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Cadwal Chronicles #2
Ecce and Old Earth
The planet Cadwal has an ecosystem unique in the human-explored galaxy; a thousand years past it was set aside as a natural preserve, protected by law and covenant against colonization and exploitation.
But now the elite Conservator culture that has developed on Cadwal is facing a conspiracy of humans and aliens to open the planet, and its rich resources, to full commercial use. Glawen Clattuc, scion of one of the scientific houses of Cadwal, must discover who exactly is behind all the sabotage, and bring them to interplanetary justice.
But Glawen soon discovers that he is investigating his own family - there are ancient crimes to be discovered, as well as the key that will resolve the crisis that threatens Cadwal and its way of life.
But now the elite Conservator culture that has developed on Cadwal is facing a conspiracy of humans and aliens to open the planet, and its rich resources, to full commercial use. Glawen Clattuc, scion of one of the scientific houses of Cadwal, must discover who exactly is behind all the sabotage, and bring them to interplanetary justice.
But Glawen soon discovers that he is investigating his own family - there are ancient crimes to be discovered, as well as the key that will resolve the crisis that threatens Cadwal and its way of life.
436 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1991
About the author
Jack Vance
820 books1,293 followersAka John Holbrook 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 great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.
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 great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 10, 2021
A rather melancholy read by Vance and one of his later works (first published in 1991). This picks up right where the last installment left off. Planet Cadwal was placed in to a protectorate some 1000 years ago, with a small human settlement at Araminta Station. Six 'clans' were installed to administer the governing charter with only 40 people in each clan being 'vested' and allowed to stay in the clan's mansions. Over the years, non-vested clan members often left the planet while some stayed on doing various jobs. Further, a transient labor force of 'Yips' became located on an isolated atoll ('Yipton') and their numbers now are in the tens of thousands.
We know from the last book that the original charter, supposedly safe on Old Earth, was lost 40 years ago when the treasurer of the Naturalist Society (the body that oversees the charter) embezzled and sold most of the society's assets. Opponents of the charter have been looking for it for decades and now the proponents of the charter are worried. If the charter is not found (and re-ratified as it must be every 100 years) the protectorate will dissolve. Worse, if it is found, it can be signed over to someone else-- it in fact works like a title to the planet.
Most of the novel is focused on Old Earth and the quest to find the charter/title. Wayness, the daughter of the Overseer of the charter on Cadwal heads to Old Earth to try and find it; in a way, this is a 'quest' novel. The opponents of the charter, lead by a 'reformist' movement on Cadwal, are also on the quest but for opposite reasons-- they want to end the charter and basically exploit the planet along typical capitalist lines, with themselves profiting immensely.
Wayness journeys all over Old Earth in her quest to find the documents and here, Vance shines in his depiction of the culture of Earth in its various manifestations as she travels.
Lots of reflections on death and existential ponderings litter the pages of Ecce and Old Earth, giving it the melancholy feel noted above. Vance seems to be reflecting on the ideas of 'progress' versus stability and preservation. Wayness is an interesting lead-- young and yet quite strong willed. This also has a rather dated feel about it; hard to imagine Earth several thousand years from now still using paper to document things and such, but this dated feel really serves to add to the melancholy feel. 3.5 stars.
We know from the last book that the original charter, supposedly safe on Old Earth, was lost 40 years ago when the treasurer of the Naturalist Society (the body that oversees the charter) embezzled and sold most of the society's assets. Opponents of the charter have been looking for it for decades and now the proponents of the charter are worried. If the charter is not found (and re-ratified as it must be every 100 years) the protectorate will dissolve. Worse, if it is found, it can be signed over to someone else-- it in fact works like a title to the planet.
Most of the novel is focused on Old Earth and the quest to find the charter/title. Wayness, the daughter of the Overseer of the charter on Cadwal heads to Old Earth to try and find it; in a way, this is a 'quest' novel. The opponents of the charter, lead by a 'reformist' movement on Cadwal, are also on the quest but for opposite reasons-- they want to end the charter and basically exploit the planet along typical capitalist lines, with themselves profiting immensely.
Wayness journeys all over Old Earth in her quest to find the documents and here, Vance shines in his depiction of the culture of Earth in its various manifestations as she travels.
Lots of reflections on death and existential ponderings litter the pages of Ecce and Old Earth, giving it the melancholy feel noted above. Vance seems to be reflecting on the ideas of 'progress' versus stability and preservation. Wayness is an interesting lead-- young and yet quite strong willed. This also has a rather dated feel about it; hard to imagine Earth several thousand years from now still using paper to document things and such, but this dated feel really serves to add to the melancholy feel. 3.5 stars.
January 29, 2016
I enjoyed the second half with Wayness Tamm most; she is definitely one of my favorite female Vance-characters, along with Madouc and Skirlet Hutsenreiter.
July 16, 2019
"Lyn" suggested I ought read more Vance. He is right when he said he is a "Master" of the genre. I've read some of his work before, and liked it enough - one from a French translation. But this one in particular had the sophistication of mid-period H.G. Wells. The man is a brilliant writer and I will be reading more of his work or sure. It was, in some ways, much like one of LeGuin's Hainish stories.
September 20, 2021
What to say about this bizarre and wonderful book? It has its flaws. The plot is 'broken backed' - a more or less entirely unnecessary first act (which exists only to resolve a cliffhanger from the first book which has no relevance for what follows), a too-quick resolution, a sense that the entire tale is actually just a pointless shaggy-dog story to pass 350 pages. But the central portion - as soon as the heroine, Wayness, takes centre stage - is just so brilliantly executed, so ridiculously entertaining, so fabulously *Vancian*, that I would give it 6 stars if I could. I simply can't remember enjoying a piece of fiction quite as much as Wayness's adventures on Old Earth, and would have gleefully read another 400 pages about her if Jack had written them.
