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Demon Princes #1-3
The Demon Princes, Volume One: The Star King, The Killing Machine, The Palace of Love
Kirth Gersen carries in his pocket a slip of paper with a list of five names written on it. Theses are the names of the five Demon Princes who led the historic Mount Pleasant Massacre, which destroyed not only Kirth's family but his entrire world as well. He roams the universe, searching the endless galaxies of space, hunting down the Demon Princes and exacting his revenge. Three princes will fall before Kirth's work is done, and two more await their doom...
446 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
22 people are currently reading
844 people want to read
About the author
Jack Vance
776 books1,585 followersAka John Holbrook 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 great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.
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 great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
January 24, 2011
The Star King: Kirth Gersen, last remaining survivor of the Mount Pleasant massacre, begins his quest for vengeance against the five Demon Princes. His first target, a Star King called Malagate the Woe. But which of the three suspects is Malagate?
The Star King is a space opera tale but felt like a western at times and a James Bond story at others. Gersen is a ultra-capable protagonist. I'm hoping the other Demon Princes give him more trouble.
I have two gripes with this book so far. One, this edition is riddled with typos. Two, the pace is really slow. You'd think a 145 page revenge story would move at a much faster speed.
The Killing Machine: Gersen targets the next name on his list, an immortal shapeshifter named Kokor Hekkus. Gersen's vengeance trail sees him aid in constructing a killing machine and get locked up in the Interchange. Can Gersen escape and take Kokor Hekkus down?
I have to admit I wasn't sold on the setting or the characters in the first volume. I'm still not thrilled but I enjoyed The Killing Machine a lot more than The Star King. The concepts of world Vance is building in this series are growing on me. I particularly liked The Interchange, sort of an escrow service for kidnappers and their victims. Gersen dealt death in a much more impressive fashion than in the Star King. It was still a little on the slow side but now I'm ready for the third story in this omnibus.
The Palace of Love: Viole Falushe is the next name on Gersen's list and the proprietor of an planet-wide brothel. But what does Viole Falushe have to do with Vogel Filschner and the girls he kidnapped years ago?
Boy, did this one drag. I thought the Star King moved slowly but this one took the taco. While I like Kirth Gersen's adventure's and the worlds he visits, the pacing is what keeps me from being gung-ho about reading the next two books. Jack Vance makes reading a 150 page revenge tale as exciting as reading the dictionary. Still, it wasn't all bad. Vance's dialogue is as clever as usual.
In conclusion, I thought the first three books of the Demon Princes series to be on the okay side of being good but I'm in no hurry to tackle the second omnibus. It's not bad but it's no Dying Earth. I actually liked the story better when Hayford Peirce wrote it as an homage to Vance and it was called Dinosaur Park
The Star King is a space opera tale but felt like a western at times and a James Bond story at others. Gersen is a ultra-capable protagonist. I'm hoping the other Demon Princes give him more trouble.
I have two gripes with this book so far. One, this edition is riddled with typos. Two, the pace is really slow. You'd think a 145 page revenge story would move at a much faster speed.
The Killing Machine: Gersen targets the next name on his list, an immortal shapeshifter named Kokor Hekkus. Gersen's vengeance trail sees him aid in constructing a killing machine and get locked up in the Interchange. Can Gersen escape and take Kokor Hekkus down?
I have to admit I wasn't sold on the setting or the characters in the first volume. I'm still not thrilled but I enjoyed The Killing Machine a lot more than The Star King. The concepts of world Vance is building in this series are growing on me. I particularly liked The Interchange, sort of an escrow service for kidnappers and their victims. Gersen dealt death in a much more impressive fashion than in the Star King. It was still a little on the slow side but now I'm ready for the third story in this omnibus.
The Palace of Love: Viole Falushe is the next name on Gersen's list and the proprietor of an planet-wide brothel. But what does Viole Falushe have to do with Vogel Filschner and the girls he kidnapped years ago?
Boy, did this one drag. I thought the Star King moved slowly but this one took the taco. While I like Kirth Gersen's adventure's and the worlds he visits, the pacing is what keeps me from being gung-ho about reading the next two books. Jack Vance makes reading a 150 page revenge tale as exciting as reading the dictionary. Still, it wasn't all bad. Vance's dialogue is as clever as usual.
