Ecce And Old Earth [Mass Market Paperback]

Jack Vance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1992

Glawen Clattuc, scion of one of the scientific houses of Cadwal, must discover which humans are sabotaging his planet, protected by law and covenant against colonization and exploitation. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Vance's rich lyrical style makes this follow-up to Araminta Station a pleasure to read. The planet Cadwal, established long before as a Conservancy--a natural preserve protected from settlement and development--is threatened by powerful factions that want to open its resources to exploitation. The threat becomes urgent when the Conservators learn that the ancient Charter guaranteeing Cadwal's status is missing and that anti-conservationists have already begun their search for it. Hoping to preempt them, two young Conservators, Glawen Clattuc and Wayness Tamm, decide to head for Old Earth. When Glawen is delayed on Cadwal, Wayness goes first, becoming a sort of country-hopping Nancy Drew as she follows the Charter's decades-cold trail around the globe. Glawen, meanwhile, armed with new information, pursues the Charter from another angle, and events carry the pair toward an exciting, climactic reunion. This intelligent, entertaining diversion is more detective story than science fiction: except for a startling lack of central government, Old Earth differs little from our day, serving as a mere backdrop for Wayness's Charter chase. But she and Glawen are likable protagonists engaged in colorful adventures. Not one of Vance's very best, but even minor Vance is provocative and fun.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- A story that has the broad appeal of Niven's Ringworld (Ballantine, 1985), Herbert's Dune (Berkeley, 1985), and Heinlein's best, with overtones of Indiana Jones. When humans first colonized ``The Gaian Reach,'' the rich planet Cadwal was established as a nature conservancy. Now, many generations later, some residents of one continent are attempting to throw the Conservators out of office and open the planet to settlement. When it is discovered that a crucial document is missing, the opposing factions embark on a treasure hunt that spans the known galaxy, to Old Earth and back out again. Contemporary concerns such as ecology, politics, individual behavior, gender, and language are all lively features of Vance's universe and crucial to the plot. One of the novel's most delightful aspects is a narrative structure in which a young couple pursue the quest independently, separated (temporarily) but equal. The heroine has a wry wit and intelligent self-possession. Because of this and many other rich characterizations, the book should appeal even to readers usually reluctant to try the genre. Although this is a sequel to Araminta Station (Tor, 1988), it stands on its own. An elegant 18-page ``Precursory'' presents the needed synopsis.
-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (September 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812557018
• ISBN-13: 978-0812557015
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #943,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ecce and Old Earth, November 16, 2005

By 

not4prophet (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecce And Old Earth (Mass Market Paperback)

"Ecce and Old Earth", sequel to the thunderous "Araminta Station", is actually more like two novels screwed together than a single work. The first hundred pages take us back to Cadwal, where we last saw Glawen Clattuc battling Kirdy in the waves of Deucas. Now he has the last letter from Floreste, which tells him where his father is being held. With Chilke bound by bureaucracy and Bodwyn Wook unwilling to act, Glawen is left mounting a one-man rescue mission through the steaming jungles of Ecce, battling exotic wildlife, severe weather, and the machinations of the dreaded Simonna and Spanchetta.

That part of the story is wrapped up quickly, and we then shift to Old Earth, where we find Wayness Tam intrepidly hunting for the Charter and the Grant-in-Prepetuity that together confer ownership of the entire Planet Cadwal. This is the meat of the novel. Plotwise this book is not nearly as complicated as "Araminta Station". The entertainment comes from watching the bizarre lifestyles that have developed on Earth during the inervening millenia. Here we see progress and stagnation side by side, inbred monarchs, modern artists, fusty scholars, fraudulent treasure-hunters and many more all bumping around on a planet that's gradually sinking into useless oblivion. As we expect, Vance provides each member of this eclectic cast with a unique voice and overriding personality. The result is a feast of wit as they bounce off each other:

"Kiev is like a great laboratory where reverence for poast aesthetic doctrine crashes headlong into utter contempt for the same doctrine - sometimes in the same indvidual - and the collision produces a coruscation of wonders." (p. 190)

"Countess Ottile lives in seclusion, seeing no one but doctors for herself and veterinaries for her dogs. She is said to be extremely aravicious, though she commands great wealth. There is a hint or two that she is, let us say, eccentric. When one of her dogs died, she beat the attending vertinary with her walking stick and drove him away. The veterinary seems to have been of philosophical disposition. When the journalists asked if he intended to sue, he merely shrugged and siad that both beating and biting were accepted hazards of his profession, and there the matter rested." (p. 206)

"Peace returned to Pombareales - but not for long. A few days later it became known that the collectors had all paid very large sums for doubloons stamped from lead, then plated over with a thin wash of gold. Their value was negligible. Collectors are not a fatalistic lot. Consternation gave way to outrage and fury even more intense than the previous enthusiasm." (p. 289)

I will give props to the ending, which is probably the funniest scene in the book while also being the most emotionally satisfactory - no mean feat. The story is resolved in style, though with the nausea-inducing Julian Bohost still active, we're guaranteed much more action and amusement in the final volume of the trilogy.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great journey. The weak ending matters little., May 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ecce and Old Earth (Cadwal Chronicles, Book 2) (Hardcover)

After reading "Araminta Station", you can guess what this one will be about: the rescue of Scharde Clattuc (on Ecce) and the search for the original Charter (beginning on Old Earth). The "Old Earth" bit occupies most of the book. It's a fine hunt, with who knows how many people following who knows how many scents to the Charter; the momentum builds slowly but surely; and we get a classic Vance travelog on the way; but I am bound to say that the very end of it all - the actual discovery of the Charter - is disappointing. Were it not for the stumble at the end I would prefer this even to "Araminta Station".

5.0 out of 5 stars Dave H, July 15, 2011

By 

Dave H "Dave H" (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecce And Old Earth (Mass Market Paperback)

The magical storytelling of Jack Vance continues unabated in this second book in "The Cadwal Chronicles Trilogy"...absolutely amazing! I almost feel a separation anxiety: "parting with such sweet sorrow," when I read his stories because I know they're going to end. He allows his readers to become an integral part of the story which is a truly amazing experience that I find exhilarating and unique to Jack Vance. The characters and worlds are exquisitely drawn and become part of your life by invading your everyday thoughts and nightly dreams. What a wonderful journey...