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The Jack Vance Reader: Emphyrio/The Languages of Pao/The Domains of Koryphon
Jack Vance is science fiction s world-builder par excellence, a multi-award-winning Grand Master and much-loved doyen of the art of the planetary adventure. In a career spanning 59 years, Vance has been responsible -- more than any other writer in the field -- for creating exotic alien cultures and living, breathing worlds, among them Tschai, Durdane and Big Planet, Trullion, Cadwal and Wyst, Aerlith, Fader and Dar Sai.
Now, in a single impressive volume, The Jack Vance Reader brings together three of the master's very best planetary the internationally acclaimed Emphyrio, the classic interplanetary whodunnit, The Domains of Koryphon, and the provocative and unforgettable The Languages of Pao.
Now, in a single impressive volume, The Jack Vance Reader brings together three of the master's very best planetary the internationally acclaimed Emphyrio, the classic interplanetary whodunnit, The Domains of Koryphon, and the provocative and unforgettable The Languages of Pao.
434 pages, Hardcover
First published July 28, 2008
1 person is currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Jack Vance
777 books1,586 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 13, 2010
Three classic Vance short novels in one book:
Emphyrio: Entrepreneurs upset a caste-based dystopia run by the social services department of a nanny state. The plot turns in pleasantly unexpected ways. Great setting. (5/5)
The Languages of Pao: The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis taken to its logical extreme; cultural engineering as enforced by compulsory adoption of languages designed to promote specific behaviors. Creative and linguistically playful. (4/5)
The Domains of Korphyon: Might-makes-right cast in terms of land ownership and subjugation of native peoples. I got too distracted by the political/philosophical messages to really get into it, aided by the fact that the narrative structure is weak and switches POV half way through. (2/5)
Overall not quite as whimsical or farcical as Dying Earth, and with more obvious social commentary, but I'm really glad I read it.
==== End of review, beginning of musing about race ====
Apparently some people accused Korphyon of being racist, as the ostensible Native American proxies don't come off very well and Vance is pretty even-handed in his portrayal of the racist characters (i.e. they aren't the bad guys). I dunno. If you focus down specifically only two of the races it looks pretty bad, but really the world as written has more complicated circumstances than our actual North American history.
I think it's fact that human history consists entirely of stronger people subjugating weaker ones and stealing their land, and then being subjugated in turn. The question is whether the mere fact of this chain's existence gives the current conquerers moral license to add another link to it? I think Vance is saying that the morality comes down to the suffering caused or averted by the subjugation, rather than the act of subjugation itself.
Emphyrio: Entrepreneurs upset a caste-based dystopia run by the social services department of a nanny state. The plot turns in pleasantly unexpected ways. Great setting. (5/5)
The Languages of Pao: The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis taken to its logical extreme; cultural engineering as enforced by compulsory adoption of languages designed to promote specific behaviors. Creative and linguistically playful. (4/5)
The Domains of Korphyon: Might-makes-right cast in terms of land ownership and subjugation of native peoples. I got too distracted by the political/philosophical messages to really get into it, aided by the fact that the narrative structure is weak and switches POV half way through. (2/5)
Overall not quite as whimsical or farcical as Dying Earth, and with more obvious social commentary, but I'm really glad I read it.
==== End of review, beginning of musing about race ====
Apparently some people accused Korphyon of being racist, as the ostensible Native American proxies don't come off very well and Vance is pretty even-handed in his portrayal of the racist characters (i.e. they aren't the bad guys). I dunno. If you focus down specifically only two of the races it looks pretty bad, but really the world as written has more complicated circumstances than our actual North American history.
I think it's fact that human history consists entirely of stronger people subjugating weaker ones and stealing their land, and then being subjugated in turn. The question is whether the mere fact of this chain's existence gives the current conquerers moral license to add another link to it? I think Vance is saying that the morality comes down to the suffering caused or averted by the subjugation, rather than the act of subjugation itself.
March 22, 2016
I was already a fan of Jack Vance. Not a rabid fan, who might regard everything Vance produced as gold, but a fan nonetheless. This was probably the best material I'd ever read by Vance. I rarely give a book 5 stars, unless it's essentially sort of life changing, massively inspiring, or something amazing I'd never really experienced before. Well, this is a side of Vance that I'd never experienced before, or perhaps not in the same way.
