by Jack Vance, with linocut artwork by Karol Pomykała and a new introduction by John Vance, the author’s son.

Available for reservation, with shipping expected in September 2023.

The Men Return is sui generis – nearly impossible to define. Science fiction of the absurd? Psychedelica? Metaphysical horror? Existentialist monograph... with monsters? 

When Jack Vance wrote The Men Return in 1957, science fiction had not yet delved into the truly experimental. While it had toyed with time, space, spaceships and timetravel, the laws of reality remained firmly unbroken. Vance pushed the envelope – and far. The Men Return tells the story of a place where the connection between cause and effect has been severed. Imagine that! Vance did, and in his wild imaginations a novel form of fiction was born.

Karol Pomykała is a celebrated linocut artist, whose pieces, collectively entitled "Mirage," are an exhilarating match for Vance's up-is-down storytelling. Painstakingly cut by hand, Karol's artwork is intricately detailed. The depth of such detail can really only be captured with relief printing, so we are thrilled to present his work letterpress.  

The edition features five such linocuts. On hardbound copies, the artwork is overprinted with striking splashes of color as shapes float through and among a disorienting terrain. 

John Vance is the author's son, who has generously penned an introduction for the first private press edition of his father's work. He contextualizes the story in the history of science fiction, and provides a summary judgement on its importance. 

The Men Return is the third in No Reply's Science Fiction Trilogy, three editions showcasing three of the genre's greatest short stories:

• The Last Question by Isaac Asimov, with the woodcuts of Rockwell Kent

• The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin, with collages by Clive Knights

• The Men Return by Jack Vance, introduced by the author's son and with linocuts by Karol Pomykała

These three stories pushed the frontiers of the genre. They strikingly demonstrate that Science Fiction is not actually the realm of spaceships and aliens, so much as the realm of metaphysics and our place in the universe. No Reply is proud to present them together, alongside an extraordinary cast of contributors.

EDITION NOTES

• The edition is limited to 700 copies and is offered in two states.

Paperbound

• Printed letterpress on Swedish Munken paper.

• 24 pages, featuring five linocut artworks printed by Karol Pomykała. (Please note, color overprinting is only on for hardbound copies.)

• Hand-bound in stiff fourfold Mohawk paper wrappers.

• Measuring 6 ½ by 11 inches.

• Numbered in the limited edition, 1 through 350.

Hardbound

• Printed letterpress on mouldmade German Zerkall-bütten papers.

• 24 pages, featuring five linocut artworks printed by Karol Pomykała. The artworks are overprinted in red, yellow, and blue inks. Dozens of print runs go into each copy.

• Hand-bound in a German-style binding; mirror foil tooling over a Japanese cloth spine.

• Monoprint papers (each unique) which cover the facing boards in a single continuous artwork. Please note: Due to the monoprinting process, covers may (and likely will!) vary significantly from the prototype photos shown.

• Measuring 6 ½ by 11 inches.

• Numbered in the limited edition, 1 through 350.

• An optional lucite slipcase can be added on.