlds and characters that make all Vance novels joys to read.
In the past three decades Vance has concentrated most of his efforts on several well-received series. Such science fiction series as Planet of Adventure, The Alastor Cluster, and The Durdane Trilogy all feature typical Vance exotic settings wrapped around satisfying mystery and adventure plots.
Perhaps his best recent science fiction series has been The Cadwal Chronicles, consisting of the novels Araminta Station, Ecce and Old Earth, and Throy. The world Cadwal is an immense nature preserve whose sparse population lives in a rigid caste structure, with full Agency members on top, followed by semi-official collaterals, and finally semi-human Yips on the bottom. The stories are a sprawling canvas of detailed and exotic world-building, featuring lush adventures, biting satire, and rich characterization, all strongly-plotted both as mysteries and tales of political intrigue.
Vance also received acclaim in the 1980s for the pure fantasy Lyonesse series, containing the novels Lyonesse, Lyonesse: the Green Pearl, and Lyonesse: Madouc, the last of which won Vance a World Fantasy Award as Best Novel.
Although Vance is now retired as a writer, his vast backlog of outstanding stories continue to be reprinted both individually and in omnibus editions such as The Jack Vance Treasury and The Jack Vance Reader. Any reader who enjoys wondrous settings and beings in a fast-paced mystery setting should run–not walk–to wherever you can find any of the Jack Vance books mentioned above. You will not be disappointed.
Chronology
1916 / Born August 28 in San Francisco, California.
1945 / First published with “The World Thinker” in Thrilling Wonder Stories.
1950 / First book The Dying Earth published.
1957 / Publication of Big Planet.
1958 / Publication of The Languages of Pao.
1961 / “The Moon Moth” published in Galaxy .
The Man in the Cage, by John Holbrook Vance, wins Edgar Award as Best First Mystery Novel.
1963 / “The Dragon Masters” wins Hugo Award as Best Short Fiction.
1964 / The Star King serialized in Galaxy.
1967 / “The Last Castle” wins Nebula and Hugo Awards.
1976 / Publication of The Best of Jack Vance.
1984 / Receives World Fantasy Convention Life Achievement Award.
Publication of Lyonesse.
1988 / Araminta Station published.
1990 / Lyonesse: Madouc wins World Fantasy Award as Best Novel.
1992/ Guest of Honor at Orlando World Science Fiction Convention.
1996 / Publication of Night Lamp.
1997 / Receives Nebula Grandmaster Award from Science Fiction Writers of America.
2007/ Publication of The Jack Vance Treasury.
2008 / The Jack Vance Reader published.
2009/ Publication of Wild Thyme, Green Magic.
4 Comments:
Nice overview of Vance's career.
Thank you.
By
Jim Black, At
8:33 PM
Thanks for doing this!
By
Martin LaBar, At
4:25 AM
I note that I share many of your favorite books and authors, but am surprised you make no mention whatsoever of Gene Wolfe. I admit "The Claw of the Torturer" looks disjointed and a mess at first, but boy oh boy does he manage to tie it all beautifully together. Or the Fifth Head of Cerberus, another beautifully and deceptively structured book.
By
Hein, At
2:37 PM
I note that I share many of your favorite books and authors, but am surprised you make no mention whatsoever of Gene Wolfe. I admit "The Claw of the Torturer" looks disjointed and a mess at first, but boy oh boy does he manage to tie it all beautifully together. Or the Fifth Head of Cerberus, another beautifully and deceptively structured book.
By
Hein, At
2:38 PM
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