The Star King cover art

The Star King

The Demon Princes Series, Book 1

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The Star King

By: Jack Vance
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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About this listen

Five intergalactic criminal masterminds raid the tranquil world of Mount Pleasant, leaving behind only ruin and slaughter - and the orphaned child Kirth Gersen, who comes to manhood swearing to take bloody revenge. Now Gersen roams the galaxy, bringing vengeance to the Demon Princes one by one, in Jack Vance's classic series of hardboiled space opera.

In a seedy tavern on Smade's Planet, Kirth Gersen picks up the trail of Attel Malagate, a member of an alien species called Star Kings, who masquerade as humans. Malagate maintains anonymity behind a screen of sinister henchmen, but Gersen will combine subtle guile and stark violence in a strategy to bring him face to face with the first of the Demon Princes.

© 1963 and 2005 Jack Vance (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing and Skyboat Media, Inc. Science Fiction Space Opera Fiction Royalty Revenge Interstellar
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Kirth Gersen, is a survivor of a childhood massacre by a Star king - a superior race that has infiltrated and imitated humanity. His quest is simple - to locate and kill Malagate - the first on his list of star kings to exact his revenge.
Entertainingly read and beautifully written, I can read / listen to this again and again.

Excellent story and colorfully read

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I read the Star King books over 30 yrs ago, and they left a strong, fond memory. They are a lot like a Bond movie, including having a series. The hero is unstoppable, there are women and there are aliens. And it is a SF setting, everything I could ask for. Excellent candidate for a miniseries.
I am really getting a little tired on the negative reviews that apply modern sensibilities to a book, author, society from a previous era. This is a book written by an excellent writer, living in his time, writing for that time. In our time we may hold different values but it would be wrong to apply them to a story.
If you like old fashioned stories, of men with a purpose, flawed by what drives him, but slowly becoming more human, then I recommend the entire series. Vance is an excellent writer, and I find his books a very easy read, and now an easy listen.

As good as I recall it.

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I enjoyed this book it's different to other book andi enjoyed how Stefan Rudnicki told the story

The Star King by Jack Vance

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An old story made by a Cleary sexist author. Then narrated by an old man with a difficult to hear voice. the book has two redeeming features an old timey fanciful language and an old timey sci-fi setting. Which are also largely offset in their value by the fact that, 1.certain words have proven illegible and apparently impossible to vocalise, 2.that I personally found the main character disagreeable, 3.because the author chose to make some one other than the female lead the hidden shapeshifter at the last moment and instead made her, in an utterly unexpected twist as vapid and 2-dimensional as was ever possible.

It’s bad

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This is reasonable slop to fall asleep to; a tale as insipid as the sole woman used to accessorise it.

Yet another audiobook I have listened to purely for the soothing dulcet tones of Stefan Rudnicki's reliably enjoyable narration. It's a shame he lends his talent to rot such as this amongst the diverse riches elsewhere in his extensive cataogue. That said, I've certainly had to work jobs I'd rather not have because a body needs shelter and sustainance.

I'll likely make my way through the rest of the included books in this series, but only because they'll work well as an aide to sleep, especially as I'd frankly rather not comprehend whatever details of the story itself.

I will however take care to avoid Jack Vance in the future. His work leaves the familiar unpleasant taste of choked-down vomit that I associate with so very many "classic" Science Fiction authors.

Should you so desire, you might slake your Rudnicki Thirst to greater satisfaction in Lightspeed Magazine. Conversely, if you seek greater diversity, Escape Pod offers a wholesome & sumptuous buffet.

Same Boring White American Old Boys' Club Sci Fi

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