Jack Vance

[AE35Unit]

Hmmm after going thru all these posts I think I might read Emphyrio next!

 

[Connavar]

I will read next the third Demon Prince book, his newest sf short story collection before moving his fantasy books like Lyonesse.

 

[AE35Unit]

Hey Con,do you think I would enjoy Araminta Station? Thats later Vance isn't it and there's a copy available on Bookhopper

 

[Connavar]

Check out the synopsis clearly before you go after it.

Its a quality world building,series about human planet with both human,aliens,political,social issues. I have read only the first book.

Its good if you want something like that. If you liked Emphyrio and can get over the hole the fact Vance has his own style of SF then it might be an interesting book to try.

It depends on what you are looking for.

 

[AE35Unit]

First book? I thought it was standalone!

 

[GOLLUM]

First book? I thought it was standalone!

'Fraid it's part of a trilogy.

I've got the Demon Princes series and Planet of Adventure quartet in a single volume but am yet to read the latter.

I spotted a copy of the Jack Vance antholgoy....in honor of Dying Earth and may buy it at the local bookshop. Not cheap but tempting. I have the Jack Vance reader which appears to be an excellent collection already.

 

[Connavar]

Use Fantasticfiction. co.uk for that exact reason

Which books are a series, which arent listed as series.

 

[GOLLUM]

Use Fantasticfiction. co.uk for that exact reason

Which books are a series, which arent listed as series.

Yes, fantastic fiction is excellent for listing series so you don't go and buy the e.g. middle book first.

 

[AE35Unit]

Yes, fantastic fiction is excellent for listing series so you don't go and buy the e.g. middle book first.

Yea I do use that site a lot. Unfortunately it contains quite a few errors.

 

[Connavar]

'Fraid it's part of a trilogy.

I've got the Demon Princes series and Planet of Adventure quartet in a single volume but am yet to read the latter.

I spotted a copy of the Jack Vance antholgoy....in honor of Dying Earth and may buy it at the local bookshop. Not cheap but tempting. I have the Jack Vance reader which appears to be an excellent collection already.

The Jack Vance Reader has three of his most hailed books.

Despite i have Emphyrio already i cant help getting it for the other two books. New JV books or reprinting you have to get while you can!

Speaking about Demon Princes what did you think about The Star King and The Killing Machine when you read originally ?

Since its those books i have read so far in the series.

 

[GOLLUM]

The Jack Vance Reader has three of his most hailed books.

Despite i have Emphyrio already i cant help getting it for the other two books. New JV books or reprinting you have to get while you can!

Speaking about Demon Princes what did you think about The Star King and The Killing Machine when you read originally ?

Since its those books i have read so far in the series.

I really liked them at the time Conn. I have the 5 books in 2 volumes. It's been a while since I've read any Vance actually. Such a brilliant writer I really need to make the effort to get through my collections of his work.

I've been side-tracked in the last 6-12 months as I've been on a world literature binge!!

 

[Connavar]

I have recently decided to get and read at least 3-4 series,collection of same character stories.

His language,prose,themes,awesome world building i must have much more of. His SF mostly since i have read several of his fantasy already.

Like someone said somewhere finishing a JV story and getting back to the real world is not a good feeling.

Have you read Chateau D'If,Green Magic ? The stories that was reprinted in Wild Thyme and Gree Magic. The best 40 dollars i have ever spent

 

[GOLLUM]

Can't say I have Conn but then I'm spreading myself thin these days over soo many different Genres. I've heard of those stories and the book you have there but not read it myself.

 

[Connavar]

I was thinking about those stories in older JV collections since i know you havent got the new collection that came out in Juni-Juli.

With your huge collection you can never be too sure.

That collection convinced me to get his sf short stories in other collections,not focus too much on the novels.

 

[Connavar]

I have been reading the new collection Hard Luck Diggins that is 40s,50s early Jack Vance SF written for Cambpell SF mags and its really not like any of his other stories. Too standard,akward when he isnt himself.

I have only enjoyed 1 of the first 4 stories.

I dont mind lesser stories im just surprised that i dont enjoy reading stories by JV. He has been perfect for me in 3-4 years and many books,collections. Some of my fav SF stories of his was written mid late 50s. I dont mind really i can see this collection where he decided not to write standard pulp SF. In learning about your fav its interesting. Just annoyed alittle that i choosed this expensive collection over the Lyonesse Omnibus

 

[Fried Egg]

Just annoyed alittle that i choosed this expensive collection over the Lyonesse Omnibus

Yes, the Lyonesse trilogy is very good...

 

[Connavar]

Really ? i didnt know that

I put away that collection for his SF Hall of Fame story The Moon Moth. I like to read a great JV before i read other writers like Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky,other types of fiction.

Just to get over the taste of the SF stories by the young,not sure of himself JV.

By the way what happened between you and Jack Vance
? You need to sample more of SF. I wish you could experience the SF short stories collections i have of him which shows him being a true master of SF in short stories form.

 

[Fried Egg]

Well, I have the following books on my list of books to get: "Big Planet", "Cugel's Saga", "Emphyrio", "Rhialto the Marvelous" and "The Eyes of the Overworld". I just haven't managed to run across them.

I did spot a couple of his short story collections in the second hand store that I didn't recognise so I might pick up one of those at some point.

 

[Connavar]

Well, I have the following books on my list of books to get: "Big Planet", "Cugel's Saga", "Emphyrio", "Rhialto the Marvelous" and "The Eyes of the Overworld". I just haven't managed to run across them.

I did spot a couple of his short story collections in the second hand store that I didn't recognise so I might pick up one of those at some point.

Cugel books are fantasy i was thinking his rated SF short stories. Jack Vance Treasury,Green Magic,Wild Thyme is like a best of with his SF short stories. Emphyrio is SF Masterworks so you should be able to find it.

About the short story collections in the bookstore be ware there are many with different names that collect the same Dying Earth stories or stories you have already read like Dragon Masters. Look for newer collections they are more complete.

 

[Fried Egg]

Connavar

When I say I haven't come across them, I mean second hand. Sure, I could get "Emphyrio" new easily enough (although not the "Jack Vance Treasury" or "Wild Thyme, Green Magic") but there's so many books I'm after and so little money to spend on them that I have to make hard choices (you know how it is). "Emphyrio" was one of the books I considered recently when I decided to buy a couple of SF Masterworks new but it lost out to other choices ("Pavane" by Keith Roberts and "Mockingbird" by Walter Tevis).

Thanks for the warning though regarding the collections, I will try to make sure that they aren't stories extracted from the Dying Earth series (that I want to collect seperately and in full).