December 24, 2021
The second Cadwal novel is beefy, though it feels more organized than its predecessor, and I think it’s one of Vance’s best works!
The book almost feels like it was written in three large steps. The first part is very reminiscent of the 50’s adventure stories. Hostile alien planets, cocky male hero boldly pressing on, pretty fastly paced.
The second part is my favorite and contains some of Vance’s most controlled and well-crafted scenes and dialogue. Wayness is a lovely character set in a noir-like journey across a tired and dirty old Earth in which mr. Vance describes our planet and some of its oldest cities in absolute wonder. It focusses mainly on the author’s love for detective and mystery writing.
The last part interweaves these into what is more solidly his regular style and de locations of the last planet are lovely and very reminiscent of those in Dying Earth or Lyonesse stories.
The ending was kind of dislodged from the galactic roadtrip that lead up to it but the journey was definitely more important here. The book leaves the impending uprising and possibility of a sort of civil war on Cadwal on the background to be exploited (so I hope) in the next book and gives us ample time with Glawen and Wayness. Which is a very good thing!
The book almost feels like it was written in three large steps. The first part is very reminiscent of the 50’s adventure stories. Hostile alien planets, cocky male hero boldly pressing on, pretty fastly paced.
The second part is my favorite and contains some of Vance’s most controlled and well-crafted scenes and dialogue. Wayness is a lovely character set in a noir-like journey across a tired and dirty old Earth in which mr. Vance describes our planet and some of its oldest cities in absolute wonder. It focusses mainly on the author’s love for detective and mystery writing.
The last part interweaves these into what is more solidly his regular style and de locations of the last planet are lovely and very reminiscent of those in Dying Earth or Lyonesse stories.
The ending was kind of dislodged from the galactic roadtrip that lead up to it but the journey was definitely more important here. The book leaves the impending uprising and possibility of a sort of civil war on Cadwal on the background to be exploited (so I hope) in the next book and gives us ample time with Glawen and Wayness. Which is a very good thing!
July 8, 2018
It was OK.
May 18, 2020
La deuxième partie du livre était de loin la plus importante et la plus intéressante. Voyages itinérants sur plusieurs planètes dont la Terre et recherche de documents précieux avant que des personnages mal intentionnés ne s'en emparent : classique mais efficace !
September 26, 2018
Ecce and Old Earth was first published in 1991 and is the second of three novels that comprise The Cadwal Chronicles. My copy is 326 pages long making it one of Vance's longer works, although shorter than the first novel in the series, the 554 page Araminta Station. It is also a later work by Vance. This is my second reading of this work and I liked it even better after reading it again. It is not as dazzling a novel as the first in the series, Araminta Station, but it is better written and more interesting than Throy the third novel in The Cadwal Chronicles. It is a worthy follow up to Araminta Station.
The story line in Ecce and Old Earth takes a different direction after Araminta Station. It moves from a focus on a murder investigation to that of rescuing Glawen Clattuc's father and of searching for the lost Charter of the Naturalist Society. The original Charter allows the person who possesses it to control the planet Cadwal. Cadwal has been maintained in pristine condition as a natural preserve since it was first discovered 900 years ago. It is governed by the Naturalist Society and their Charter. One faction of the Naturalist Society called LPFers (Life, Peace and Freedom Party) wants to eliminate or modify the Charter so that Cadwal can be settled and developed. The other faction, the Conservationists or Charists, want to adhere strictly to the Charter and keep Cadwal undeveloped as a natural preserve.
Ecce and the Old Earth begins where the Araminta Station left off, with Glawen at home on the planet Cadwal finding out that his father is not dead but has been imprisoned by enemies. He makes plans to fly to the continent of Ecce to rescue his father from a remote prison there. Ecce is a tropical continent that is very dangerous because of all the fierce predatory animals that live there. These creatures are inactive during the heat of midday, however, so it is much safer to travel by foot or on land during that time. Vance vividly describes these bizarre, predatory, alien creatures and Glawen's many dangerous, nearly fatal, close encounters. The rescue attempt is daring, suspenseful and successful.
While Glawen was busy rescuing his father, his girlfriend, Wayness Tamm, the daughter of the Naturalist Society Conservator, left for Old Earth to attempt to locate the missing Charter. There are copies of the Charter, of course, but the original appears to have been sold years ago along with many other Naturalist Society possessions by an unscrupulous Secretary of the Naturalist Society of Earth. Tracking down the long chain of sellers and buyers takes much investigative work, giving the novel many elements of a mystery or detective novel. Glawen decides to leave for Earth to find Wayness and assist her with her search. Others, especially those who oppose adherence to the Charter, are also searching for the Charter because whoever possesses the original essentially owns the planet of Cadwal.
The rescue trip to Ecce presents a fascinating continent of creatures. The bizarre world of the Shadowmen is also quite intriguing. And it is comical and entertaining to read about the world where all the food is derived from a fungus and self esteem is increased by being unhelpful and insulting to visitors. But on Earth we learn only a little about what the distant future is like. The novel instead focuses mainly on mystery, detective work and various characters. Both Wayness and Glawen experience exciting adventures in various locations on Earth that include dangerous assassins, peculiar places, suspenseful mysteries, eccentric characters and many other encounters.
In Ecce and the Old Earth Wayness Tamm becomes as much of a main character as Glawen. It is one of the few works by Vance where a woman plays a major role and is developed as a multidimensional person rather than simply a token character. Wayness is portrayed as being intelligent, independent, capable, daring and persevering.
