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Planet of Adventure #1
City of the Chasch
Vintage paperback
156 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
37 people are currently reading
1562 people want to read
About the author
Jack Vance
777 books1,588 followersAka John Holbrook Vance, Peter Held, John Holbrook, Ellery Queen, John van See, Alan Wade.
The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, The Dying Earth , was published in 1950 to great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.
The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, The Dying Earth , was published in 1950 to great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
January 15, 2015
After having read his ‘Tales of the Dying Earth’ featuring the scoundrel Cugel (The Dying Earth) this shouldn’t have come as such a great surprise, but I loved this book. They certainly don’t make them like this anymore. The City of the Chasch is the marvellously bizarre first book in a series that is called, in some cases, ‘The Planet of Adventure’, and in other cases, the ‘Tschai’ series. It owes a lot to the pulps and in particular to Edgar Rice Burroughs’s John Carter / Mars / Barsoom series even if it is a much edgier read than the latter. This tale sets itself apart from the typical golden age pulp by being published in the late sixties, at a time when Science Fiction was becoming more realistic and cynical by the day, and the gritty edge of both plot and presentation attests to that.
A survey team is sent to investigate a signal that is received from a planet 212 light years from earth. Things don’t end well for them. The sole survivor, a scout, crash-lands his ship on the planet. This all happens more or less on the first page, just to get the formalities out of the way before the story can get going. And what a story it is! I am not sure why some reviewers think Vance is a bad writer. I, fortunately, side with the folk who sing his praise. It’s slightly off-beat to be sure and he doesn’t beat around the bush unnecessarily, but it’s all good. Like any other pulp hero worth his coiffure our protagonist sets out to kick some buttock and obtain information, so to speak. The main concern for the protagonist is getting back his space ship, which has been ‘confiscated’, if you will, by some locals, but before long various other considerations come into play. It soon becomes clear that there is much, much more to this story than first glance suggested.
The imagery is provocative, vivid and atmospheric, with locales ranging from windy steppes and ruined cities to dark critter infested jungles. The multitudes of peoples, races, creatures and species that inhabit the planet are an absolute delight, despite their tendency towards malice.
This is the kind of thing that Vance is really good at. The violence is suitably abrupt and the world-building is wonderful. The treatment of female characters is perhaps not so politically correct, but everything else seems to come together perfectly, especially the dry, witty dialogue. This little book truly brims with energy and I look forward to reading the other three books in the series. If they’re half this good, it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
It is a rare treat, this, but you really have to read it to get the idea. It really is that good. Although a sense of humour and the ability to take things a little less than serious does help. And look at that cover. Just look at it!
Like me, however, you’ll have to settle for the omnibus edition (Planet of Adventure) as the individual books are out of print.
A survey team is sent to investigate a signal that is received from a planet 212 light years from earth. Things don’t end well for them. The sole survivor, a scout, crash-lands his ship on the planet. This all happens more or less on the first page, just to get the formalities out of the way before the story can get going. And what a story it is! I am not sure why some reviewers think Vance is a bad writer. I, fortunately, side with the folk who sing his praise. It’s slightly off-beat to be sure and he doesn’t beat around the bush unnecessarily, but it’s all good. Like any other pulp hero worth his coiffure our protagonist sets out to kick some buttock and obtain information, so to speak. The main concern for the protagonist is getting back his space ship, which has been ‘confiscated’, if you will, by some locals, but before long various other considerations come into play. It soon becomes clear that there is much, much more to this story than first glance suggested.
The imagery is provocative, vivid and atmospheric, with locales ranging from windy steppes and ruined cities to dark critter infested jungles. The multitudes of peoples, races, creatures and species that inhabit the planet are an absolute delight, despite their tendency towards malice.
This is the kind of thing that Vance is really good at. The violence is suitably abrupt and the world-building is wonderful. The treatment of female characters is perhaps not so politically correct, but everything else seems to come together perfectly, especially the dry, witty dialogue. This little book truly brims with energy and I look forward to reading the other three books in the series. If they’re half this good, it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
It is a rare treat, this, but you really have to read it to get the idea. It really is that good. Although a sense of humour and the ability to take things a little less than serious does help. And look at that cover. Just look at it!
Like me, however, you’ll have to settle for the omnibus edition (Planet of Adventure) as the individual books are out of print.
August 24, 2017
The City of the Chasch is Jack Vance’s 1968 first book in his ‘Tschai’ series. Reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoom books, the Tschai is Vance’s magnum opus of alien life and man’s adventures on a planet colonized by several races. This also reminded me of Robert Silverberg’s magnificent Majipoor series with its inventive combination of science fiction and fantasy. The four books were published together in 1993 as the Planet of Adventure.
As in much of Vance’s writing, his detailed world building is the most notable attribute. Also evident, as best exemplified in Vance’s The Dying Earth stories is his inimitable dry wit and subtle humor. The narrative is pithy and jaunty, with plenty of action and swashbuckling violence.
Protagonist Adam Reith is the sole survivor of an expedition sent out many light years from Earth. Vance wastes little time establishing this setting and then he leads the reader on a theme park ride of high adventure. Reith’s quest to regain his ship and maybe return to earth is a narrative device Vance uses to establish the tour of Tschai and an introduction to its diverse population with byzantine cultures.
Vance’s creativity and the superlative quality of his writing is on full display. The author has created an intricate environment of alien-human interaction and laid down the action amidst a vividly drawn and painstakingly described landscape. Vance’s explanation for the human populace (made subservient and hybridized by the more powerful alien races) is that one of the races had visited Earth many tens of thousands of years before and picked up proto-cro-magnum specimen for livestock.
Fun, fun, fun! I am driving on through the rest of the series and recommend this gem to all SF/F readers.
As in much of Vance’s writing, his detailed world building is the most notable attribute. Also evident, as best exemplified in Vance’s The Dying Earth stories is his inimitable dry wit and subtle humor. The narrative is pithy and jaunty, with plenty of action and swashbuckling violence.
Protagonist Adam Reith is the sole survivor of an expedition sent out many light years from Earth. Vance wastes little time establishing this setting and then he leads the reader on a theme park ride of high adventure. Reith’s quest to regain his ship and maybe return to earth is a narrative device Vance uses to establish the tour of Tschai and an introduction to its diverse population with byzantine cultures.
Vance’s creativity and the superlative quality of his writing is on full display. The author has created an intricate environment of alien-human interaction and laid down the action amidst a vividly drawn and painstakingly described landscape. Vance’s explanation for the human populace (made subservient and hybridized by the more powerful alien races) is that one of the races had visited Earth many tens of thousands of years before and picked up proto-cro-magnum specimen for livestock.
