Bøger af Jack Vance

Sjambak, is a classical and a rare book, that has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and redesigned. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work, and hence their text is clear and readable. This remarkable book falls within the genres of Language and Literatures, American and Canadian literature

Suldrun's Garden (Book 1 of 3 in Lyonesse series, Russian translation) A monument of fantastic literature to stand beside such classics as Dune and The Lord of the Rings, Lyonesse evokes the Elder Isles, a land of pre-Arthurian myth now lost beneath the Atlantic, where powerful sorcerers, aloof faeries, stalwart champions, and nobles eccentric, magnanimous, and cruel pursue intrigue among their separate worlds. In this first book of the trilogy, Suldrun's Garden, Prince Aillas of Troicinet is betrayed on his first diplomatic voyage and cast into the sea. Before he redeems his birthright, he must pass the breadth of Hybras Isle as prisoner, vagabond, and slave, an acquaintance of faeries, wizards, and errant knights, and lover to a sad and beautiful girl whose fate sets his undying hatred for her tyrannical father - Casmir, King of Lyonesse.

Jack Vance is one of the most remarkable talents to ever grace the world of science fiction. His unique, stylish voice has been beloved by generations of readers. One of his enduring classics is his Mazirian the Magician (previously titled The Dying Earth), and its sequels--a fascinating, baroque tale set on a far-future Earth, under a giant red sun that is soon to go out forever. Cugel the Clever is a novel-length adventure of Cugel the trickster, the thief, the very questionable hero in this decadent, dying world. Caught by the magician whose house he was robbing, Cugel is set the task of retrieving certain rare objects as penance.

Jack Vance is one of the most remarkable talents to ever grace the world of science fiction. His unique, stylish voice has been beloved by generations of readers. One of his enduring classics is his Mazirian the Magician (previously titled The Dying Earth), and its sequels--a fascinating, baroque tale set on a far-future Earth, under a giant red sun that is soon to go out forever.

The Book of Dreams (Book 5 of 5 in Demon Princes series, Russian translation) Kirth Gersen's vengeance against the five Demon Princes is nearly complete. Only one is left- the mercurial Howard Alan Treesong. Gersen learns of a lost book written by Treesong in his youth; a treasured Book of Dreams. In Gersen's hands, the book may be the key to Treesong's undoing... The Demon Princes is a five-book series of science fiction novels by Jack Vance, which cumulatively relate the story of one Kirth Gersen as he exacts his revenge on five notorious criminals, collectively known as the Demon Princes, who carried his village off into slavery during his childhood. Each novel deals with his pursuit of one of the five Princes.

The Domains of Koryphon (The Gray Prince, Russian translation) The races of Koryphon keep an uneasy peace - the swift, nomadic Wind-runners, the fierce Uldras, and the aristocratic Outkers. For over two hundred years the Outkers have occupied the Alouan lands, living in baronial splendor where Uldra chieftains once ruled. When the self-proclaimed "Gray Prince" leads Uldras in an onslaught to expunge the Outkers from ancestral lands, he faces a challenge not only from the Outkers but from history itself!

Jack Vance mastered his craft over more than sixty years, garnering awards including the Nebula, Edgar, two Hugos, and the 1997 SFWA Grandmaster This collection of early work contains thirteen stories written during Jack Vance's apprenticeship in the pulp magazine era of the late 40s and early 50s

The Cadwal Chronicles, Russian translation. All three books in one volume At the remote end of Mircea's Wisp, far out on the galaxy's Perseid Arm, is the Purple Rose System, containing the three stars Lorca, Sing and Syrene. Around Syrene swings the spectacular planet Cadwal, which the now defunct Naturalist Society of Earth long ago chartered to forever protect from exploitation. Cadwal is administered from Araminta Station - where young Glawen Clattuc wonders what the future may hold for him in the hierarchic, constrained society of Cadwal. His budding relationship with the lovely Sessily Veder ends with her mysterious disappearance, casting Glawen into a strange adventure, and the unraveling of a potent conspiracy. Cadwal is a planet of extraordinary beauty. To protect it, the "Naturalist Society" has set up a Charter which allows only limited settlement on the planet in order to enforce the laws of the Conservancy. These laws forbid extensive human habitations, mining and other exploitation activities. Only six "Agents" and their staff are allowed to reside permanently on the planet: their main function is to prevent other humans from establishing residence, although tourists are allowed in specially designed lodges, overlooking sites of natural beauty and interest.

