Emphyrio (Sf Masterworks 19) [Paperback]

Jack Vance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 1999 | Series: Sf Masterworks 19

Far in the future, the craftsmen of the distant planet Halma create goods which are the wonder of the galaxy. But they know little of this. Their society is harshly regimented, its religion austere and unforgiving, and primitive -- to maintain standards, even the most basic use of automation is punishable by death. When Amiante, a wood-carver, is executed for processing old documents with a camera, his son Ghyl rebels, and decides to bring down the system. To do so, he must first interpret the story of Emphyrio, an ancient hero of Halman legend.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

SALES POINTS * #19 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever written * 'All Vance's novels have exotic locales and cultures, resourceful heroes and vigorous action, but in Emphyrio they are raised to the pitch of perfection, making the novel a tremendous pleasure to read, and giving it also a mysterious beauty' ' Kim Stanley Robinson * 'Jack Vance is our greatest living SF writer, and Emphyrio is one of his very best books, a magical tour de force of mystery, marvel, invention, incident, world-building and wordplay. But be warned: reading Vance is addictive' ' George R.R. Martin

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Millenium Paperbacks; paperback / softback edition (October 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185798885X
• ISBN-13: 978-1857988857
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,959,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting, yes, and vintage Vance., February 15, 2005

By 

David Studhalter "Ionus" (North Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Emphyrio (Sf Masterworks 19) (Paperback)

I have little to add to those who've commented that this little Classic of Vance's Gaean Reach novels is haunting, and Vance in the top of his form. This little passage always stays with me as an example of writing that could ONLY be Vance:

(It's a backward world, far from Earth, a thousand years in the future... where artists and artisans are exploited by a commercial cartel. This is a conversation between the protagonist as a little boy who's just seen a puppet show, and the peripatetic puppeteer Holkerwoyd):

"I was born beside a star so far that you'll never see its light, not in the sky of Halma."

"Then why are you here?"

"I often ask myself the same. The answer always comes: because I'm not somewhere else. Which is a statement more sensible than it sounds. And isn't it a marvel? Here am I and here are you; think of it! When you ponder the breadth of the galaxy, you must recognize a coincidence of great singularity!"

"I don't understand."

"Simple enough! Suppose you were here and I elsewhere, or I were here and you elsewhere, or both of us were elsewhere: three cases vastly more probable than the fourth, which is in fact our mutual presence within ten feet of each other. I repeat, a miraculous concatenation! And to think that some hold the Age of Wonders to be past and gone!"

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative story with a rushed, skeletal second half, April 3, 2003

By 

D. Cloyce Smith (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Emphyrio (Sf Masterworks 19) (Paperback)

Reminiscent of "1984" or "Brave New World," "Emphyrio" is Vance's stab at dystopian fiction. Like its predecessors, it is a gloomy, pessimistic novel (lacking Vance's trademark wit); unlike other novels in this genre, however, this one is enriched by a coming-of-age story focusing on the relationship between a father and a son.

The first (and far better) half of the book focuses on the bond between Amiante and Ghyl. Amiante is a skilled artisan whose work is highly valued, but his lackadaisical and somewhat rebellious attitude keeps him from participating fully as a "proper" member of a strictly regimented society--a world in which any form of automation or duplication (cameras, molding, assembly-line manufacturing, etc.) is strictly forbidden in order to maintain the quality and uniqueness of handmade goods. Amiante imparts his aloofness to his son Ghyl, who shares his father's taste for individualism and subversion. Goaded by seditious friends and angered by his father's ultimate punishment, Ghyl hatches a scheme to leave his native planet; the plan goes awry but allows Ghyl to explore the universe and discover its history and secrets.

Vance aims his barbs at a wide range of targets: the welfare state, capitalism, totalitarianism, religion, socialism, class warfare, unions, and more. And that's the problem with the last 100 pages: the novel is far too short for such a scattershot approach, and the "message" often gets lost in a series of quick resolutions and easy aphorisms. Planets are briefly visited, characters come and go, and secrets are revealed. While on Earth, for example, Ghyl spends a month (fewer than four pages) with Flora, "a slim blond Norwegian girl," but the reason for her sudden introduction and equally sudden disappearance is mystifying. Through contrived coincidences (e.g., running into a previous acquaintance on faraway planet) and relatively effortless disclosures, Ghyl learns "surprising" truths about the structure of his native society. The resolution of the plot and the revelation of the book's secrets are actually quite clever, so it's doubly sad that Vance seems to be rushing through the story, tying up loose ends without either making them all that believable or giving the reader much of a chance to consider what they mean.

"Emphyrio" is, of course, meant to be an allegory, and I suspect that Vance deliberately modeled his "myth" as fable (like, say, "Animal Farm") rather than full-blown epic (like "Dune"). His nightmarish universe and imaginative vision is far too big, though, to be satisfactorily presented in 200 pages. As a result, "Emphyrio" at times seems more a skeleton of a brilliant novel than a fully realized masterpiece.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different--but still Excellent--Vance, January 31, 2004

By 

Robert Ward (Severna Park, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Emphyrio (Sf Masterworks 19) (Paperback)

As most of the other critics have noted, this is a vastly different book than most of Vance's other novels or stories. While it shares the some of the same trappings and atmosphere of Vance classics such as "Night Lamp" or the Durdane trilogy, its view is rather depressing. In my opinion, "Emphyrio" most resembles the Durdane trilogy, with its ignorant protelariat and non-existent civil society controlled by a mysterious entity.

I, too, agree with the critic who mentioned the discord between the two halves of the book. The first (better) half focuses on the societal injustices and the rights of Man. The latter part IS rushed; it seems that Vance had to change tack after the hijacking of the Lords. It reminds me of Twain's "Huckleberry Finn," (yes, I'm serious) in that regard--Twain faced the same dilemma 2/3rds of the way through that book (while Jim and Huck are on the raft). Does anyone else agree with this observation?

I highly recommend this book. Find a copy, and grab any copy of ANY Jack Vance book that you come across.