Ports of Call - Softcover

Vance, Jack

3.55

593 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312864744 ISBN 13: 9780312864743

Publisher: Tor Books, 1999

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Classic space opera from a master of the genre. A wealthy young man is marooned in a distant port, and forced to work his way off as part of the crew of an interstellar freighter.

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Review:

"Ports of Call is a picaresque adventure which begins very much in the style of Wodehousian comedy of manners....Authorial maturity, like well-aged whisky, can offer a remarkable combination of merriment, philosophical musings, and a wicked bite." --Locus

"Classic space opera is alive and kicking....This jaunty, politically incorrect tale provides first-rate escapist entertainment." --Publishers Weekly

"Simply to announce that Jack Vance has a new novel out should be enough to send you scurrying to your nearest bookstore, cash in hand and Vance's name quivering on your lips. Vance's achievements over the past five decades have been of such consistently high quality that his books rank as must-buys, no foreknowledge of subject matter or ostensible genre necessary." --SF Eye

About the Author:

Jack Vance, born John Holbrook Vance in 1916, was one of the greatest masters of fantasy and science fiction. He was the winner of many awards for his work and career: the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. Among his awards for particular works were the Hugo award in 1963 for The Dragon Masters, in 1967 for The Last Castle, and in 2010 for his memoir This is Me, Jack Vance! He won a Nebula Award in 1966 for The Last Castle. He won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1990 for Lyonesse: Madouc. . He also won an Edgar for the best first mystery novel in 1961 for The Man in the Cage.Vance published more than 60 books in his long career, sometimes under pseudonyms. Among them were 11 mystery novels, three of them as Ellery Queen. He wrote some of the first, and perhaps best, examples of "planetary adventures," including a novel called Big Planet. His "Dying Earth" series were among the most influential fantasy novels ever written, inspiring both generations of writers, and the creators of Dungeons and Dragons. Vance's series from Tor include The Demon Princes, The Cadwal Chronicles, The Dying Earth, The Planet of Adventure, and Alastor. Vance's last novels were a series of two: Ports of Call and Lurulu.Jack Vance was a sailor, a writer, an adventurer, a music critic, and a raconteur. He died in May 2013.

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