Magnificent Showboats of the Lower Visell River-Jack Vance novel, book review

Magnificent Showboats of the Lower Visell River-Jack Vance novel

AKA: Showboat World

Showboat World is a 217 page novel that was first published in 1975.  In 1983 it was reissued under the title “The Magnificent Showboats of the Lower Vissel River, Lune XXIII South.”  This longer title was used in the Vance Integral Edition and by the currently in print Spatterlight Press edition.

Although Showboat World is described as being part two of the Big Planet series, it is not a sequel to Vance's Big Planet, a novel that was first published 23 years earlier in 1952.  Vance only uses the planet called Big Planet for the setting.  None of the characters or story line are shared.  Even some things about the planet have changed so that it now has a moon whereas the original Big Planet did not have any moons.  But it is still a huge planet that was settled by religious fanatics, cultists, misfits and other people who fled Earth years ago.  There is no central government and each town has its own customs, rules, laws, religion, and culture.  Because there is almost no heavy metal on Big Planet, it has never been technologically developed and pieces of iron are used like money. 

The novel that does have some similarity with Showboat World is Vance's Space Opera.  In Space Opera a traveling opera group visits different planets to offer opera performances.  Each planet has different customs, rules, beliefs, tastes, etc. so that each performance is received differently.  In Showboat World the boats move up and down a long river called the Vissel and each village or town they stop at has totally different people with varying reactions to the shows.  Both novels are very funny and will be appreciated by those who enjoy Vance's humor.

Vance often presents odd or interesting characters rather than likeable ones and sometimes offers us protagonists who are even outright scoundrels.  Here we have the self-centered, unlikable main character Apollon Zamp captain of the showboat Miraldra's Enchantment.  He specializes in entertainment that includes acrobats, actors and lighter entertainment.  His main rival is unscrupulous Garth Ashgale who is captain of the Fironzelle's Golden Conceit.  Ashgale offers lavish performances of a more serious nature.  Both want to enter their showboats in a contest with rich rewards sponsored by the king of Mornune.  This kingdom is up the river on the other side of The Bottomless Lake.  Traveling there involves a river journey past dangerous nomadic tribes, slavers and knights who demand exorbitant fees for passage.  Zamp and Ashgale also do everything they can to sabotage each other’s showboats and chances of winning the contest.

When Zamp's showboat is destroyed by an angry audience, he negotiates an agreement with another boat owner, Throdorus Gasson.  Gasson owns a boat that is a floating museum but is tempted take Zamp on as a partner and rename his ship the Miraldra's Enchantment if Zamp and his troupe will perform a serious, ancient, Earth play instead of one of their frivolous acts.  Zamp agrees and Gasson chooses Shakespeare's Macbeth.  Zamp wants to entertain the audiences so he can make money and eventually win the prize offered by the king of Mornune.  Gasson is a historian and scholar and wants the performance to be as authentic as possible.  Each river town they visit has a very different culture so what entertains one town can offend another.  The negotiations about how much to adapt or compromise Macbeth and the varied receptions it receives in each town was satirical and often quite hilarious.  Being familiar with Shakespeare's play adds to the reader's amusement.

Both Zamp and Gasson are infatuated with an attractive woman, Damsel Blanche-Aster.  Gasson is boring but respectful.  Zamp harasses her and is selfish, vain and obnoxious.  If you need to have a likeable character in a novel, want a tight plot and don't appreciate Vance's humor, this novel is not for you.  This is a light, comical, easy to read novel that is over the top and not intended to be serious.  Being in the future and on another planet appears to be its only claim to being science fiction.  For the most part it is a well written humorous fantasy novel.  I've read it several times so far and thoroughly enjoyed it each time.  I rate it a 4 “Really liked it.”