Posted by MikeE on May 17, 1999 at 10:07:23:
In Reply to: Go ahead and start reading JV posted by Jim Gust on May 15, 1999 at 09:26:54:
: I wasn't much older than you when I discovered Jack Vance.
: You may want to keep a dictionary handy at first (and many
: older people would too) because he often uses some pretty
: obscure terms. It adds to the flavor and enjoyment of his work.
: I discovered him through Michael Shea's pastiche, "A quest for
: Simbilis" which is thoroughly enjoyable on its own.
: I hesitate to recommend a good place to start - every JV reader
: has his own thoughts on this... I'll stick my neck out and say
: the "Lyonesse" trilogy would be a good choice for you. Don't
: miss out on Jack Vance!
Gwyndine. I would also like to recommend that you give Vance a try. His stories can be read on many levels. For us old fogies, we like to see what's behind the obvious adventure, we love to savior some of the color of his phrases, and on and on. Likely pretty boring to your age group. On the other hand, they can also be read straight out as some of the most far out adventure stories you could ever ask for. If I were to recommend for you, I'd ask you to start with either his Demon Prince series or his Planet of Adventure series. As a single novel, I'd also recommend the Blue World. All of these are high adventure and down to earth reading at the same time. Gwyndine, give Vance a try and you'll likely be on this BBS in years to come when those of us here now are in the old folks home muttering things about the "Moonmoth" and "Howard Alan Treesong" that will have our keepers mopping our drools because our arms are strapped to our sides. If you do read a Vance or two, stop back and tell us what you thought.