Night Lamp

As I approach the dreaded half-century I remember fondly the wonderful SF from so many of the classic writers, but Vance in particular. His command (and invention) of the language is approximated only by Zelazny's, and his ability to create wonderfully outlandish cultures is on a level far beyond anyone else's. I LOVED Night Lamp. It has a quality of odd innocence that characterizes much of Vance's work (including most of the Gaen Reach work) that is entirely appealing in a way that takes me back to the juveniles of my youth and just really makes me feel good. I confess I was pleasantly surpised at how good this was, and my appetite is fully engaged. Come on, Jack, you can do it again!

For those who loved Vance's 70s classics such as Marune, Wyst, Emphryio, Trullian and others, this one will fit in your hand like a well worn glove. It will also suit the readers of the Amarminta Station books, although it is better. The plot is generally the same as all of them: a decent young man falls into bad circumstances and emerges victorious after a series of wild adventures.Like Vance's later works this one is longer, and incorporates more elements of mystery than the early tales from the Gaen Reach. All of the standard Vance themes are there, to include the revenge of evil deeds, sly and appealing young women, travels through colorful and bizarre lands, unusual cultural depravities, and a young man's emergence from innocence to realism and competance. The Vance humor shows itself as always; in a comic farce, a series of lectures given by academics quickly disintegrates into name-calling and mayhem.Vance is at his best, however, when describing alien cultures that are completely foreign to any present or past human condition, yet completely believable. Hes given us that here as well, with a series of societies that seem all too likely.Is this one of Vance's very best? I've just read it, and I need a little time to let it settle in. For those of you who may be new to Vance, however, you may have little choice since a lot of his very best is no longer readily available.

Jack Vance has always enjoyed reading mysteries more than science fiction and wishes he could have written more in the mystery genre. His science fiction novels are riddled with sly flourishes that remind one of mystery greats such as Agatha Christie; indeed, more than a few of his sci-fi works are really mysteries in disguise. This is certainly true of Night Lamp, which includes a segment strongly reminiscent of P.D. James' An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (James' youthful private inquiry agent, Cordelia Gray, becomes the female galactic effectuator Skirl). Anyone who enjoys the upcoming PBS television series based on James' character (to be aired in April 1998) is strongly urged to buy Night Lamp and meet Cordelia's 31st century AD sister in arms. Skirl is not Vance's first female sleuth; she has predecessors in Wayness Tamm (Ecce and Old Earth) and Jean Parlier (Monsters in Orbit). Still, effectuator Skirl is Vance's first female who is more than an inspired amateur; i.e., who undergoes professional training and aspires to a sleuthy career. And a delightful creation she is! Night Lamp is vintage Vance with alien landscapes, adolescent misfits, neurotic civilizations, and clever rogues. Don't expect a tight plot; the charm of Vance novel's depends in large part on their rambling, picaresque quality which enables Vance to pack as many oddities as possible into each volume. Buy this book. Cherish it. Tell everyone you know to read it.

If you are a reader with that special attraction for Vance's writing style & subtle humor (you know it if you are one), you already own this book, and all that I write here is redundant to you. If you HAVEN'T read The Dying Earth, The Blue World, The Dragon Masters, or Emphyrio - then you may need to be enticed to read Night Lamp. This latest work is classic Vance - he has included the expected imagery, biting humor and social commentary, and singular style of dialog & description. The story unfolds into gratifying resolution of conflicts & mysteries, with a dose of surprise & tragedy for dessert. I liked Night Lamp very much, and I'm waiting for my recollection of the story's details to dissipate, so that I can read it again. Night Lamp is unique in that it's my only Vance book which has been read but once ... A very temporary condition, I assure you, as I re-read while waiting for Ports of Call. A great story by a man who is, in my opinion, the most skilled manipulator of language in the business of creating and constructing speculative fiction.

Jack Vance reintroduces many of his past themes: a decadent society (The Dying Earth), a hero seeking his own identity (Marune), and the symbology of caste and status (The Big Planet, and many more). As always, his style is rich and poetic. There is strife, both physical and mental, and growth of the characters, and the societies with which they interact. Set loosely in the same universe as the Alastor novels and The Grey Prince, a youth raised by foster parents deals with his own lack of identity and the values of his society. There are overtones of the Vance hero from the Planet of Adventure and Wyst. The youth becomes an adult with complex relationships and friends. He resolves the question of his identity, overthrows a stagnant culture (The Last Castle) and faces physical and emotional challenges alone and with the help of friends. This is an exquisite read, it does not pound brutally (as did the golem in Green Magic), but it is engrossing and fulfilling. "Beauty beyond measure, and joy beyond all expectations." Get it. Read it. Give it to your friends.