Posted by Mick Scannell on July 01, 1999 at 07:54:57:
In Reply to: Vance and Science posted by Nick on June 30, 1999 at 02:22:50:
:
: On Vance and science in the Demon Princes
: We don't read Jack Vance for the science I suppose, (I would not classify him as a science fiction writer - science fantasy perhaps, but then what does that mean? Is it an oxymoron?)
Difficult to classify, that one. One reason why his works from the 60s and 70s hasn't dated is his unwillingness to try and predict future technological trends. So in the background is the majority of the future technologies in his various works that you could easily transpose the characters and places into a fantasy environment with ease. Consider Thamber in the Demon Princes : with the exception of the occasional hand beamer, this planet is almost stereotypically 'fantastical'. The only time I can recall Vance causing me to wince at the outdatedness of a future artifact is in 'The Face', where Gersen sprays a conductive trail from a windowpane to his hiding place and, by touching the trail with a speaker, can eavesdrop on conversation held within the room : a solitary glitch across the novels of four decades.
Best Regards,
Mick S.