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35th out of 56 books
—
31 voters
The Blue World
by
Jack Vance
This is classic Vance: a carefully thought-out world, a stratified society, and a man in conflict with its rules. During the space of twelve generations, the descendents of a crash on a water-covered planet have managed to adapt to the marine culture. But they are always at the mercy of the kragen, giant, squidlike monsters. The colonists can communicate with the biggest o...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
May 1st 2003
by Gollancz
(first published 1966)
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Apr 04, 2012
Evan Leach
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1960-1969,
science-fiction
Do not be fooled by the cheesiness of this book’s cover, friends. I am ashamed to admit that, in the hubris of youth, I used to walk past Jack Vance’s novels at the used bookstore, smirking at the dated little novels with the goofy cover art. And my copy is apparently not even the cheesiest version of this book…check out this number:
Fortunately, I eventually saw the light and learned that I was oh so wrong. Behind these campy covers is some of the best prose you will find in sci-fi/fantasy (or i...more
Fortunately, I eventually saw the light and learned that I was oh so wrong. Behind these campy covers is some of the best prose you will find in sci-fi/fantasy (or i...more
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An astounding Jack Vance novel that isn't part of a series. His best 'standalone' book is generally reckoned to be *Emphyrio* but I think *The Blue World* is just as good, maybe even better... For one thing the setting is more compelling and original: a planet entirely covered by an ocean where the survivors of a spaceship crash live on gigantic lilypads and communicate with each other via semaphore towers.
It is clear from the outset that the settlers who have evolved a simple but pleasant socie...more
It is clear from the outset that the settlers who have evolved a simple but pleasant socie...more
(4.5) Jack Vance's punchy style drives you through this hyper-masculine look at control, belief, and social interpretation in society. Despite the trappings of being set on another world with strange alien creatures, this book has more in common with 20th century adventure books than it does with what I expect from the sci-fi genre. It is good fun.
Nel 1965, Vance scrive il racconto "Il Kragen", che neanche un anno dopo verrà ampliato nel ben più celebre romanzo "Pianeta d'Acqua". Con una buffa scelta editoriale, Urania decide di ripubblicarli qui insieme in un unico volume. Ora, se nessuno l'aveva mai fatto prima (come accuratamente esplicitato nell'introduzione al racconto), un motivo ci sarà: a nessuno interessa leggere un romanzo e poi subito dopo la versione alleggerita stile diploma di maturità. Posso capire se fra una scrittura e l'...more
Tras leer "Mundo Azul" y enterarme que Frank Herbert era un asiduo a la casa de Jack Vance, y que lo consideraba un maestro, entiendo perfectamente que DUNA es una copia de este libro. Claro, hay que reemplazar el mar por arena y el humor por un complot monárquico-dinástico, pero en el nucleo se ven las similitudes. Pero enla comparación, para mi gusto, Jack Vance sale ganando.
"Mundo Azul" es un planeta eminentermente acuático, y que ha sido habitado por los supervivientes de un accidente espaci...more
"Mundo Azul" es un planeta eminentermente acuático, y que ha sido habitado por los supervivientes de un accidente espaci...more
Pianeta d'Acqua non è certo il libro che ha regalato a Jack Vance la sua notevole fama, ma contiene tutti i suoi pregi e difetti, due facce della medesima scrittura; scorrevole, massiccia, proattiva. Perciò in alcuni passaggi poco riflessiva, poco incisiva, senza introspezione.
Ma questi lati negativi si perdonano presto a questo scrittore, uno dei pochi grandi nomi della Fantascienza in grado di valicare i confini del genere, creando qualcosa di molto vicino alla scrittura mainstream, senza sna...more
Ma questi lati negativi si perdonano presto a questo scrittore, uno dei pochi grandi nomi della Fantascienza in grado di valicare i confini del genere, creando qualcosa di molto vicino alla scrittura mainstream, senza sna...more
It's a beauty, now must of read it 10 time, old sci fi theme, independence, get to it ness, Heinlein like personal responsbility. And all in a fantastic Jack Vance world.
Sometime in the distant past a prison ship crash landed on a planet completely covered in ocean. Their descendants have developed a small but thriving society on floats, akin to gargantuan lily pads growing in the ocean. Unfortunately their society is harassed by a ferocious sea monster with a voracious appetite who is mostly kept at bay through a policy of appeasement.
Our hero is Sklar Hast, a hoodwink (communications tower operator), and he has something of a rebellious streak. He has grown ti...more
Our hero is Sklar Hast, a hoodwink (communications tower operator), and he has something of a rebellious streak. He has grown ti...more
CVIE edition
The Blue World is an longer version of Vance's novella "The Kragen". They're very similar, though the novel tells the story with a little more finesse. Essentially, Sklar Hast, one among the descendants of a crashed human ship, becomes dissatisfied and runs into trouble with the authorities. So far, standard Vance.
