The Pnume (Planet of Adventure, Vol. 4) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 158 pages
• Publisher: DAW; First Edition edition (August 7, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879974842
• ISBN-13: 978-0879974848
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,347,917 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Silent Caverns Full of Memories, April 19, 2003

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Pnume (Planet of Adventure, Vol. 4) (Hardcover)

Having outwitted the three alien races that dominate Tschai, with the vessel that will take him back to Earth, Adam Reith encounters one last obstacle. The Pnume, who keep millions of years of history crystallized in their caverns have noticed Reith. And have decided he is a prime collectible. Aila Woudiver, who would like to see Reith dead, sells him to the Gzhindra, Pnumekin who wander Tschai's surface in the service of their underground masters.

Reith, by virtue of quick thinking, manages to arrive in the depths as a fugitive, rather than a prisoner. And so begins a series of adventures and travels more extensive than any that have happened so far. He kidnaps a young Pnumekin woman - to be named ZAP 210 and convinces her to lead him to freedom. No small task in a world full of secrets. But with the aid of a stolen map, they are on their way. Gradually, ZAP 210 finds Reith's 'boisterous' behavior less and less repellent. Achingly slowly, their relationship matures and becomes the second story of the series.

Vance gives us a whirlwind tour of yet another facet of life on Tschai, making us privy to the society of the Pnume and their servants. Quiet and subdued, their entire focus is the keeping of 'Foreverness,' their great museum. And on the surface, we discover such thinks as crooked ell racing. Vance again proves his ability to paint his story in vivid colors and deftly go beyond the constraints of simple action fiction.

This ends a series that I will always consider one of Vance's best efforts. He will go on to write countless new tales, and with each one, I always wonder, "Will this be just as good as..." Almost without fail, it is. But only rarely is it better.