The three novellas are all excellent in their own ways. The world and culture building is deep and engrossing, the dialog is prime Vance, but it was really the storytelling that I loved. Each story was an exquisitely rendered fable, with perhaps a bittersweet or ironic turn. There were moments of adolescent ardor that felt so authentic; moments where you were moved to anger or fear along with your intrepid protagonist, and of course many laughs brought about by Vance's wry humor.
The characters and their obsessions, the sweeping vistas, the opulent palaces, the fierce warriors, the conniving subterfuges...all provided a rich, fascinating setting for three brilliantly orchestrated plays.
Loved this collection. Highly recommended.
The three novellas are all excellent in their own ways. The world and culture building is deep and engrossing, the dialog is prime Vance, but it was really the storytelling that I loved. Each story was an exquisitely rendered fable, with perhaps a bittersweet or ironic turn. There were moments of adolescent ardor that felt so authentic; moments where you were moved to anger or fear along with your intrepid protagonist, and of course many laughs brought about by Vance's wry humor.
The characters and their obsessions, the sweeping vistas, the opulent palaces, the fierce warriors, the conniving subterfuges...all provided a rich, fascinating setting for three brilliantly orchestrated plays.
Loved this collection. Highly recommended.
August 31, 2009
If you're a sci-fi fan and don't know Jack Vance, I envy you, because you've got hundreds of pages of fabulous science fiction awaiting you. This collection has 3 particularly good novels in it, from Vance's seemingly endless oeuvre of effortlessly original, stylish visions of other worlds, other times. These are the kind of tales that stay with you long after you put the book down. I was sorry to come to the end of them.
April 28, 2013
Three excellent novels which can be read on different levels.
All three novels have sufficient action and adventure, as well as startling new worlds, to make excellent escapist literature.
The action stories are set over complex socio-philosophical questions, examining the struggle between vested interests and societies under stress.
Emphyrio deals with a youth's journey into a stratified society.
The Languages of Pao deals with the relationship between society word choices and that overall impact on society's functions. Vance posits that language and word choice have a strong correlation to overall societal goals. From that, he theorizes large scale societal changes require change in the population's base word choice. Defining the term "good" to mean courage, achievement, success in battle creates marked changes from a society where "good" has a different meaning set.
The Domains of Koryphon, first published as The Gray Prince, looks at property rights and the right of groups to establish those rights: a thinly disguised look at South Africa and the divergent interests of the different population groups which now live there. One of my all time favorite books of the 2000-3000+ I've read.
All three novels have sufficient action and adventure, as well as startling new worlds, to make excellent escapist literature.
The action stories are set over complex socio-philosophical questions, examining the struggle between vested interests and societies under stress.
Emphyrio deals with a youth's journey into a stratified society.
The Languages of Pao deals with the relationship between society word choices and that overall impact on society's functions. Vance posits that language and word choice have a strong correlation to overall societal goals. From that, he theorizes large scale societal changes require change in the population's base word choice. Defining the term "good" to mean courage, achievement, success in battle creates marked changes from a society where "good" has a different meaning set.
The Domains of Koryphon, first published as The Gray Prince, looks at property rights and the right of groups to establish those rights: a thinly disguised look at South Africa and the divergent interests of the different population groups which now live there. One of my all time favorite books of the 2000-3000+ I've read.
November 21, 2012
Great collection of old school science fiction by the master of world building. Jack Vance writes beautiful, rich often surreal sci-fi novels. They are not for everyone because they are also a little dense. I enjoyed the third novel in this collection best which we are told was the authors most controversial work. Not as awesome as Dying Earth. Start there if your new to Vance.
July 2, 2022
Dated, but The Languages of Pao is still a great story about about how language can shape perception and cognition (the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis). Not as good as Delany's remarkable Babel-17, but still worth reading if you can find this book.
August 14, 2009
This collection of short novels is one of my favorite reads of all time. I've seldom encountered greater imagination, character development and gorgeous writing. It mesmerized and inspired me. It's a beautiful Subterranean edition--gawd, I love their books.
August 4, 2011
Each story is better than the last. If you can find it, get it.
April 26, 2012
3 stars for Emphyrio. 2 stars for Domains of Koryphon.
August 20, 2021
Good Read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews