Galactic Effectuator

Miro Hetzel #1-2

by Jack Vance

Miro Hetzel is an effectuator: a private investigator and gentleman of the Gaean Reach. This book contains two stories of his adventures.

"The Dogtown Tourist Agency" - The Istagam Corporation has found an inexpensive means of manufacturing technical goods which greatly undercuts its competition. Hetzel, hired by that competition, must trace down the mysterious Istagam and discover their secret. His investigation leads him to the dangerous and exotic planet Maz, whose inhuman inhabitants' life cycle is dependent upon conflict and warfare. There he becomes embroiled in murder.


"Freitzke's Turn" - Hetzel must locate one Faurence Dacre, a brilliant surgeon and sociopath who has stolen the body parts of Hetzel's client. In order to locate Dacre, Hetzel must retrace the man's history to find his likely hiding place.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Speculative Fiction, Novels, Fantasy, Short Story Collection

219 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Aka John Holbrook Vance, Peter Held, John Holbrook, Ellery Queen, John van See, Alan Wade.

The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, The Dying Earth , was published in 1950 to great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, off to work he goes, the Galactic Effectuator! Who's the futuristic private dick that's a sex machine to at least one or two chicks? The Galactic Effectuator! He will dig dig dig not with a shovel or a pick but he will dig dig dig those secrets up quick. Who is the man that would risk his neck for a sweet paycheck? The Galactic Effectuator! Can you dig it? Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about? The Galactic Effectuator! Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's home from work he'll go. Job well done, Galactic Effectuator! Right on.

The garish cover is a perfect match for the garish aliens on display in the first novella, "Dogtown Tourist Agency" - those aliens were fantastic, and very very alien. Perfectly accomplished xenoethnography on display by a master of the art. Also perfectly accomplished: the mysteries at the heart of Dogtown and the second novella "Freitzke's Turn" and I love that the latter title is a mean-spirited jest made at the expense of that story's psychopathic villain, a planet-trotting, narcissistic surgeon who, among his many crimes, has made a sport out of fucking with 3 of 4 besotted sisters... it looks like 4th sister Freitzke's turn will be a rather different experience for him. In case any of his scifi/fantasy fans have forgotten, this book is a great reminder that Vance had an entire side career writing tight little novels of mystery and detection.

The book has all that I could want from a Jack Vance novel: suave prose, sneaky wit, ironic tone, a relaxed bemusement at the follies displayed by human nature. Plus aliens, mysteries, and a really cool job. It was super fun, I loved it.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know Jack Vance as the legend of a SFF grandmaster that he is. Right? Good. Well, Vance also wrote some dozen non-SF mysteries. He did so under various noms de plume, primarily John Holbrook Vance. Clearly a genre that Vance enjoyed. So it's no surprise he wrote several mysteries with SF settings as well. His Magnus Ridolph stories are perhaps the better known, but he also wrote several starring Miro Hetzel, private "effectuator", i.e. investigator. These stories take place within Vance's vast stretch of civilizations known as the Gaean Reach, which feature in dozens of his novels.

The Dogtown Tourist Agency is essentially a murder mystery, wrapped in a case of industrial espionage that Miro Hetzel initially is hired on for. Hetzel is rather unremarkable as a character, missing the flair and flamboyancy that make Magnus Ridolph so amusing. However, as is typical with Vance, the story shines in Vance's conception of alien world(s). In this case, the world of Maz, the principal city of which is divided in jurisdiction between three unfriendly alien species (humans and two others), as well as the lawless "Dogtown" slums. The natives of Maz, the Gomaz, are a brilliantly conceived humanoid species, stoic and warlike, who feature prominently in the story. Vance's descriptions of their odd, unisex mating behaviors, their systems of combined telepathic and verbal communication and their society of warring clans is just dripping with Vance's signature creative ingenuity.

Freitzke’s Turn is a very amusing SF mystery, the second Vance story featuring Miro Hetzel, interstellar "effectuator" extraordinaire. I found this even more enjoyable than The Dogtown Tourist Agency. A bit more tightly plotted and featuring a truly detestable villain, a devious and wholly unscrupulous Dr Frankenstein like surgeon named Faurence Dacre. Hetzel pursues the good Dr Dacre across various and sundry worlds of the Gaean Reach after he's accused of being a scorned lover who's taken a particularly dastardly form of revenge on his rival. Great fun.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always find reading Vance a treat, and this definitely was fun. Galactic Effectuator comprises two novellas featuring the adventures of Miro Hetzel, the titular Galactic Effectuator. An effectuator operates something like a private detective but of course on a galactic scale.

