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Trullion: Alastor 2262: 1 Paperback – 18 Dec. 2016
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The Connatic rules the three thousand inhabited planets of the Alastor Cluster from his palace Lusz on the world Numenes. Though his military force can bring considerable might to bear where necessary, the Connatic often wanders among his subjects incognito, intervening to right a wrong, or leaving well enough alone.
The population of the idyllic water-world Trullion is dispersed among myriad islands large and small. Glinnes Hulden, returning from ten years’ military service, finds his ancestral home given up to a social movement which will turn the Trill’s easy existence on its ear. From winnings earned playing hussade—the gladiatorial sport followed throughout the cluster—Hulden attempts to buy back his inheritance, but his hopes are dashed by a murderous raid carried out by space-borne pirates.
Glinnes Hulden must use his wits and strength to regain what is rightfully his.
Trullion is Book I of the Alastor sequence, and Volume 47 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series.Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. – John Vance II
- Print length224 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date18 Dec. 2016
- Dimensions15.24 x 1.45 x 22.86 cm
- ISBN-101619471167
- ISBN-13978-1619471160
Product details
- Publisher : Spatterlight Press (18 Dec. 2016)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1619471167
- ISBN-13 : 978-1619471160
- Dimensions : 15.24 x 1.45 x 22.86 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 1,788,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 94,497 in Science Fiction (Books)
- 135,575 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer reviews:
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Vance lovingly details the complex niceties of the "hussade" game, providing such depth and cover (and yet in his entertaining style) that one can only wonder when we shall see the first "hussade" event at the Olympics !!
The plot and characters are in turns steeped and swirled in intrigue, guile and trepidation.
A very good read -- Vance's stories are rarely dull, and this is no exception. Fans of the author may notice a few loose ends here and there (which is uncommon for this master of elegant of plot lines) -- I can only assume that this was deliberate.
For readers new to the "Alastor" Cluster books (which are at best only loosely connected), this should be read first.
Top reviews from other countries
Not as good as some of his best books .
If you like Jack Vance.
Read Them
Vance is unparalleled. There was never another writer like him, and there never will be again.
In book after book, dozens of them, Vance created a science fiction universe that is a pure joy to enter with your mind and heart.
Vance takes us away to what he often called the "Oikumene" - a loose confederation of planets scattered across the galaxy -- planets explored, settled and populated by humanity over thousands of years of human history.
At other times Vance called this same vastly diverse, human-inhabited universe "The Gaean Reach."
In this book, Trullion, he narrows the focus a bit to a particular corner of the Gaean Reach called the Alastor Cluster, which Vance describes as:
"A whorl of thirty thousand live stars in an irregular volume twenty to thirty light-years in diameter."
Among the cluster is one planet called Trullion - the lone companion to a small white star which Vance says is:
"One spark in a spray curling out toward the cluster's edge."
Trullion is mostly a water world with a "single narrow continent," and an array of small islands and archipelagos. It's populated by people who live a peaceful kind of island-paradise existence. Food is so abundant and growing everywhere, few people have to work if they don't really want to. The weather is so balmy and pleasant, all one needs is crude shelter, tent or houseboat. You can while away your existence just boating from island to island, or setting down roots in a traditional home - even a mansion if you happen to be rich.
Yes, there is also ambition among the people of Trullion. Some people seek fame, money and position -- including social prestige. Others get involved in politics and experimental social engineering projects. They have a government and a police force. They get military protection from an interplanetary police force called the "Whelm."
The Whelm is necessary because the planets of Alastor Cluster are prowled by a dangerous class of space pirates called starmenters. They operate much like the traditional sea pirates of Earth's history, or perhaps Vikings. They flit from planet to planet, land briefly to raid and plunder, and get out fast with their loot.
The hero of Trullion is a young man, Glinnes Hulden. He served a stint off-planet with the Whelm. He returned to Trullion from his military hitch to settle among the islands of his watery home. Here he planned to spend the rest of his life in relative ease, and perusing his only passion - the marvelous game of Hussad -- which is also the obsession of just about everyone else on Trullion.
Of course, things don't go as planned. Glinnes returns from his military stint to find a significant part of his family's ancestral home has been sold off illegally by his trouble-making brother. His father is dead, and the circumstances of his passing are suspicious. His mother has taken up with a shady character. The ancient holdings and history of the life Glinnes once knew is now in question.
There's trouble in paradise!
And so, the adventure begins - I won't go into any further details because I want readers to discover this book for themselves - but suffice it to say you are in for a read of extreme, satisfying pleasure.
If you have never read Jack Vance before, Trullion is as good a book as any to discover his strange literary power.
