Books Update: Jack Vance A-Plenty
*Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: This latest addition to this category consists of a hefty chunk of Jack Vance titles, including an Ace Double (The Brains Of Earth/The Many Worlds Of Magnus Ridolph), an early Lancer edition of The Dying Earth (a superbly crafted fantasy with a dark undertone of humour, which helped inspire Gene Wolfe’s great Book Of The New Sun) and a host of 1st PB editions, rightfully giving works previously only published in pulps a wider audience. Vance was a master of the Swords & Sorcery genre, with a greatly appreciated humorous streak. He created several series, each encompassing its own carefully imagined universe: from the Big Planet series we have Big Planet itself and Showboat World, from the Durdane series The Anome, The Brave Free Men and The Asutra, from the Gaean Reach series The Gray Prince, Maske: Thaery, Trullion: Alastor 2262, Marune: Alastor 933 and The Book Of Dreams, while from the Planet of Adventure series we have The Dirdir and The Pnume. In addition – yes, there’s more! – we have Son Of The Tree, The Dragon Masters, The Houses Of Iszm and The Languages Of Pao. The Ace Double has two Jack Gaughan covers, while The Dirdir and The Pnume have Jeff Jones cover art and The Dying Earth has Emshwiller cover art.