The first novella, "The Dogtown Tourist Agency," starts with Miro being contacted by a prim business man whose company makes some complicated gizmos. There are a handful of other firms doing the same, basically an oligopoly, but suddenly a new firm emerged that dramatically undercut their prices. The guy hires Miro to find out what is going on and how the new rival firm can possibly produce the goods for such little money-- they are basically handmade after all! Miro tracks the new firm to the far planet of Maz, basically a backwater. The indigenous population of Maz have been culturally static for a million years and only came to the attention of humanity (and two alien empires) when some fool gave them weapons and ships, which they promptly used to try to conquer the galaxy. Now, Maz has been returned to its low tech status, but possesses a capitol where humanity and two other alien races keep tabs on the Maz people. How could such a low tech civilization possibly make high tech gizmos? Vance, as usual, does a fantastic job with the locals, developing their civilization with few words, but very good ones!

The second novella, more like a short story, features Miro on a very different quest. He is contacted by a wealthy guy with a problem. The problem? A rival for his new wife basically replaced his testicles with someone else's, and he wants his own back thank you very much! Miro spends lots of time and energy tracking down the culprit; the mad doctor was actually a friend of Miro's in college way back when. Another fun story for sure. 3.5 starts, rounding up. This may not be Vance on his best day, but even on his off days he excels. Also, lots of Easter eggs from other novels/stories set in the 'Reach'.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't realized how many Vance books take place in the Gaean Reach.

Very good, certainly, but it falls into such a pattern that given the sum total of Vance's work, it actually doesn't stand out much. There is the slightly pompous but very clever protagonist, an ensemble of off-kilter supporting characters, a plot line resolved through cleverness, and one or more delightfully wacky cultures.

Of the two stories in the volume, "Freitzke's Turn" is more memorable simply because of the devilish antagonist Faurence Dacre, who embodies such outlandish and arrogant villainry that he becomes some kind of bogeyman, which I thought was exceptionally well done: we learn his history and personality in the hero's search and interaction with the people he touched.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Galactic Effectuator was released as a book in 1980 and included the Vance novel Dogtown Tourist Agency and his novella Freitzke’s Turn. The title for this combination of stories was changed to “Miro Hetzel Effectuator” in the 2005 Vance Integral Edition and in the 2018 Spatterlight Press release. Both stories involve the same protagonist, Miro Hetzel. Each piece is described below.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...

Dogtown Tourist Agency-Jack Vance novel
The Dogtown Tourist Agency is a 144 page novel that was written by Jack Vance in 1973 and was first published in 1975 as part of a book anthology called Epoch. In 1980 it was released as "Part One" of the book titled "Galactic Effectuator." It is currently in print, along with Freitzke’s Turn, in a trade paperback release by Spatterlight Press under the title Miro Hetzel, Effectuator.

The Dogtown Tourist Agency stands on its own or may be read along with Freitzke's Turn. They are independent stories but involve the same main character, Miro Hetzel, who contracts work as an effectuator, an interstellar private investigator who must also resolve the problem after investigating it. There are some similarities between Hetzel and an earlier Vance protagonist named Magnus Ridolph.

Hetzel agrees to meet with Sir Ivon Hacaway, the chairman of the board at Palladian Micronics. Hacaway's company produces very intricate, technologically advanced products such as robot brains. Six months ago an unknown company called Istagam began marketing similar items at prices far below market. Hacaway wants Hetzel to investigate to determine how this company is able to produce these high tech products at such a low cost. The ships delivering Istagam products pick up their cargo from a planet called Maz which is inhabited by three distinct civilizations residing in different areas of the planet. These are the Liss, the Olefract and the Gomaz.

Hacaway wants Hetzel to visit the area called Dogtown in the Gomaz territory. This is an area beyond Gaean Reach authority and is a refuge for criminals. The main native inhabitants are the large insect like monosexual Gomaz that live in castles and are constantly at war. They obsessively battle with other Gomaz tribes in bizarre combat that involves ritualistic movements, reproduction by implanting spawn into the dead foe's thorax and then eating a gland in the back of deceased opponent's neck. The Gomaz are so violently aggressive that they are not permitted to have any guns or other more advanced weapons because they would, and indeed once tried, to conquer other species and planets. Gomaz communicate telepathically with each other, view themselves as part of a colony rather than as individuals and have absolutely no fear of death.

