zachtheiler's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
stitch_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Minor: Sexual assault
crowfood's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the universe-building, some of which was done by quotes from various in-universe sources. Such as this one, which could just as well be describing today.
"Humanity many times has had sad experience of super-powerful police forces. As soon as (the police) slip out from under the firm thumb of a suspicious local tribune, they become arbitrary, merciless, a law unto themselves.
They think no more of justice, but only of establishing themselves as a privileged and envied elite. They mistake the attitude of natural caution and uncertainty of the civilian population as admiration and respect, and presently they start to swagger back and forth, jingling their weapons in megalomaniac euphoria. People thereupon become not masters, but servants. Such a police force becomes merely an aggregate of uniformed criminals, the more baneful in that their position is unchallenged and sanctioned by law.
The police mentality cannot regard a human being in terms other than as an item or object to be processed as expeditiously as possible. Public convenience or dignity means nothing; police prerogatives assume the status of divine law. Submissiveness is demanded. If a police officer kills a civilian, it is a regrettable circumstance: the officer was possibly overzealous. If a civilian kills a police officer all hell breaks loose. The police foam at the mouth. All other business comes to a standstill until the perpetrator of this most dastardly act is found out. Inevitably, when apprehended, he is beaten or otherwise tortured for his intolerable presumption.
The police complain that they cannot function efficiently, that criminals escape them.
Better a hundred unchecked criminals than the despotism of one unbridled police force."
"Humanity many times has had sad experience of super-powerful police forces. As soon as (the police) slip out from under the firm thumb of a suspicious local tribune, they become arbitrary, merciless, a law unto themselves.
They think no more of justice, but only of establishing themselves as a privileged and envied elite. They mistake the attitude of natural caution and uncertainty of the civilian population as admiration and respect, and presently they start to swagger back and forth, jingling their weapons in megalomaniac euphoria. People thereupon become not masters, but servants. Such a police force becomes merely an aggregate of uniformed criminals, the more baneful in that their position is unchallenged and sanctioned by law.
The police mentality cannot regard a human being in terms other than as an item or object to be processed as expeditiously as possible. Public convenience or dignity means nothing; police prerogatives assume the status of divine law. Submissiveness is demanded. If a police officer kills a civilian, it is a regrettable circumstance: the officer was possibly overzealous. If a civilian kills a police officer all hell breaks loose. The police foam at the mouth. All other business comes to a standstill until the perpetrator of this most dastardly act is found out. Inevitably, when apprehended, he is beaten or otherwise tortured for his intolerable presumption.
The police complain that they cannot function efficiently, that criminals escape them.
Better a hundred unchecked criminals than the despotism of one unbridled police force."
arthurbdd's review against another edition
5.0
Slam-bang start to one of Vance's greatest SF adventure series. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2022/03/16/interstellar-hit-list-infernal-targets/
dsell's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lucca_cassandra's review against another edition
4.0
So far the Demon Princes series seems like Jack Vance plucked Donald Westlake's Parker and thrust him into a Vancian cornucopia of science fantasy nonsense and it's so delightful. The plot is honestly nothing to write home about, and wouldn't be out of place in a post-war film noir, but I come to Vance for the flavor he injects into his worlds rather than his plotting. Space boats exist simply to get from one planet to another and other than some descriptions of dwarf stars, Star King is free of the scientific baggage that I think bogs down a lot of sci-fi of the era. The beginning of each chapter contains chunky interstitials from in-world texts, and golly I'm just such a sucker for this shit. This isn't by any means a book of high literary merit, but Vance's prose is just so engrossing and fun to read. I read it in three sittings at the beginning of this year. I'm beginning to include Vance in that tier of writer like Hammett, Chandler, and Moorcock; authors I can always turn to for a break from dense literary prose, to work that reminds me why I love reading in the first place.
ceepick's review against another edition
4.0
This is the best pulp sci-fi I have read to date.
Vance does a good job of describing the various planet settings. He also has a clever way of introducing backstory at the beginning of each chapter that I thought worked well. Sometimes it foreshadows and sometimes reinforces past events.
Recommended and looking forward to the rest of the series.
Vance does a good job of describing the various planet settings. He also has a clever way of introducing backstory at the beginning of each chapter that I thought worked well. Sometimes it foreshadows and sometimes reinforces past events.
Recommended and looking forward to the rest of the series.
kmccubbin's review against another edition
4.0
There is a place between vintage, golden age, science fiction and the Heinlinian era that you never new existed. It's Jack Vance. All the charm and childlike playfulness of early space opera with a bizarre edge that might not be out of place in The Fifth Element or Blade Runner. And somehow Vance pulls off this balancing act to make a kind of sci-fi that is unlike any other I've read.
