Reviews

De Moordmachine by Jack Vance

tstevens3's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

rjbs's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I think this one was better than The Star King. I found it more clever and at no point was I annoyed that I felt I had predicted the end, even if I *was* wrong the first time. Gersen remains a well-drawn character, for Vance, and I look forward to his continued antics.

beefmaster's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

The only thing that doesn't work for me is the fact that there's no complicated financial market based around Interchange. That much money and there aren't speculators and/or gamblers? Otherwise this is superb

zachtheiler's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

4.25

fredkiesche's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous fast-paced

5.0

arthurbdd's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

A cut above much generic SF adventure fiction, but a little shakier than its predecessor or the final two books in the series. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2022/03/16/interstellar-hit-list-infernal-targets/

kmccubbin's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Jack Vance is such an anomoly. He's a strange amalgum of Van Vogt-ish over the top science fantasy (almost Edgar Rice Burroughs at points, even!) and Philip K. Dick-y ultra-modernism. But, in saying all that, I also have to say that there is simply no one like Jack Vance. Seemingly out of control half the time, every once in a while the focus shifts and you feel like the man has a massive master plan.
This second book of The Demon Princes series is where I learned to trust Vance completely. Giant mechanical centipedes that shoot fire out of their eyes? Sure. Kidnapping middle-agencies and the secret of money? I'm in. Lost planets and replacement glands? You got it.
This book is riveting, silly and smart. What more do you want?

henryarmitage's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This was SF in the early 60s. Reminds me of Christopher Priest
or A. E. Van Vogt. One of a series of five detailing a man's quest
for revenge in the distant future.

This is very different from Vance's later style. Some would describe
it as wooden. 'Deadpan' or 'hardboiled' are some other terms that
comes to mind. Not a 'sense of wonder' kind of SF tale. It's more
like a crime story with spaceships.

jameseckman's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Kirth Gersen is still the central character in this novel, is he really becoming the killing machine? Can he remain a normal human being and continue his quest for revenge? To younger readers used to much thicker novels, I would say that this is really a sub-novel of the Demon Princes book and if you read all five in the series it's still only about half the length of a Brandon Sanderson novel. It does have some of the old fashion tropes, damsel in distress and secondary weak female characters but in the early '60's when this was written, strong female characters were not part of SF.

This series is one big novel, they just couldn't publish giant SF novels in the early 60's. So read them in order!