After arriving in Dogtown, Hetzel visits the Dogtown Tourist Agency where he meets a young woman who works there. He eventually strikes up a relationship with her and she later joins him on his adventure. Hetzel needs permission from the Gaean Triarch, Sir Estevan, before he can rent an air car to travel, however. When Hetzel arrives at a meeting with Sir Estevan he finds that the Liss and Olefract Triarchs plus two Gomez visitors were just murdered in a shooting spree where Sir Estevan himself narrowly escaped being shot. Hetzel notices a man quickly leaving the area and follows him to later confront him. He learns that this man, Gidion Dirby, was present at the shooting and is now the main suspect.

But Dirby insists that he is totally innocent and has been set up. Dirby tells Hetzel a very bizarre story of having been kidnapped and tortured while being held hostage in a nightmarish place where he was given fake food, a chamber pot was poured on his head and naked women would sometimes crawl around on their hands and knees on the floor in front of him while wearing only dominoes. He was also poisoned, gassed and tormented with psychedelic lights, dancing birds and strange events that seemed like hallucinations. One day Dirby woke up to find himself released. He went immediately to report the incident to the Triarch where he unexpectedly encountered the shooting incident. His story is so vividly detailed and far-fetched that Hetzel believes Dirby and offers him temporary sanctuary in his hotel room. Hetzel offers to assist Dirby to clear himself after he returns from some travels he has planned to conduct his investigation of the Istagam company.

Hetzel's investigative adventures lead to fascinating, ironic and, at times, humorous encounters with a bizarre alien culture where values and behavior are at odds with the interplanetary government that regulates them. We also encounter clever investigative detective work with mystery and intrigue. Dogtown Tourist Agency is well written with good dialogue, strange alien creatures, and a suspenseful plot. It is more interesting and better written than the other Miro Hetzel piece, the novella Freitzke's Turn. I have read it twice now and continue to rate it a solid 4 "Really liked it."
Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Dream Castles: Early Jack Vance, vol. 2 (2012)

Freitzke's Turn-Jack Vance novella
Freitzke's Turn is a 77 page novella that was written by Jack Vance in 1974 and first published in 1977 in the book collection titled Triax. In 1980 it was combined with the story Dogtown Tourist Agency as part 2 in the collection "Galactic Effectuator." This two story collection is currently in print under the title “Miro Hetzel, Effectuator” in a high quality trade paperback edition by Spatterlight Press.

Although certainly not one of Vance’s finest works, Freitzke's Turn is fairly well written with good dialogue and an odd but suspenseful mystery. It involves the protagonist Miro Hetzel, a self-reliant and practical man, who contracts work as an effectuator, an interstellar private investigator who must also resolve the problem after investigating it. It can be read on its own or as a sequel to "The Dogtown Tourist Agency." Although it is not as richly imaginative and engaging as the Dogtown novella, it is still engaging and worth reading.

Hetzel decides to meet with a man named Conwit Clent who offers to hire him for an unusual investigation. Clent had been in love with a woman named Perdhra who was adored by another man named Dacre. Dacre was a strange, self-serving, but brilliant surgeon who seemed obsessed with Perdhra. But Perdhra preferred Clent and broke up with Dacre. Dacre threatened Clent, telling him to leave, but Clent ignored the threat and married Perdhra. Just prior to sailing away on his honeymoon, Clent was knocked unconscious. When he awoke four days later he found a cut on his scrotum. After consulting with a physician he was informed that that his seminal glands had been removed. Clent now wants to contract with Hetzel to locate and return his seminal glands. He is especially eager for Hetzel to accept the contract because Hetzel had gone to the same high school with Dacre and had known him fairly well. Clent wants two things, "I want back my missing parts. Perdhra and I both intend a family. This is not impossible under the present conditions." "Secondly, I want Faurence Dacre punished. Legally or illegally, one way or another." Hetzel, who recalls many unpleasant memories of Dacre, readily agrees to accept the contract.