Fun, fun, fun! I am driving on through the rest of the series and recommend this gem to all SF/F readers.
February 26, 2017
To one side of the 'Explorator IV' flared a dim and aging star, Carina 4269; to the other hung a single planet, gray-brown under a heavy blanket of atmosphere. The star was distinguished only by a curious amber cast to its light. The planet was somewhat larger than Earth, attended by a pair of small moons with rapid periods of orbit. An almost typical K2 star, an unremarkable planet, but for the men aboard 'Explorator IV' the system was a source of wonder and fascination.
Call them whatever you like - space opera, pulp fiction, planetary romance, golden age science-fiction, heroic fantasy - labels are unnecessary for enjoying these amazing tales of imagination and adventure. I am sure I can trace back the origins of the sword & laser (yet another label for this mix of fantasy and science-fiction) genre all the way to the passion of Jules Verne for both technology and exploration of unknown shores. I might even go further back to Gulliver or to legends of rogues and travellers coming to us from antiquity. But there are easier and closer references for the inception of the planet Tschai in the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs ("John Carter of Mars") and Leigh Brackett ("The Sea-Kings of Mars") . Tschai shares with them the casual approach to scientific accuracy, swordfighting, amoral characters, multiracial planets and some outdated mysoginism and imperialist atitudes. Yet Tschai is a Jack Vance creation, which for me means that the pupil is surpassing the teachers (Burroughs and Brackett) in vision, prose, exuberant worldbuilding and chaotic action. In this Tschai is mostly similar to "The Dying Earth" setting - the same amber glow of the light, the same tired, ancient societies, the same sort of mishaps, but with little to no magic.
The planet Tschai has not one but four alien races competing for world dominance and maintaining a fragile status-quo through something similar to our Cold War arms race: each has weapons so powerful that reciprocal annihilation is guaranteed. The mystery of the planet is why each of the four alien races has associated with it a human servant/follower class, each human tribe trying to emulate the physical appearance and the social habits of the master races. Yet the basic appearance of all four human underclasses are clearly identical to the Earth genome, more than two hundred light years away. Then there are numerous independent human tribes trying to find their niche in the crowded ecosystem, plus a wide array of monsters and wild beasts.
Reith sorted over what he knew of the Tschai races and their human associates. There were Dirdir and Dirdirmen; Old Chasch, Green Chasch, Blue Chasch and Chaschmen; Pnume and the human derived Pnumekin; the yellow marsh-men, the various tribes of nomads, the fabulous "Golds", and now the "Gray Men."
"There are Wankh and Wankhmen as well," said Traz. "On the other side of Tschai."
This is a lot to absorb for the new reader, thrown right into the middle of a frantic skirmish between various factions, but luckily there is a master plan for the four books series: each episode is focused on one of the alien races : The Chasch, The Wankh or Wannek, the Dirdir and the Pnume. The liant between the episodes is the HERO, the catalyst of revolutionary change, the earthman marooned on the planet Tschai when his spaceship 'Explorator IV' is destroyed in orbit by unknown enemies below. His name is Adam Reith : a pirate, a conquistador, a dreamer, a rogue, a scientist, a jack-of all trades, handy both with the rapier and with the energy pistol.
"I'm glad I never trained as a scout," remarked Second Officer Walgrave. "Otherwise I also might be sent down upon strange and quite possibly horrid planets."
"A scout isn't trained," Deale told him. "He exists: half acrobat, half mad scientist, half cat burglar, half -"
"That's several halves too many."
"Just barely adequate. A scout is a man who likes a change."
Injured in the crassh landing of his scout ship, deprived of his survival kit and weapons, captured by feral humanoid nomads, Adam Reith is not about to give up and start crying for mercy. He has a whole planet to explore and he must somehow find a way to get back to Earth and give warning about the dangerrous aliens inhabiting Tschai. I will try not to give too much away from Reith's adventures, but expect living on the edge of a precipice from the first to the last page of the book. Reith will have to deal with an entrenched priesthood that maintains its power though human sacrifice, dodge shadow wolfes and ten feet tall alen predators in the night, join a caravan across desert lands and defend it against raiders from the dunes, avoid cannibals and rescue a beautiful maiden from the clutches of the evil Priestesses of the Female Mystery, bring down the pirate lord of a ruined town and liberate human slaves from millenia-old bondage. All of it in under 300 pages of large font text.
Impossible to predict official Earth policy, but he himself could never be content while the Dirdir, the Chasch and the Wankh exploited men and used them as despised subordinates. The situation was a personal affront.
I have my reservations about this example of 'white man's burden' that casts Reith in a leadership role in any conflict and about the way lovely maidens with exotic names ( We are of the Aegis caste. Sometimes I am announced as Blue Jade Flower, at lesser functions Beauty Flower, or Flower of Cath ... My flower-name is Ylin-Ylan.) fall for the dashing Adam Reith. Yet I cannot help enjoying his madcap romp through Tschai, not so much different from the other signature creation of Vance : Cugel the Clever from "The Dying Earth" universe. Unlike the unlucky Cugel, Reith seems to succeed spectacularly in everything he plans, yet Vance manages to maintain a dose of detachment, dark humour (sidekicks Traz and Anacho are great at stress relief) and subtle satire of the very genre he is embracing here. I would say the "Planet of Adventure" books are suitable for young-adults, although with some reservations about the levels of gore and the explicit, almost casual killing spree that marks the path taken by Adam Reith through Tschai in blood.
>><<>><<>><<>><<
As a final reminder, book one in the series is mostly about meeting (and butchering) the first of the four alien creatures colonising Tschai:
The non-human creatures - Blue Chasch, as Reith was to learn - walked on short heavy legs, moving with a stiff-legged strut. The typical individual was massive and powerful, scaled like a pangolin with blue pointed tablets. The torso was wedge-shaped, with exoskeletal epaulettes of chitin curving over into a dorsal carapace. The skull rose to a bony point; a heavy brow jutted over the ocular holes, glittering metallic eyes and the complicated nasal orifice.
next : the Wannek! (the author's preferred spelling)
**** stars for now, but I might go higher after I finish the whole series.
December 1, 2022
Il ciclo di Tschai è composto da quattro romanzi:
-Naufragio su Tschai (1968)
-Le insidie di Tschai (1969)
-I tesori di Tschai (1969)
-Fuga da Tschai (1970)
Questo ciclo di Jack Vance è sinonimo di avventura.
Precipitato su un pianeta ostile, popolato da razze aliene pericolose, pagina dopo pagina il protagonista affronta fughe sfiancanti e incontri memorabili. Avventura pura nello stile inconfondibile di Vance così come nella saga della Terra Morente.
