I became a Jack Vance fan, oh, forty years ago or so. The Eyes of the Overworld turned up in a used book store, and then I had to find The Dying Earth, and then on to libraries’ (uneven) collections. I didn’t know that he was still alive, nor anything about his life; this article in the NYTM gives a sense of what kind of man he is, and of why more people should love his writing. (I hooked the boys a while back; Pippa should be ready any time now. Her writing style already resembles his….)
You know, I’ve never read these, though I think I have The Dying Earth boxed up in storage somewhere… I got it years ago after falling in love with Gene Wolfe’s New Sun books.
“Boxed up somewhere” — boy, do we know that situation.
But do try Jack Vance out, Sam; he’s an exquisite stylist, and it’s good for our souls to spend time with an author who loves words as much as Vance does.