The Cadwal Chronicles are highly recommended to Vance fans. But the series would probably not be a good place to begin reading for persons unfamiliar with Vance's writings. The novels are long, dense and detailed. I found them very interesting, engaging and enjoyable to read, but persons fairly new to reading Vance might want to start elsewhere with shorter works that are less detailed and complex.
The story line in Ecce and Old Earth takes a different direction after Araminta Station. It moves from a focus on a murder investigation to that of rescuing Glawen Clattuc's father and of searching for the lost Charter of the Naturalist Society. The original Charter allows the person who possesses it to control the planet Cadwal. Cadwal has been maintained in pristine condition as a natural preserve since it was first discovered 900 years ago. It is governed by the Naturalist Society and their Charter. One faction of the Naturalist Society called LPFers (Life, Peace and Freedom Party) wants to eliminate or modify the Charter so that Cadwal can be settled and developed. The other faction, the Conservationists or Charists, want to adhere strictly to the Charter and keep Cadwal undeveloped as a natural preserve.
Ecce and the Old Earth begins where the Araminta Station left off, with Glawen at home on the planet Cadwal finding out that his father is not dead but has been imprisoned by enemies. He makes plans to fly to the continent of Ecce to rescue his father from a remote prison there. Ecce is a tropical continent that is very dangerous because of all the fierce predatory animals that live there. These creatures are inactive during the heat of midday, however, so it is much safer to travel by foot or on land during that time. Vance vividly describes these bizarre, predatory, alien creatures and Glawen's many dangerous, nearly fatal, close encounters. The rescue attempt is daring, suspenseful and successful.
While Glawen was busy rescuing his father, his girlfriend, Wayness Tamm, the daughter of the Naturalist Society Conservator, left for Old Earth to attempt to locate the missing Charter. There are copies of the Charter, of course, but the original appears to have been sold years ago along with many other Naturalist Society possessions by an unscrupulous Secretary of the Naturalist Society of Earth. Tracking down the long chain of sellers and buyers takes much investigative work, giving the novel many elements of a mystery or detective novel. Glawen decides to leave for Earth to find Wayness and assist her with her search. Others, especially those who oppose adherence to the Charter, are also searching for the Charter because whoever possesses the original essentially owns the planet of Cadwal.
The rescue trip to Ecce presents a fascinating continent of creatures. The bizarre world of the Shadowmen is also quite intriguing. And it is comical and entertaining to read about the world where all the food is derived from a fungus and self esteem is increased by being unhelpful and insulting to visitors. But on Earth we learn only a little about what the distant future is like. The novel instead focuses mainly on mystery, detective work and various characters. Both Wayness and Glawen experience exciting adventures in various locations on Earth that include dangerous assassins, peculiar places, suspenseful mysteries, eccentric characters and many other encounters.
In Ecce and the Old Earth Wayness Tamm becomes as much of a main character as Glawen. It is one of the few works by Vance where a woman plays a major role and is developed as a multidimensional person rather than simply a token character. Wayness is portrayed as being intelligent, independent, capable, daring and persevering.
The Cadwal Chronicles are highly recommended to Vance fans. But the series would probably not be a good place to begin reading for persons unfamiliar with Vance's writings. The novels are long, dense and detailed. I found them very interesting, engaging and enjoyable to read, but persons fairly new to reading Vance might want to start elsewhere with shorter works that are less detailed and complex.
September 28, 2016
The second volume of the Cadwal Chronicles resumes immediately where Araminta Station left off. Glawen's father has been abducted and the Cadwal Charter is missing. He who controls the Charter controls Cadwal, so after a brief sojourn on the swamp continent of Ecce, Glawen and Wayness individually strike out on their own to track it down with the nefarious LPFers hot on their trails.
As much of the activity takes place on Old Earth, Vance must make do with describing the activities of colorful and absurd individuals rather than colorful and absurd societies, with the exception of an episode on a planet where social status is accrued by providing terrible customer service to tourists. And so we meet Mr. Buffum, the lecherous erotic art aficionado; the overbearing Countess Ottilie with her train of petulant lapdogs and long-suffering household staff; in Argentina, the reclusive wife of a disgraced archaeology professor and her mysterious children.
This novel is much shorter than Araminta Station and many of the interesting characters introduced in the first book fail to make an appearance here (like the Bold Lions). The hooks for the third book are a bit flimsy. But overall an enjoyable installment.
As much of the activity takes place on Old Earth, Vance must make do with describing the activities of colorful and absurd individuals rather than colorful and absurd societies, with the exception of an episode on a planet where social status is accrued by providing terrible customer service to tourists. And so we meet Mr. Buffum, the lecherous erotic art aficionado; the overbearing Countess Ottilie with her train of petulant lapdogs and long-suffering household staff; in Argentina, the reclusive wife of a disgraced archaeology professor and her mysterious children.
This novel is much shorter than Araminta Station and many of the interesting characters introduced in the first book fail to make an appearance here (like the Bold Lions). The hooks for the third book are a bit flimsy. But overall an enjoyable installment.
October 14, 2010
First, the Tor paperback edition has the least appropriate cover art imaginable: for this series in particular, Vance has absolutely no interest in the technology that allows his characters to travel the breadth of the Gaean Reach, and there is no description of what happens between the purchase of the travel ticket and arrival at destination.
The entire attitude toward technology was interesting. Despite traveling the galaxy and the remarkable sights--as well as dropped-in comments to the effect that certain terraforming problems had been conquered--the science and mechanics of the society are hidden from the reader and apparantly from the people themselves. Tourists may ship themselves across the galaxy to planets where the entire surface is edible fungus, but their legal documents are still tracked on paper, and people have to walk to a telephone booth to communicate with someone. Even if Vance keeps his flamboyant culture-making under wraps for this novel, it's these details that remind one that the future doesn't have to look like Star Trek.
