Lyonesse

Jack Vance is one of the most prodigiously talented writers ever to work in the SF and fantasy genre. His vaunting imagination is matched by language that is both elegant and evocative, a rarity in a genre all too given to penny-plain or purple prose. Books such as Big Planet and The Dying Earth established his copper-bottomed credentials, but many Vance aficionados feel that his forays into the fantasy field are his finest hours. This novel is ammunition for such a view, and proof that Vance is by no means content to rest on his laurels. Lyonesse is one of the ten kingdoms of the Elder Isles, and Casmir, its draconian and ambitious ruler, is at the centre of dangerous intrigue as the councils vie bitterly for control. Casmir's beautiful but otherworldly daughter, Suldrun, is a major element in his plans: he intends to cement alliances by arranging a marriage. Suldrun, however, has ideas of her own and defies him. She is confined to her beloved garden (hence the title), where she meets her love, and the stage is set for a tragedy that will rock ten kingdoms. This is a powerful and ever-surprising novel of mystical charm. Both Casmir and the feisty Suldrun are pungently rendered, as is the host of auxiliary characters. The labyrinthine plotting is rendered with all Jack Vance's customary skill, and if war, magic and adventure are your meat, you could do much worse than enter Vance's vividly drawn universe - you won't regret it. (Kirkus UK)