From Publishers Weekly
The sequel to SFWA Grand Master Vance's Ports of Call (1998) continues the adventures of Myron Tany in a headlong rush of droll vignettes in the spirit, if not with the depth, of Gulliver's Travels. Abandoned by his great-aunt for dawdling while piloting her space-yacht toward the distant world of Naharius, Myron now handles cargo aboard the interstellar freighter Glicca for Capt. Adair Maloof and his slightly shady crew and its passengers. The freighter wanders wherever its cargo may take it, guided by the frequently incorrect Handbook of the Planets. Along the way Myron learns about "lurulu," "a special word from the language of myth," which may best be translated as the achievement of your heart's desire. Myron has ample time to consider his own lurulu as he helps Captain Maloof find the man who seduced his foolish mother and killed his father, and assists with the sly wheeling and dealing necessitated by each planet's obscure customs to turn a proper profit. A subplot about the ups and downs of a traveling troupe of actors adds amusement but little else to the plot. Myron's travels feel largely aimless, but Vance's humorous takes on culture and morality are likely to keep readers entertained to the end of this short, old-fashioned SF novel.
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist
Now in his seventh decade of writing sf, Vance shows no sign of stinting either his impeccable style or storytelling mastery. This sequel to Ports of Call (1998) continues the escapades of Myron Tany, rebellious heir of a wealthy family, who eschews the comforts of home to hobnob throughout space in a galactic freighter with a crew of fellow misfits. During an apparently routine cargo run, the gang disembarks on the planet Fluter, where ship's captain Malfoor enlists Tany in a perilous mission to track down con artist Tremaine, who killed Malfoor's father and kidnapped his mother for her pension. Fluter locals, however, have their own beef with Tremaine, and the sagacious Malfoor must adapt his political savvy to navigating the cultural and geographical idiosyncrasies of a planet that, apart from boasting the most beautiful landscapes in the galaxy, also harbors its most puritanical citizens. As in all of his work, Vance makes his story a vehicle for inventing distinctive alien cultures and unforgettably vivid characterizations. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
