Maske: Thaery [Hardcover]

Jack Vance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1976

There is a Hole at the eastern fringe of the known universe. Deep within it hangs a lost star, Mora, with twin planets, Maske and Skay. On wild Maske there is a rocky peninsula inhabited by a clan of warlike dreamers, the Droads. The eldest son, Trewe, is by birthright Droad of Droad. The second son has no choice but to turn his face toward adventure. His name is Jubal Droad...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

- "Vance is one of the best writers producing sf, and The Blue World is a showcase of his virtues." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Putnam Pub Group (T); First Edition edition (October 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399117970
• ISBN-13: 978-0399117978
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #740,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem complete, January 8, 2006

By 

James Windle "jimbo" (Canberra Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maske: Thaery (Paperback)

If one book could be said to sum up all Jack Vance's fantasy in one story I would recommend Maske Thaery. Its the most typically Vancian of Jack Vance's fantasy works. Im not saying its his best fantasy work - Planet of Adventure is, closely followed by the Demon Princes. But it encapsulates the best of Vance in one single book. It has a good plot, the swift pace and involved caste system, the outsider hero, and the cold distant - high born love interest (the love interests in Jacks books are always cold distant high born and beautiful). The commical and inevitable bartering over money is present - in this case not between the hero and the inevitable inn keeper - but over the hero's salary. It gives the food, customs, geography, architecture and the local flora and fauna the usual prominent place we expect in a Vance book. The dialogue is classic Vance.

It also has a few delicious twists with a good one right at the end. And the expensive space yatch is thrown in as well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an Excellent Read, Classic Vance., December 18, 2003

By 

beleth (Atlanta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maske: Thaery (Paperback)

Vance, simply put, is one of the best (if not *the* best) modern Sci-fi/Fantasy authors. What one must understand is that Vance is not lauded for revolutionary story ideas (though in some cases, he should be). What Vance is regarded for is his ability to create believeable, motivated, intelligent characters with as much (or more) depth than most real people and place them in equally realistic places. His descriptions and explanations of planets, lifeforms, cultures, and technologies are fleshed out with more attention to detail than one would find contained 10 tourist guides of real places.

Maske: Thaery is no exception. While the themes are not exceptional(coming of age, political intrigue, etc), Vance's prose is. The plot and subplots are gripping, the characters are sympathetic and endearing. This is an excellent read from cover to cover. The only negative aspect of the book is its brevity. A sequel is in order, Jack!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maske: VIE Needs an Editor, September 12, 2005

By 

Richard Anderson (Truckee, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maske: Thaery (Paperback)

More a mystery than a sci-fi, Maske: Thaery has all the elements that make for a classic Vancian read: arch dialogue, a melancholic cynicism toward society, a rippin' plot that keeps one turning the pages, and an abiding fondness for food, tipple, and trees. I'd actually rate this book higher than three stars, but the particular edition depicted by Amazon is a recent reprint from ibooks that utilizes the efforts of the VIE Project, whose volunteers remove edits made by prior publishers so as to restore Vance's works to their original text. It's a noble but ultimately naive objective, as indicated by the unfortunate repetition of sentences on page 4 of the VIE edition. Readers new to Vance might want to instead seek out the original (1976) edition of this book.