Space Opera

Cannot. Stop. Laughing. This book is so funny on so many levels I cannot begin to do it justice in a short review.

Vance was told to write a book called Space Opera, and a book about space opera is what he produced, telling the adventures of a company that sets out to bring Wagner and Rossini et. al. to the great unwashed alien masses, with rather mixed results. As our slacker hero and his stereotyped companions speed their way around the galaxy (traveling faster than “the speed of thought,” we are repeatedly reminded) they encounter plot complications every bit as ridiculous as those found in the librettos they present, in a tongue and cheek send up of the entire sub-genre.

The ending feels rather tacked on, in an “Oh, I reached show more the contractually required word count, let’s get this in the mail so I can get my paycheck” kind of way that is unfortunately not unique in Vance’s output. But who am I to quibble with shortcomings in a work of comedic genius which sadly I, as a Jack Vance fan who happens to manage a professional symphony orchestra, may be uniquely able to appreciate. show less

A minor Vance novel, especially considering it was written during the same period as The Demon Princes series, The Dragon Masters, The Last Castle, and The Eyes of the Overworld, all of which would be better choices for anyone wanting to try Jack Vance’s mid-1960s work, which is when his writing really came into its own on a consistent basis. Still, it's worth a read for anyone who appreciates Vance's ability to create alien cultures and settings--an ability he indulges here by sending a touring opera company across the galaxy to bring cultural enlightenment to the natives, inspired by an alien music/dance troupe that had made a splash in Earth's artistic community. The eventual goal is to return the favor by performing classic operas show more for the people of Rlaru, the home of the alien music company, while also trying to explain the mystery of their abrupt disappearance from Earth at the height of their popularity. Each stop on the tour results in a different form of cultural misunderstanding, and most of the novel's pleasure comes from these chapters' combination of comedy with Vance's usual lush descriptions of the settings. The mystery dplot is less satisfying, and a side-plot about a stowaway who tries to force the tour to bring her to her ancestral planet doesn't have much of a point, except to expose the company to another odd planetary setting and culture. Very funny at times, episodic with mostly stereotypical characters, Vance's attempt to create a literal space opera is not the best place to start with Vance, but will likely be appreciated by those already familiar with this great author. show less

Aardig verhaal, maar geen topper.

dubbel = Space Opera in nieuwe vertaling

dubbel = de wonderlijke reis van de Phoebus

Roger Wool geniet van een zorgeloos luxeleventje dankzij een toelage van zijn excentrieke rijke tante, barones Isabel Grayce. Maar daaraan komt een einde wanneer de controversiële bijna menselijke Negende Compagnie van de verre planeet Rlaru onder begeleiding van de enigmatische kapitein Gondar de Aarde aandoet voor een concerttournee. Barones Isabel is danig onder de indruk van de muzikale virtuositeit van het buitenaardse gezelschap - dat diezelfde avond verdwijnt zonder een spoor achter te laten...

De barones vat het plan op om een ruimteschip - de Phoebus - te charteren en bij wijze van culturele uitwisseling, met een operagezelschap naar Rlaru te reizen om daar de buitenaardse beschaving kennis te laten maken met de klassieke show more opera’s van de Aarde, het summum van verfijnde smaak en het menselijk erfgoed. Roger ziet met lede ogen toe, hoe een fortuin dat hij verwachtte te zullen erven, verkwist wordt aan een dure en zinloze onderneming. Maar dan maakt hij kennis met de charmante Madoc Roswyn, die er op gebrand lijkt om met de Phoebus mee te reizen naar Rlaru. De verliefde Roger laat zich meeslepen in haar plannen... show less