Emphyrio

Rating:
Summary: Different--but still Excellent--Vance
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting, yes, and vintage Vance.
Review: 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!"


Rating:
Summary: There's Better Vance Than This
Review: I've loved everything I've read by Jack Vance up to this book. But Emphyrio is not written in the style of some his later stories, although it was by no means poorly written. It just lacks the dry wit that is the hallmark of, for example, the (awesome) Demon Princes and for me that was a major disappointment.

Nonetheless, the story was fine. Though, without getting into too much of the plot, it's one of those "clever" or "meaningful" endings which sci-fi authors all like to do from time to time. If that's your thing, this book is for you. If not, there's better Vance to be read.

Rating:
Summary: Little-known Vance novel
Review: Interesting little novel by Vance, about a totalitarian society oppressed and exploited by a combination of the government, big business and religion. The craftsmen of the planet Halma create goods which are then sold at great profit throughout the galaxy, while the artists receive but a pittance. All the money goes to their rulers. One man tries to rebel and fails; his son takes up his cause and travels the galaxy seeking the truth of the legend of Emphryrio, who appears to be the only man who ever figured out how their society ended up being so crushed by its rulers. Vance, as usual, is a bit cynical; everyone is flawed, and he points out you can't trust government, business or religion when all three get together and use political power to enrich themselves at everyone else's expense.

Rating:
Summary: Vance at His Best
Review: Jack Vance is at the top of his form in _Emphyrio_. The novel tells the story of Ghyl, a fey youth who questions the solidified, authoritarian society in which he is growing up. It is in effect a socialist or capitalist dystopia (depending on how you define the terms), and Vance does a great job presenting the superiority of individualistic liberty vs. monopolistic rule by a class of exploiters in a non-didactic, dramatized form. The ending presents a surprise to the reader that has been well prepared. This is Vance at his best.

Rating:
Summary: What SciFi should be.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: What SciFi should be.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest short SF novels ever written.
Review: Of all Vance's extraordinary output this one is my personal favorite. The tragedy of a people, a world, caught up in the most fantastic piece of deception imaginable. Once read, who could forget Ghyl Tarvoke's encounter with a duplicated wooden screen in a shop on a planet far from home? And yet it is out of print. A sad commentary on the state of the SF market today.

Rating:
Summary: a classic of speculative fiction
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Imaginative story with a rushed, skeletal second half
Review: 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.