In conclusion, I thought the first three books of the Demon Princes series to be on the okay side of being good but I'm in no hurry to tackle the second omnibus. It's not bad but it's no Dying Earth. I actually liked the story better when Hayford Peirce wrote it as an homage to Vance and it was called Dinosaur Park
June 10, 2020
-Muchos de los ingredientes habituales en Vance, pero esta vez no se mezclan bien.-
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Los Príncipes Demonio (publicación original: a diferencia de lo que es habitual, la edición en español unió en dos volúmenes las cinco novelas de la línea argumental Demon Princes casi una década antes de que se hiciera en su idioma original por primera vez, en 1997. Hasta entonces, las novelas se habían publicado en volúmenes independientes; este libro contiene Star King, 1964, aunque se comenzó a publicar de forma serializada el año anterior, The Killing Machine, 1964, y The Palace of Love, 1967) nos presenta a Kirth Gersen, un hombre que ha jurado venganza contra los que mataron a la gente del pueblo en el que vivía y a casi toda su familia años atrás. Sus enemigos son criminales buscados a lo largo y ancho del espacio habitado, expertos en ocultarse mientras delinquen, amigos del subterfugio conocidos como los Príncipes Demonio, cada uno de ellos con peculiaridades de carácter y modus operandi. Las averiguaciones de Kirth lo ponen tras la pista de uno de ellos, Attel Magalate, conocido como el Rey Estelar. Primer libro de los dos que componen la saga Los Príncipes Demonio.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Los Príncipes Demonio (publicación original: a diferencia de lo que es habitual, la edición en español unió en dos volúmenes las cinco novelas de la línea argumental Demon Princes casi una década antes de que se hiciera en su idioma original por primera vez, en 1997. Hasta entonces, las novelas se habían publicado en volúmenes independientes; este libro contiene Star King, 1964, aunque se comenzó a publicar de forma serializada el año anterior, The Killing Machine, 1964, y The Palace of Love, 1967) nos presenta a Kirth Gersen, un hombre que ha jurado venganza contra los que mataron a la gente del pueblo en el que vivía y a casi toda su familia años atrás. Sus enemigos son criminales buscados a lo largo y ancho del espacio habitado, expertos en ocultarse mientras delinquen, amigos del subterfugio conocidos como los Príncipes Demonio, cada uno de ellos con peculiaridades de carácter y modus operandi. Las averiguaciones de Kirth lo ponen tras la pista de uno de ellos, Attel Magalate, conocido como el Rey Estelar. Primer libro de los dos que componen la saga Los Príncipes Demonio.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
November 13, 2011
Ok let me get the bad out of the way because it's minimal and should not be detracting: 1) tech is slightly dated due to being originally written in 1964 and 2) role of women is slightly dated due to being written in 1964
That aside, this book was such a great read. The writing is crisp and accessible, the concepts quite original and unique even 50 years later. The stories are part action, part mystery and a bit of pulp detective mojo. I can't really say too much bad about it except that similar plot solution devices were utilized throughout all 3 tales. That aside I still found myself glued to the page and surprised at the end of every arc. Gersen - the main character - walked a fine line of unexpected actions and empathy for me, and in truth was the perfect protaganist: emotionally connected yet still shocked me. Vance's skills at writing are not to be overlooked. It takes immense talent to get his ideas out in a way that does not overburden the reader yet still maintains an air of plausibility. This is no small feat and he should be given more of his due.
I highly highly recommend this for any newbie sci fi reader or anyone who wants to be reminded of why this genre is so darn good.
That aside, this book was such a great read. The writing is crisp and accessible, the concepts quite original and unique even 50 years later. The stories are part action, part mystery and a bit of pulp detective mojo. I can't really say too much bad about it except that similar plot solution devices were utilized throughout all 3 tales. That aside I still found myself glued to the page and surprised at the end of every arc. Gersen - the main character - walked a fine line of unexpected actions and empathy for me, and in truth was the perfect protaganist: emotionally connected yet still shocked me. Vance's skills at writing are not to be overlooked. It takes immense talent to get his ideas out in a way that does not overburden the reader yet still maintains an air of plausibility. This is no small feat and he should be given more of his due.
I highly highly recommend this for any newbie sci fi reader or anyone who wants to be reminded of why this genre is so darn good.
December 11, 2009
Jack Vance's books are fun to read. These aren't novels that you'd want to read for their intricate plots or page-turning suspense. These are novels that you read for Jack Vance's narrative voice and his character and scenic descriptions. And on that level, these three novels are completely successful. I kept returning to these novels because I wanted to know what dry and witty thing the hero, Kirth Gerson, might say next. I looked forward to the snippets of philosophical insight that often introduced the chapters. They didn't move the story along but they gave me a real sense of the universe Jack Vance has created.
One more thing: Jack Vance comes up with the best character names. Names like Kirth Gerson, Malagate the Woe, and Viole Falushe were constantly ringing in my head as I read these novels.
One more thing: Jack Vance comes up with the best character names. Names like Kirth Gerson, Malagate the Woe, and Viole Falushe were constantly ringing in my head as I read these novels.
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February 19, 2012One thing that has always bothered me about science fiction as literary genre is that so very few of its authors seem to have any awareness of their medium, i.e. language. Of course there are exceptions (Cordwainer Smith and Samuel Delany come to mind, not coincidentally my two favourite science fiction authors) but for the vast majority of science fiction literature out there, the language it is written in is serviceable at best and all too often merely clunky and stilted. Jack Vance is another of the rare exceptions - due to his very own unique style, a kind of wry, detached attitude that views the events and characters in his works like ants through a microscope.[return][return]That kind of distancing tone is not likely to get the reader much involved in the narrative, though, or sympathizing with its protagonists, and consequently lack of plot and character are often pointed out as weaknesses prevalent in Vance’s oeuvre. But Vance seems not really interested in those, it’s like he condescends to make grudging use of them since the form and the market required it, but his real interests lie elsewhere. To fully enjoy his works, a shift in focus is required, like with Wittgenstein’s duckrabbit – and once you are aware that Vance is really all about voice and style, plot and character tend to become nothing but minor factors that (in his weaker works) distract or (in his better ones) enhance what is essential, namely Vance’s prose and a prolific imagination that comes up with the most incredibly bizarre invententions.[return][return]In consequence, some of the best parts in Vance’s Demon Prince series (the first three installments of which this omnibus collects) are not found in the main narrative body of the novels but in the epigraphs to individual chapters, puporting to be quotations from various sources as varied as newspapers, biographies, philosophical tractates and poems, and which often do not even pretend to bear any connection but their placement to the chapters they introduce, and they often read like intriguing miniatures of their own where Vance sketches an insanely bizarre society or a totally ludicrious religious belief system in just a couple of sentences.[return][return]As for the novels themselves, they stand in a fascinating relationship to each other – while The Demon Princes is definitely a series, revolving around the main protagonist Kirth Gersen and his campaign of revenge against the five crime overlords who destroyed his home village and killed or enslaved its population. But it does not proceed so much in a linear fashion, the general structure seems to rather be a serial one (as in serial music) – i.e., each of the individual is not so much a continuation of where the previous one left but rather repeats the previous ones, tells what is basically the same story but in a different way.[return][return]Or maybe a better way to describe the shift between novels is as a fractal progression, where each consecutive installment reveals a greater level of ever more intricate deatil within the identical framework of the basic revenge plot: The Star King is a straightforward adventure story with a minimum of frills, The Killing Machine is the same story with a few more turns and twists while The Palace of Love is one of the highlights of Vance’s oeuvre – it is much the same story as before, with much the same ingredients, but with such a wealth of intricate bizarreness, such a vast amount of finely grafted narrative ornament clicking and whirring away that the reader would get quite dizzy if it was not so squee-inducing enjoyable. And of course one can not talk about The Palace of Love without at least a passing mention of Navarth who is not so much a character as rather the archetype of the l’art pour l’art poet taken to it’s larger-than-life, in equal measure fascinating and terrifying extreme – he is like the literary equivalent of every Mad Scientist and as such quite the fitting emblem for a novel that is bursting with odd details and bizarre inventions that serve no conceivable purpose at all, but are a wonder and delight to behold.
