Planet of Adventure/City of the Chasch/Servants of the Wankh/the Dirdir/the Pnume

Rating:
Summary: Enticing and fully entertaining
Review: Although I read this title originally in Dutch, the translator excellently captured the sheer drama and suspense, and the typical 'Vancian' wit and humor. Vance has the ability to depict the world of Tschai so vividly you are taking the journey yourself. He knows his strengths - building on original (and amazingly funny) dialogue, while describing the world and its culture in so much detail. I loved reading it, and would recommend it to anyone who likes space opera. To the ones enjoying this book I recommend reading Tad Williams' epic saga "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn", and Jack's other books - the demon princes series, "the voyage of the space beagle", the Lyonesse series, and "big planet". Jack is my all-time favorite!!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best sci-fi adventures I've ever read
Review: Jack Vance at his best. This serie of four books encompassesthe great lyrical skills Vance is best known for, along withsome of the most breathtaking descriptions of alien cultures. Adam Reith, the hero of the novel, shipwrecks on planet Tschai and is forced to learn entire new styles of life if he is to survive. Notable are the DirDir, a feline-like race of very evolved predators that codify The Hunt as their way of life. To reveal anything of the plot would be to spoil the sci-fi reader of the pleasure of reading this masterpiece. I reccomend it to anybody even mildly interested in adventurous science fiction