The Last Castle

While this has all the usual trappings of a Vance story - declining society, strange environment, weird creatures - it's unusual in leaning more toward the macho he-man resolution of its time than toward Vance's usual sardonic onlooker.Award winner or not, I wouldn't put it in the same category as [b:The Languages of Pao 40889 The Languages of Pao Jack Vance http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1169512189s/40889.jpg 1877052] or [b:The Magnificent Showboats Of The Lower Vissel River Lune Xxiii South, Big Planet 6467260 The Magnificent Showboats Of The Lower Vissel River Lune Xxiii South, Big Planet Jack Vance http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png 6657766]. A good introduction to Vance, and a fun story for fans.CVIE vol IV