March 26, 2012
This is an omnibus that compiles the first three of Jack Vance's five novels in his Demon Princes series, and the author's powers are on full display. Herein may be the finest distillation of that distinctive Vancean voice, which is at once wry and sincere and somehow un-self-consciously magniloquent.
His characterizations are more vibrant sketches than fleshed out portraits (although never flat-out flat), and the plotting suffers some, but these are not the elements by which Jack Vance entrances. As ever (and very strongly in the Demon Princes novels), it is his mastery of imagery, his distinctly lush yet never purple prose, and his way of nonchalantly dropping a heart-breakingly beautiful turn of phrase. It is his way of painting surreal alien landscapes believably yet still retaining their bizarre wonder, and his stupendous sociological imagination that constructs truly strange societies that are all the more believable and human for their eccentricities.
The third novel in the omnibus, The Palace of Love, is noticeably weaker than the other two, especially in the plotting, though it is by no means anything but a delight to read-- it suffers only by comparison. I recommend the Demon Princes novels for any fan of Vance and especially as an introduction to one of the most overlooked and accomplished writers (science fiction or otherwise) of the 20th century.
His characterizations are more vibrant sketches than fleshed out portraits (although never flat-out flat), and the plotting suffers some, but these are not the elements by which Jack Vance entrances. As ever (and very strongly in the Demon Princes novels), it is his mastery of imagery, his distinctly lush yet never purple prose, and his way of nonchalantly dropping a heart-breakingly beautiful turn of phrase. It is his way of painting surreal alien landscapes believably yet still retaining their bizarre wonder, and his stupendous sociological imagination that constructs truly strange societies that are all the more believable and human for their eccentricities.
The third novel in the omnibus, The Palace of Love, is noticeably weaker than the other two, especially in the plotting, though it is by no means anything but a delight to read-- it suffers only by comparison. I recommend the Demon Princes novels for any fan of Vance and especially as an introduction to one of the most overlooked and accomplished writers (science fiction or otherwise) of the 20th century.
December 7, 2010
An assassin with a philosophical bent of mind seeks revenge on five arch-criminals who killed his parents. The criminals are half-way to being archetypes, these first three being roughly ambition, fear, and passion. Some of the appeal is the slow unraveling of why the criminal became that way. However, reading Vance is mostly about his style and the environments that he creates. Occasionally a SF author will begin his chapters with a short quote from a made-up future book. In the Demon Prince novels, Vance frequently creates page long excerpts, or in one case a made-up book excerpt followed by brief quotes from made-up critics panning that book.
December 6, 2023
The ultimate revenge series and perhaps Vance’s finest achievement. Five alien criminal lords disguised as humans are the target of Kirth Gergen after they destroyed his home and family. Each story is him tracking down each of the so called “Demon Princes” and concocting a personalised, unique and elaborate plan to destroy them in return.
The sheer imagination put into each plot creates a lot of the entertainment and Vance’s black, ironic humour is at the top of its game throughout. But there is also a touch of his planetary romances as we get to see much of his Gaean Reach universe and all the wonderfully varied cultures and worlds he created.
A top tier work of science of fiction drama
The sheer imagination put into each plot creates a lot of the entertainment and Vance’s black, ironic humour is at the top of its game throughout. But there is also a touch of his planetary romances as we get to see much of his Gaean Reach universe and all the wonderfully varied cultures and worlds he created.
A top tier work of science of fiction drama
December 22, 2009
Not a bad read...but I wasn't as taken with it as some others I've talked to. I like some Vance...this failed to hold my interest. I really wanted to like it. I liked the idea and bought both collections together, but just didn't care for it/them.
By the way, they both went to the used book store at the same time to.
By the way, they both went to the used book store at the same time to.
August 19, 2009
I had heard that Jack Vance was a master of science fiction, so I sought out one of his books to see for myself. I wasn't disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed both volumes 1 and 2 of The Demon Princes.
November 5, 2008
A must read. Absolutely my favorite Jack Vance Series of All times.
July 26, 2010
Excellent, no one can compare to Vance.
January 6, 2011
I've reviewed these separately at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/fant...
May 10, 2022
I haven't exactly read THIS book but I have read all three novels contained in it so I'll add this one to my read pile.
December 30, 2018
8/10. Media de los 30 libros leídos del autor : 7/10.
Nada menos que 30 libros leí de Vance, la mayoría de joven lector de CF en editoriales míticas: Orbis, Edhasa, Ultramar, Nova,...
