The first in another trilogy by Vance (The Cadwal Chronicles), this one set on the planet Cadwal, orbiting a star in what is known as the Wisp. As is common with Vance, we follow the fortunes of a young man (in this case Glawen Clattuc) growing up in a society with both advantages and injustices.Cadwal is, because of its natural beauties, its diverse landscapes and complex biosphere, a kind of planet-sized nature reserve and is held in trust by a society of Conservators, whose charter promises preservation of the planet's natural resources, along with its pre-sentient races.The conservators therefore restrict the number of humans living on the planet and employ temporary immigrant labour in the form of Yips, inscrutable blonde-haired humans who appear to have diverged slightly on the evolutionary route. The Yips, however, appear to have settled in, and are expanding their settlements.Vance is at his most Dickensian in this novel, where grotesques abound. Apart from his father, who appears to be relatively well-balanced and sane, his family is a little monstrous; particularly his scheming social climber of an aunt, Spanchetta, and her loathsome son, Arles.Glawen joins his father in 'Bureau B' which is, to all intents and purposes, a local police unit and is given various missions to accomplish.Arles is part of a club of young men who style themselves 'The Bold Lions' and are limited to a membership of eight. They dress in ceremonial lion costumes and are required to conform to the Bold Lions Manifesto and to learn a series of esoteric roars and growls.To add further to this baroque atmosphere Floreste's Mummers, a travelling theatrical troupe, are based on Cadwal but take their performances on tour throughout the planets of the Gaean Wisp.This is no idyllic paradise, however, and when Glawen's girlfriend (herself a performer with the Mummers) is murdered, tendrils of corruption begin to emerge. Vance's history as a crime writer serves him well here, since there is a sense of baroque noir surrounding Bureau B and Glawen's clandestine assignments.Plots strands are left open for the next two books in the trilogy.
Odd. Very odd in fact. I've read a few Jack Vance books in the distant past, and I don't remember them being this odd!I like the set-up, in particular the fact that Cadwal is a nature reserve which is an entire *planet* which is under threat from unscrupulous people who want to exploit it (humanity obviously doesn't change even in the far future). The society of conservators is highly stratified and very formal, and this leads to the people in the book also being very formal. The dialogue reads like something out of an F Scott Fitzgerald novel, it's incredibly stilted and people converse in full rather than talk to each other in the way that conversation is normally written (e.g. they say "I will not" instead of "I won't"). This dialogue gives a really archaic feeling despite the fact it's set far in the future.Anyway, the story is pretty gripping and there are some really O_o moments as well as some villains who I just wanted to boo everytime they appeared on the page (Arles and Spanchetta for example).There was one awful example of "girlfriend in the fridge" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in... put me off the book a bit, and it does seem that Vance does not manage to draw female characters very well. They are either idealised (Wayness, Sessily) or demonised (Spanchetta, leader of the Monomantic cult), and really there are no women in the book who are as completely drawn as Glawen, Kirdy or Arles.
What do You think about Araminta Station (1990)?
Jack Vance is my all-time favorite author, so gushing over any of his works is a given.On display in this trilogy is Vance's characteristic brilliant wit (his people speak elegantly, yet totally relatable) and majestic descriptions of flora and fauna. His landscapes, both planetary and societal are detailed and fascinating. Re-reading his work always turns up some previously unnoticed marvel. Another personal joy of mine is that Vance has tied this work into his famous "Gaean Reach", the large outreach of space that many of his stories take place in. I love when authors find a way to tangle all their tales, not necessarily related, into a large over-arching context. Larry Niven did this with his "Known Space" stories. Stephen King did this to a lesser extent with his Dark Tower later tales.In this first book, he begins the introductions and complications of Cadwal society and its unique caste system. Following young Glawen Clattuc through his youth and subsuquent adventures, you experience a grand panorama of the world and its people. As Glawen matures, his view of the world changes to fit his experiences and we feel the difference as readers.Vance does dialog like no other author. You leave one of his books wishing people really talked that way (I certainly wish I was that bright).The book is long and is the highlight of the series. The other books are solid (see future reviews) but this first book is a treasure of discovery and a delight to all those who appreciate clever character dialog and intricate socio-political dynamics.
—Jeffrey Daniels
Araminta Station has less of the wordplay that makes so many Vance books great fun to read. That's not to say it's not classic Vance - there are strict societies, dispassionate characters, and alien landscapes galore. But the verbiage is somewhat tamer than in other books. At the same time, Vance focuses more on the detective aspect than usual. In short, this is an excellent SF crime mystery handled with Jack Vance style and panache. The hero, Glawen Clattuc, is more approachable and 'normal' than many Vance protagonists, but true normality is reserved for Eustace Chilke, a supporting character. This book establishes the setting of the Cadwal Conservancy (a protected planet) and the pressures it faces. However, the scale of the story is mostly focused on Glawen and his struggles with rivals, love, and society. It's probably more of a 3.5 than a 4 on a Vance scale, but really anything by Vance is in a class by itself.CVIE edition
—Metaphorosis