Sklar, however, is one of the most appealing and sympathetic of Vance's characters. Not only that, but his love interest, Meril Rohan, is unusually independent. The story...more
The Blue World is an longer version of Vance's novella "The Kragen". They're very similar, though the novel tells the story with a little more finesse. Essentially, Sklar Hast, one among the descendants of a crashed human ship, becomes dissatisfied and runs into trouble with the authorities. So far, standard Vance.
Sklar, however, is one of the most appealing and sympathetic of Vance's characters. Not only that, but his love interest, Meril Rohan, is unusually independent. The story...more
One is immediately immersered in this strange world and somewhat degenerate human society and then the story of a revolution quickly begins.
These people are the descendents of those who fled to this planet escaping from oppression to begin a new life. On this planet devoid of land the world over, only deep blue seas and sporadic floating pads of vegetation that they inhabit, they have revereted to a state of primitiveness, partly due to their lack of metals and other resources, but also due to t...more
These people are the descendents of those who fled to this planet escaping from oppression to begin a new life. On this planet devoid of land the world over, only deep blue seas and sporadic floating pads of vegetation that they inhabit, they have revereted to a state of primitiveness, partly due to their lack of metals and other resources, but also due to t...more
Jack Vance tiene el don de contar historias en las que no sobra ni falta ninguna frase. Sabe lo que quiere contar y cómo contarlo, sin enredarse en descripciones superfluas. Por eso la lectura de sus libros es tan amena.
En 'Mundo azul' nos presenta un planeta completamente formado de océanos, sin nada de tierra. Los habitantes de este planeta, antiguos colonos humanos, están divididos en castas: los Embacaudores, los Estafadores, los Publicistas... Viven en enormes hojas flotantes y se comunican...more
En 'Mundo azul' nos presenta un planeta completamente formado de océanos, sin nada de tierra. Los habitantes de este planeta, antiguos colonos humanos, están divididos en castas: los Embacaudores, los Estafadores, los Publicistas... Viven en enormes hojas flotantes y se comunican...more
APPASSIONANTE
Un libro che ti cattura...che ti trascina in questo mondo d'acqua...dove i discendenti di un gruppo di terrestri precipitate lì con l'astronave si crea un nuovo mondo.
la popolazione è divisa in caste e tutto porcede pacificamente, non un guerra non un litigio, nulla...unico neo IL Re KRAGEN ovvero il re di una popolazione mostruosa che dimora nelle acque del pianeta e ne ha il controllo.E' oggetto di culto della popolazione e gli vengono fatte delle offerte di cibo.privando così la...more
Un libro che ti cattura...che ti trascina in questo mondo d'acqua...dove i discendenti di un gruppo di terrestri precipitate lì con l'astronave si crea un nuovo mondo.
la popolazione è divisa in caste e tutto porcede pacificamente, non un guerra non un litigio, nulla...unico neo IL Re KRAGEN ovvero il re di una popolazione mostruosa che dimora nelle acque del pianeta e ne ha il controllo.E' oggetto di culto della popolazione e gli vengono fatte delle offerte di cibo.privando così la...more
This marvelous novel is vintage Vance. It contains all the elements that we've come to know and love: a young hero in an unfair world; wicked satire about social ills and obsessions; power grabs disguised as religious flummery; conflict between orthodoxy and rational thought. Superb!
4.5. Hard to put down. It has both hard science fiction elements and a sort of meditative, myth-like quality to the language, which is really nice, and unlike anything else I've read that I can think of. Good story. A great read.
One of my first books to read from Jack Vance, been reading more ever since. Always reminded me this somewhat to the movie Water World, except for the scary "myth" creatures.
I must have read this at least ten times and I always enjoy it.
Another show of quality world building detail,ideas,story,characters by Vance.
Not his best written book but themes wise,story wise one of his best ones.
The people of the floats,their history,culture and King Kragen was a vivid,fascinating story. The scenery he painted was great too.
Not his best written book but themes wise,story wise one of his best ones.
The people of the floats,their history,culture and King Kragen was a vivid,fascinating story. The scenery he painted was great too.
One of the best Vance books I've ever read - it demonstrates his skill at painting pictures of societies in crisis & his often humorous style of writing. It always amazes me how he can pack such depth into his works - most are under 200 pages.
May 21, 2008
Rebecca
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to Rebecca by:
It jumped off the shelf at Wilsons Book World
Shelves:
science-fiction-and-fantasy
I totally loved this book. It was a Sci-Fi/Sea Life lovers dream. Also this cover is much cooler than the cover I got. I would love to know more about this author, if anyone knows other books by him let me know.
May 12, 2013
Filip
added it
May 10, 2013
Doron
added it
May 06, 2013
إيمان ملال
marked it as to-read
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Aka John Holbrooke Vance, Peter Held, John Holbrook, Ellery Queen, John van See, Alan Wade.
The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, 'The Dying Earth', was published in 1950 to gr...more
More about Jack Vance...
The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, 'The Dying Earth', was published in 1950 to gr...more
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