Tschai Cycle (City of the Chasch, Servants of the Wankh, The Dirdir, The Pnume) (Jack Vance)

Adam Reith is sent in a small scout ship to investigate a distress signal sent centuries before from the previously unknown planet. The mother ship is destroyed and the rest of the crew killed in a surprise missile attack and Reith is forced to set down on Tschai. The four books describe the attempts of a man of singularly strong will and resource to return to Earth. He overcomes the obstacles of four different alien races and various human groups in his efforts. In the process, he profoundly disrupts several of the societies, human and alien, with which he is forced to deal.