De imaginación desbordante, creaba mundos y sociedades como churros, desbordando imaginación y superando nuestra capacidad de asombro. Una media de 7/10 en tantos libros no es fácil de mantener.
Creó muchas sagas (ninguna mala o aburrida) y me quedo con la de "Tschai", que son 4 libros. Si hubiera de escoger uno que no sea saga, pues "Lámpara de Noche".
Un gran clásico.
Nada menos que 30 libros leí de Vance, la mayoría de joven lector de CF en editoriales míticas: Orbis, Edhasa, Ultramar, Nova,...
De imaginación desbordante, creaba mundos y sociedades como churros, desbordando imaginación y superando nuestra capacidad de asombro. Una media de 7/10 en tantos libros no es fácil de mantener.
Creó muchas sagas (ninguna mala o aburrida) y me quedo con la de "Tschai", que son 4 libros. Si hubiera de escoger uno que no sea saga, pues "Lámpara de Noche".
Un gran clásico.
November 17, 2018
Personally, I found the experience of reading this book surreal. The mind-set of the era it was written in seemed far more alien to me than the alien worlds it presented.
A good deal of creativity and original ideas were put into this book, as well as interesting prose, but the book as a whole is poorly paced and its dated elements and attitudes are alarming to my modern eye.
A good deal of creativity and original ideas were put into this book, as well as interesting prose, but the book as a whole is poorly paced and its dated elements and attitudes are alarming to my modern eye.
March 16, 2020
Los Príncipes Demonio de Jack Vance.
Jack Vance es uno de mis autores favoritos. Autor de Ciencia Ficción muy versátil, lo mismo trabajaba temas relacionados con la acción y aventura -como la trilogía de Tchai, el Planeta de la Aventura- que la Ciencia Ficción Política -El Príncipe Gris-. En Los Príncipes Demonio (Ed. Martínez Roca, México, 1988) Vance trabaja el thriller policiaco de manera magistral. Kirth Gersen personaje principal, es -junto con su abuelo - el último superviviente de su Colonia la cual fue destruida por tres Señores Intergalácticos del Crimen conocidos y temidos en todo el espacio humano –el Oikumene- como “Los Príncipes Demonio”.
La misión de su vida es localizar y destruir a los tres gánsteres. Para ello es entrenado desde niño -muy al estilo del Batman de DC – tanto en habilidades de combate como en técnicas forenses y de investigación policíacas. Cuenta además con sustanciales recursos dejados a su resguardo por su abuelo, mismos que solían ser las cuentas de todos los habitantes de su colonia planetaria –esto último no te lo dicen, se da a entender en la historia-.
La edición publicada por Martínez Roca reúne las tres novelas cortas que forman la primera parte de dicha saga: El rey estelar ("The Star King", 1964), La máquina de matar ("The Killing Machine", 1964) y El palacio del amor ("The Palace of Love", 1967). Leí este libro cuando tenía 17 años, si bien no fue mi primer contacto con el autor, si fue de los libros que más disfruté de él junto con su secuela Los Príncipes Demonio 2 (Martínez Roca, México, 1989).
Cabe recordar que Jack Vance –cuyo verdadero nombre era John Holbrook Vance- fue ganador de los dos premios más prestigiosos que la literatura de anticipación ofrece: el Hugo y el Nebula, así como el Edgar otorgado a lo mejor del género de Misterio. Vance fue también un escritor muy prolífico de este ultimo, su talento en dicho género se demuestra en el presente libro.
Para terminar, JV era famoso por su capacidad en retratar sociedades y mundos tanto ricos como exóticos, donde la humanidad demostraba una gran capacidad para adaptarse y evolucionar de mil formas distintas, tanto física como culturalmente. De hecho, en mi humilde opinión, parte de su obra parece inspirada en el trabajo de Ursula K. Le Guin, para empezar el concepto del Oikumene recuerda al Ekumen descrito en el “Ciclo de Hanish” el cual es una federación galáctica de mundos habitados por seres humanos. Ambos nombres derivan desde luego del griego "ecúmene", palabra que hace referencia al espacio ocupado por la humanidad en el mundo.
Jack Vance es uno de mis autores favoritos. Autor de Ciencia Ficción muy versátil, lo mismo trabajaba temas relacionados con la acción y aventura -como la trilogía de Tchai, el Planeta de la Aventura- que la Ciencia Ficción Política -El Príncipe Gris-. En Los Príncipes Demonio (Ed. Martínez Roca, México, 1988) Vance trabaja el thriller policiaco de manera magistral. Kirth Gersen personaje principal, es -junto con su abuelo - el último superviviente de su Colonia la cual fue destruida por tres Señores Intergalácticos del Crimen conocidos y temidos en todo el espacio humano –el Oikumene- como “Los Príncipes Demonio”.
La misión de su vida es localizar y destruir a los tres gánsteres. Para ello es entrenado desde niño -muy al estilo del Batman de DC – tanto en habilidades de combate como en técnicas forenses y de investigación policíacas. Cuenta además con sustanciales recursos dejados a su resguardo por su abuelo, mismos que solían ser las cuentas de todos los habitantes de su colonia planetaria –esto último no te lo dicen, se da a entender en la historia-.
La edición publicada por Martínez Roca reúne las tres novelas cortas que forman la primera parte de dicha saga: El rey estelar ("The Star King", 1964), La máquina de matar ("The Killing Machine", 1964) y El palacio del amor ("The Palace of Love", 1967). Leí este libro cuando tenía 17 años, si bien no fue mi primer contacto con el autor, si fue de los libros que más disfruté de él junto con su secuela Los Príncipes Demonio 2 (Martínez Roca, México, 1989).