The Face (Book 4 of 5 in Demon Princes series, Russian translation) Kirth Gersen tracks Lens Larque across several worlds, most notably Aloysius, the desert world Dar Sai and the more temperate Methel. He eventually learns that Larque is a rachepol Darsh, born Husse Bugold, who became a notorious criminal renowned for his magnificent, if often grotesque and horrifying, jests. The Demon Princes is a five-book series of science fiction novels by Jack Vance, which cumulatively relate the story of one Kirth Gersen as he exacts his revenge on five notorious criminals, collectively known as the Demon Princes, who carried his village off into slavery during his childhood. Each novel deals with his pursuit of one of the five Princes.

Jack Vance's early work contains the same elements of originality, wit and style which would become hallmarks of his oeuvre. This collection centers on productive years which began in the mid-50s, containing stories written between 1951 and 1973 including: Ullward's Retreat, a breezy look at a crowded future where wealth is measured in physical space-or better yet, the illusion of such; The New Prime (originally published as Brain of the Galaxy); The Men Return, concerning mankind in the mesh between chaos and causality; Dodkin's Job, an entertaining story of a misfit who pits himself against a massive bureaucracy; the classic Moon Moth, describing the travails of Edwer Thissell in the fiercely formal, mask-wearing society of Sirene; Green Magic, and Howard Fair's clumsy exploration thereof; whimsical Alfred's Ark; pulp-era Sulwen's Planet - and Rumfuddle, a tale of infinite realities, near-parallel existences, and the irresponsible plots of a selfish sensationalist who twists threads of history for fun. These stories trace the path that would lead Vance to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

The Pnume (Book 4 of 4 in Tschai series, Russian translation) The Pnume are native to Tschai, living underground in a vast network of caverns with their human slave-species, the Pnumekin. Historians of Tschai, the Pnume collect its past with scholarly disinterest; they hear rumors of Adam Reith - a man who claims to come from another planet, named Earth - and they want him for permanent display in Foreverness, museum of Tschai life! Reith must survive the Pnume tunnels, if he is ever to return to Earth. Tschai is a planet orbiting the star Carina 4269, 212 light-years from Earth. It is populated by three alien, mutually hostile species; the displaced, native Pnume; and various human races, some of whom live as slaves or clients of the aliens. Each of the four novels relates Reith's adventures with one of the species, and is named after that species.

A society matron underwrites the interstellar tour of an Earth opera company, performing Beethoven, Mozart and Rossini for bewildered human and alien audiences on a kaleidoscopic range of planets. But intrigue and secret agendas complicate what was already a doubtful enterprise, and the matron's feckless nephew finds that the simple country girl he plans to marry is far more mysterious than she seems. This is Jack Vance at his funniest, rolling out a rollicking picaresque tale where the belly laughs play a perfect duet with the grandmaster's sly observations on the absurdities of life, love and librettos.

The Dirdir (Book 3 of 4 in Tschai series, Russian translation) Adam Reith has failed twice to acquire a spaceship. He decides to build a ship from scratch, but this requires vast resources; his only hope is to win valuable sequins away from the terrifying realm of the Carabas, hunting preserve of the Dirdir. Even then, his greatest adversary is the cunning, monstrous Aila Woudiver... Tschai is a planet orbiting the star Carina 4269, 212 light-years from Earth. It is populated by three alien, mutually hostile species; the displaced, native Pnume; and various human races, some of whom live as slaves or clients of the aliens. Each of the four novels relates Reith's adventures with one of the species, and is named after that species.

The Wankh (Book 2 of 4 in Tschai series, Russian translation) After crashing on Tschai, Adam Reith's scout ship is impossibly damaged. Reith must find another vessel to return to Earth. Having rescued the beautiful Ylin-Ylan, Reith is assured of assistance from her father if he delivers her back to Cath; but as events unfold, he is forced to make a dangerous choice. Inevitably he must risk everything against the enigmatic Wankh - and their devious human servants, the Wankhmen. Tschai is a planet orbiting the star Carina 4269, 212 light-years from Earth. It is populated by three alien, mutually hostile species; the displaced, native Pnume; and various human races, some of whom live as slaves or clients of the aliens. Each of the four novels relates Reith's adventures with one of the species, and is named after that species.

The Chasch (Book 1 of 4 in Tschai series, Russian translation) The starship Explorator IV is destroyed after entering orbit around the planet Tschai. Adam Reith's scout ship is en route to the surface when the attack occurs, and is damaged in the explosion; Reith crash-lands and is separated from his ship. He finds a world full of violence, where four non-human races rule: the Chasch, the Dirdir, the Wankh, and the Pnume. Humans are present, but dominated by the other races. In this volume Reith sets out to regain his scout ship, and makes his way to Dadiche, ruled by the Blue Chasch and their human servants. Along the way he finds loyal friends, and challenges social inequities with the same aplomb that he rescues fair maidens - like the lovely Ylin Ylan, Flower of Cath. Tschai is a planet orbiting the star Carina 4269, 212 light-years from Earth. It is populated by three alien, mutually hostile species, the displaced, native Pnume, and various human races, some of whom live as slaves or clients of the aliens. Each of the four novels relates Reith's adventures with one of the species, and is named after that species.

