Jack Vance has been central to the sf and fantasy worlds for half a century. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says, "He has a genius of place." Like Zelazny and Bester, he has had enduring appeal because his work was forward-thinking and radical for its time. In The Dragon Masters, the first of ibooks' definitive reissues of his work, Vance develops several races of people and follows the life of a boy born into and growing up in a static, stratified society, in which he comes into conflict and is eventually driven into rebellion. "A Rebel Without a Cause" for an Alien world.
]]>As far as she was concerned, death was a mere inconvenience. But once The Jacynth came back, Garven Waylock's life would be an everlasting hell!
]]>The Secret Place by Richard McKenna - "[A} sensitive piece of writing, a perfect example of second generation science fiction, the retelling and reexamination of a theme that originated in the pulp years..."
Light of Other Days by Bob Shaw - The memorable classic featuring "slow glass" through which light takes a very long time to travel.
Who Needs Insurance? by Robin S. Scott - If one can be accident prone, then perhaps one can be "safety-prone" -- but why?
Among the Hairy Earthmen by R.A. Lafferty - Earth is nothing more than a bloody playground for the children of the gods.
The Last Castle by Jack Vance - A prime example of one of Vance's "haunting mood-possessed visions of the distant future, written in a style that stirs the reader to reaction and response."
Day Million by Frederik Pohl - A very short story "jewel-like conciseness" of future love, life, and romance.
When I Was Miss Dow by Sonya Dorman - "[A] sense of strangeness, more than a bit of human warmth, as well as a good strong whiff of alien strangeness."
Call Him Lord by Gordon R. Dickson - Earth proves to be a testing ground for the son of an emperor of a hundred worlds.
In the Imagicon by George Henry Smith - "What good was paradise without something to compare it to? Without a taste of hell from time to time, how could a man appreciate heaven?"
We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick - Now better know as the story on which film Total Recall was based, the original is a far more subtle questioning of reality.
Man In His Time by Brian W. Aldiss - The sole survivor of crash landing on Mars returns to Earth, but is 3.3077 minutes ahead of the rest of the world.
Contents
Afterword: The Year in Science Fiction • (1967) • essay by Brian W. Aldiss and Harry Harrison
Among the Hairy Earthmen • (1966) • shortstory by R.A. Lafferty
Call Him Lord • (1966) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson
Day Million • (1966) • shortstory by Frederik Pohl
In the Imagicon • (1966) • shortstory by George H. Smith [as by George Henry Smith]
Introduction (Nebula Award Stories 2) • (1967) • essay by Brian W. Aldiss and Harry Harrison
Light of Other Days • [Slow Glass] • (1966) • shortstory by Bob Shaw
Man in His Time • (1965) • shortstory by Brian W. Aldiss
Nebula Awards 1966 and Roll of Honor • (1967) • essay by uncredited
The Last Castle • (1966) • novella by Jack Vance
The Secret Place • (1966) • shortstory by Richard McKenna
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale • (1966) • novelette by Philip K. Dick
When I Was Miss Dow • (1966) • shortstory by Sonya Dorman
Who Needs Insurance? • (1966) • novelette by Robin Scott Wilson [as by Robin S. Scott]