Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Myron's parents insisted that he study economics, and Myron dutifully applied himself. But Myron had an aunt—his great aunt Hester Lojoie, a woman of great wealth inherited from a dead husband, and even greater flamboyance of nature. And when Dame Hester came into possession of a space yacht, Myron suddenly saw his long-supressed dreams of adventure bloom into new life.
Synopsis
Myron's parents insisted that he study economics, and Myron dutifully applied himself. But Myron had an aunt—his great aunt Hester Lojoie, a woman of great wealth inherited from a dead husband, and even greater flamboyance of nature. And when Dame Hester came into possession of a space yacht, Myron suddenly saw his long-supressed dreams of adventure bloom into new life.
Publishers Weekly
Classic space opera is alive and kicking in this latest interstellar spree from Vance (Night Lamp), who turns 82 this year. In the far future, young Myron Tany seems destined to be a misty-eyed dreamer, pining away for interstellar intrigue, until his rich and eccentric great-aunt, Dame Hester, gains ownership of the space yacht Glodwyn and pushes Myron into the captain's chair. The stresses of family relationships prove too difficult, however, and Hester soon kicks Myron out on his own, forcing him to sign on as a majordomo for the cargo ship Glicca. As one of a hearty and fearless crew, Myron begins the education that makes him a sailor of the spaceways, learning how to placate difficult passengers, romance women of exotic worlds and make it back aboard ship with his purse intact. While his future is unclear at the novel's end, Myron has grown into a confident and capable fellow, if not exactly a swashbuckler. Readers who demand a complicated, hard-science milieu might find Vance's narrative occasionally too chauvinistic, or too simple, or just too plain silly, but this jaunty, politically incorrect tale provides first-rate escapist entertainment. (Apr.)
Editorials
From the Publisher
"Ports of Call is a picaresque adventure which begins very much in the style of Wodehousian comedy of manners....Authorial maturity, like well-aged whisky, can offer a remarkable combination of merriment, philosophical musings, and a wicked bite."—Locus"Classic space opera is alive and kicking....This jaunty, politically incorrect tale provides first-rate escapist entertainment."—Publishers Weekly
"Simply to announce that Jack Vance has a new novel out should be enough to send you scurrying to your nearest bookstore, cash in hand and Vance's name quivering on your lips. Vance's achievements over the past five decades have been of such consistently high quality that his books rank as must-buys, no foreknowledge of subject matter or ostensible genre necessary." -SF Eye