Si ha sempre la sensazione di qualcosa di imprecisato, sfuggevole, grottesco, che riprende a mani basse dalla letteratura Weird dei primi del 900 e risulta intrigante e fuori dai canoni.
Si tratta sempre di poca fantascienza e molto fantasy. Lasciarsi andare nel flusso del racconto garantisce il divertimento sperato.
-Naufragio su Tschai (1968)
-Le insidie di Tschai (1969)
-I tesori di Tschai (1969)
-Fuga da Tschai (1970)
Questo ciclo di Jack Vance è sinonimo di avventura.
Precipitato su un pianeta ostile, popolato da razze aliene pericolose, pagina dopo pagina il protagonista affronta fughe sfiancanti e incontri memorabili. Avventura pura nello stile inconfondibile di Vance così come nella saga della Terra Morente.
Si ha sempre la sensazione di qualcosa di imprecisato, sfuggevole, grottesco, che riprende a mani basse dalla letteratura Weird dei primi del 900 e risulta intrigante e fuori dai canoni.
Si tratta sempre di poca fantascienza e molto fantasy. Lasciarsi andare nel flusso del racconto garantisce il divertimento sperato.
August 2, 2012
_The Chasch_ (originally published as _City of the Chasch_) is sort of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars as envisioned by Jack Vance. It is an entertaining Planetary Romance tale (or Sword & Planet if you prefer that designation) that describes the adventures of Adam Reith, Earthman and sole survivor of the Explorator IV a starship that is destroyed by unknown forces while in orbit above the planet Tschai. Reith is a Scout, meaning that he is a Jack-of-all-Trades uniquely equipped for survival in a hostile and alien environment. Good thing too, since Tschai is a world in turmoil that will throw everything it has at Reith.
Once the basics of mere survival are attained Reith begins to explore this strange new world and finds a menagerie of aliens and apparent humanity locked in endless and fruitless struggle. Vance displays his typically deft hand with the painting of bizarre cultures that spell out the various ways in which human (and alien) nature can be twisted by convention and assumptions into nearly unrecognizable forms. The planet seems to have once belonged to the mysterious Pnume and their insane kin the Phung in ages past. Now these creatures are rarely seen and only then as shadowy figures in the distance watching the current denizens of the world from their underground tunnels. The Chasch, who apparently ‘conquered’ the Pnume, are lizard men of three varieties: Old, Blue and Green, who war amongst themselves as much as with everyone else. The final waves of conquest were led by the Dirdir, a race of warlike, though apparently highly cultured aliens, and the Wannek (in the original publication the unfortunately named Wankh) an as yet unseen group of aliens. Each of these alien races displays varying degrees of high technology (they are apparently still space-faring) mixed with elements of antiquated, even barbarian culture (swords, armour, monarchical governments, etc.) Mixed in with these alien races is an innumerable array of human offshoots: some are client races to the existing aliens, thus the Chaschmen, Dirdirmen, Pnumekin and Wannekmen who seemed to have been genetically and cosmetically modified to display some of the physical characteristics of their masters and who each think that they are the ‘true’ human race derived in some way from their ‘parent’ alien race. In addition to these client human races are the various ‘barbarians’ who give fealty to no aliens, but tend to live in very degraded circumstances. All of these races on Tschai are seemingly intent upon killing each other, though none of them wish to upset the current balance of power and thus restrict themselves to small battles and bandit raids…none of the races is quite powerful enough to completely overpower the others and each of the aliens is capable of dealing a death blow to the planet should anyone attempt to overrun them.
Reith is the wild card thrust into this scenario. A typically competent and dry-witted Vance hero, he is both perplexed and aghast at the existence of so degraded an example of humanity on this planet and while he initially intends only to find his stolen space boat and return to earth he soon becomes embroiled in the local conflicts and decides that he must help his estranged and enslaved kinsmen. Along the way he will of course fall in with some allies who are impressed by his competence, technological know-how and ability to lead and meets the requisite alien princess in need of his assistance. I especially enjoyed Vance’s various cultures (esp. the fascinating Emblem Men whose culture is determined by the totemic signets they wear and which give the men a unique identity and motivation, the reality of these emblems is left somewhat mysterious…is it real or only a figment in the minds of the people enslaved by this ideology?) Vance’s signature ornate language was on somewhat less display than I had expected, and had hoped for, though certain characters did exhibit it. All in all this was an enjoyable adventure story with a little bit extra, but I wasn’t left gasping for more at the end. I will likely eventually continue the “Planet of Adventure” series, of which this is the first book, but I still think that Vance’s “Lyonesse” trilogy is his best work.
Once the basics of mere survival are attained Reith begins to explore this strange new world and finds a menagerie of aliens and apparent humanity locked in endless and fruitless struggle. Vance displays his typically deft hand with the painting of bizarre cultures that spell out the various ways in which human (and alien) nature can be twisted by convention and assumptions into nearly unrecognizable forms. The planet seems to have once belonged to the mysterious Pnume and their insane kin the Phung in ages past. Now these creatures are rarely seen and only then as shadowy figures in the distance watching the current denizens of the world from their underground tunnels. The Chasch, who apparently ‘conquered’ the Pnume, are lizard men of three varieties: Old, Blue and Green, who war amongst themselves as much as with everyone else. The final waves of conquest were led by the Dirdir, a race of warlike, though apparently highly cultured aliens, and the Wannek (in the original publication the unfortunately named Wankh) an as yet unseen group of aliens. Each of these alien races displays varying degrees of high technology (they are apparently still space-faring) mixed with elements of antiquated, even barbarian culture (swords, armour, monarchical governments, etc.) Mixed in with these alien races is an innumerable array of human offshoots: some are client races to the existing aliens, thus the Chaschmen, Dirdirmen, Pnumekin and Wannekmen who seemed to have been genetically and cosmetically modified to display some of the physical characteristics of their masters and who each think that they are the ‘true’ human race derived in some way from their ‘parent’ alien race. In addition to these client human races are the various ‘barbarians’ who give fealty to no aliens, but tend to live in very degraded circumstances. All of these races on Tschai are seemingly intent upon killing each other, though none of them wish to upset the current balance of power and thus restrict themselves to small battles and bandit raids…none of the races is quite powerful enough to completely overpower the others and each of the aliens is capable of dealing a death blow to the planet should anyone attempt to overrun them.