Vance wrote many mysteries in addition to science fiction and this novella has a good deal of mystery in it as Clent searches for Dacre who has disappeared and does not want to be found. During the investigation Hetzel discovers many amazing things about Dacre who has left a very unpleasant trail behind that eventually leads to a bizarre climax with an even stranger outcome. Vance fans probably want to read this work although it is not one of his very best. I rated it a 3 “Liked it.”
Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Dream Castles: Early Jack Vance, vol. 2 (2012)

[Alien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enthält einen kurzen Roman und eine Novelle über den Detektiv Hetzel, der sich fürstlich dafür entlohnen lässt, dass er durch die Galaxis reist, um schwierige Fälle für seine Klienten zu lösen.

Im ersten Fall soll er rauskriegen, warum ausgerechnet vom Provinzplaneten Maz plötzlich hochkomplizierte, technische Produkte geliefert werden, die den angestammten Firmen das Geschäft zu ruinieren drohen. Wobei Maz schon was besonderes ist: er liegt am Rande des terranischen Reichs, gemeinsam verwaltet mit 2 anderen ET-Rassen, die mit den Terranern wenig zu tun haben wollen. Und dann gibt es noch die primitiven uns sehr kriegerischen Einheimischen.

Im zweiten Fall geht es noch weit bizarrer zu: sein Auftraggeber ist hier ein Mann, dem der gewissenlose und egomanische Chirurg Faurence Dacre die Klöten durch die eines anderen Mannes ersetzt hat, um sich dafür zu rächen, dass er ihm die Frau ausgespannt hat. Hetzel soll den Chirurgen aufspüren.

Vance hatte sicher seine Schwächen, aber ich mag einfach seinen Schreibstil und sein Markenzeichen: das üppige World Building. Er war einer dieser beneidenswerten Menschen, die eine unglaublich sprudelnde Phantasie haben.
Seine Romane haben (fast) immer eine gewisse Leichtigkeit, eine feine Ironie.

Wobei ich allerdings sagen muss, dass mir die Novelle nicht soo gut gefiel. Die Heirat zwischen Science Fiction und Krimi funktioniert nach meinem Empfinden eigentlich fast nie so richtig.

Es werden aber trotzdem knappe 4 Sterne (großzügig bewertet).

[Mohammed Abdikhader Firdhiye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miro Hetzel is an effectuator: a private investigator and gentleman of the Gaean Reach.

The first story "The Dogtown Tourist Agency" was a good weird alien cultures type Vance story but as a mystery in SF setting of his it was somewhat flawed. There was a character that Miro Hetzel was chasing which was the mystery of the story but it was not very intersting. I liked it only as an amusing story with very alien cultures and 1 of 3 alien cultures was really creepy, fun to read about.

The second story "Freitzke's Turn" was more interesting, better mystery story. Miro's work was vintage detective story and the mystery was full of twists you didnt see coming. Easily be the best of his SF/mystery stories i have read so far. This story was great writing, great story and it raised my rating for the book from 3 stars to 4 stars.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick read. I found out that an 'effectuator' is sort of a private detective that resolves situations. The book is two novellas set in the far future. Pulp fiction & very enjoyable. Plenty of twists & turns to the stories with very interesting backdrops, although I found myself gritting my teeth on a couple of gaffs. Still, it was well written overall.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an author, Jack Vance was incredibly versatile, perhaps more so than most in his profession. While some of his counterparts wrote in a similar variety of genres, very few attempted to blend them together within a single story. Vance was among the handful who did, authoring several mysteries in a science fiction setting. The premise in these tales is usually the same: a clever gentleman-adventurer in the far future earns his bread by applying his charm and formidable intellect to solving problems and helping out people in need.

This book offers a prime example of the form. In it, Miro Hetzel, a “effectuator” in Vance’s Gaean Reach, undertakes a pair of novella-length cases. In the first, he is tasked by the head of an electronics company to identify the source of the high-cost parts that are undercutting his business. The trail takes Hetzel to the planet Maz, where the native species is carefully monitored by the Gaeans and two other alien empires lest their warlike habits be unleashed on the universe once more. It’s a setting that proves far more interesting than the mystery Hetzel is investigating, which is swallowed into the larger intrigue in which he finds himself. The opposite is true in the second tale, in which a wealthy client asks Hetzel to investigate the alterations done to him by a brilliant surgeon who happens to be a former classmate of the effectuator. Here Hetzel posits an antagonist who is every bit Hetzel’s equal in ability, which sets up a compelling confrontation only for it to be resolved in a way that feels disappointingly anticlimactic.

