Jack Vance Master of Fantasy and Science Fiction
The less a writer discusses his work and himself the better. The master chef slaughters no chickens in the dining room; the doctor writes prescriptions in Latin; the magician hides his hinges, mirrors, and trapdoors with the utmost care. – Jack Vance
Jack Vance wrote prolifically and wonderfully, wining three Hugo awards and a Nebula. His writing made him an icon among many younger authors and even helped inspired the development of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons™. His most famous work most certainly being The Tales of the Dying Earth sequence.
Yet despite awards and high esteem, Jack Vance never enjoyed the popularity of other science fiction and fantasy authors of his era. Although he continues to inspire writers despite his books being mostly out of print, Vance remains largely unknown to the public at large. This makes Jack Vance one of the most underrated and underground authors of science fiction and fantasy ever to publish.