Cabe recordar que Jack Vance –cuyo verdadero nombre era John Holbrook Vance- fue ganador de los dos premios más prestigiosos que la literatura de anticipación ofrece: el Hugo y el Nebula, así como el Edgar otorgado a lo mejor del género de Misterio. Vance fue también un escritor muy prolífico de este ultimo, su talento en dicho género se demuestra en el presente libro.
Para terminar, JV era famoso por su capacidad en retratar sociedades y mundos tanto ricos como exóticos, donde la humanidad demostraba una gran capacidad para adaptarse y evolucionar de mil formas distintas, tanto física como culturalmente. De hecho, en mi humilde opinión, parte de su obra parece inspirada en el trabajo de Ursula K. Le Guin, para empezar el concepto del Oikumene recuerda al Ekumen descrito en el “Ciclo de Hanish” el cual es una federación galáctica de mundos habitados por seres humanos. Ambos nombres derivan desde luego del griego "ecúmene", palabra que hace referencia al espacio ocupado por la humanidad en el mundo.
May 13, 2012
Olvidándonos de la trama (puedes leer un libro de Ian Fleming con venganza de por medio para todo fin práctico), lo que más me gustó de éste volumen y el siguiente Los Principes Demonio 2 fueron las descripciones de los lugares, planetas, costumbres y personajes involucrados... siempre viene bien un libro de vaqueros o de espías "sideral" y me la pasé divertido con éste libro de lectura rápida (aunque a veces un poco extenso).
June 1, 2009
I've finished the first segment of this book, The Star King.
After a slow start, the story of Kirth Gersen and an unknown antagonist named Malegate the Woe was very engaging and delightfully illuminating. You either love Vance's style of prose or you hate it, but in this case, his ideas eclipsed even his signature pedantic delivery. This was a mystery and a love story and drifted toward planetary noir. I was very entertained, and can't wait to read the remaining four parts of his encounter with the Demon Princes.
After a slow start, the story of Kirth Gersen and an unknown antagonist named Malegate the Woe was very engaging and delightfully illuminating. You either love Vance's style of prose or you hate it, but in this case, his ideas eclipsed even his signature pedantic delivery. This was a mystery and a love story and drifted toward planetary noir. I was very entertained, and can't wait to read the remaining four parts of his encounter with the Demon Princes.
Read
September 17, 2009Somehow I missed Jack Vance in the 60s when I was such an avid syfy reader. I think I might have liked him then more than I do now. Good plotting. Erudite vocabulary. Amazingly detailed creation of future worlds. But . . . the sexism must be overlooked as "normal" for the decade and, of course, we have surpassed some of his futuristic technology already -- even tho he sets these novels 1,500 years in the future. I'm not sorry I read them, but I think I might skip the last two in the series.
June 30, 2009
Serviceable science fiction - a morality tale from the Old West put into a science fiction future where humankind is colonizing the galaxy, but where the frontier, called the "beyond," remains. I read a compilation of all five novels, of which three are in this tome. Our protagonist dispatches one of the five "demon princes," arch-space criminals, who have wronged him, in each of the individual novels.
June 5, 2014
This Demon Princes collection is the first sci-fi tale of Vance’s I’ve read. I started with his influential Dying Earth and Lyonesse series, but it took me a while to try his sci-fi works. And the Demon Princes in no ways disappoints. Filled with whimsy, wit, and strangeness, it’s very readable. The tale of a man of driven revenge moves at a solid clip as Kith Gersen travels the cosmos, hunting the Demon Princes.
March 29, 2007
Jack Vance is still a kickass writer.
Of all his books, this series is my SECOND favorite:
1) The Star King
2) The Killing Machine
3) The Palace of Love
4) The Face
5) The Book of Dreams
If you're not a sci-fi or fantasy fan, this may not completely appeal to you. I'd recommend Lyonesse first, which should appeal to just about everyone.
Of all his books, this series is my SECOND favorite:
1) The Star King
2) The Killing Machine
3) The Palace of Love
4) The Face
5) The Book of Dreams
If you're not a sci-fi or fantasy fan, this may not completely appeal to you. I'd recommend Lyonesse first, which should appeal to just about everyone.
August 20, 2009
Read an interview with Jack Vance, who lives in Oakland, CA and is about 90 and was intrigued. I am enjoying this volume. Very little science...mostly about human [sic:] behavior. Good story teller; good suspense; characters are pretty interesting on the whole for sci-fi.
May 13, 2007
Landmark tales of revenge. Again, the very interesting studies of human nature and self-serving-ness. And also again, the vast and awe-some worlds evoked.
An engrossing read.
An engrossing read.
July 25, 2007
An insanely fecund imagination: he makes you believe he is just reporting on completely formed cultures. The plots and characters are a bit dated, but overall the story is still fascinating.
November 11, 2008
Vance at his xenophilic best.
August 14, 2009
This is definitely my husband's genre and not mine. I thought the books were slow and uneventful and a little pointless. But Jack Vance certainly has an imagination.
October 18, 2009
older style space opera sci fi, with interesting moody noir personal style. good counterpoint to self consciously preoccupations with modern world.
