The Dirdir

His exploration ship blasted from orbit, Terran scout Adam Reith is stranded on Tschai, a world colonized by three alien species -- the Chasch, the Dirdir, and the Wannek -- while the planet's original inhabitants, the mysterious Pnume, lurk underground. In the third book of the four-volume cycle, Reith resolves to build his own spacecraft, to esca… His exploration ship blasted from orbit, Terran scout Adam Reith is stranded on Tschai, a world colonized by three alien species -- the Chasch, the Dirdir, and the Wannek -- while the planet's original inhabitants, the mysterious Pnume, lurk underground. In the third book of the four-volume cycle, Reith resolves to build his own spacecraft, to escape Tschai and return to Earth. But the project requires a vast quantity of sequins, the precious stones that are Tschai's common currency -- which can be gathered only in the wildlands of the Carabas, where predatory Dirdir hunt men for pleasure. Reith conceives an unheard-of strategy to win wealth, but its success brings him into contact with the seamy crime boss Aila Woudiver, and leads to a deadly confrontation under alien justice. Tschai is grandmaster Jack Vance at his unparalleled adventure-spinning peak. - Matt Hughes "The Dirdir" is Book III of the Tschai (Planet of Adventure) sequence, and Volume 36 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series. Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collection is based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoy up-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributed by a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of the author's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These unique features will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work for the first time. - John Vance II