SALES POINTS * #19 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever written * 'All Vance's novels have exotic locales and cultures, resourceful heroes and vigorous action, but in Emphyrio they are raised to the pitch of perfection, making the novel a tremendous pleasure to read, and giving it also a mysterious beauty' - Kim Stanley Robinson * 'Jack Vance is our greatest living SF writer, and Emphyrio is one of his very best books, a magical tour de force of mystery, marvel, invention, incident, world-building and wordplay. But be warned: reading Vance is addictive' - George R.R. Martin
In a legendary past a visionary named Emphyrio had proclaimed the truth and subsequently become a martyr. The story holds an intense fascination for young Ghyl who dreams of freedom. Which is not an easy prospect since he and his father barely survive under the Feudalistic monarchy known as the Guild; not to mention the domination of the oddly inhuman Lords. This is a well-organized story about a latterday revolution and Ghyl's search for a new truth... which comes, finally, as a shocking revelation. Particularly for the empathetic under-thirties. (Kirkus Reviews)