The Palace of Love (Book 3 of 5 in Demon Princes series, Russian translation) Kirth Gersen sets his sights upon the mysterious Viole Falushe. After several false leads, Gersen backtracks the villain to his point of origin - Earth! Then the trail moves outward again, to the starworlds and a place back of beyond where there is actually a Palace of Love. The Demon Princes is a five-book series of science fiction novels by Jack Vance, which cumulatively relate the story of one Kirth Gersen as he exacts his revenge on five notorious criminals, collectively known as the Demon Princes, who carried his village off into slavery during his childhood. Each novel deals with his pursuit of one of the five Princes.

The Killing Machine (Book 2 of 5 in Demon Princes series, Russian translation) Having brought arch-villain Malagate the Woe to justice, Gersen now sets his sights on Kokor Hekkus, another of the Demon Princes. The name Kokor Hekkus, which means "killing machine" in the language of the planet Thamber, does not refer to Hekkus's own predilection for homicide, but to his fondness for horrific and murderous devices, including the giant robotic executioner that first gained him his nickname. The Demon Princes is a five-book series of science fiction novels by Jack Vance, which cumulatively relate the story of one Kirth Gersen as he exacts his revenge on five notorious criminals, collectively known as the Demon Princes, who carried his village off into slavery during his childhood. Each novel deals with his pursuit of one of the five Princes.

Jack Vance is one of the most remarkable talents to ever grace the world of science fiction. His unique, stylish voice has been beloved by generations of readers. One of his enduring classics is his Mazirian the Magician (previously titled The Dying Earth), and its sequels--a fascinating, baroque tale set on a far-future Earth, under a giant red sun that is soon to go out forever. Rhialto the Marvellous contains three linked novellas about the adventures of the wizard Rhialto across the decadent landscape of the Dying Earth, under its swollen red sun.

Eight of these nine stories were published between 1951 and 1955, years when Jack Vance wrote for the pulp magazines. Even in this early work, the voice of the future SFWA Grandmaster may be heard.

Marune: Alastor 933 (Russian translation) From his fabulous palace on Numenes, the Connatic rules the sprawling Alastor Cluster, and tracks the doings of each of his trillion or more subjects. But there is one man he knows nothing about; the past life of the wanderer called Pardero is a complete mystery. Pardero himself has two goals: first, to find out who he is, then to find his enemy - the person who stole his memory. He discovers that his home is the mysterious Marune, a planet lit by four shifting suns, and Pardero makes his way there - to be hailed as the Kaiark Efraim, ruler of the shadowed realm. Uncovering his lost identity had been comparatively simple, but finding his sworn enemy would be more difficult...

The Star King (Book 1 of 5 in Demon Princes series, Russian translation) "Revenge is not an ignoble motive, when it works to a productive end. Your work will be the destruction of evil men..." These words define Kirth Gersen's destiny. Gersen has but one purpose: to destroy the five Demon Princes, most notorious criminals in the Reach. The murder of a lonely locator on Smade's Planet sets Gersen after his first quarry - the grim and inhuman Attel Malagate. The Demon Princes is a five-book series of science fiction novels by Jack Vance, which cumulatively relate the story of one Kirth Gersen as he exacts his revenge on five notorious criminals, collectively known as the Demon Princes, who carried his village off into slavery during his childhood. Each novel deals with his pursuit of one of the five Princes.

Jack Vance is one of the most remarkable talents to ever grace the world of science fiction. His unique, stylish voice has been beloved by generations of readers. One of his enduring classics is his Mazirian the Magician (previously titled The Dying Earth), and its sequels--a fascinating, baroque tale set on a far-future Earth, under a giant red sun that is soon to go out forever. In Cugel: the Skybreak Spatterlight, Cugel the Clever is still seeking revenge on the magician Iucounu, whom he blames for his exile and all his troubles. But revenge is hard to come by, and the adventures on the way are so very diverting....

