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This collection of early work contains thirteen stories written during Jack Vance's apprenticeship in the pulp magazine era of the late 40s and early 50s, including:
The Potters of Firsk (1950), where wondrous artifacts are crafted using lime from the bones of the dead-and occasionally, the living.
Parapsyche (1958), reminiscent of one of Vance's California-based mysteries, deals with the paranormal. Don Berwick studies mediums who communicate with the dead, but has an enemy in his fanatical evangelist brother-in-law, Hugh Bronny.
Sail 25 (1962) introduces Henry Belt, who trains cadets for work in space. In a light-sail driven craft, cadets are expected to demonstrate their abilities by navigating to Mars and back. If things go wrong, Belt is locked in his cabin drinking whisky, and won't help-because he expects to die in space!
These stories demonstrate the range of Vance's imagination, and the stylistic gifts which would bring him the SFWA Grandmaster award in 1997, and a place in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
Sail 25 and Other Stories is Volume 6 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series.Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II