May 28, 2024
The Demon Princes, Volume One: The Star King, The Killing Machine, The Palace of Love (Demon Princes #1-3 omnibus)
This edition contains the first 3 of 5 of Jack Vance's The Demon Princes series: The Star King, The Killing Machine, and The Palace of Love. Star kings are nonhuman, asexual, alien beings who have changed their appearances to look like men. When our main character, Kirth Gersen, was a 9 years old, five of the star kings organized an attack one of the colonies on a planet where all of the people, including his parents, were killed or enslaved except for Kirth and his grandfather. This attack was subsequently referred to as the Mount Pleasant Massacre. After escaping the planet Kirth Gersen's grandfather raised him and had him trained for many years in hand to hand combat and the skillful use of weapons and poison so that Kirth when an adult would be able to track down and kill all five of the star kings. Kirth became a highly trained killer with one life ambition. For Gersen, however, revenge is more of a mission of justice than an act of anger. In each of the five novels Gersen focuses on one of the star kings. Each is a novel in itself but for best appreciation I recommend reading them in order.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
The Star King
The Star King is the first of five easy to read, fast paced, entertaining, well written novels that comprise the Jack Vance series called The Demon Princes. The Star King was first released in 1963 and 1964 as a serial in Galaxy magazine. Originally the name of the first star king encountered was Grendel the Monster but in the novel released in April 1964 he was renamed Attel Malagate or Malagate the Woe.
The story begins in the far future with Kirth Gersen's visit at Smade's Tavern, a colorful tavern and hotel on Smade's Planet that is near the border of the civilized world called The Oikumene and the wild ungoverned planets of The Beyond. (Vance fans will probably note some similarities between The Oikumene and Vance's later Gaean Reach.) While sitting at the tavern Gersen meets an explorer Lugo Teehalt who claims he has discovered a rare, amazingly beautiful new planet with exotic life forms on it. Teehalt is hesitant to report his discovery to his employer, Attel Malagate, who owns the spaceship because Malagate is a known criminal and Teehalt is fearful of what Malagate might do with the newly discovered virgin planet. But Malagate's agents are already on Smade's Planet and after dealing with Teehalt they take what they think is the spaceship Malagate loaned to Teehalt. But it turns out to be Gersen's spaceship and Gersen ends up with the ship Teehalt had been using. Gersen, however, has concerns beyond getting his own ship back. He is now on the trail of Malagate, one of the five star kings who killed his parents and destroyed the colony he lived in. Having Malagate's ship is his bait for finding Malagate.
Although The Star King is not quite as interesting as the last two books in The Demon Princes (The Face and The Book of Dreams), it is a very good novel and provides all of the background information so that The Demon Princes series makes sense. (It needs to be read first.) It does have a few flaws, however. There is a romance between Gersen and a woman named Pallis Atwrode but it is not well developed and the woman seems like a mere token figure rather than a fleshed out character. The novel might not seem as deep or complex as some of Vance's really great novels. A few readers might have some difficulty emphasizing with Kirth Gersen because he is so obsessed with killing star kings. But subsequent novels in the series provide more development to his character, and The Star King is more than simply a straight forward, easy to read revenge novel. I loved reading about the strange places and planets that were described in detail along with the unusual and interesting alien creatures. The 140 pages are entertaining and filled with action. I also thought the dialog was engaging and lively.
The Killing Machine
The Killing Machine is the second novel in the five book series by Jack Vance called The Demon Princes. It was first published as a novel in 1964 and is still in print. My copy is 136 pages long, making it the shortest book in the series. I read it several years ago and rated it a 4 but after reading it a second time I am rating it a 5. It remains my favorite of the first three books of the series.
This time Kirth Gersen is looking for the star king named Kokor Hekkus, one of the five star kings who killed his parents and destroyed his childhood home. Kokor Hekkus means "killing machine" in the language on Hekkus's home planet of Thamber. This is a reference to the horrific giant combat machines Hekkus commissions to be made, the latest one resembling a highly aggressive, giant alien creature. While this war machine is being created Hekkus kidnaps some children of wealthy parents in order to raise more revenue. He takes them to the Interchange, a planet in the Beyond, where the hostages are confined until a ransom is collected. It is something of a prison and banking intermediary that collects a commission for the hostages held there who are ransomed, leaving the kidnappers free to deal with other activities and concerns. In order to get closer to Hekkus, Gersen takes on a commission from the parents of the children who were kidnapped in order to track down and try to rescue them. He visits the Interchange under the guise of a slave purchaser.
This is a very colorful, fast paced, entertaining novel with an intriguing, convoluted plot that includes many fascinating characters, tribes, and planets. After Gersen visits the Interchange and bids on hostages, he becomes a partner in an engineering company and assists to make a more effective mobile combat machine that people ride in and operate. This one has been commissioned by Kokor Hekkus and resembles a highly aggressive, giant, alien animal called a dnazd. At one point there is a colorful fight between the robot dnazd and a real dnazd. Gersen himself is kidnapped and while being confined he learns to make counterfeit money. Later he joins up with a tribe of primitive creatures who are at war with Hekkus and ends up challenging the leader of the tribe in order to rescue a woman in distress. Every page seems to bring some new encounter, often laced with irony or humor and always done with flair and imagination. Almost every wild adventure and activity is an attempt by Gersen to get closer to Kokor Hekkus so he can kill him for revenge. But this is very challenging because Hekkus is not only difficult to locate; he is difficult to even identify. Most of the background material about Kirth Gersen is in the first book, The Star King, so this needs to be read prior to The Killing Machine. Highly recommended.
The Palace of Love
The Palace of Love was first published in 1966 in Galaxy Magazine. It was released as a novel in 1968. This is the third book in Jack Vance's The Demon Princes. My copy is 154 pages long, making it slightly longer than the first two novels in the series. The first novel of the series, The Star King, provided essential background material so should be read first. In The Killing Machine, the second novel, there is further development of the main character, Kirth Gersen, so that ideally should also be read prior to reading The Palace of Love. This is the second time I've read The Palace of Love and I liked it better the second time, changing my earlier rating of a 3 now to a 4. For me it is still the least fascinating of the five book series, but it is still well worth reading.