Reith is the wild card thrust into this scenario. A typically competent and dry-witted Vance hero, he is both perplexed and aghast at the existence of so degraded an example of humanity on this planet and while he initially intends only to find his stolen space boat and return to earth he soon becomes embroiled in the local conflicts and decides that he must help his estranged and enslaved kinsmen. Along the way he will of course fall in with some allies who are impressed by his competence, technological know-how and ability to lead and meets the requisite alien princess in need of his assistance. I especially enjoyed Vance’s various cultures (esp. the fascinating Emblem Men whose culture is determined by the totemic signets they wear and which give the men a unique identity and motivation, the reality of these emblems is left somewhat mysterious…is it real or only a figment in the minds of the people enslaved by this ideology?) Vance’s signature ornate language was on somewhat less display than I had expected, and had hoped for, though certain characters did exhibit it. All in all this was an enjoyable adventure story with a little bit extra, but I wasn’t left gasping for more at the end. I will likely eventually continue the “Planet of Adventure” series, of which this is the first book, but I still think that Vance’s “Lyonesse” trilogy is his best work.
June 17, 2021
A fun swashbuckling adventure by Vance, this is the first of a four part series concerning the planet Tschai-- the planet of adventure. Our main protagonist, Adam Reith, arrived at Tschai from Earth; some 200 years or so ago, someone or thing sent a message to Earth from Tschai and the Earth exploration service sent a ship to investigate. Immediately upon arrival at the planet, the ship was torpedoed but Reith, manning a space boat/scout ship survived and crash landed on the planet. Once on the ground, Reith, banged up badly, was captured by a band of human nomads...
There are several alien races on Tschai, each with their human 'followers'. It seems several thousand years ago one of the alien races abducted a group of humans from Earth to use as slaves and humanity has adopted/evolved on Tschai in bizarre ways. Reith falls into company of one of the nomads and an outcast Dirdirman, a former 'slave' of the Dirdir race. They find their way to a caravan with the hopes of recovering Reith's ship. I will stop with the plotting here.
Pretty typical Vance here-- interesting anthropological study of humanity forced to evolve in strange ways and producing strange societies as a result. This is pure pulp science fiction, but few do it better than Vance. 3.5 stars.
There are several alien races on Tschai, each with their human 'followers'. It seems several thousand years ago one of the alien races abducted a group of humans from Earth to use as slaves and humanity has adopted/evolved on Tschai in bizarre ways. Reith falls into company of one of the nomads and an outcast Dirdirman, a former 'slave' of the Dirdir race. They find their way to a caravan with the hopes of recovering Reith's ship. I will stop with the plotting here.
Pretty typical Vance here-- interesting anthropological study of humanity forced to evolve in strange ways and producing strange societies as a result. This is pure pulp science fiction, but few do it better than Vance. 3.5 stars.
May 15, 2019
This series belongs to my absolute all time favorites. I think I've read these books ten times or more and they are still interesting, great to read and fun.
For people who would like to try and start reading science fiction: please choose something by Jack Vance.
For people who would like to try and start reading science fiction: please choose something by Jack Vance.
May 28, 2024
City of the Chasch, also known as The Chasch, was first published as a paperback novel in 1968. My copy is 141 pages long. It is the first of four novels in the Planet of Adventure series about the planet Tschai. Each of the four novels continues with the main character, Adam Reith, and same storyline. There are four main civilizations on Tschai. Each involves an intelligent, scientifically advanced species. Three of them originally came there from another planet. Each seems to hate the other species and use humans as servants. The series is more science fiction than fantasy but with the emphasis on fiction rather than science. Much of the focus in the series is on world building and fascinating descriptions of intelligent alien beings and their cultures. Following Reith on his adventures is both interesting and entertaining. I highly recommend reading all four novels in the series, preferably in order because the continuous storyline.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
An Earth starship far from home receives an unusual signal from a planet that is 212 light years from Earth. It indicates that intelligent beings might inhabit a previously unknown world. When the ship arrives at the planet Tschai the crew decides to send down two of their scouts in a 30 foot scout-boat resembling a miniature spaceship. Scouts are highly trained, resourceful, athletic, special forces like crew members and our main character, Adam Reith, is one of the two who leave the main ship. A few moments after they depart, however, a missile strikes the main ship, totally destroying it and damaging the scout-boat. The two scouts are able to repair the damages on their scout –boat enough to crash-land on Tschai. Reith survives but is stuck up in a tree, and the other scout lives only long enough to be beheaded by a primitive looking man with a sword and a strange silver emblem on his hat. (Reith later learns that these are called Emblem Men.) The man is harshly reprimanded by a person who appears to be the leader, but their interaction is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a sky raft above.
The group of men with emblems on their hats (Emblem Men) depart and hide when a sky raft approaches. It turns out to be a group of massive creatures and what appear to be their human servants. Reith later learns that these are the Blue Chasch and their Chaschmen. The Blue Chasch are non-human, intelligent creatures. "The typical individual was massive and powerful, scaled like a pangolin with blue pointed tablets. The torso was wedge-shaped, with exoskeletal epaulettes of chitin curving over into a dorsal carapace. The skull rose to a bony point; a heavy brow jutted over the ocular holes, glittering metallic eyes and the complicated nasal orifice." The humans with them wear headpieces and costumes to make them look somewhat like the Blue Chasch, but they are humans and they clearly do the bidding of the Blue Chasch.
Soon another space ship approaches so the Blue Chasch and their Chaschmen hide themselves and their sky-raft. This arriving ship belongs to the tall, thin, technologically sophisticated Dirdirs and they are accompanied by Dirdirmen who are humans who are modified with dress wear and by possibly genetic engineering to look somewhat like their Dirdir leaders. As soon as they land the Blue Chasch ambush them, kill some and chase the rest of the Dirdirmen away. They then take Reith's scout-boat and depart. When the Emblem Men return, Reith calls out to them because he is still hanging way up in a tree and has no means of getting down. Fortunately he has better luck than the other scout and they help him down from the tree and adopt him as a servant.
Reith learns the language of the Emblem Men and by challenging them to hand to hand combat, for which he is highly trained, he is able to rise in status. The Emblem Men and their lifestyle are fascinatingly described with their worship of the two moons, religious beliefs, customs and taboos. Reith also learns about the Chasch, Wankh, Dirdir, Pnume and other intelligent beings who inhabit the planet. The Pnume are the original inhabitants. The others arrived by spaceship from other planets. The Wankh and Dirdir have been at war with each other for many years. Encounters by different species outside of cities, often result in death by combat or ambush. Each group of beings have humans as servants who are adapted by costumes and headgear to look somewhat like their masters. Each group of humans thinks they are the only true humans and that they will eventually evolve to be like their masters. The Chasch go so far as to cut open a dead Chaschman or Chashwoman and insert a Chasch imp into the dead body. They then bring it out for display to other Chaschman and tell them that that they are currently Chasch larvae and that when they die they will become real Chasch and rule other Chaschman. It is all a ploy to give humans a sense of hope while keeping them enslaved. Humans who are not modified and used as servants but live on their own, such as the Emblem Men, are considered human mutants and are called sub-men. Sub-men are all looked down upon by everyone else. Each group of human servants also considers itself superior to other groups. Reith concludes from discussions with others that the Dirdirs were the ones who visited Earth long ago and kidnapped humans to be slaves. Eventually the Wankh, Chasch and Pnume also obtained humans from the Dirdirs and raised them as servants that they claimed were a subspecies to themselves.
