Posted by Rodger Whitlock on August 10, 1998 at 12:29:07:
In Reply to: Where to start ? posted by Patrick Dusoulier on August 10, 1998 at 11:48:15:
: [snip] what JV book to recommend as a first initiation ?
An interesting question. I think the answer depends on who it is for and what their taste in sf/fantasy is. Jack Vance has written both pure science-fiction (e.g. Blue World) and pure fantasy (e.g. Lyonesse), as well as books and stories which partake of both styles. Someone who is thrilled by hard-core, technologically oriented SF is not going to think too much of Lyonesses, and vice versa. For those addicted to N-th generation imitations of Tolkien, with magic swords and rings and hobbitoid characters, sorry! Vance isn't for you. He's for more discriminating and mature palates.
Perhaps the best criterion for choosing The Starting Vance Book is whether it fully exemplifies Vance's writing style and his great gift for descriptive prose.
All things considered, I'd suggest "The Dirdir" or "Araminta Station" or "Eyes of the Overworld", but there are many others of equal stature in the Vancean oeuvre.
Would your question be better if you asked "which Vance books would enthusiasts *not* recommend for a first timer?"