The Asutra
Durdane the Threathened
Far to the south of the swampy middle
region and beyond the ken of most of the people of Shant, lay Caraz,
the wild continent, peopled by exiles, nomads and slave traders. It was
from this southern wilderness that disturbing rumours began to filter
north. Men said that the Rogushkoi had returned to Durdane, that magic
airships landed in the night to spirit men away and that other ships
came to engage them in fierce battles.
Etzwane feared that
behind these strange rumours lay the dread presenbce of the Asutra, a
race of parasites who combined their hosts' strength with their own
advanced interplanetary intelligence. Unless they were stopped, Durdane
would be turned into a vast fishpond for the enslavers. Etzwane had
already delivered his world from slavery. But could he alone save
Durdane from the terrible threat of the Asutra?
Jack Vance
John Holbrook "Jack" Vance (1916–2013) was an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction writer. Though most of his work has been published as by Jack Vance, he also wrote 11 mystery novels using his full name John Holbrook Vance, three under the pseudonym Ellery Queen, and once each using the pseudonyms Alan Wade, Peter Held, John van See, and Jay Kavanse.
Vance won the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1984 and he was a Guest of Honor at the 1992 World Science Fiction Convention in Orlando, Florida. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America made him its 14th Grand Master in 1997 and the Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted him in 2001, its sixth class of two deceased and two living writers.
Durdane
Durdane consists of three primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.