Of the four novels that comprise Planet of Adventure, the City of the Chasch is the weakest, but it is still well worth reading. I slightly prefer Servants of the Wankh. But the real masterpieces are the last two novels, The Dirdir and The Pnume. I recommend starting with the first book and reading all four. They are very short novels at 141, 131, 125 and 122 pages each. Think of them as one novel. They are all engaging, action oriented, interesting and have great world development. As with all of Vance's better works, my appreciation increases with subsequent readings. This is the second time I've read City of the Chasch and I rated it a 4 “Really liked it” both times.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
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An Earth starship far from home receives an unusual signal from a planet that is 212 light years from Earth. It indicates that intelligent beings might inhabit a previously unknown world. When the ship arrives at the planet Tschai the crew decides to send down two of their scouts in a 30 foot scout-boat resembling a miniature spaceship. Scouts are highly trained, resourceful, athletic, special forces like crew members and our main character, Adam Reith, is one of the two who leave the main ship. A few moments after they depart, however, a missile strikes the main ship, totally destroying it and damaging the scout-boat. The two scouts are able to repair the damages on their scout –boat enough to crash-land on Tschai. Reith survives but is stuck up in a tree, and the other scout lives only long enough to be beheaded by a primitive looking man with a sword and a strange silver emblem on his hat. (Reith later learns that these are called Emblem Men.) The man is harshly reprimanded by a person who appears to be the leader, but their interaction is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a sky raft above.
The group of men with emblems on their hats (Emblem Men) depart and hide when a sky raft approaches. It turns out to be a group of massive creatures and what appear to be their human servants. Reith later learns that these are the Blue Chasch and their Chaschmen. The Blue Chasch are non-human, intelligent creatures. "The typical individual was massive and powerful, scaled like a pangolin with blue pointed tablets. The torso was wedge-shaped, with exoskeletal epaulettes of chitin curving over into a dorsal carapace. The skull rose to a bony point; a heavy brow jutted over the ocular holes, glittering metallic eyes and the complicated nasal orifice." The humans with them wear headpieces and costumes to make them look somewhat like the Blue Chasch, but they are humans and they clearly do the bidding of the Blue Chasch.
Soon another space ship approaches so the Blue Chasch and their Chaschmen hide themselves and their sky-raft. This arriving ship belongs to the tall, thin, technologically sophisticated Dirdirs and they are accompanied by Dirdirmen who are humans who are modified with dress wear and by possibly genetic engineering to look somewhat like their Dirdir leaders. As soon as they land the Blue Chasch ambush them, kill some and chase the rest of the Dirdirmen away. They then take Reith's scout-boat and depart. When the Emblem Men return, Reith calls out to them because he is still hanging way up in a tree and has no means of getting down. Fortunately he has better luck than the other scout and they help him down from the tree and adopt him as a servant.
Reith learns the language of the Emblem Men and by challenging them to hand to hand combat, for which he is highly trained, he is able to rise in status. The Emblem Men and their lifestyle are fascinatingly described with their worship of the two moons, religious beliefs, customs and taboos. Reith also learns about the Chasch, Wankh, Dirdir, Pnume and other intelligent beings who inhabit the planet. The Pnume are the original inhabitants. The others arrived by spaceship from other planets. The Wankh and Dirdir have been at war with each other for many years. Encounters by different species outside of cities, often result in death by combat or ambush. Each group of beings have humans as servants who are adapted by costumes and headgear to look somewhat like their masters. Each group of humans thinks they are the only true humans and that they will eventually evolve to be like their masters. The Chasch go so far as to cut open a dead Chaschman or Chashwoman and insert a Chasch imp into the dead body. They then bring it out for display to other Chaschman and tell them that that they are currently Chasch larvae and that when they die they will become real Chasch and rule other Chaschman. It is all a ploy to give humans a sense of hope while keeping them enslaved. Humans who are not modified and used as servants but live on their own, such as the Emblem Men, are considered human mutants and are called sub-men. Sub-men are all looked down upon by everyone else. Each group of human servants also considers itself superior to other groups. Reith concludes from discussions with others that the Dirdirs were the ones who visited Earth long ago and kidnapped humans to be slaves. Eventually the Wankh, Chasch and Pnume also obtained humans from the Dirdirs and raised them as servants that they claimed were a subspecies to themselves.
Of the four novels that comprise Planet of Adventure, the City of the Chasch is the weakest, but it is still well worth reading. I slightly prefer Servants of the Wankh. But the real masterpieces are the last two novels, The Dirdir and The Pnume. I recommend starting with the first book and reading all four. They are very short novels at 141, 131, 125 and 122 pages each. Think of them as one novel. They are all engaging, action oriented, interesting and have great world development. As with all of Vance's better works, my appreciation increases with subsequent readings. This is the second time I've read City of the Chasch and I rated it a 4 “Really liked it” both times.
September 19, 2021
City of the Chasch was so much fun. Written when science-fiction was still in its so-called Golden Age, it's all about the adventures. Fittingly, it's the first novel in the Planet of Adventure series. It were simpler times, but Jack Vance proves that pulp doesn't necessarily mean that you cannot have fantastic prose.
Adam Reith is stranded on the planet Tschai. You know the story: He and his crew passed by the planet in their starship, the Explorator IV when they received a signal. Reith is one of two scouts on board of the ship and they are send down in a space boat to investigate the signal's origins. Suddenly, the Explorator IV is destroyed by a missile and Reith's partner is killed almost immediately after their arrival. Strangely, he finds his death by the hands of human beings - so far from planet Earth!
The eventful opening excitingly introduces the reader to many of the races that will be of big importance in the entire series. At first, the alien Chasch arrive with their Chaschmen human servants, and immediately thereafter we meet the Dirdir with their Dirdirmen subordinates. The two are clearly hostile to each other. The Chasch disperse the Dirdir, injure Reith, and eventually leave, taking Reith's space boat with them. Reith is taken captive by a tribe of nomads. And all this in only a couple of pages.
