Space Opera

Roger Wool is an amiable young gentleman whose wealthy, high-minded aunt, Dame Isabel Grayce, is Secretary-Treasurer of the Opera League on Earth.

Dame Isabel is tantalized by the inscrutable stage performances of the Ninth Company of Rlaru, a band of mysterious extraterrestrials visiting Earth under obscure circumstances. Convinced that classical earthly opera could span the intellectual divide with alien races, Dame Isabel assembles her own company—at great expense—to travel the galaxy promoting cultural exchange.

Her quest has entertainingly unpredictable results. Meanwhile, Roger woos the bewitching stowaway, Madoc Roswyn.

An homage to P.G. Wodehouse, Space Opera is an amusing speculation upon the limits of cultural comprehension.

Space Opera is Volume 32 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 Each book bears a facsimile of the author's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written.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