Big Planet (in Russian)Big Planet is a far-away world where any metal is rare. Its surface area is 20 times that of Earth. It is populated by the descendants of outlaws and dissidents who formed many tribes and societies, each with its own strange customs. On the Big Planet, beauty and evil dwell in uneasy proximity. Charley Lysidder, the usurper of a powerful title of Bajarnum of Bojolais, seeks to rule the whole vast planet, while Claude Glystra leads a commission from Earth to investigate Lysidder's profitable and illegal space trade in weapons and slaves. Orbital sabotage results in the crash of Glystra's spaceship amidst the dangerous land, 40 thousand miles from the safe Earth Enclave. How could he succeed now? How could he even survive? Thousands of years later, on the same Big Planet, Apollon Zamp, owner and captain of a showboat wondering from one port to another along the river Vissel and its tributaries, hopes to become a winner of the competition among showboat entertainers, and to gain a promised prize - an unheared of treasure of metal - despite the many dangers of a long voyage upriver to the unknown northern lands, and despite the machinations of his relentless rival, captain and theatrical producer Garth Ashgale. Appearance onboard of the mysterious aristocratic beauty distracts Zamp and seriously complicates his task.

The planet Pao has a stagnant culture. Scientists of the neighboring world Breakness launch a ruthless experiment, jarring Pao into new vitality by installing three class-languages; one for a warrior class, one for technicians, and one for merchants. But their formula contains weaknesses of their own degenerate culture. Beran Panasper - heir to the throne of Pao - has been spirited away to Breakness to be trained as a tool for later subjugation of Pao. But he still has a mind of his own, and his Paonian characteristics will blend with Breakness science in an unexpected way!

Throy (Book 3 of 3, The Cadwal Chronicles, Russian translation) The Conservancy of Cadwal has a new Charter - thanks to the courage of Glawen Clattuc and his beloved Wayness Tamm. But this has not brought peace to the people of Cadwal - instead, it has polarized them. Led by exiles, anti-Conservancy forces continue work to open Cadwal to commercial exploitation, while a new extremist faction seeks to restore Cadwal to entirely natural condition. In the middle are the governors of the planet, and their police force. Newly-promoted Commander Glawen Clattuc is charged with apprehending the conspirators wherever they might flee, but he also has a personal agenda. After twenty years, he will solve the mystery of his mother's death. Cadwal is a planet of extraordinary beauty. To protect it, the "Naturalist Society" has set up a Charter which allows only limited settlement on the planet in order to enforce the laws of the Conservancy. These laws forbid extensive human habitations, mining and other exploitation activities. Only six "Agents" and their staff are allowed to reside permanently on the planet: their main function is to prevent other humans from establishing residence, although tourists are allowed in specially designed lodges, overlooking sites of natural beauty and interest.

Maske: Thaery (Russian translation) Far across the galaxy on the planet Maske, young Jubal Droad leaves home to make his fortune. Droad attaches himself to the powerful court of Nai the Hever, and is made an interplanetary economic spy. Jubal courts Mieltrude - the cold-blooded, beautiful daughter of the house - and becomes the rival and enemy of the brutal Ramus Ymph. In disguise, Jubal leaves the planet and proves Ramus' connection to a sinister interplanetary cartel that covets a foothold on Maske; Jubal pursues Ramus, and finds him among the Waels - a strange people who worship intelligent trees. The trees will determine the outcome of their final confrontation...

Wyst: Alastor 1716 (Russian translation) The Alastor Cluster is made up of thirty thousand inhabited planets whose sole protector of law is the mysterious Connatic. On Wyst, world 1716 of the Cluster, can be found a Utopia - or so it seems; in one great city live millions of people, sharing alike, working in absolute equality for just a few hours a week. But there is something decidedly strange about it all... It is a tumultuous destiny of a young and naive artist, Jantiff Ravensroke, to discover the sinister truth.

Gold and Iron Roy Barch, the first Earthman held captive by the Klau on the planet Magarak, had to accomplish the superhuman - he had to fins a way back to Earth! And he had to warn his people, make them aware of the menace from the skies, or in no time the entire human race would become slaves of the Klau. Clarges Gavin Waylock had been exceedingly careful about hiding his past. Then he met The Jacynth. He recognized that a wisdom far beyond her apparent age allowed Jacynth to know too much about him to live. For her, death would be a mere inconvenience, but once The Jacynth came back, Gavin Waylock's life would be an everlasting hell!

Halma is a planet forever shrouded by the mystical epic of Emphyrio. Governed by an antiquated feudal system, all but the powerful Lords are involved in the planet's arts and crafts handiwork, which is exported and highly regarded throughout the galaxy. Work on machines is punishable by death, and profits are small. From his father Amiante, Ghyl Tarvoke learns that the inequalities of life on Halma can be remedied, and that the answer lies in legend. When Amiante dies a cruel and unjustifiable death, Ghyl begins his quest - to know the true story of Emphyrio.