The novel keeps up the high pace all the way through the story. The introduction of other races of Tschai (like the Wankh, the Pnume, or the Phung, to mention only the the ones that are frequently referred to in the conversations) and their belief systems is never in the form of boring info dumps. Instead, fascinating ideas like the nomads' emblems as bearers of personalities and histories that are assumed by their wearers are of immediate importance to Reith's survival. Information about the planet and its peoples shines through interesting speeches and lore.
Reith finds a friend in the leader of the nomads, Traz Onmale, and when he is to be sacrificed on the event of the planet's two moons being on top of each other, the two escape together. When they run into a Dirdirman, Anacho, the core of our party is formed. I have to say, the characters are kind of boring and too stereotypical at first, but as they begin to trust each other and overcome the prejudices of their upbringings, the cast grew on me.
Even though they don't travel far in this first novel, the world already feels very much alive. You learn about even more peoples and races (and as it will turn out especially with the second novel, all with rich customs and practices), about their ongoing feuds, and about the geography and cities. Our heroes now travel with a caravan, and I loved the images that this evoked. It is also the beginning of a cool sidequest, as with them travels a cult of radical feminist priestesses who have captured a beautiful princess to be sacrificed in one of their rites.
One part of me says that I should be wary of the representation of women in these pages. But to be honest, I thought the ceremony of dancing naked women, of which some had cut off their breasts, men in cages, and dominant queens was kind of hilarious. It's just so silly, only a man writing in the 60s can get away with it. Of course, Reith is able to save his beloved Flower of Cath. However, the relationship of the two was too much for me. It's not even funny, just shitty storytelling. The only redeeming quality to the repercussions of this subplot is that it takes some surprising turns in the beginning of the second novel.
There is a political dimension to the events that unfold in the final act. Even though the setup isn't the most original - a man called Nago Goho rules despotically over the ruined city of Pera - I loved how it plays out. By freeing the town of its oppressor, Reith unwittingly gains trusty followers. He still believes his space boat to be with the Chasch (the Blue Chasch, as he know knows more accurately), and when his stealth missions came to no avail, it's convenient that he now has an army to march into the Chasch city of Dadiche to regain what is his. The battle is made more interesting by the Green Chasch entering as another war party and by making use of their mysterious telepathic abilities. It's not exactly The Lord of the Rings, but still an enjoyably epic conclusion to the first part of the story.
There are various questions that still beg to be answered. What is the exact history of the planet? How did the humans come to Tschai and why do they believe they are only underdeveloped slaves? Who fired the missile that destroyed the Explorator IV? What exactly are the Phung and Pnume that constantly lurk in the darkness like rats? I'm not sure how much of this will be relevant in the books to come. So far, it's back to finding a spaceship and leaving this damned planet. You might think this is a rather underwhelming starting point for the next novel - but I couldn't be more excited about the series. Entertainment in its most delightful form.
Rating: 4/5
Adam Reith is stranded on the planet Tschai. You know the story: He and his crew passed by the planet in their starship, the Explorator IV when they received a signal. Reith is one of two scouts on board of the ship and they are send down in a space boat to investigate the signal's origins. Suddenly, the Explorator IV is destroyed by a missile and Reith's partner is killed almost immediately after their arrival. Strangely, he finds his death by the hands of human beings - so far from planet Earth!
The eventful opening excitingly introduces the reader to many of the races that will be of big importance in the entire series. At first, the alien Chasch arrive with their Chaschmen human servants, and immediately thereafter we meet the Dirdir with their Dirdirmen subordinates. The two are clearly hostile to each other. The Chasch disperse the Dirdir, injure Reith, and eventually leave, taking Reith's space boat with them. Reith is taken captive by a tribe of nomads. And all this in only a couple of pages.
The novel keeps up the high pace all the way through the story. The introduction of other races of Tschai (like the Wankh, the Pnume, or the Phung, to mention only the the ones that are frequently referred to in the conversations) and their belief systems is never in the form of boring info dumps. Instead, fascinating ideas like the nomads' emblems as bearers of personalities and histories that are assumed by their wearers are of immediate importance to Reith's survival. Information about the planet and its peoples shines through interesting speeches and lore.
Reith finds a friend in the leader of the nomads, Traz Onmale, and when he is to be sacrificed on the event of the planet's two moons being on top of each other, the two escape together. When they run into a Dirdirman, Anacho, the core of our party is formed. I have to say, the characters are kind of boring and too stereotypical at first, but as they begin to trust each other and overcome the prejudices of their upbringings, the cast grew on me.
Even though they don't travel far in this first novel, the world already feels very much alive. You learn about even more peoples and races (and as it will turn out especially with the second novel, all with rich customs and practices), about their ongoing feuds, and about the geography and cities. Our heroes now travel with a caravan, and I loved the images that this evoked. It is also the beginning of a cool sidequest, as with them travels a cult of radical feminist priestesses who have captured a beautiful princess to be sacrificed in one of their rites.
One part of me says that I should be wary of the representation of women in these pages. But to be honest, I thought the ceremony of dancing naked women, of which some had cut off their breasts, men in cages, and dominant queens was kind of hilarious. It's just so silly, only a man writing in the 60s can get away with it. Of course, Reith is able to save his beloved Flower of Cath. However, the relationship of the two was too much for me. It's not even funny, just shitty storytelling. The only redeeming quality to the repercussions of this subplot is that it takes some surprising turns in the beginning of the second novel.
There is a political dimension to the events that unfold in the final act. Even though the setup isn't the most original - a man called Nago Goho rules despotically over the ruined city of Pera - I loved how it plays out. By freeing the town of its oppressor, Reith unwittingly gains trusty followers. He still believes his space boat to be with the Chasch (the Blue Chasch, as he know knows more accurately), and when his stealth missions came to no avail, it's convenient that he now has an army to march into the Chasch city of Dadiche to regain what is his. The battle is made more interesting by the Green Chasch entering as another war party and by making use of their mysterious telepathic abilities. It's not exactly The Lord of the Rings, but still an enjoyably epic conclusion to the first part of the story.
There are various questions that still beg to be answered. What is the exact history of the planet? How did the humans come to Tschai and why do they believe they are only underdeveloped slaves? Who fired the missile that destroyed the Explorator IV? What exactly are the Phung and Pnume that constantly lurk in the darkness like rats? I'm not sure how much of this will be relevant in the books to come. So far, it's back to finding a spaceship and leaving this damned planet. You might think this is a rather underwhelming starting point for the next novel - but I couldn't be more excited about the series. Entertainment in its most delightful form.
Rating: 4/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2023
Three and a half stars
A good science fiction adventure. Jack Vance excelled in building worlds and societies out of the ordinary.
A good science fiction adventure. Jack Vance excelled in building worlds and societies out of the ordinary.
October 23, 2022
3.5 🌟 stars...dated in some areas, but the adventure and the different alien races and characters kept my interest...
May 16, 2023
4/5
Gran introducción al ciclo de Tschai de Jack Vance. En este primer libro se describe la llegada del terrícola Reith a este planeta. Allí entra en contacto con unos hombres que llegaron miles de años antes que él. Mientras intenta recuperar su nave, se relaciona con numerosos personajes, especialmente con los hostiles Chasch, que se han adueñado de esta. Es una aventura sin interrupción. Cada capítulo es una pequeña odisea.
La fantasía (o ciencia ficción) de Jack Vance es única. Es muy difícil encontrar algo similar en este género. Su capacidad de crear mundos complejos en apenas unas páginas es inigualable, y los elementos que los conforman son raramente vistos en otros libros. Es muy injusto que a día de hoy no se edite a este autor en nuestro país, pese al supuesto resurgimiento de la fantasía y la ciencia ficción que se supone que ha habido. Menos mal que en su día se puso en valor y podemos acercarnos a él gracias a ediciones de segunda mano.
Gran introducción al ciclo de Tschai de Jack Vance. En este primer libro se describe la llegada del terrícola Reith a este planeta. Allí entra en contacto con unos hombres que llegaron miles de años antes que él. Mientras intenta recuperar su nave, se relaciona con numerosos personajes, especialmente con los hostiles Chasch, que se han adueñado de esta. Es una aventura sin interrupción. Cada capítulo es una pequeña odisea.
La fantasía (o ciencia ficción) de Jack Vance es única. Es muy difícil encontrar algo similar en este género. Su capacidad de crear mundos complejos en apenas unas páginas es inigualable, y los elementos que los conforman son raramente vistos en otros libros. Es muy injusto que a día de hoy no se edite a este autor en nuestro país, pese al supuesto resurgimiento de la fantasía y la ciencia ficción que se supone que ha habido. Menos mal que en su día se puso en valor y podemos acercarnos a él gracias a ediciones de segunda mano.
April 11, 2017
Novela cuyo mayor interés radica en el entretenimiento que aporta. Se trata de una lectura ligera cuya recuperación merece la pena, pues abre una saga con una serie de posibilidades que, ya planteadas en este primer tomo, resultan francamente interesantes. Pese a no pertenecer a mi(s) tipo(s) de literatura predilecto(s), me ha resultado una grata y agradable lectura. Crítica completa: http://www.libros-prohibidos.com/jack...
October 14, 2015
Only Jack Vance could have pulled this off - vintage 60s Sci Fi (that means solitary male heroes who can fight aliens, plan daring escapes, lead armies, drink without embarrassing themselves, get on with the ladies), set in a planet that has - I don't know - maybe about six different alien races co-existing in the same landscape, with multiple societies, histories, sub-species.... The whole shebang and its all easy to digest, urbane, generally not too offensive politically.
He makes it all look so easy!
There are three other volumes in the series. And a role playing game. But why not? This is great stuff for those who want to indulge.
He makes it all look so easy!
There are three other volumes in the series. And a role playing game. But why not? This is great stuff for those who want to indulge.
January 7, 2019
8/10. Media de los 30 libros leídos del autor : 7/10.
Nada menos que 30 libros leí de Vance, la mayoría de joven lector de CF en editoriales míticas: Orbis, Edhasa, Ultramar, Nova,...
De imaginación desbordante, creaba mundos y sociedades como churros, desbordando imaginación y superando nuestra capacidad de asombro. Una media de 7/10 en tantos libros no es fácil de mantener.
Creó muchas sagas (ninguna mala o aburrida) y me quedo con la de "Tschai", que son 4 libros y este el primero de ellos. Si hubiera de escoger uno que no sea saga, pues "Lámpara de Noche".
Un gran clásico.
Nada menos que 30 libros leí de Vance, la mayoría de joven lector de CF en editoriales míticas: Orbis, Edhasa, Ultramar, Nova,...
De imaginación desbordante, creaba mundos y sociedades como churros, desbordando imaginación y superando nuestra capacidad de asombro. Una media de 7/10 en tantos libros no es fácil de mantener.
Creó muchas sagas (ninguna mala o aburrida) y me quedo con la de "Tschai", que son 4 libros y este el primero de ellos. Si hubiera de escoger uno que no sea saga, pues "Lámpara de Noche".
Un gran clásico.
November 14, 2025
It’s an adventure!
January 8, 2014
-Aventuras pulp en otro planeta.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Una nave espacial terrestre se acerca un planeta desconocido y muy lejos de la Tierra siguiendo una extraña señal. Cuando se preparan para lanzar hacia la superficie a dos exploradores, la nave es atacada y destruida, alcanzando los exploradores el planeta con mucha dificultad y mediante un aterrizaje de emergencia. Adan Reith sobrevive y comienza a ver hombres en ese planeta, lo cual debería ser imposible, junto a otras criaturas de otras especies, que parecen tener extrañas alianzas y enfrentamientos entre ellos y que llaman Tschai al planeta. Primer libro de la tetralogía conocida como Ciclo de Tschai o también como El Planeta de la Aventura.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Una nave espacial terrestre se acerca un planeta desconocido y muy lejos de la Tierra siguiendo una extraña señal. Cuando se preparan para lanzar hacia la superficie a dos exploradores, la nave es atacada y destruida, alcanzando los exploradores el planeta con mucha dificultad y mediante un aterrizaje de emergencia. Adan Reith sobrevive y comienza a ver hombres en ese planeta, lo cual debería ser imposible, junto a otras criaturas de otras especies, que parecen tener extrañas alianzas y enfrentamientos entre ellos y que llaman Tschai al planeta. Primer libro de la tetralogía conocida como Ciclo de Tschai o también como El Planeta de la Aventura.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
August 27, 2009
City of the Chasch is pure pulp, the characterisation paper-thin, as is the general story line. Having said that, it is a great read, I was not disappointed at all, quite the opposite. The novel grips from the opening and I’m now waiting impatiently for my next fill of the series.
I’m now looking forward to reading the next instalment in the adventure, the excellently titled ‘Servants of the Wankh’ (apparently, Vance was advised to change the title to ‘Servants of the Wannek‘ after the publishers heard the tittering of countless schoolboys from the other side of the Atlantic).
I’m now looking forward to reading the next instalment in the adventure, the excellently titled ‘Servants of the Wankh’ (apparently, Vance was advised to change the title to ‘Servants of the Wannek‘ after the publishers heard the tittering of countless schoolboys from the other side of the Atlantic).
