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The Face
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The Face (Demon Princes #4)
by
Jack Vance
Kirth Gersen tracks Lens Larque across several worlds, most notably Aloysius, the desert world Dar Sai and the more temperate Methel. He eventually learns that Larque is a Darsh, born Husse Bugold. He had been deprived of an earlobe and made a rachepol or outcast from his clan for a crime considered "repulsive but not superlatively heinous." He took the name Lens Larque, a...more
Hardcover
Published
(first published 1979)
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This book is book 4 of 5 in Demon Princes series.
The plot is like before Kirth Gersen is hunting down one of the Demon Princes who destroyed his family and homeland when he was a boy. Lens Larque is not the weirdest, most dangerous of the villains Gersen has faced in his quest for revenge. He was smart enough be a real challenge though.
What made this book great is the witty, clever way Vances makes fun of human behavior with the Darsh culture and the Methlen culture. The Darsh are ugly people, h...more
The plot is like before Kirth Gersen is hunting down one of the Demon Princes who destroyed his family and homeland when he was a boy. Lens Larque is not the weirdest, most dangerous of the villains Gersen has faced in his quest for revenge. He was smart enough be a real challenge though.
What made this book great is the witty, clever way Vances makes fun of human behavior with the Darsh culture and the Methlen culture. The Darsh are ugly people, h...more
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ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
Here’s another thoroughly delightful installment (book 4 of 5) of The Demon Princes. The plot is as usual: Kirth Gersen is hunting down one of the Demon Princes who destroyed his family and homeland when he was a boy. There’s no doubt that Gersen will kill Lens Larque; the question is how he’ll kill him and what adventures he’ll have on the way.
The Face distinguishes itself by introducing a couple of cultures which Vance uses to make fun of human behavior....more
Here’s another thoroughly delightful installment (book 4 of 5) of The Demon Princes. The plot is as usual: Kirth Gersen is hunting down one of the Demon Princes who destroyed his family and homeland when he was a boy. There’s no doubt that Gersen will kill Lens Larque; the question is how he’ll kill him and what adventures he’ll have on the way.
The Face distinguishes itself by introducing a couple of cultures which Vance uses to make fun of human behavior....more
4.5 stars. Book 4 of the excellent, and under-rated, Demon Prince series by Jack Vance. In this installment, Kirth Gersen, our revenge seeking hero, searches out the "demon prince" known as Lens Larque.
Vance is a master story-teller with an incredible imagination and a talent for concise, descriptive writing that immerses his readers in the worlds he creates without needing a lot of pages to do it. Each of the Demon Prince novels are only around 200 pages but every page is so filled with the hi...more
Vance is a master story-teller with an incredible imagination and a talent for concise, descriptive writing that immerses his readers in the worlds he creates without needing a lot of pages to do it. Each of the Demon Prince novels are only around 200 pages but every page is so filled with the hi...more
A complex revenge story that leads the protagonist on an indirect route to vengeance. Very typical of the author, who prefers imaginative conflicts, interesting characters, and a colorful setting.
Slightly too long: I found my interest wandering midway through, as the story's momentum was blunted by the protagonist's soul-searching and meandering. It had a shaggy-dog story feel to it, as the protagonist is led from clue to clue and goal to goal until the meet-up became inevitable.
The ending is a...more
Slightly too long: I found my interest wandering midway through, as the story's momentum was blunted by the protagonist's soul-searching and meandering. It had a shaggy-dog story feel to it, as the protagonist is led from clue to clue and goal to goal until the meet-up became inevitable.
The ending is a...more
Apr 18, 2012
Curtiss
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Shelves:
science-fiction,
all-time-favorites
I recorded all of Jack Vance's Demon Princes books in 50-55 minute episodes for Golden Hours, my local radio service for blind and reading-impaired listeners. Too bad I didn't make CD copies for myself, since the radio station broadcast the tape versions and then erased them too reuse.
I guess I'll have to re-record them for Golden Hours and this time keep a copy, since Jack Vance has a wicked and sardonic sense of humor that I really enjoy, and this series of books is his absolute best.
I especia...more
I guess I'll have to re-record them for Golden Hours and this time keep a copy, since Jack Vance has a wicked and sardonic sense of humor that I really enjoy, and this series of books is his absolute best.
I especia...more
Apr 24, 2013
Shannon Appelcline
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
Despite the gap in writing, this book feels just like what came before. More political and less pulpy, perhaps, but the writing is still beautiful and evocative.
My favorite of the Demon Prince series. The ending took me completely by surprise the first time I read the book.
Review by David Langford: http://www.ansible.co.uk/writing/nigh...
My favourite of the Demon Princes novels by this brilliant author.
After getting into a rut Vance continued his series after a dozen years, and the wait was worth it. A terrific thriller.
Great as always.
Aug 23, 2007
Paul
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of complex science fantasy
This is my favorite of the five books in the "Revenge" series by Jack Vance. The premise is simple, but as usual Vance's detail and stylistic voice enriches the book beyond the ordinary.
Any science fiction or fantasy fan must read at least one Jack Vance book, you don't know what you are missing. Or, it might not be for you, I suppose one could call it an acquired taste as well.
Any science fiction or fantasy fan must read at least one Jack Vance book, you don't know what you are missing. Or, it might not be for you, I suppose one could call it an acquired taste as well.
JV, cleaver & hilarious as always.
Apr 20, 2013
Marcel Neelen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
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Aka John Holbrooke Vance, Peter Held, John Holbrook, Ellery Queen, John van See, Alan Wade.
The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, 'The Dying Earth', was published in 1950 to gr...more
More about Jack Vance...
The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, 'The Dying Earth', was published in 1950 to gr...more
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“If religions are diseases of the human psyche, as the philosopher Grintholde asserts, then religious wars must be reckoned the resultant sores and cankers infecting the aggregate corpus of the human race. Of all wars, these are the most detestable, since they are waged for no tangible gain, but only to impose a set of arbitrary credos upon another's mind.”
—
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