This new book skims the best of Vance at moderate lengths, in the form of 18 pieces, some of short-novel size. "The Dragon Masters" opens the volume. Here we encounter a harsh alien world where intramurally warring humans employ bio-engineered alien "dragons" as their slaves—while the sentient aliens from whom the "dragons" descended likewise use warped humans as their servitors. "Liane the Wayfarer" gives us the tale of a thief who is undone by a wizard sporting the evocative name of "Chun the Unavoidable." The harsh methods of training the men who will crew the vast solarsail spaceships of the future comes under scrutiny in "Sail 25." And oceanic miners in "The Gift of Gab" encounter marine aliens without the language needed to save them from destruction.

A voodoo-style war rages in "The Miracle Workers," but suspect methods such as logic and science get drafted as well. "Guyal of Sfere" is a tale from Vance's famous "Dying Earth" sequence, in which a youth with immense curiosity inherits the legacy of all mankind. "Noise" follows the plight of a castaway on a world of ghosts, while "The Kokod Warriors" tracks troubleshooter Magnus Ridolph as he seeks personal revenge and justice for some nonhumans.

Three tales of Cugel the Clever—like Guyal, another inhabitant of the Dying Earth—are studded tantalizingly throughout the volume: "The Overworld," "The Sorcerer Pharesm" and "The Bagful of Dreams." This literary venue also hosts a tale of Rhialto the Marvelous, titled "Morreion," wherein Rhialto and his wizardly peers go searching for magical IOUN stones at the literal edge of the universe.

"The Men Return" briefly but poignantly examines the paradigm shift between causality and noncausality that overtakes Earth one day. A virtuality contest will determine the leader of the galaxy in "The New Prime." Blissful island dwellers must sail away from utopia to discover "The Secret." On the world of Sirene, Earth's ambassador is forced to assume the unglamorous identity of "The Moon Moth." And "The Mitr" is a brief parable about a feral young woman.

Finally, closing out the volume, and thus replicating by clever editorial fiat the famous Ace Double that contained it and "The Dragon Masters," comes "The Last Castle," a saga of a last redoubt of overmannered humans pitted against the savage Mek.

A unique writer with few obvious heirs

Jack Vance's artistry is undeniable, never more so than when arrayed in such massiveness as here. A master stylist, he combines a flair for dialogue (witty), description (painterly) and detail (ornate but never egregious) with an ingenuity of plotting and a fecundity of conceit that is unmatched within the field. Thanks to the intelligent choices made by Dowling and Strahan, this volume admirably displays his unparalleled way with language and narrative, serving as the perfect tome for old-time fans and newcomers alike.

Vance says in one of his afterwords that everything he has ever read has filtered into his work. He proceeds to cite such influences as Edgar Rice Burroughs, P.G. Wodehouse, Lord Dunsany, Clark Ashton Smith (and other Weird Tales writers) and the nigh-forgotten Jeffrey Farnol. Although I have never seen James Branch Cabell explicitly credited by Vance, I would find it hard to believe that the quondam master of romance, cynicism and drollery did not also factor into Vance's melting pot.

Out of his wide reading, Vance forged a voice that is unmistakable and alluring to a set of readers who favor subtlety and panache over brute force and naivete. Vance is the sophisticate of the SF and fantasy genres, although at the same time he has a direct tap into the raw and vital currents of life: lust, anger, jealousy, pride, revenge. These primal forces pulse through all his work.

But the very uniqueness of his voice has ensured that his heirs will be sparse. Matt Hughes, Michael Shea, Richard Calder in parts, a smattering of Gene Wolfe (and a few of my own stories as well, such as "Ailoura")—you can count the Vance disciples on one hand. No matter: The work of the master really needs no buttressing from lesser lights.

Vance's grand themes—the war between orthodoxy and free-thinking; the perpetual struggle for dominance among political factions; the tug between selfishness and altruism; the impossibility of perfection; the triumph of heroism and virtue after struggle; the fleeting nature of romance; the enjoyment of life; the multiplicity of worldviews—all shine forth as major topics worthy of the intense and polished style that cloaks them. No wonder so many have found in Vance a talent equal to the best mainstream writers.