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The Star King Jack Vance 9780340253946 Books

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The Star King Jack Vance 9780340253946 Books

I first read this story in the now-gone but never really matched science fiction magazine, Galaxy, when I was about 12 years old. Vance, and Galaxy, were more interested in the sociological and anthropological views than are most modern science fiction writers and publishers. Also, Vance formed his style initially writing fantasy reminiscent of Lord Dunsany with a sense of humor. That style works very well here. Kirth Gerson reminds me of Batman, up against villains of comparable skill, the worst of whom is hiding in plain sight and must be identified. I feel that the story is still a pleasure to read half a century on.


Tags : The Star King [Jack Vance] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Coronet, 1980. This is A British paperback, first printing by this publisher. This 1964 novel is first in the Demon Princes sequence.,Jack Vance,The Star King,Coronet Books,0340253940,0930-WS1801-A03010-0340253940,Fiction,Science Fiction

The Star King Jack Vance 9780340253946 Books Reviews

As I begin the reboot of my reading, what better place to start than with my favorite author, Jack Vance.

I plan on interspersing long-ago read books by Mr. Vance between new books of uncertain nature because nothing I read exalts me more than the prose of Jack Vance.

With the advent of the internet, I can also share my opinions of Mr. Vance's work with anyone who cares to read my reviews. Not because my opinion has any greater value than anyone else's, but because it will have at least as much value as anyone else's.

So, preamble over, let's talk "The Star King"!

One of the most endearing traits of much of Mr. Vance's writing is his use of supportive text either in the form of footnotes or in (sometimes) lengthy introductions to chapters. In his Demon Princes series, of which The Star King is volume 1, this practice is used expertly.

The main story is that of Kirth Gersen, subjected to childhood trauma at the hands of five "Demon Princes", criminals of unique and extravagant character. Left only with his surviving grandfather, he is put on the path of monomaniacal revenge.

A hallmark of Mr. Vance's series (Planet of Adventure, Demon Princes, Dying Earth, Cadwal) is the first book of the series is invested with a wealth of "starter" information, enveloping the reader in the time, nature and customs of the people and worlds involved in the tale.

Another wonderful gift he wraps into his stories is an overarching group of concepts that weave in and out of many of his books over multiple decades.

For instance, whether the Oikumene is the same as, or merely a precursor to, the Gaean Reach that later encompasses the span of mankind in his space-faring books, The Star King is likely the first appearance of his oft-referenced IPCC (Interworld Police Coordination Company), creating a subtle but friendly familiarity to many of Mr. Vance's books.

Another aspect of Mr. Vance's style is that he is probably the most Green writer ever - nothing is wasted in his writing. Flora is intricately explained , not simply described. Fauna fits logically within the ecospheres of the ordinary or bizarre planets he creates.

The detail in his writing is amazing, yet never to the cost of pace. The importance of this is significant in a series that travels, literally, across the galaxy as Gersen searches for the first Demon Prince on his list.

The book establishes, quietly, subplots and key foreshadowing of future developments that only become apparent as the reader devours the later books in the series.

In the meantime, you get to read a thoroughly satisfying introduction to Kirth Gersen and the monumental task that he has undertaken. Though immensely competent (a characteristic of many of Mr. Vance's space heroes), he faces, just in his first effort, a series of dangerous and cunning villains simply to identify the first Demon Prince (Attel Malagate the Woe).

Crafted smartly as part science fiction and part detective novel, the book swiftly moves Gersen around the various worlds of the Oikumene to unearth the clues he needs to uncover and (hopefully) execute his elusive foe.

The method cleverly allows Mr. Vance to familiarize the reader with many of the worlds and customs of the Oikumene, allowing later books greater latitude to skip the preamble and dive right into the intricate societal structures of a space-settled mankind.

It's no spoiler to say that Gersen succeeds in his first mission, though that statement could itself be misleading.

One thing that won't mislead you is saying that reading any book by Jack Vance will range from fun romp to rapt enjoyment. You should be well served with this book and series from the master!
very good series
5 books blend into one complete seies
I've been waiting for the Demon Princes series to be converted to ebooks. I read them many years ago, long enough for my paperbacks to have disintegrated. Jack Vance does have a distinct voice, and it's one I enjoy reading. I'm not a fan of his fantasy-oriented work, but that's because I'm not a big fan of fantasy in general... more of a hard SF reader.

A welcome addition to my e-library.
Intelligent, laconic, circuitous and engaging! I've enjoyed Vance for years but am just now reacquainting myself with the Demon Prince series. Well worth the time!
I'm rereading all of Vance now, after 25 years and finding his novels as good as I remembered them. His heroes are decent men, outlaws perhaps, but bound by their own moral code, their own honor, much as is Chandler's Marlowe. Unlike most recent SF, Vance's protagonists have goals and strive to achieve them.

Yes, the footnotes are a bit overlong in this one, but only because I can't wait to get back to Gerson's adventures. This series is a must read for any SF aficionado.
Caution; reading stories written this long ago they may feel like they fall victim to all the old memes. Tropes old and tired. Things you've seen in so many other stories. But these are the stories that founded the tropes, that started the memes.
Plus you'll have to go look up words you've never seen. Seems like the old Masters knew language better than we do today.
The Star King is the first of Jack Vance's Demon Princes series, which I regard as one of Vance's two best science fiction series (the other being Tschai).

The setup is that the hero, Kirth Gersen, is the survivor of the Mount Pleasant Massacre. Mount Pleasant, a colony on a planet in a distant star system, was wiped out during Gersen's childhood by a fleet of space pirates led by the five so-called "Demon Princes". His parents and neighbors gone, Gersen was raised to adulthood by his grandfather, a retired agent or operative of many lethal skills. He teaches these to the young Gersen, then dies and leaves him a small fortune. As the series begins, Gersen is now an adult, alone in a vast interstellar society, and apparently free to act as he chooses. The freedom is an illusion. Inner-driven, Gersen has but one path in life he will hunt down and kill the Demon Princes. He takes on one in each of the five books of the series,

The situation seems to be a relatively simple, revenge-driven plot, but Vance's genius is in the details "Space pirates" is accurate enough to describe the bad guys, but the simplistic space opera label doesn't do justice to this group of grotesques, each unique, each eccentrically evil in unforeseen ways. These bizarre geniuses will test Gersen to the extreme. Colorful imagery, cooly urbane overviews, fast action, and unpredictable plot twists abound. As usual, Vance conveys all this with elegant style, undercutting the darker side of events with a certain ironic detachment.

This first book is entertaining, but the series gets even better as it goes on. I recommend it unreservedly.
I first read this story in the now-gone but never really matched science fiction magazine, Galaxy, when I was about 12 years old. Vance, and Galaxy, were more interested in the sociological and anthropological views than are most modern science fiction writers and publishers. Also, Vance formed his style initially writing fantasy reminiscent of Lord Dunsany with a sense of humor. That style works very well here. Kirth Gerson reminds me of Batman, up against villains of comparable skill, the worst of whom is hiding in plain sight and must be identified. I feel that the story is still a pleasure to read half a century on.