Halma, a world where humans were ruled by a race of effete and arrogant lords; where a neo-feudal system banned all work by machines; where a mock welfare state rewarded painful hand labor with a pitiful dole.Young Ghyl Tarvok was a rebel. In a pirated spaceship, he began his search through the civilizations of the galaxy, hunting the elusive key to the time-shrouded secret that could free his people. Inexorably he moved toward his last desperate hope: the place his ancestors had left many thousands of years before, the mysterious and terrifying planet called Earth.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Story of Destiny,
This review is from: Emphyrio (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a well-written story by Jack Vance. In the city of Ambroy, Ghyl Tarvoke grows up in a feudal-like society where mass production is forbidden and craftsmen are exploited. Early in the book Ghyl is seven when he sees a puppet show. This proves to be a pivotal event in his formative years. Over the years Ghyl starts to question the morality of the ruling elite, who literally tower over the masses. His actions are influenced by the mythological hero Emphyrio... The culture of Ghyl's world is unwittingly oppressed by corruption. But is someone oppressing the oppressors? As Ghyl reaches maturity he sets out to fight this and make the truth known. This is the first novel I've read by Jack Vance, and I have to say it's intriguing. Vance makes his characters sound very believable. (I've never come across a character more obnoxious than Nion Bohart.) In the back of my mind I suspected that this book might have been one of the works that influenced the look of "Star Wars" - especially with that combination of space-ships and old-fashioned dress. A paragraph in chapter 5 actually refers to a conflict called the Star Wars. Also to an emperor. If it wasn't "Emphyrio" that was the influence I'm pretty sure it was "The Dying Earth". That and "Dune". In any case, "Emphyrio" is well worth a read. It makes you think that anyone can fight injustice if they're determined enough.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a classic of speculative fiction,
By A Customer
This review is from: Emphyrio (Mass Market Paperback)
One of my favorite books of all times, and one of my five favorite fantasies. A woodworker is gradually forced to transend himself in order to overcome the contradictions of his society. An epic that actually involves only one minor act of violence by the hero. This book may haunt you. Vance puts more color in print than most painters can daub on acres of canvas
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What SciFi should be.,
This review is from: Emphyrio (Mass Market Paperback)
Jack Vance is one of the most underrated scifi writers. His works demonstrate a mastery of language, a remarkable realism found in very few other scifi compositions, and a rich imagination in both the technology and society he fabricates for the equally rich characters of his stories._Emphyrio_ is one of his finest works, and, in general, one of the finest scifi works anyone has written. In it, Vance demonstrates a vision for a marvelous, yet haunting, future for humanity. But instead of writing this vision in a clumsy, grandiose and falsely sweeping manner, as would be reminiscent of lesser scifi works, Vance focuses on the particulars. For example, in his choice of the protagonists, Ghyl Tarvoke and Amiante, Vance carves out a finely detailed father-son relationship. Through their eyes, the reader is then led to an understanding of complexities of the socioeconomic structures of the city of Ambroy, and even the planet of Halma. The entire story is tightly knit together by the mythology of Emphyrio, which serves as a backbone to the progress of the entire story. It is sufficiently vague as to be believable, but sufficiently inspiring as to guide the protagonists forward in their search for truth. And even though the particulars may seem foreign, and though the societies may seem alien, the underlying conflicts are entirely human- from social rehab to exploititative economics. Vance leaves the reader with the feeling that perhaps each man, in his own way, can find the strength to bring about vast social improvements.
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