I liked this one more than Araminta Station. The author kept the story moving and changed settings frequently enough that it never bogged down the way its prequel did. In particular, he divided attention between Glawen Clattuc, of the previous book, and Wayness Tamm, his romantic interest, as they travel the Reach to track down their goals from either direction. I can't recall Vance focusing on a strong female protagonist for this extended period in his other books. It is refreshing in that Wayness approaches problems differently than the usual male adventurous hero that Vance favors.
In fact I rather like Glawen and Wayness separately and especially together, and it is a mild annoyance that they are apart for the vast majority of the book. Their low-key and circumspect romance and attachment was a highlight and I will likely try to obtain the third of the series just to find out the end of their story.
The entire attitude toward technology was interesting. Despite traveling the galaxy and the remarkable sights--as well as dropped-in comments to the effect that certain terraforming problems had been conquered--the science and mechanics of the society are hidden from the reader and apparantly from the people themselves. Tourists may ship themselves across the galaxy to planets where the entire surface is edible fungus, but their legal documents are still tracked on paper, and people have to walk to a telephone booth to communicate with someone. Even if Vance keeps his flamboyant culture-making under wraps for this novel, it's these details that remind one that the future doesn't have to look like Star Trek.
I liked this one more than Araminta Station. The author kept the story moving and changed settings frequently enough that it never bogged down the way its prequel did. In particular, he divided attention between Glawen Clattuc, of the previous book, and Wayness Tamm, his romantic interest, as they travel the Reach to track down their goals from either direction. I can't recall Vance focusing on a strong female protagonist for this extended period in his other books. It is refreshing in that Wayness approaches problems differently than the usual male adventurous hero that Vance favors.
In fact I rather like Glawen and Wayness separately and especially together, and it is a mild annoyance that they are apart for the vast majority of the book. Their low-key and circumspect romance and attachment was a highlight and I will likely try to obtain the third of the series just to find out the end of their story.
September 21, 2021
The great COVID Jack Vance re-read continues! In which I read comforting books to make me feel better about everything being awful.
Ecce and Old Earth is the sequel to Araminta Station. Both are classic late-period Vance. Longer and more intricately plotted than his earlier works, more meditative. The core setting is a nature-preserve planet, featuring the bitter politics of a minute society of hereditary conservators.
Ecce gives us the rare Vancian heroine, Wayness Tamm (he otherwise had a near 100% rate of male protagonists), adventuring on ... Earth. Vance's future Earth is characterized by mellow old-world societies. It's not flashy, nor in the least "futuristic." The sense is more of a gradually-decaying monarchy, where politics are so embedded that they're not really part of society. People just live their lives philosophically and in phlegmatic acceptance. Appropriately, the plot revolves mainly around searching for a lost copy of a paper document.
Vance is at the height of his powers here, and the book is littered with superb scenes like this, where Wayness walks with a young museum curator (Lefaun):
Perfect.
Ecce and Old Earth is the sequel to Araminta Station. Both are classic late-period Vance. Longer and more intricately plotted than his earlier works, more meditative. The core setting is a nature-preserve planet, featuring the bitter politics of a minute society of hereditary conservators.
Ecce gives us the rare Vancian heroine, Wayness Tamm (he otherwise had a near 100% rate of male protagonists), adventuring on ... Earth. Vance's future Earth is characterized by mellow old-world societies. It's not flashy, nor in the least "futuristic." The sense is more of a gradually-decaying monarchy, where politics are so embedded that they're not really part of society. People just live their lives philosophically and in phlegmatic acceptance. Appropriately, the plot revolves mainly around searching for a lost copy of a paper document.
Vance is at the height of his powers here, and the book is littered with superb scenes like this, where Wayness walks with a young museum curator (Lefaun):
The two set off at a diagonal across the Square, toward the hills of the old town. As they walked, Lefaun pointed out items of interest.
"These granite flags were quarried in the Pontus and brought here by barge. It is said that each flag represents four dead men." He glanced sideways with eyebrows raised. "Why are you hopping and jumping like that?"
"I don't quite know where to put my feet."
Levaun made an extravagant gesture. "Ignore all sentiment; walk where you will. They were low-class men, in any event. Do you think of dead cows when you eat meat?"
"I try not to do so."
Perfect.
July 27, 2015
In a sense, Ecce and Old Earth continues the trend of its predecessor, Araminta Station, in that it's more directly a detective story than most Vance books. Its protagonist, Glawen Clattuc, is, after all, a policeman, and the book traces his search in parallel with that of his love interest, Wayness Tamm. But where Araminta Station focused mostly on the planet Cadwal, here we're treated to Vance's gift for creating weird and wonderful landscapes as the two protagonists pursue their separate searches. Unusually for Vance's SF, we spend a fair amount of time on Earth itself, and while some of it is changed past recognition, it's fun to see places such as Trieste through a Vancian eye.
The result of all this is a book that's entertaining and colorful, and the best in the Cadwal Chronicles series. While the series as a whole doesn't match Vance's best, it's still good, and this book is very good.
CVIE edition
The result of all this is a book that's entertaining and colorful, and the best in the Cadwal Chronicles series. While the series as a whole doesn't match Vance's best, it's still good, and this book is very good.
CVIE edition
April 17, 2020
"Following on from Araminta Station I always find this book a little disappointing. It's a good book and I have read it lots of times but it does not quite match the first book. The Ecce part of the story relates to Glawen trying to find his father and is good adventurous stuff but for me the best part of the book is Wayness' adventures on Earth and the fascinating people she meets." was what I wrote on 8 June 2012 when I gave it three stars.
