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. So...