Vance’s talents as an author ensure that both stories are never less than entertaining. Yet they fall short of his similar efforts in the past, lacking some of the freshness of their precursors. In particular, they compare unfavorably with Vance’s Magnus Ridolph stories, in which he uses the premise much more entertainingly. Hetzel is somewhat of a poor copy of Ridolph, and as I read it I found myself wondering why Vance didn’t simply use his previous creation as his protagonist in these tales. Whatever his reasons, Hetzel is just too much the archetype of a Vance protagonist to not suffer by comparison with Ridolph, and the other elements in the two stories that make up this book are not exploited enough to compensate for the difference.

[Metaphorosis · Rating 4 out of 5]

CVIE

Miro Hetzel is an effectuator - in effect, a private investigator. This book contains two of his cases.

Despite the unusual-for-Vance title "Dogtown Tourist Agency", the story is straightforward Vance, with effectuatory Miro Hetzel traveling to the planet Maz to track down a mysterious shipping company. Maz contains the usual mix of weird races and aloof characters, though the fun language and footnotes are toned down a bit from the Vance usual. It's a fun if not outstanding story.

"Freitzke's Turn" is a more limited but still enjoyable story in which Hetzel searches for a brilliant but twisted old schoolmate. The setup is fairly thin, and we mostly just follow along as Hetzel solves the case. The end, however, is satisfying, and more upbeat (in some ways) than usual.

All in all, very enjoyable exemplars of the standard Vance, though with slightly less unusual vocabulary. A must for Vance fans, fun for occasional Vance readers, and a good entry point for new readers.

[EmBe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack Vance war vielleicht der erste, der den klassischen Detektiv in einer Science Fiction-Umgebung hat agieren lassen. In diesem Band trägt er den sprechenden Namen Miro Hetzel. Er ist auf vielen unterschiedlichen Planeten unterwegs. Vance war ein Meister der Schilderung exotischer Kulturen auf fremden Planeten.
Es sind spannende und farbige Erzählungen, die ich seinerzeit sicher gerne gelesen habe, denn das liegt ganz auf der Linie, was ich von Science Fiction erwarte.
Jack Vance schrieb auch Krimis, insofern war prädestiniert, den Detektiv und kriminelle Verwicklungen in der SF zu etablieren.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miro Hetzel, Effectuator is a new title for the same Jack Vance two pieces that were previously published together under the title “Galactic Effectuator.” This title was changed to “Miro Hetzel Effectuator” in the 2005 Vance Integral Edition and in the 2018 Spatterlight Press release. It consists of two Jack Vance works involving the same protagonist, Miro Hetzel. Each piece is described below.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...

Dogtown Tourist Agency-Jack Vance novel
The Dogtown Tourist Agency is a 144 page novel that was written by Jack Vance in 1973 and was first published in 1975 as part of an anthology called Epoch. In 1980 it was released as "Part One" of the book titled "Galactic Effectuator." It is currently in print, along with Freitzke’s Turn, in a trade paperback release by Spatterlight Press.

The Dogtown Tourist Agency stands on its own or may be read as a prequel to Freitzke's Turn. They are different stories but involve the same main character, Miro Hetzel, who contracts work as an effectuator, an interstellar private investigator who must also resolve the problem after investigating it. There are some similarities between Hetzel and an earlier Vance protagonist named Magnus Ridolph.

Hetzel agrees to meet with Sir Ivon Hacaway, the chairman of the board at Palladian Micronics. Hacaway's company produces very intricate, technologically advanced products such as robot brains. Six months ago an unknown company called Istagam began marketing similar items at prices far below market. Hacaway wants Hetzel to investigate to determine how this company is able to produce these high tech products at such a low cost. The ships delivering Istagam products pick up their cargo from a planet called Maz which is inhabited by three distinct civilizations residing in different areas of the planet. These are the Liss, the Olefract and the Gomaz.

Hacaway wants Hetzel to visit the area called Dogtown in the Gomaz territory. This is an area beyond Gaean Reach authority and is a refuge for criminals. The main native inhabitants are the large insect like monosexual Gomaz that live in castles and are constantly at war. They obsessively battle with other Gomaz tribes in bizarre combat that involves ritualistic movements, reproduction by implanting spawn into the dead foe's thorax and then eating a gland in the back of deceased opponent's neck. The Gomaz are so violently aggressive that they are not permitted to have any guns or other more advanced weapons because they would, and indeed once tried, to conquer other species and planets. Gomaz communicate telepathically with each other, view themselves as part of a colony rather than as individuals and have absolutely no fear of death.