On reading it again I think my earlier review is fair apart from my rating which I have increased to four stars.
On reading it again I think my earlier review is fair apart from my rating which I have increased to four stars.
September 13, 2009
After reading a stunning review of Jack Vance's novels in the New York Times, I was compelled to read some of his work. At first, I wasn't super impressed but then... I became enamored with Vance's prose and the dry wit of his main characters! I will soon be reading more of his books... A fine science fiction author!
January 11, 2023
One of the better of the late Vance novels, and purer science-fiction than most of his stuff. I'm planning to reread it, starting with Cadwal #1.
January 8, 2017
It took awhile for the story to get rolling, but it was okay. I give it 2.5 stars
September 13, 2020
“Life is unpredictable, Mr. Clattuc. To gain something you must risk something.”
Well life has literally become unpredictable in these times of COVID-19 and I am spending most of my time now working from home, and whenever I get the time, I like to read to escape the miseries of this COVID-19 situation, and Jack Vance is the exact writer whom I turn to each time, whenever I want to read something of fantastic imagination, a world of beauty filled with people of myriad different characters, each with his own aspirations, and doing whatever it is necessary to survive.
The last we left the beautiful world of Cadwal we know the charter has been missing, and so also is Glawen's father Scharde.
The Charter prevailed as law of the land, though certain factions were intent upon modifying its terms. Others—notably the Yips of Lutwen Atoll—paid no heed whatever to the Charter. At Araminta Station, the original rude encampment had become a settlement dominated by six palatial edifices, where lived the descendants of the Wooks, Offaws, Clattucs, Diffins, Veders and Lavertys.
The first half of the book resolves this situation, but the most interesting part of the book is of course dedicated to Wayness Tamm and her journey to old earth to find the charter.
“Uncle Pirie is secretary of the Society somewhat against his will. He is not interested in talking Society business with me, and perhaps thinks me too curious, even something of a nuisance. Why, he seems to wonder, should I, at my age, be so concerned with old documents and their whereabouts? At times he has been almost sharp and I must move carefully. It seems to me he wants to sweep the whole problem under the rug, on the theory that if he pretends the problem does not exist it will go away. Uncle Pirie, so I fear, is not aging gracefully.”
“He feels that the Conservationists on Cadwal must protect the Charter with their own strength, since the current Naturalist Society has neither the force nor the will to assist. I have heard him declare that Conservancy, by its innate nature, can only be a transitory phase in the life-cycle of a world such as Cadwal. I tried to argue with him, pointing out that there is no intrinsic reason why a rational administration guided by a strong Charter can not maintain Conservancy forever, and that the current problems on Cadwal arise from what amounts to the sloth and avarice of the former administrators: they wanted a plentiful source of cheap labor and so allowed the Yips to remain on Lutwen Atoll in clear violation of the Charter, and it is this generation which must finally bite the bullet and set matters right. How? Obviously the Yips must be transferred from Cadwal to an equivalent or better off-world location: a hard, costly and nervous process, and at the moment beyond our capacity. Uncle Pirie listens only with half an ear, as if my well-reasoned projections were the babblings of a naïve child. Poor Uncle Pirie! I wish he were more cheerful! I wish I were more cheerful! Most of all, I wish you were here.”
Wayness starts her journey by visiting her Uncle Pirie, to determine the where about of the charter, and quickly start methodically tracing the persons and organizations who had the charter in their grasp from time gone by.
She wrote sadly of Pirie Tamm’s disillusionment with the entire Conservationist concept, whose time, so he felt, had come and gone—at least in the case of Cadwal, where generations of over-flexible Naturalists, in the name of expediency, had allowed circumstances to reach their present difficult stage. “Uncle Pirie is pessimistic,” wrote Wayness.
This journey takes her across multiple cities with a killer following her, and getting closer and closer, as he comes within the grasp of the charter.
Reading this plot Vance gives us so some gorgeous descriptions of far and away planets, where you can imagine how the world actually looks like and behaves.
Pharisse had dropped from the sky and twilight had come to Tanjaree, working a wonderful transformation. Across the lake Old Town, illuminated by the glow of soft white lights, seemed only half-real: a city of fairy-tale palaces. A dozen moons drifted across the sky, showing subtle variations of color: creamy-gray through white and silver-white, the palest of pinks and equally soft violet, each moon reflecting its image in the lake. Nion, according to the guidebook, was often known as ‘The World of the Nineteen Moons’. Each of the moons was named and every inhabitant of the planet knew these names as well as he knew his own.
I think the power of Vance is describing something in so many few words, that you are left wondered as to mastery of his craft.
And to all the doubters who think Vance does not write great female characters, just read the Wayness Tamm in this book, and I think she over shadows even Glawen in this book.
Love it, 5/5 stars.
Well life has literally become unpredictable in these times of COVID-19 and I am spending most of my time now working from home, and whenever I get the time, I like to read to escape the miseries of this COVID-19 situation, and Jack Vance is the exact writer whom I turn to each time, whenever I want to read something of fantastic imagination, a world of beauty filled with people of myriad different characters, each with his own aspirations, and doing whatever it is necessary to survive.
The last we left the beautiful world of Cadwal we know the charter has been missing, and so also is Glawen's father Scharde.
The Charter prevailed as law of the land, though certain factions were intent upon modifying its terms. Others—notably the Yips of Lutwen Atoll—paid no heed whatever to the Charter. At Araminta Station, the original rude encampment had become a settlement dominated by six palatial edifices, where lived the descendants of the Wooks, Offaws, Clattucs, Diffins, Veders and Lavertys.
The first half of the book resolves this situation, but the most interesting part of the book is of course dedicated to Wayness Tamm and her journey to old earth to find the charter.
