Stranded on the distant planet Tschai, young Adam Reith is the sole survivor of a space mission who discovers the world is inhabited--not only by warring alien cultures, but human slaves as well, taken early in Earth's history. Reith must find a way off planet to warn the Earth of Tschai's deadly existence.

Against a backdrop of baroque cities and haunted wastelands, sumptuous palaces and riotous inns, Reith will encounter deadly wastrels and murderous aliens, dastardly villains and conniving scoundrels.

And always the random beauty in need of rescue...
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Living in interesting times…

Jack Vance has long been one of the most influential, admired and imitated writers in science fiction and fantasy literature, the award-winning author of such widely acclaimed works as The Dying Earth, the Lyonesse trilogy, the adventures of Cugel the Clever, the Demon Princes series, and many other masterful tales set among the stars, in exotic fantasy realms or on our own Earth.

For much of his career, Vance has also been one of the field's most private writers, an author who preferred to let his work speak for him. Now, at last, to coincide with the release of the tribute anthology Songs of the Dying Earth, Jack gives us this intimate and fascinating glimpse into his rich and eventful life, and a valuable insight into how he went about practicing his craft.

For fans of the Grand Master's work, these memoirs are something to be treasured....

One of Jack Vances enduring classics is his 1964 novel, The Dying Earth, and its sequelsa fascinating tale set on a far-future Earth, under a giant red sun that is soon to go out forever. This volume comprises all four books in the series, The Dying Earth, The Eyes of the Overworld, Cugels Saga and Rialto the Magnificent....

Jack Vance is one of the best-loved storytellers in science fiction. Here, collected in one volume, is the Alastor trilogy: three classic SF adventure novels that are Jack Vance at his best.The Alastor Cluster is a sprawling system of thirty thousand live stars and three thousand inhabited planets. It is ruled by the mysterious Connatic, who sees all and knows all, but with five trillion people contained within such far-flung boundaries, sooner or later something is bound to give.Trullion: Alastor 2262 : An idyllic world where food is bountiful and the oceans are clear. World 2262 is in for a rude awakening. The Trill, the once-peaceful race that populates the waters of Trullion, are gambling their lives away in the planet-wide game, hussade.Marune: Alastor 933 : Though the Connatic knows all, there is one man of whom he knows nothing, one man who knows nothing of himself. Pardero is determined to find out who he is and what cruel enemy forced him to forget his own life. But when he finally returns home to Marune, World 933, the mystery only deepens.Wyst: Alastor 1716 : On Wyst, World 1716, millions of people live together in harmony, work only a few hours each week, and share the fruits of their labor equally. Wyst seems a Utopia. But the Connatic, knowing better than to take Utopia at face value, one day decides to investigatea decision that may cost him his life....