Jack Vance, a writer who did everything in science fiction - solid classic SF, large-scale space canvases, bright fantasy series, and powerful experimental novels - and it turned out brilliantly. Winner of prestigious science fiction awards - Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy Award - Vance has always been at the forefront of the genre, and many star authors of modern science fiction look up to him. A series about the decline of civilization, combining four novels collected in the proposed volume - the most famous not only in the master’s work, but also in fantasy literature in general. This is a mixture of magic and science, an adventurous picaresque novel and a philosophical parable about the future of man and humanity, literature of the highest standard.