“Uncle Pirie is secretary of the Society somewhat against his will. He is not interested in talking Society business with me, and perhaps thinks me too curious, even something of a nuisance. Why, he seems to wonder, should I, at my age, be so concerned with old documents and their whereabouts? At times he has been almost sharp and I must move carefully. It seems to me he wants to sweep the whole problem under the rug, on the theory that if he pretends the problem does not exist it will go away. Uncle Pirie, so I fear, is not aging gracefully.”
“He feels that the Conservationists on Cadwal must protect the Charter with their own strength, since the current Naturalist Society has neither the force nor the will to assist. I have heard him declare that Conservancy, by its innate nature, can only be a transitory phase in the life-cycle of a world such as Cadwal. I tried to argue with him, pointing out that there is no intrinsic reason why a rational administration guided by a strong Charter can not maintain Conservancy forever, and that the current problems on Cadwal arise from what amounts to the sloth and avarice of the former administrators: they wanted a plentiful source of cheap labor and so allowed the Yips to remain on Lutwen Atoll in clear violation of the Charter, and it is this generation which must finally bite the bullet and set matters right. How? Obviously the Yips must be transferred from Cadwal to an equivalent or better off-world location: a hard, costly and nervous process, and at the moment beyond our capacity. Uncle Pirie listens only with half an ear, as if my well-reasoned projections were the babblings of a naïve child. Poor Uncle Pirie! I wish he were more cheerful! I wish I were more cheerful! Most of all, I wish you were here.”
Wayness starts her journey by visiting her Uncle Pirie, to determine the where about of the charter, and quickly start methodically tracing the persons and organizations who had the charter in their grasp from time gone by.
She wrote sadly of Pirie Tamm’s disillusionment with the entire Conservationist concept, whose time, so he felt, had come and gone—at least in the case of Cadwal, where generations of over-flexible Naturalists, in the name of expediency, had allowed circumstances to reach their present difficult stage. “Uncle Pirie is pessimistic,” wrote Wayness.
This journey takes her across multiple cities with a killer following her, and getting closer and closer, as he comes within the grasp of the charter.
Reading this plot Vance gives us so some gorgeous descriptions of far and away planets, where you can imagine how the world actually looks like and behaves.
Pharisse had dropped from the sky and twilight had come to Tanjaree, working a wonderful transformation. Across the lake Old Town, illuminated by the glow of soft white lights, seemed only half-real: a city of fairy-tale palaces. A dozen moons drifted across the sky, showing subtle variations of color: creamy-gray through white and silver-white, the palest of pinks and equally soft violet, each moon reflecting its image in the lake. Nion, according to the guidebook, was often known as ‘The World of the Nineteen Moons’. Each of the moons was named and every inhabitant of the planet knew these names as well as he knew his own.
I think the power of Vance is describing something in so many few words, that you are left wondered as to mastery of his craft.
And to all the doubters who think Vance does not write great female characters, just read the Wayness Tamm in this book, and I think she over shadows even Glawen in this book.
Love it, 5/5 stars.
April 2, 2018
Ecce and Old Earth was first published in 1991 and is the second of three novels that comprise The Cadwal Chronicles. It is 390 pages long making it one of Vance's longer works, although shorter than the first novel in the series, the 554 page Araminta Station. It is also a later work by Vance. This is my second reading of this work and I liked it even better after reading it again. It is not as dazzling a novel as the first in the series, Araminta Station, but it is better written and more interesting than Throy the third novel in The Cadwal Chronicles. It is a worthy follow up to Araminta Station. I rated it a 4.
The story line in Ecce and Old Earth takes a different direction after Araminta Station. It moves from a focus on a murder investigation to that of rescuing Glawen Clattuc's father and of searching for the lost Charter of the Naturalist Society. The original Charter allows the person who possesses it to control the planet Cadwal. Cadwal has been maintained in pristine condition as a natural preserve since it was first discovered 900 years ago. It is governed by the Naturalist Society and their Charter. One faction of the Naturalist Society called LPFers (Life, Peace and Freedom Party) wants to eliminate or modify the Charter so that Cadwal can be settled and developed. The other faction, the Conservationists or Charists, want to adhere strictly to the Charter and keep Cadwal undeveloped as a natural preserve.
Ecce and the Old Earth begins where the Araminta Station left off, with Glawen at home on the planet Cadwal finding out that his father is not dead but has been imprisoned by enemies. He makes plans to fly to the continent of Ecce to rescue his father from a remote prison there. Ecce is a tropical continent that is very dangerous because of all the fierce predatory animals that live there. These creatures are inactive during the heat of midday, however, so it is much safer to travel by foot or on land during that time. Vance vividly describes these bizarre, predatory, alien creatures and Glawen's many dangerous, nearly fatal, close encounters. The rescue attempt is daring, suspenseful and successful.
While Glawen was busy rescuing his father, his girlfriend, Wayness Tamm, the daughter of the Naturalist Society Conservator, left for Old Earth to attempt to locate the missing Charter. There are copies of the Charter, of course, but the original appears to have been sold years ago along with many other Naturalist Society possessions by an unscrupulous Secretary of the Naturalist Society of Earth. Tracking down the long chain of sellers and buyers takes much investigative work, giving the novel many elements of a mystery or detective novel. Glawen decides to leave for Earth to find Wayness and assist her with her search. Others, especially those who oppose adherence to the Charter, are also searching for the Charter because whoever possesses the original essentially owns the planet of Cadwal.