Kirth Gersen continues his obsession with tracking down and killing the five demon princes who killed his parents and destroyed the colony where he lived when he was a child. So far he has succeeded in doing so with two of them. This time he is after Viole Falushe. At one time when still a teenager Falushe kidnapped an entire choir of girls and sold them all into slavery. Now he is very wealthy slave owner and is the absolute dictator on his own planet where all residents must give him their first born child to enslave or use as he likes. He spends much of his time on his planet at a place called The Palace of Love where visitors are sometimes invited as guests.
Gersen visits the planet Sarkovy with a woman friend named Alusz Ilphigenia Eperje-Tokay in order to track down a lead that might help him find Falushe. Sarkovy is a planet known for its many natural botanical poisons and its populace of highly skilled poison masters who offer their services for hire and readily sell very lethal poisons at a price set by the poisoners' guild. One Sarkovy resident is about to be executed by the guild for having sold poison to Falushe at a discount price. Gersen hopes to interview him for leads to track Falushe down. Gersen's obsession with tracking down and killing Falushe and his involvement with poisons, death and shady characters creates difficulties with his new romantic relationship with Alusz.
Gersen's pursuit takes him to Old Earth where he meets the mad poet Navarth who use to be Falushe's mentor and a mysterious young woman named Drusilla Wayles or “Zan Zu from Eridu,” who was given to Navarth as a child by Falushe to be cared for. There is a bizarre wild costume party hosted by Navarth where Gersen finds out what Falushe looks like. Gersen then decides to purchase a reputable but failing Cosmopolis Magazine so he can hire himself as a writer and then use this as an angle to try to arrange an interview with Falushe. He offers to write a more complementary and sympathetic article about Falushe than the article that was already submitted to Cosmopolis Magazine which they are about to publish. Of course Gersen also wrote this initial, highly critical article that he shares with Falushe. He does not admit to writing the article but says the magazine will refrain from publishing it if he can write a substitute article based on an interview with Falushe. Will Falushe take the bait and agree to a person to person interview? If he does agree, how can Gersen work around the extensive security measures that protect Falushe?
Vance's description of Sarkovy and its people is fascinating, but the far future Earth is given very little description despite the time spent there and many activities that happened there. The most interesting portrait is of Falushes's planet and The Palace of Love which is treated with Vance's usual talent for world building as he describes the architecture, people, customs, laws, and culture. Although the plot is rather choppy and somewhat thin, we do have some interesting characters and there is plenty of action. It is also engaging, entertaining and easy to read, and as with all of Vance's writings I find that repeated readings yield new rewards.
This edition contains the first 3 of 5 of Jack Vance's The Demon Princes series: The Star King, The Killing Machine, and The Palace of Love. Star kings are nonhuman, asexual, alien beings who have changed their appearances to look like men. When our main character, Kirth Gersen, was a 9 years old, five of the star kings organized an attack one of the colonies on a planet where all of the people, including his parents, were killed or enslaved except for Kirth and his grandfather. This attack was subsequently referred to as the Mount Pleasant Massacre. After escaping the planet Kirth Gersen's grandfather raised him and had him trained for many years in hand to hand combat and the skillful use of weapons and poison so that Kirth when an adult would be able to track down and kill all five of the star kings. Kirth became a highly trained killer with one life ambition. For Gersen, however, revenge is more of a mission of justice than an act of anger. In each of the five novels Gersen focuses on one of the star kings. Each is a novel in itself but for best appreciation I recommend reading them in order.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
The Star King
The Star King is the first of five easy to read, fast paced, entertaining, well written novels that comprise the Jack Vance series called The Demon Princes. The Star King was first released in 1963 and 1964 as a serial in Galaxy magazine. Originally the name of the first star king encountered was Grendel the Monster but in the novel released in April 1964 he was renamed Attel Malagate or Malagate the Woe.
The story begins in the far future with Kirth Gersen's visit at Smade's Tavern, a colorful tavern and hotel on Smade's Planet that is near the border of the civilized world called The Oikumene and the wild ungoverned planets of The Beyond. (Vance fans will probably note some similarities between The Oikumene and Vance's later Gaean Reach.) While sitting at the tavern Gersen meets an explorer Lugo Teehalt who claims he has discovered a rare, amazingly beautiful new planet with exotic life forms on it. Teehalt is hesitant to report his discovery to his employer, Attel Malagate, who owns the spaceship because Malagate is a known criminal and Teehalt is fearful of what Malagate might do with the newly discovered virgin planet. But Malagate's agents are already on Smade's Planet and after dealing with Teehalt they take what they think is the spaceship Malagate loaned to Teehalt. But it turns out to be Gersen's spaceship and Gersen ends up with the ship Teehalt had been using. Gersen, however, has concerns beyond getting his own ship back. He is now on the trail of Malagate, one of the five star kings who killed his parents and destroyed the colony he lived in. Having Malagate's ship is his bait for finding Malagate.
Although The Star King is not quite as interesting as the last two books in The Demon Princes (The Face and The Book of Dreams), it is a very good novel and provides all of the background information so that The Demon Princes series makes sense. (It needs to be read first.) It does have a few flaws, however. There is a romance between Gersen and a woman named Pallis Atwrode but it is not well developed and the woman seems like a mere token figure rather than a fleshed out character. The novel might not seem as deep or complex as some of Vance's really great novels. A few readers might have some difficulty emphasizing with Kirth Gersen because he is so obsessed with killing star kings. But subsequent novels in the series provide more development to his character, and The Star King is more than simply a straight forward, easy to read revenge novel. I loved reading about the strange places and planets that were described in detail along with the unusual and interesting alien creatures. The 140 pages are entertaining and filled with action. I also thought the dialog was engaging and lively.
