Jack Vance, a writer who did it all in science fiction—solid classic SF, large-scale space canvases, vibrant fantasy series, and powerful experimental novels—and did it 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. The series about the decline of civilization, the most famous not only in the work of the master, 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.