The rescue trip to Ecce presents a fascinating continent of creatures. The bizarre world of the Shadowmen is also quite intriguing. And it is comical and entertaining to read about the world where all the food is derived from a fungus and self esteem is increased by being unhelpful and insulting to visitors. But on Earth we learn only a little about what the distant future is like. The novel instead focuses mainly on mystery, detective work and various characters. Both Wayness and Glawen experience exciting adventures in various locations on Earth that include dangerous assassins, peculiar places, suspenseful mysteries, eccentric characters and many other encounters.
In Ecce and the Old Earth Wayness Tamm becomes as much of a main character as Glawen. It is one of the few works by Vance where a woman plays a major role and is developed as a multidimensional person rather than simply a token character. Wayness is portrayed as being intelligent, independent, capable, daring and persevering.
The Cadwal Chronicles are highly recommended to Vance fans. But the series would probably not be a good place to begin reading for persons unfamiliar with Vance's writings. The novels are long, dense and detailed. I found them very interesting, engaging and enjoyable to read, but persons fairly new to reading Vance might want to start elsewhere with shorter works that are less detailed and complex.
The story line in Ecce and Old Earth takes a different direction after Araminta Station. It moves from a focus on a murder investigation to that of rescuing Glawen Clattuc's father and of searching for the lost Charter of the Naturalist Society. The original Charter allows the person who possesses it to control the planet Cadwal. Cadwal has been maintained in pristine condition as a natural preserve since it was first discovered 900 years ago. It is governed by the Naturalist Society and their Charter. One faction of the Naturalist Society called LPFers (Life, Peace and Freedom Party) wants to eliminate or modify the Charter so that Cadwal can be settled and developed. The other faction, the Conservationists or Charists, want to adhere strictly to the Charter and keep Cadwal undeveloped as a natural preserve.
Ecce and the Old Earth begins where the Araminta Station left off, with Glawen at home on the planet Cadwal finding out that his father is not dead but has been imprisoned by enemies. He makes plans to fly to the continent of Ecce to rescue his father from a remote prison there. Ecce is a tropical continent that is very dangerous because of all the fierce predatory animals that live there. These creatures are inactive during the heat of midday, however, so it is much safer to travel by foot or on land during that time. Vance vividly describes these bizarre, predatory, alien creatures and Glawen's many dangerous, nearly fatal, close encounters. The rescue attempt is daring, suspenseful and successful.
While Glawen was busy rescuing his father, his girlfriend, Wayness Tamm, the daughter of the Naturalist Society Conservator, left for Old Earth to attempt to locate the missing Charter. There are copies of the Charter, of course, but the original appears to have been sold years ago along with many other Naturalist Society possessions by an unscrupulous Secretary of the Naturalist Society of Earth. Tracking down the long chain of sellers and buyers takes much investigative work, giving the novel many elements of a mystery or detective novel. Glawen decides to leave for Earth to find Wayness and assist her with her search. Others, especially those who oppose adherence to the Charter, are also searching for the Charter because whoever possesses the original essentially owns the planet of Cadwal.
The rescue trip to Ecce presents a fascinating continent of creatures. The bizarre world of the Shadowmen is also quite intriguing. And it is comical and entertaining to read about the world where all the food is derived from a fungus and self esteem is increased by being unhelpful and insulting to visitors. But on Earth we learn only a little about what the distant future is like. The novel instead focuses mainly on mystery, detective work and various characters. Both Wayness and Glawen experience exciting adventures in various locations on Earth that include dangerous assassins, peculiar places, suspenseful mysteries, eccentric characters and many other encounters.
In Ecce and the Old Earth Wayness Tamm becomes as much of a main character as Glawen. It is one of the few works by Vance where a woman plays a major role and is developed as a multidimensional person rather than simply a token character. Wayness is portrayed as being intelligent, independent, capable, daring and persevering.
The Cadwal Chronicles are highly recommended to Vance fans. But the series would probably not be a good place to begin reading for persons unfamiliar with Vance's writings. The novels are long, dense and detailed. I found them very interesting, engaging and enjoyable to read, but persons fairly new to reading Vance might want to start elsewhere with shorter works that are less detailed and complex.
September 27, 2022
It's decently entertaining, and yet I find myself disappointed. Araminta Station was a very uneven book, but in it, Vance had set up a compelling central conflict between two political factions within a society charged with maintaining an entire planet as a nature conservancy, one dedicated to upholding the charter they'd inherited, and the other arguing that doing so is immoral and it's time for change. Despite focusing on the conservationists as protagonists, Vance appeared to take the anti-conservationist view seriously, describing a world red in tooth and claw, whose human(oid) inhabitants also suffer somewhat under the consequences of centuries-old legal documents, and including a scene in which a character proposes a major project aimed at intervening in nature to reduce suffering. Naturally, I expected the criticism of conservationism to continue.
Alas, Vance chose to do nothing of the sort. In this sequel, it's sadly taken for granted that the conservationists are right. Suddenly, the whole anti-conservationist party is corrupt and reduced to playing the part of cloak-and-dagger villains in the plot, which is mostly a picaresque with sleuthing, driven by a winner-take-all race between the two factions to find some missing documents.
June 7, 2019
This continues the story from Araminta Station. The first part deals with the unfinished plot from that book involving Glawen's father, and the second part follows Wayness in her investigations looking from Cadwal's chart.
Jack Vance has a witty way of writing dialogue, but the plot started to become too repetitive for me. Wayness gets information from someone and goes to a new place and tries to get information from someone else... Then, the writing is very old-fashioned, not just from today's perspective, but also from when it was written. I mean, it feels like it was written in the 60s, not in the early 90's. No computers, people writing letters on paper, no cellphones, no modern technology at all, except interstellar travel. Not that I mind, I like old SF, but it's strange given that it's relatively recent. Socially, it's also old-fashioned. This is a late work by Vance and it's not among his best.