The Killing Machine
The Killing Machine is the second novel in the five book series by Jack Vance called The Demon Princes. It was first published as a novel in 1964 and is still in print. My copy is 136 pages long, making it the shortest book in the series. I read it several years ago and rated it a 4 but after reading it a second time I am rating it a 5. It remains my favorite of the first three books of the series.
This time Kirth Gersen is looking for the star king named Kokor Hekkus, one of the five star kings who killed his parents and destroyed his childhood home. Kokor Hekkus means "killing machine" in the language on Hekkus's home planet of Thamber. This is a reference to the horrific giant combat machines Hekkus commissions to be made, the latest one resembling a highly aggressive, giant alien creature. While this war machine is being created Hekkus kidnaps some children of wealthy parents in order to raise more revenue. He takes them to the Interchange, a planet in the Beyond, where the hostages are confined until a ransom is collected. It is something of a prison and banking intermediary that collects a commission for the hostages held there who are ransomed, leaving the kidnappers free to deal with other activities and concerns. In order to get closer to Hekkus, Gersen takes on a commission from the parents of the children who were kidnapped in order to track down and try to rescue them. He visits the Interchange under the guise of a slave purchaser.
This is a very colorful, fast paced, entertaining novel with an intriguing, convoluted plot that includes many fascinating characters, tribes, and planets. After Gersen visits the Interchange and bids on hostages, he becomes a partner in an engineering company and assists to make a more effective mobile combat machine that people ride in and operate. This one has been commissioned by Kokor Hekkus and resembles a highly aggressive, giant, alien animal called a dnazd. At one point there is a colorful fight between the robot dnazd and a real dnazd. Gersen himself is kidnapped and while being confined he learns to make counterfeit money. Later he joins up with a tribe of primitive creatures who are at war with Hekkus and ends up challenging the leader of the tribe in order to rescue a woman in distress. Every page seems to bring some new encounter, often laced with irony or humor and always done with flair and imagination. Almost every wild adventure and activity is an attempt by Gersen to get closer to Kokor Hekkus so he can kill him for revenge. But this is very challenging because Hekkus is not only difficult to locate; he is difficult to even identify. Most of the background material about Kirth Gersen is in the first book, The Star King, so this needs to be read prior to The Killing Machine. Highly recommended.
The Palace of Love
The Palace of Love was first published in 1966 in Galaxy Magazine. It was released as a novel in 1968. This is the third book in Jack Vance's The Demon Princes. My copy is 154 pages long, making it slightly longer than the first two novels in the series. The first novel of the series, The Star King, provided essential background material so should be read first. In The Killing Machine, the second novel, there is further development of the main character, Kirth Gersen, so that ideally should also be read prior to reading The Palace of Love. This is the second time I've read The Palace of Love and I liked it better the second time, changing my earlier rating of a 3 now to a 4. For me it is still the least fascinating of the five book series, but it is still well worth reading.
Kirth Gersen continues his obsession with tracking down and killing the five demon princes who killed his parents and destroyed the colony where he lived when he was a child. So far he has succeeded in doing so with two of them. This time he is after Viole Falushe. At one time when still a teenager Falushe kidnapped an entire choir of girls and sold them all into slavery. Now he is very wealthy slave owner and is the absolute dictator on his own planet where all residents must give him their first born child to enslave or use as he likes. He spends much of his time on his planet at a place called The Palace of Love where visitors are sometimes invited as guests.
Gersen visits the planet Sarkovy with a woman friend named Alusz Ilphigenia Eperje-Tokay in order to track down a lead that might help him find Falushe. Sarkovy is a planet known for its many natural botanical poisons and its populace of highly skilled poison masters who offer their services for hire and readily sell very lethal poisons at a price set by the poisoners' guild. One Sarkovy resident is about to be executed by the guild for having sold poison to Falushe at a discount price. Gersen hopes to interview him for leads to track Falushe down. Gersen's obsession with tracking down and killing Falushe and his involvement with poisons, death and shady characters creates difficulties with his new romantic relationship with Alusz.
Gersen's pursuit takes him to Old Earth where he meets the mad poet Navarth who use to be Falushe's mentor and a mysterious young woman named Drusilla Wayles or “Zan Zu from Eridu,” who was given to Navarth as a child by Falushe to be cared for. There is a bizarre wild costume party hosted by Navarth where Gersen finds out what Falushe looks like. Gersen then decides to purchase a reputable but failing Cosmopolis Magazine so he can hire himself as a writer and then use this as an angle to try to arrange an interview with Falushe. He offers to write a more complementary and sympathetic article about Falushe than the article that was already submitted to Cosmopolis Magazine which they are about to publish. Of course Gersen also wrote this initial, highly critical article that he shares with Falushe. He does not admit to writing the article but says the magazine will refrain from publishing it if he can write a substitute article based on an interview with Falushe. Will Falushe take the bait and agree to a person to person interview? If he does agree, how can Gersen work around the extensive security measures that protect Falushe?
Vance's description of Sarkovy and its people is fascinating, but the far future Earth is given very little description despite the time spent there and many activities that happened there. The most interesting portrait is of Falushes's planet and The Palace of Love which is treated with Vance's usual talent for world building as he describes the architecture, people, customs, laws, and culture. Although the plot is rather choppy and somewhat thin, we do have some interesting characters and there is plenty of action. It is also engaging, entertaining and easy to read, and as with all of Vance's writings I find that repeated readings yield new rewards.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews