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A review by raj_page
Planet of Adventure by Jack Vance
5.0
Tschai is a marvelous planet. It has two moons and a motley collection of alien species and sub-species. It is around 200 light years away from Earth. But fascinatingly enough, it has humans which have been living on it for tens of thousands of years along with these other aliens.
But surprisingly, even though humans on Earth have learnt to travel at light speed, their distant cousins on Tschai are living either a primitive or a submissive life.
Adam Reith is a human from Earth and he has just crash-landed on Tschai. Now his only goal is to go back to his home. In the beginning, it reminded me of [b:Shōgun|402093|Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1)|James Clavell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397228842l/402093._SX50_.jpg|1755568]. A man enters a world that he desperately wants to escape. Over the course of the four book, he makes friends, he saves damsels, he topples governments and learns well hidden secrets.
The four books portray the four enemies that he faces. But they were so much more too.
City of the Chasch: We are shown Adam's sense of righteousness from the start. He saves people because that is the right thing to do. We see how brave he is and how he is willing to jump into danger without hesitation.
Servants of the Wankh: To be honest, I didn't expect the ending even though there were clear signs of it all along. But the thing that I took away from this book is the bartering and bargaining skills that Adam possess. I've never been so jealous of a fictional character before.
The Dirdir: The desperate measures a man takes when backed into a corner. Also, the dangers in this world is not only manipulative aliens but also manipulative humans. Never underestimate humans.
The Pnume: In the first three books, it has been established that Tschai is not a safe place and everywhere you go, you'll be in danger. But in this good, there is more sense of adventure than sense of danger. There are actually people who help without asking. There are actually places where bargaining is not needed. There are actually people on Tschai who are opposite of manipulative, who are pure and innocent. There is this underlying feeling in this book, it won't be that bad if Adam just stay in this world, will it?
And this is precisely why we are left with an empty feeling when the book ends. We are craving for more from a series which we know have so much unexplored. The last book shows us a glimpse into the possibilities that the planet hold. But we know that it being the last book, there's not going to be more. But I think that this world will stay with me, in my thoughts.
Highly Recommended.
But surprisingly, even though humans on Earth have learnt to travel at light speed, their distant cousins on Tschai are living either a primitive or a submissive life.
Adam Reith is a human from Earth and he has just crash-landed on Tschai. Now his only goal is to go back to his home. In the beginning, it reminded me of [b:Shōgun|402093|Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1)|James Clavell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397228842l/402093._SX50_.jpg|1755568]. A man enters a world that he desperately wants to escape. Over the course of the four book, he makes friends, he saves damsels, he topples governments and learns well hidden secrets.
The four books portray the four enemies that he faces. But they were so much more too.
City of the Chasch: We are shown Adam's sense of righteousness from the start. He saves people because that is the right thing to do. We see how brave he is and how he is willing to jump into danger without hesitation.
Servants of the Wankh: To be honest, I didn't expect the ending even though there were clear signs of it all along. But the thing that I took away from this book is the bartering and bargaining skills that Adam possess. I've never been so jealous of a fictional character before.
The Dirdir: The desperate measures a man takes when backed into a corner. Also, the dangers in this world is not only manipulative aliens but also manipulative humans. Never underestimate humans.
The Pnume: In the first three books, it has been established that Tschai is not a safe place and everywhere you go, you'll be in danger. But in this good, there is more sense of adventure than sense of danger. There are actually people who help without asking. There are actually places where bargaining is not needed. There are actually people on Tschai who are opposite of manipulative, who are pure and innocent. There is this underlying feeling in this book, it won't be that bad if Adam just stay in this world, will it?
And this is precisely why we are left with an empty feeling when the book ends. We are craving for more from a series which we know have so much unexplored. The last book shows us a glimpse into the possibilities that the planet hold. But we know that it being the last book, there's not going to be more. But I think that this world will stay with me, in my thoughts.
Highly Recommended.