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Jack Vance’s Followers (1,597)

Jack Vance

Born

in San Francisco, California, The United States

August 28, 1916

Died

May 26, 2013

Website

http://www.jackvance.com/

Genre

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Thrillers

Influences

P.G. Wodehouse, Jeffery Farnol, Lord Dunsany, James Branch Cabell ...more

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Aka John Holbrook Vance, Peter Held, Ellery Queen, Alan Wade.

John Holbrook Vance was an American writer widely celebrated for his imaginative contributions to science fiction, fantasy, and mystery literature. Over a career that spanned more than six decades, he became known for richly detailed worlds, inventive language, and stories that combined adventure with sharp social observation. His work influenced generations of speculative fiction writers and helped expand the literary possibilities of the genre. Vance wrote more than sixty books and numerous short stories, many first appearing in science fiction magazines before later being expanded into novels and collections. His fiction was widely translated and developed an international read Aka John Holbrook Vance, Peter Held, Ellery Queen, Alan Wade.

John Holbrook Vance was an American writer widely celebrated for his imaginative contributions to science fiction, fantasy, and mystery literature. Over a career that spanned more than six decades, he became known for richly detailed worlds, inventive language, and stories that combined adventure with sharp social observation. His work influenced generations of speculative fiction writers and helped expand the literary possibilities of the genre. Vance wrote more than sixty books and numerous short stories, many first appearing in science fiction magazines before later being expanded into novels and collections. His fiction was widely translated and developed an international readership.
Vance grew up in California and spent part of his youth on a ranch near the Sacramento River delta, where he developed a love of the outdoors and an appetite for reading. The family experienced financial hardship during the Great Depression, prompting him to take a variety of jobs before completing his studies at the University of California, Berkeley. During these years he worked in several trades and cultivated interests in music, travel, and sailing, experiences that later informed many of the settings and themes in his fiction. Before becoming a full-time writer he held numerous occupations, including shipyard worker, merchant seaman, carpenter, and surveyor.
His earliest published story appeared in the mid 1940s in a science fiction magazine, marking the beginning of a long writing career. Throughout the following decades he produced stories across multiple genres, though he became best known for science fiction and fantasy cycles that combined imaginative settings with elaborate cultures and social systems. Among his most famous works are The Dragon Masters and The Last Castle, both of which received Hugo Awards. The Last Castle also earned the Nebula Award, confirming Vance's reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in speculative fiction. His fantasy trilogy Lyonesse later received the World Fantasy Award, while his memoir This Is Me, Jack Vance! earned another Hugo decades later.
In addition to speculative fiction, Vance wrote several mystery novels, some under pseudonyms including Ellery Queen. These works often blended crime elements with psychological or social themes and sometimes anticipated ideas that later appeared in his science fiction. His storytelling frequently emphasized cultural conflict, moral ambiguity, and intricate social customs rather than large-scale warfare, setting him apart from many contemporaries in the genre.
Vance maintained close friendships with other science fiction writers and participated in literary communities that shaped postwar American speculative fiction. He traveled widely with his family and spent extended periods abroad, experiences that influenced the exotic settings and cosmopolitan tone found in many of his books. Music also played a role in his life and writing, reflecting his long-standing enthusiasm for traditional jazz.
Despite gradually losing his eyesight later in life, Vance continued writing with the aid of specialized software and completed both fiction and autobiography in his later years. Over time his reputation grew steadily, and he received numerous honors, including the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and recognition as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Critics and fellow writers often praised his distinctive style, wit, and imagination, and his stories remain widely read within the science fiction and fantasy community. ...more

Combine Editions
Jack Vance’s books

Average rating: 3.96 · 100,917 ratings · 8,487 reviews · 778 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Dying Earth (The Dying Earth, #1) 3.88 avg rating — 11,023 ratings — published 1950 — 85 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tales of the Dying Earth 4.12 avg rating — 6,097 ratings — published 1998 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Suldrun's Garden (Lyonesse, #1) 3.93 avg rating — 6,041 ratings — published 1983 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Eyes of the Overworld (The Dying Earth, #2) 4.12 avg rating — 5,192 ratings — published 1966 — 61 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cugel's Saga (The Dying Earth, #3) 4.24 avg rating — 3,297 ratings — published 1983 — 47 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Green Pearl (Lyonesse, #2) 4.17 avg rating — 3,079 ratings — published 1985 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Madouc (Lyonesse, #3) 4.18 avg rating — 2,852 ratings — published 1989 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Emphyrio 3.89 avg rating — 2,735 ratings — published 1969 — 53 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Planet of Adventure (Planet of Adventure, #1-4) 4.25 avg rating — 2,269 ratings — published 1968 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Rhialto the Marvellous (The Dying Earth, #4) 3.88 avg rating — 2,390 ratings — published 1984 — 44 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Jack Vance…

Series by Jack Vance

The Dying Earth (4 books)
by

Jack Vance

4.01 avg rating — 30,502 ratings

Gaean Reach (17 books)
by

Jack Vance

3.98 avg rating — 20,183 ratings

Lyonesse (3 books)
by

Jack Vance

4.08 avg rating — 13,321 ratings

Demon Princes (5 books)
by

Jack Vance

4.07 avg rating — 10,655 ratings

Planet of Adventure (4 books)
by

Jack Vance

4.00 avg rating — 8,868 ratings

More series by Jack Vance…

Quotes by Jack Vance (?)

“Good music always defeats bad luck.”
― Jack Vance

tags: fantasy, music

97 likes

“What are your fees?" inquired Guyal cautiously. "I respond to three questions," stated the augur. "For twenty terces I phrase the answer in clear and actionable language; for ten I use the language of cant, which occasionally admits of ambiguity; for five, I speak a parable which you must interpret as you will; and for one terce, I babble in an unknown tongue.”
― Jack Vance, Tales of the Dying Earth

83 likes

“Notice this rent in my garment; I am at a loss to explain its presence! I am even more puzzled by the existence of the universe.”
― Jack Vance, Tales of the Dying Earth

tags: jack-vance, lodermulch, the-eyes-of-the-overworld

82 likes

See all Jack Vance's quotes »

Polls

Time to pick our next group challenge. Please cast your vote for series you would like us to read starting April.

The Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie - 1,072pg

13 votes, 31.0%

The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson - 1,957pg

11 votes, 26.2%

Sprawl by William Gibson - 877pg

10 votes, 23.8%

The Uplift Saga by David Brin 1,757pg

5 votes, 11.9%

The Complete Lyonesse by Jack Vance - 1,040pg

3 votes, 7.1%

42 total votes

7 comments

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Jack Vance’s Followers (1,597)

Jack Vance

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Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Jack Vance’s books