Posted by Diana Hamilton on August 14, 1998 at 09:27:24:
In Reply to: Re: Where to start ? - A collection, of course! posted by Terry Doyle on August 13, 1998 at 17:41:05:
: Without question the collection of stories: _The Best of Jack Vance_,aptly titled. It contains my two favorites, _The Last Castle_, droll man against implacable anti-human race and _The Moon Moth_, without doubt the best SF short story ever written containing mystery, humor, exquisitely exotic culture described so beautifully, and the at odds hero, Edwer Thisell.
Bingo on "The Moon Moth"! I recently recommended this to someone who was wondering where to start with Vance. It's got a perfect balance of all of Vance's strengths, all in the space of a longish short story. If someone doesn't like this, he probably won't care for a lot of other Vance.
Plus, the story's also readily available in the SFWA's _Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time_, where it holds the "grand finale" position. I love to read it here, since after sampling the flavors of other experienced chefs, you get to walk away from the table savoring the crumbs of the best-prepared dish. :)
BTW, the concept of "strakh" in the "The Moon Moth" is still one of my favorite bits of Vance culture; I even found myself using it in a post to a non-sf newsgroup the other day.
Diana Hamilton -- hamilton@umbc.edu -- Baltimore, MD USA