July 11, 2009
I first read this about 30 years ago, but after recently coming across The Pnume (Tschai, 4), I decided to read the whole series through.
I love Vance's compressed, ironic, decorative prose, his "lapidary style" as one friend put it.
Aside from that, this is pure escapist fun: Meet quirkly alien, have funny dialogue. Meet dangerous alien, bash and run.
Can't wait to read the next installment.
I love Vance's compressed, ironic, decorative prose, his "lapidary style" as one friend put it.
Aside from that, this is pure escapist fun: Meet quirkly alien, have funny dialogue. Meet dangerous alien, bash and run.
Can't wait to read the next installment.
June 12, 2017
First of the short novels collected in "Planet of Adventure." Reviewed in my review of "Planet of Adventure."
- 3.75* rounds up to 4* for the great writing and world creation of Mr. Vance. Otherwise very much in line(generally and generically) with many other fantasy-sci novels. Not quite in the space opera category occupied by "The Demon Princes" and therefore not as compelling for me.
- 3.75* rounds up to 4* for the great writing and world creation of Mr. Vance. Otherwise very much in line(generally and generically) with many other fantasy-sci novels. Not quite in the space opera category occupied by "The Demon Princes" and therefore not as compelling for me.
June 19, 2017
Entertaining, swashbuckling sci-fi adventure classic with wonderful worldbuilding. I love the interplay of the all the alien species living on the same planet, and the history and intermixing of humans and human hybrids among them.
February 24, 2015
Quite good universe, superb prose, excellent characters, surreal landscapes and real intense action plus subtle plot and satiric, and highly critical content,
May 3, 2014
Sexist, colonialist D&D wish fulfillment.
April 3, 2021
Relectura de esta increíble tetralogía. Pensaba que había envejecido mal pero no. Sigue siendo tan asombrosa como la recordaba. Todavía sigo soñando con visitar Tschai, el Planeta de la Aventura...
October 6, 2023
Really fun first book to Vance’s Planet of Adventure series. It has tinges of Burroughs and Leigh Brackett, with that special Vance feel. Written in 1968, it has un updated experience from say a Burroughs adventure, yet remains true to that type of experience. I really enjoyed this one. There are highly detailed maps to show the locations of the many species that have settled on this planet. I look forward to see how it all unfolds as our protagonist, from a crashed Earth ship, encounters the many invader species which settled the planet. Most of the humans seem to be subservient to to Chasch or Dirdir races and have forgotten their origins. I look forward to the next book.
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August 15, 2020¡Pura imaginación, fantasía y aventuras!
April 30, 2017
Great Sword & Planet story by one of the masters of the SF/Fantasy Genre. I've never read anything by Jack Vance yet that I did not love. This is the first of a tetralogy of novels with the protagonist Adam Reith from Earth who is exploring space for earth but suddenly he finds himself the only survivor stranded on the planet Tscai with humans and alien beings named the Blue Chasch, the Green Chasch, the Wankh, the Dirdir, the Pnume and the Phung. What an amazing imagination and a great action adventure! I read a couple of these books when I was a teenager but forgot most of it. Reading Vance it is like comfort food for a SF/Fantasy junkie!
January 17, 2015
Campy pulp fiction relying heavily on tropes of the genre. Very little character development, abysmal portrayals of women (well, one woman, there is only really 1 female character). The main character strides forward as only a white man in retro sci-fi can, completely certain that his way of life is the correct one and that he must liberate the poor savages of Tschai. If you can set all that aside, a fun light read.
December 13, 2025
Lorsque Adam Reith, jeune éclaireur, se retrouve échoué sur la planète inconnue Tschaï, il doit apprendre à survivre face aux différentes races peuplant cette planète.
Une très grosse déception pour moi que ce premier tome. Alors que le roman commençait plutôt bien avec une introduction prenante et une première partie acceptable au sein de la tribu des Hommes-Emblèmes, le roman nous propulse ensuite vers un long voyage à travers la planète Tschaï et c'est à ce moment que tout à commencer à se gâter à mes yeux. Je me suis très sincèrement ennuyé lors de la lecture de ce pourtant court livre. Je n'arrivais pas à me passionner pour les péripéties de notre héros et de ses compagnons. Nous sommes plus dans la fantasy que dans la SF, cette dernière servant surtout à justifier un biome totalement inconnu mais cela souffre malheureusement de la comparaison avec les œuvres de fantasy bien plus maîtrisées.
Pire encore, j'ai trouvé les personnages au mieux insipides, au pire insupportable pour notre héros qui, c'est l'époque qui veut ça, pense toujours à embrasser les femmes et tenter de les sauver. Que dire de cette pauvre servante qu'il "courtisait" et qui une fois morte en début de roman sera vite oubliée et remplacée par une autre femme...
Le Chasch fut peut-être une œuvre formidable lors de sa sortie. Malheureusement, il souffre de son âge et je n'ai pas réussi à passer outre sa narration et son style daté pour m'immerger dedans. A l'heure actuelle, je n'ai pas envie de lire la suite, chaque tome étant visiblement consacré à la découverte d'un peuple.
Une très grosse déception pour moi que ce premier tome. Alors que le roman commençait plutôt bien avec une introduction prenante et une première partie acceptable au sein de la tribu des Hommes-Emblèmes, le roman nous propulse ensuite vers un long voyage à travers la planète Tschaï et c'est à ce moment que tout à commencer à se gâter à mes yeux. Je me suis très sincèrement ennuyé lors de la lecture de ce pourtant court livre. Je n'arrivais pas à me passionner pour les péripéties de notre héros et de ses compagnons. Nous sommes plus dans la fantasy que dans la SF, cette dernière servant surtout à justifier un biome totalement inconnu mais cela souffre malheureusement de la comparaison avec les œuvres de fantasy bien plus maîtrisées.
Pire encore, j'ai trouvé les personnages au mieux insipides, au pire insupportable pour notre héros qui, c'est l'époque qui veut ça, pense toujours à embrasser les femmes et tenter de les sauver. Que dire de cette pauvre servante qu'il "courtisait" et qui une fois morte en début de roman sera vite oubliée et remplacée par une autre femme...
Le Chasch fut peut-être une œuvre formidable lors de sa sortie. Malheureusement, il souffre de son âge et je n'ai pas réussi à passer outre sa narration et son style daté pour m'immerger dedans. A l'heure actuelle, je n'ai pas envie de lire la suite, chaque tome étant visiblement consacré à la découverte d'un peuple.
September 7, 2018
A bit like a slightly modernized version of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series.
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