Posted by Patrick Dusoulier on August 10, 1998 at 11:48:15:
Recently, chatting on the IRC, I found people who had never heard of Jack Vance although they had an interest in SF. I convinced them he was definitely worth a try ... But here's the problem I had : what JV book to recommend as a first initiation ?
All of you, dedicated fans who have read them all many times (so have I), which book would you recommend ? Mind you, it may not be necessarily the one you think is the best ... You may think one is the best after having read many others, and become "connoisseurs". The book I'm thinking of would be the one that would most definitely convert a new reader, that would hook him/her for life, that would start that tremendous craving for more and more !
Rule of the game : it has to be ONE book only, no full series like "The Demon Princes" or Lyonesse . My personal choice, after a painful elimination process, would be "The Eyes of the Overworld", for its sheer attractiveness, enjoyment and originality . Of course, it's a very limited sample of JV's art and variations, but it's a definite "hooker" ...
Patrick