On the plus side, Vance's writing is entertaining, and he imagines interesting new planets and societies, which makes it a pity that most of the book is set on Earth.
Jack Vance has a witty way of writing dialogue, but the plot started to become too repetitive for me. Wayness gets information from someone and goes to a new place and tries to get information from someone else... Then, the writing is very old-fashioned, not just from today's perspective, but also from when it was written. I mean, it feels like it was written in the 60s, not in the early 90's. No computers, people writing letters on paper, no cellphones, no modern technology at all, except interstellar travel. Not that I mind, I like old SF, but it's strange given that it's relatively recent. Socially, it's also old-fashioned. This is a late work by Vance and it's not among his best.
On the plus side, Vance's writing is entertaining, and he imagines interesting new planets and societies, which makes it a pity that most of the book is set on Earth.
October 1, 2017
The second book of the Cadwall Chronicles where Glawen and Wayness travel the galaxy to recover some lost documents. It also shows the second reason why I am so fond of reading Vance; his ability to imagine new worlds with their own flora and fauna, continents, moons and, especially, cultures. So strange and again so natural that it is a pleasure to read. Not only does he describes these anthropological marvels, he also lets them be acted out by the persons in the books. Amongst them is the earth in some far away future. Part recognizable, part future but being written some decades ago, also part dated. How interesting it would be to travel among those stars and planets...
September 21, 2018
The second book in the Cadwal Chronicles, this follows first Glawen as he tries to find and rescue his father, then Wayness in possibly the most boring storyline ever. The documents for the deeds of the planet have gone missing and Wayness tries to track them down. On the plus side there are a few murders on the way, but it’s mainly a paper chase.
However what really makes this book, as with much of Vance’s writing, are the characters and the dialogue. Wayness comes across the most salacious characters, inevitably after her favour, and the lines are brilliant. I could just read Vance’s characters chatting about nothing all day.
However what really makes this book, as with much of Vance’s writing, are the characters and the dialogue. Wayness comes across the most salacious characters, inevitably after her favour, and the lines are brilliant. I could just read Vance’s characters chatting about nothing all day.
October 2, 2019
I love to read Vance when I want a relaxing read. I liked the first of the series, Araminta Station, even if I found the author often went off into describing useless scenaries or events. In this second book he does it even more (such as, for example: what do the librarians in Kiev add to the story?) Also, the "treasure hunt" gets ripetitive and the Glawan's expedition at the beginning is a bit too obvious. So, I sometimes got bored while reading it. Having said this, the book is well written and has some interesting dialogues and descriptions. I give it three stars only because it is Jack Vance's, and he wrote much better ones.
February 11, 2019
7/10. Media de los 30 libros leídos del autor : 7/10.
Nada menos que 30 libros leí de Vance, la mayoría de joven lector de CF en editoriales míticas: Orbis, Edhasa, Ultramar, Nova,...
De imaginación desbordante, creaba mundos y sociedades como churros, desbordando imaginación y superando nuestra capacidad de asombro. Una media de 7/10 en tantos libros no es fácil de mantener.
Creó muchas sagas (ninguna mala o aburrida) y me quedo con la de "Tschai", que son 4 libros. Si hubiera de escoger uno que no sea saga, pues "Lámpara de Noche".
Un gran clásico.
Nada menos que 30 libros leí de Vance, la mayoría de joven lector de CF en editoriales míticas: Orbis, Edhasa, Ultramar, Nova,...
De imaginación desbordante, creaba mundos y sociedades como churros, desbordando imaginación y superando nuestra capacidad de asombro. Una media de 7/10 en tantos libros no es fácil de mantener.
Creó muchas sagas (ninguna mala o aburrida) y me quedo con la de "Tschai", que son 4 libros. Si hubiera de escoger uno que no sea saga, pues "Lámpara de Noche".
Un gran clásico.
January 15, 2023
The sequel to Araminta Station finds Glawen in a search for his missing father, believed dead but revealed to be imprisoned in a volcano. We then follow Glawen’s girlfriend, Wayness, who searches Earth and uses her wits and dedication to hunt for the missing Cadwal Conservancy charter. I loved Wayness, and perhaps my favorite part of this entire series was her stint as a nanny for two psychic children in Patagonia. We unravel more of the mysterious political intrigue from Araminta Station, all with the usual gorgeous prose and hilarious observations of human nature.
November 1, 2022
Nice mystery.
Less of the casual racism towards the Yips, cause we spend a lot of our time on Earth instead of on Cadwal.
On the other hand, Vance could imagine interesting futures, but apparently a future in which a competent woman could save herself was to hard a concept for him to grasp. I love Wayness Tamm, she is one of the better female characters from Vance, but still, most of her struggles are with dirty old men, and in the end, she needs to be rescued by Glawen.
Less of the casual racism towards the Yips, cause we spend a lot of our time on Earth instead of on Cadwal.
On the other hand, Vance could imagine interesting futures, but apparently a future in which a competent woman could save herself was to hard a concept for him to grasp. I love Wayness Tamm, she is one of the better female characters from Vance, but still, most of her struggles are with dirty old men, and in the end, she needs to be rescued by Glawen.
August 23, 2018
If you liked the first of this trilogy, Araminta Station, you'll like this. I like Vance, a lot. This is about the 6th novel of his I've read in the last few weeks. He loves using exotic color names in his descriptions...and his odd character names are a trademark of his. But it is his innovative cultures and societies that really stand out.
October 10, 2017
La vicenda migliora rispetto al primo libro del ciclo, di cui è la continuazione.
January 1, 2019
First section of book was quite interesting, but later part about searching the charter was only ok, so actually 2.5 would be more accurate rating.
June 14, 2019
lol j/k w/e
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