[Ian Whates]

Ports of Call and Lurulu should very much be read together. They are, in effect, one novel split in two.

I read the first when it came out and was frustrated by the abrupt ending. At the time, I feared this would prove to be Vance's last novel, and was sad that such an incomplete, under-developed book might be his final word. So I was delighted when Lurulu came out. Especially as it proved such a wonderful, typical slice of Vance, which fully rounded off everything that had developed in Ports of Call.

I know some fans found the pair a little lightweight, but I love them, and reckon they provide a fitting swan-song to the works of one of my favourite writers.