The Gray Prince – the novel – is reserved, dry, sly, a streamlined adventure, a mystery box full of more mystery boxes, a meditation on manifest destiny, a critical contemplation on colonialism that left me a little disturbed. The Gray Prince – the character – is a fool, a clown, an object of exploitation, an embittered revolutionary, a supporting character of more importance as an objective of critical contemplation than as an actual supporting character. I don’t know why the book is titled “The Gray Prince”. I think it should be called “Might Is Right”. It is a very enjoyable novel with some unnerving things to say about who can take what and why. Because it is written by the masterful Jack Vance, these ideas are slowly, sardonically unspooled with wit, subtlety, and a quiet, slowly building forcefulness. I don’t agree with the points he is making but damn he knows how to drive a point home. "Except for a few special cases, title to every parcel of real property derives from an act of violence, more or less remote, and ownership is only as valid as the strength and will required to maintain it. This is the lesson of history, whether you like it or not.”“The mourning of defeated peoples, while pathetic and tragic, is usually futile,” said Kelse. Well, okay then.Schaine Madduc returns to the world of Koryphon after a stay abroad. She’s the child of a maverick ranching family – one of many such families on the planet – whose ancestors seized their land on the continent Uaia from the nomadic human-offshoots who once held it. She’s lightly liberal and hates the idea that others may suffer from her family’s actions; she also really loves her land and has no interest in leaving it. The Gray Prince is madly in love with her. Surprisingly, she is not the protagonist. Erris Sammatzen is a decent man and gentle progressive from the cosmopolitan continent of Szintarre, which also functions as the de facto capital of Koryphon. He is an activist for the independence of the colonized natives; despite this, he is falling in love with the land-owner Schaine. Following her back to Uaia, he gets tossed into adventure after adventure; each time he rises to the occasion and each time his progressive viewpoint gets shaken a wee bit more. Surprisingly, he is not the protagonist. Gerd Jemasze has many mysteries to solve… Who are the true – and sentient - citizens of Koryphon? What are their plans for the humans and human off-shoots who hold their planet? Who killed Schaine’s father? And what was that last ‘joke’ that so impressed that taciturn land baron? Gerd is a smart and sardonic land owner, a quietly humane man of few words who doesn’t think much on ideological matters and who is excellent under pressure and in a fight. He is a classic Vance protagonist. Surprisingly, he is not the protagonist of this novel.The diversity of perspective is one of the many pleasing things about this novel. The brisk and deadpan tone, the high adventure done with a minimum of fuss, the elegant prose and the expert word choice and sentence structure, the overall humorous intelligence on display, the ingenious ability to define multiple cultures and species, the lingering ambiguity, the tart and cynical commentary on human nature… all Vance trademarks and all fully present. This is a lot of fun, definitely, but it is a rather deflating experience as well. Vance doesn’t truck in wish fulfillment. This one was a bit more deflating than usual. Why you wanna punch me in the gut, Vance? Erris Sammatzen approached Jemasze. “And this is Uther Madduc’s ‘wonderful joke’?”“So I believe.”“But what’s so funny?”“The magnificent ability of the human race to delude itself.”“That’s bathos, not humor,” said Sammatzen shortly. Indeed.this review is a part of a longer piece reviewing 3 books by Jack Vance, posted on Shelf Inflicted.
The Domains of Koryphon is unusual for Vance in containing a fairly explicit political message - in this case about property ownership, conquest, and prior possession. There's also a leavening of Vance's more standard self-reliance, and a more evident than usual criticism of effete urbanites in favor of taciturn, outdoorsy, cowboy types.That said, there's also the usual Vance inventiveness and language. Erjins and morphotes share land with Uldras, Wind-runners, land-barons, and Outkers. Tragedies and mystery take our protagonists across the planet to encounter weird, beautiful landscapes and strange, unpredictable creatures as we learn surprising things that get to the heart of the planet's history.Vance cheats a bit in this case, leading us towards a crucial mystery, which is then presented in a strangely understated way. He also withholds key information in order to surprise us with it later. It's not the most satisfying of resolutions, and feels at times a bit pro forma. At the same time, the environment, while not developed to the level of some Vance books, is intriguing and fun to explore.While most Vance books feel as if the author is exploring right along with us, this one feels like he had a message and created a story to carry it through. Overall, the book is good, but most recommended for existing Vance fans.
What do You think about The Gray Prince (2004)?
"Except for a few special cases, title to every parcel of real property derives from an act of violence, more or less remote, and ownership is only as valid as the strength and will required to maintain it. This is the lesson of history, whether you like it or not." - Gerd Jemasze, in Jack Vance’s The Gray PrinceA classic Vance tale of interracial intrigue. The Gray Prince, Jorjol the Uldran, like the protagonist of the movie Belle, suffers as a child the indignity of prejudice even in the household that raises him. The result in the end is a bloody insurrection. The ruling council is swayed to intervene on the half of the dispossessed - or even the race of those they displaced, the erjins, in consideration of their disputed intelligence. The land barons have the last word, when Jorjol's rival uncovers the true history of the world, its original denizens, and exposes the flimsy legal standing of the council itself. Thus this tale of fantasy fulfils the role of a fiction of consequence, illustrating the real nature of power and territorial conflict on Earth.
—Nowick
This book is the weakest Vance novel i have read. A bitter story about humans colonizing a world where intelligent alien species live, it lacks the heart,wit you expect from Vance. Not to mention his prose isnt as strong,crisp as usual.The story was too slow,not interesting enough for Vance.It is a decent book but cant compare to the other novels of his i have read. I could have rated it 3 stars if i didnt expect more from him such as better prose,more intellegent and emotional deeper story. I cant rate it emotionally just because the author is a big favourite, if you analyze it critially it has many flaws.
—Mohammed
