In a far-off future, criminals have the freedom to pursue their most violent passions among the civilized worlds of the Oikumene, assured that justice cannot follow when they escape into the lawless Beyond—a vast playground where the most elusive and monomaniacal murderers, thieves, and slavers can conquer a world of their own, play out complex fantasies of bloodlust, pursue revenge and immortality over generations, give themselves to a psychotic world of self-absorption, and devalue their...

Time and technology will change the role of the modern literary private investigator. Rather than don a trench coat, engage in snooping, interrogation, prying, and producing disheartening snapshots, detectives of the future will by necessity command stealth and a variety of arcane techniques to satisfy their stingy and demanding clients, who seek results over interstellar distances.Miro Hetzel is a special breed of investigator—an Effectuator, one who goes beyond mere fact-finding ...

For centuries the breathtakingly beautiful planet Cadwal has been held in trust by a centuries-old Charter of Conservancy, created by the now-defunct Naturalist Society on Old Earth.Over time, restrictions on population expansion written into the Charter have become irksome to some who live on Cadwal—those who would take the unexploited wealth of Cadwal for themselves, also those forced to leave the planet to keep population in check.Glawen Clattuc grows to manhood within t...

Jack Vance is a Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Grand Master, and winner of numerous sci-fi and fantasy awards spanning a 60-year career. His unparalleled knack for coining words is recognized among the traits which delight his readership.In 1992, Daniel Temianka compiled Vance's neologisms to date and published these in the Underwood-Miller first edition of 'The Jack Vance Lexicon, from Ahulph to Zipangote'. The 'Lexicon' had limited distribution and has become some...

The four Planet of Adventure volumes chronicle Adam Reith's saga on the planet Tschai, under the amber glow of the star Carina 4269. Reith is a Terran first-in scout stranded on a planet which he learns is now occupied, after an ancient struggle which has come to a standstill, by three technically advanced cultures who now guardedly share the surface while the original inhabitants- the mysterious Pnume- dwell in subterranean depths. On Tschai, Reith discovers to his surprise (and disgust) ...

Wilbur Murphy sought romance, excitement, and an impossible Horseman of Space. With polite smiles, the planet frustrated him at every turn—until he found them all the hard way!

The unbelievably awesome 8th volume of the Golden Age of Science Fiction! Featuring: Sjambak, by Jack Vance One Man’s Poison, by Robert Sheckley Earthmen Bearing Gifts, by Frederic Brown The Leech, by Phillips Barbee The Day of the Boomer Dukes, by Frederik Pohl No Strings Attached, by Lester del Rey Keep Your Shape, by Robert Sheckley The Machine that Saved the World, by Murray Leinster

De Lekthwans, een van de talrijke mensachtige rassen die de melkweg bevolken, hebben handelsposten opgericht op de Aarde en delen bereidwillig hun superieure wetenschap en technologie met de Aardbewoners. In vergelijking met Lekthwa is de Aarde nog maar net het barbarendom ontstegen en alle menselijke kennis is ofwel achterhaald of verouderd. Daar heeft de koppige Roy Barch het moeilijk mee. In dienst van Markel, de handelscommissaris van Lekthwa in Californië, worstelt Barch met een minde...

Each major advance in the technology of communication or transportation has brought profound transformations and dislocations to human society. Three of science fiction's greatest authors--Larry Niven, Jack Vance, John Brunner--explore what would happen if teleportation were invented.Suppose it were possible, technologically and economically, to transport oneself to any point on the earth's surface in virtually instantaneous travel? Let us have trips in time as well as in space... ...

The Ultimate Grandeur... Fantasy and Science Fiction Grandmaster Jack Vance is very much a writer of the Space Age. His time “traveling” the magic highways of his imagination spans the period bracketed by the final years of World War 2 and the Cassini–Huygens probe reaching Saturn space in late 2004, the year he brought his magnificent career to a close. In those first thrilling, dangerous, heady days, science did seem to promise all the answers, and it was in a “double” un...

"Sjambak" is a science fiction tale set in a distant future where interstellar travel is commonplace. The story follows the protagonist, Steve Cornell, a former space pilot turned smuggler, who is hired to transport a mysterious cargo known as "sjambak" to a remote planet. Despite knowing little about the cargo or its intended destination, Cornell accepts the job, lured by the promise of a hefty payday.As Cornell embarks on his journey across the galaxy, he encounters a series of challenge...

For 700 years the Meks served without complaint; they were indispensable, for no gentleman would demean himself with toil. But now they turn against the strongholds of civilizationCastle Halcyon, then Sea Island, Morninglight, and Maravalone by one the proud castles of Earth fall; last standing is Castle Hagedorn.Winner Nebula Award 1966, Hugo award 1967.Cover art by Todd Tennant