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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Book of Dreams (The Demon Princes, Book 5) (Paperback)
"Many fine things your father had planned for you: learning and useful work; a life of satisfaction and peace. All this is gone now, do you understand? But the learning you shall have - the use of your hands and mind. And useful work: the elimination of evil men. What work is more useful than this? Finally, I cannot give you peace, but I promise you ample satisfaction, for I shall teach you to crave the blood of these men more than the flesh of a woman."These are the words uttered by Kirth Gersen's (sometimes called Keith Gersen) grandfather after a raid on their homeworld by 5 super-criminals (known as the 5 Demon Princes) leaves everyone but these two either dead or enslaved. True to his word, the old man forges his grandson into an unstoppable instrument of vengeance. In fact, Gersen often seems more a force a nature than a human being, more machine than man in his single-minded quest for revenge. His fighting prowess and physical abilities are without peer; likewise, his mind is sharp and focused. I actually like some of the other books in this series better, but I found the villian in this one to be the most complex and intriguing; this particular villian has schemes within schemes and plots to take over the Gaean Reach (the area of space inhabited by man) in such a sublime and surprising manner that you won't believe it. As with the others before him, this Demon Prince hides his true identity and Gersen must ferret him out. After his epic swindling of Interchange to the tune of 10 billion SVU, Gersen has ample financial resources, but must invariably use his hands and mind to track down the elusive demon prince known as Alan Howard Treesong. Once again, Vance's unstoppable hero Gersen takes us on an adventure that is part sci-fi, part mystery, part thriller and all fun. This book marks the end of the series. The only part I found vaguely unsatisying is that there was not a strong enough indication of Gersen would do after his long quest for vengeance was over. The character is so memorable that it is hard to imagine that he is not the central figure in at least a dozen books/stories, like Tarzan or Sherlock Holmes. That's the worst part of this series: that we are not likely to see Kirth Gersen again after it's all over.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm going to miss Kirth Gersen,
This review is from: The Book of Dreams (The Demon Princes, Book 5) (Paperback)
The Book of Dreams is the final book of Jack Vance's The Demon Princes saga. Kirth Gersen must find and eliminate his last elusive enemy: Howard Alan Treesong. As usual, he has the help of his reluctant banker and there's a new Innocent Pretty Young Female to attend to, also.
The Book of Dreams is reminiscent of The Palace of Love (the third Demon Princes novel), which also featured a sensitive boy turned bad after being bullied and teased by his peers. Kirth finally tracks down Treesong at his high school reunion where he shows up to get revenge on his classmates. That scene was hilarious. There were plenty of other humorous Vanceian elements, too, including an intergalactic magazine contest and a species of sub-humans who had devolved because they don't eat meat ("the dark side of vegetarianism"). I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Demon Princes novels, but I was hoping for something extra in this final episode -- perhaps the most outrageous enemy, a near-death experience, the cleverest plot, the perfect girl -- something special to wrap up the series. Vance could have done more with Howard Alan Treesong who had multiple personalities and was planning to take over the universe. He could have been a scarier villain. The end of The Book of Dreams was abrupt. All through the series, I've been wondering what Kirth would do when his life's work was over. Would he feel relieved? Depressed? Purposeless? This was answered in two lines at the end of The Book of Dreams. I was hoping for more, but Vance chose not to enlighten us. So, I didn't get the "go-out-with-a-bang" ending or the epilogue I was hoping for, but I'm still satisfied. Kirth Gersen is one of Jack Vance's best heroes. I'm going to miss him.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tied for First Place,
By
This review is from: The Book of Dreams (The Demon Princes, Book 5) (Paperback)
THE BOOK OF DREAMS culminates Kirth Gersen's epic quest for revenge against the syndicate of slavers that destroyed his home town and killed his parents. This fascinating story, full of otherworldly imagery and brimming with suspense, relates how Gersen runs the single remaining Demon Prince (Howard Alan Treesong) to ground, and how the latter meets with a surprising end. A book well worth the read and any number of subsequent re-reads. THE BOOK OF DREAMS, last in a series of five, in my estimation ties the preceding book, THE FACE, for first place.
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