JACK VANCE
 
 

THE LANGUAGES OF PAO

"In THE LANGUAGES OF PAO, Jack Vance is having a good time with a fascinating concept.

"The Planet Pao, a world of the very far future colonized from Earth, has a stagnant sort of culture, and one language. The scientists of the neighboring world of Breakness launch a ruthless experiment, jarring Pao into new virility by installing three class-languages, one for a warrior class, one for technicians, and one for rulers and bureaucrats. But they build into the formula certain weaknesses of their own degenerate culture...

"Beran Panasper, heir to the throne of Pao, has been spirited away to Breakness to save his life-and to enable the Breakness wizards to train a tool for the later subjugation of Pao. But Beran's Paonian characteristics blend with Breakness science in an unsuspected way.

"A very good yarn."

-P. Schuyler Miller
Astounding Science Fiction

Trade Paperback:
6 x 9 inch
158 pages
$14.95
ISBN 978-1987000498