Night Lamp-Jack Vance novel, book review

Night Lamp-Jack Vance novel

Night Lamp is a 371 page novel by Jack Vance that was published in 1996 when he was almost 80 years old.  I think Night Lamp will probably appeal more to Vance devotees or those who have read many of his science fiction and fantasy novels. It is also a book that blossoms upon further readings, once the story is familiar and one can appreciate the wry humor, witty dialog, odd characters and social satire. It is a stand alone novel, is not part of a series and is longer than most Vance novels.

The plot is not especially original and the storyline rambles somewhat but this is still a colorful novel with some interesting world building.  It begins with the childless married couple Hilyer and Althea Fath who are Associate Professors at Thanet Institute on the world of Gallingale.  Hillyer's specialty is the “Theory of Concurrent Symbols” while Althea is a musicologist who studies the music of barbaric or semi-barbaric peoples. Some of this music is strange and complex and is incomprehensible to human ears.  They are both associated with the College of Aesthetic Philosophy and frequently travel to other planets on academic expeditions.  One such trip takes them to the planet of Camberwell where they rescue a six year old emaciated boy from a nearly fatal beating by a group of peasant boys who tell the Faths that it is "sensible to exterminate such vermin."

The child was called "Jaro" by the other children, but they know nothing more about him.  Jaro was beaten so severely that he nearly died and survived only after extensive medical treatment.  While being treated medically Jaro had terrifying and violent visions and nightmares that jeopardized his medical treatment so the doctors used advance procedures to blot out his memory of the first six years of his life.  While he retained a few fleeting images and memory flashes, the memory and traumas of his previous life were almost completely erased.  Jaro does recall having a mother and thinks she might have been killed.  He also feels a strange need to uncover the mysteries of his past and what happened to his mother.  The Faths decide to adopt Jaro and return with him to their home planet of Gallingale.  They refuse to tell Jaro where he came from despite Jaro's repeated requests.

Much of the first half of the novel describes Jaro's upbringing in the culture of Gallingale where a person's social worth is determined by his or her "comporture" which is gained through social striving and moving up through social clubs.  The most prestigious social club is called the Clam Muffins, but there are many others including the Bubblebosters, Zonkers, Sick Chickens, etc., each with a different level of social status.  When candidates apply to a higher level club they are often rejected unless they can add prestige to the club.  The Fath's, although respected somewhat as professors, are very low in the social order because they are not members of any club and therefore are considered to be "nimps."  Jaro decides to remain a nimp himself and wants to become a spaceman who can travel to find out about his origins and early life and piece together the few memories he has of his mother.

Jaro eventually meets a fascinating spaceman Tawn Maihac who helps him to obtain a job at the space terminal machine shop where Jaro becomes a mechanic apprentice.  Maihac leaves for a few years but returns and Jaro is startled to learn where Maihac has been and who he really is.  The second half of the story is devoted to Jaro leaving Gallingale to find out the mysteries of his early life and what happened to his mother.  This includes a visit to Fador the planet where the Faths found him and where a different set of criteria determine a person's social rank and where a slave race is bred and used so that those in control do not have to engage in any unwanted labor.  Vance develops the world of Fador in even more detail than he did Gallingale and the satire and his social insights are utterly fascinating.  Throughout the novel is a growing love story between Jaro and the brilliant Clam Muffin member named Skirlet Hutsenreiter. 

In addition to world building and social satire Night Lamp has much humor, intrigue and witty dialog.  Being familiar with Vance's other novels and his style of writing greatly increased the pleasure of reading this novel, and it seems to take several readings to fully appreciate the creativity and complexity of this work.  I’ve read Night Lamp three times so far and rate it a 5.