This is the first of Vance's "Demon Princes" books where Kirth Gerson, trained assassin, offs some uber-bad guys by any means necessary. And, as simple as that sounds, it's so much more than that. Strange snippets of informational detritus, news stories, encyclopedia entries, scholarly papers, dot the book without antecedent. Characters paint their skin constantly and extreme body modification is common. Terms are coined that you could not possibly know which you have to simply take a guess at their meaning.
And it's wonderful. If you read science fiction as a child and want o be reduced back to that giddy, slightly illicit, state of wonder. Vance is your man.
This is the first of Vance's "Demon Princes" books where Kirth Gerson, trained assassin, offs some uber-bad guys by any means necessary. And, as simple as that sounds, it's so much more than that. Strange snippets of informational detritus, news stories, encyclopedia entries, scholarly papers, dot the book without antecedent. Characters paint their skin constantly and extreme body modification is common. Terms are coined that you could not possibly know which you have to simply take a guess at their meaning.
And it's wonderful. If you read science fiction as a child and want o be reduced back to that giddy, slightly illicit, state of wonder. Vance is your man.
riduidel's review
2.0
Bon, c’est un cycle de space opéra remonté des profondeurs historiques de la SF et du space-op, en un temps où, comment dire ? La SF n’avait pas encore besoin d’être très intelligente. Et les aventures de Kirth Gersen sont à ce titre exemplaires. Dans chacun des tomes de cette série, on le retrouvera en effet aux prises avec une espèce de chef mafieux, dont il a décidé de se venger car ceux-ci ont réduit toute sa famille, et même tout son peuple, en esclavage.
Dans ce premier tome, l’ennemi est extra-terrestre, trop fort pour être humain et tout à fait méchant. Mais ça n’est pas grave car le héros est un héros. Intelligent, motivé, entreprenant, et pas dénué d’une bonne dose de ruse (voire même de vice, dans certains cas). Alors bien sûr, tous les afficionados de [b:Vance|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275608878s/2429135.jpg|1708725] me le diront, et je suis prêt à le reconnaître, les décors sont dépeints avec beaucoup de talent. Hélas pour ces décors, l’intrigue est déja trop faible dans ce premier tome pour remplir ces décors d’autre chose que d’ennui.
Il reste donc un bon vieux pulp, avec des rayons laser, des tenues bigarrées(1) et bien évidement de jeunes et jolies ingénues, à peine bonne à faire tapisserie, dont le héros (dont on se demande s’il a déja pris une femme dans ses bras) s’entiche systématiquement. Encore heureux que Vance n’ait pas eu l’audace d’en faire des traîtresses.
Bref, un peu comme [b:le seigneur des anneaux|37|The Lord of the Rings Complete Visual Companion|Jude Fisher|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156043002s/37.jpg|4415], c’est une lecture d’intérêt historique, sur laquelle le lecteur qui craint un minimum l’ennui ne devra surtout pas s’arrêter. Voire même le lecteur qui ne craint pas l’ennui, mais qui recherche la qualité.
(1) Et un peu ridicules avec les fraises et le fond de teint marron.
Dans ce premier tome, l’ennemi est extra-terrestre, trop fort pour être humain et tout à fait méchant. Mais ça n’est pas grave car le héros est un héros. Intelligent, motivé, entreprenant, et pas dénué d’une bonne dose de ruse (voire même de vice, dans certains cas). Alors bien sûr, tous les afficionados de [b:Vance|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275608878s/2429135.jpg|1708725] me le diront, et je suis prêt à le reconnaître, les décors sont dépeints avec beaucoup de talent. Hélas pour ces décors, l’intrigue est déja trop faible dans ce premier tome pour remplir ces décors d’autre chose que d’ennui.
Il reste donc un bon vieux pulp, avec des rayons laser, des tenues bigarrées(1) et bien évidement de jeunes et jolies ingénues, à peine bonne à faire tapisserie, dont le héros (dont on se demande s’il a déja pris une femme dans ses bras) s’entiche systématiquement. Encore heureux que Vance n’ait pas eu l’audace d’en faire des traîtresses.
Bref, un peu comme [b:le seigneur des anneaux|37|The Lord of the Rings Complete Visual Companion|Jude Fisher|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156043002s/37.jpg|4415], c’est une lecture d’intérêt historique, sur laquelle le lecteur qui craint un minimum l’ennui ne devra surtout pas s’arrêter. Voire même le lecteur qui ne craint pas l’ennui, mais qui recherche la qualité.
(1) Et un peu ridicules avec les fraises et le fond de teint marron.
jameseckman's review against another edition
5.0
Kirth Gersen is a bit different than most Vancian heroes, he's not the typical sly, bon-vivant man about town. This series is more like a tragic coming of age novel.
This series is one big novel, they just couldn't publish giant SF novels in the early 60's. So read them in order!
This series is one big novel, they just couldn't publish giant SF novels in the early 60's. So read them in order!
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