After arriving in Dogtown, Hetzel visits the Dogtown Tourist Agency where he meets a young woman who works there. He eventually strikes up a relationship with her and she later joins him on his adventure. Hetzel needs permission from the Gaean Triarch, Sir Estevan, before he can rent an air car to travel, however. When Hetzel arrives at a meeting with Sir Estevan he finds that the Liss and Olefract Triarchs plus two Gomez visitors were just murdered in a shooting spree where Sir Estevan himself narrowly escaped being shot. Hetzel notices a man quickly leaving the area and follows him to later confront him. He learns that this man, Gidion Dirby, was present at the shooting and is now the main suspect.

But Dirby insists that he is totally innocent and has been set up. Dirby tells Hetzel a very bizarre story of having been kidnapped and tortured while being held hostage in a nightmarish place where he was given fake food, a chamber pot was poured on his head and naked women would sometimes crawl around on their hands and knees on the floor in front of him while wearing only dominoes. He was also poisoned, gassed and tormented with psychedelic lights, dancing birds and strange events that seemed like hallucinations. One day Dirby woke up to find himself released. He went immediately to report the incident to the Triarch where he unexpectedly encountered the shooting incident. His story is so vividly detailed and far-fetched that Hetzel believes Dirby and offers him temporary sanctuary in his hotel room. Hetzel offers to assist Dirby to clear himself after he returns from some travels he has planned to conduct his investigation of the Istagam company.

Hetzel's investigative adventures lead to fascinating, ironic and, at times, humorous encounters with a bizarre alien culture where values and behavior are at odds with the interplanetary government that regulates them. We also encounter clever investigative detective work with mystery and intrigue. Dogtown Tourist Agency is well written with good dialogue, strange alien creatures, and a suspenseful plot. It is more interesting and better written than the other Miro Hetzel piece, the novella Freitzke's Turn. I have read it twice now and continue to rate it a 4 "Really liked it."
Also included in the Jack Vance collection titled Dream Castles: Early Jack Vance, vol. 2 (2012)


Freitzke's Turn-Jack Vance novella
Freitzke's Turn is a 77 page novella that was written by Jack Vance in 1974 and first published in 1977 in the book collection titled Triax. In 1980 it was combined with the story Dogtown Tourist Agency as part 2 in the collection "Galactic Effectuator." Both works involve the same protagonist, Miro Hetzel. It is currently in print combined with Dogtown Tourist Agency under the title “Miro Hetzel, Effectuator” in a high quality trade paperback edition by Spatterlight Press.

Although certainly not one of Vance’s finest works, Freitzke's Turn is fairly well written with good dialogue and an odd but suspenseful mystery. It involves the protagonist Miro Hetzel, a self-reliant and practical man, who contracts work as an effectuator, an interstellar private investigator who must also resolve the problem after investigating it. It can be read on its own or as a sequel to "The Dogtown Tourist Agency." It is not as richly imaginative and engaging as the Dogtown Tourist Agency, but it still should be of interest to Vance fans.

Hetzel decides to meet with a man named Conwit Clent who offers to hire him for an unusual investigation. Clent had been in love with a woman named Perdhra who was adored by another man named Dacre. Dacre was a strange, self-serving, but brilliant surgeon who seemed obsessed with Perdhra. But Perdhra preferred Clent and broke up with Dacre. Dacre threatened Clent, telling him to leave, but Clent ignored the threat and married Perdhra. Just prior to sailing away on his honeymoon, Clent was knocked unconscious. When he awoke four days later he found a cut on his scrotum. After consulting with a physician he was informed that that his seminal glands had been removed. Clent now wants to contract with Hetzel to locate and return his seminal glands. He is especially eager for Hetzel to accept the contract because Hetzel had gone to the same high school with Dacre and had known him fairly well. Clent wants two things, "I want back my missing parts. Perdhra and I both intend a family. This is not impossible under the present conditions." "Secondly, I want Faurence Dacre punished. Legally or illegally, one way or another." Hetzel, who recalls many unpleasant memories of Dacre, readily agrees to accept the contract.

Vance wrote many mysteries in addition to science fiction and this novella has some mystery in it as Clent searches for Dacre who has disappeared and does not want to be found. During the investigation Hetzel discovers many amazing things about Dacre who has left a very unpleasant trail behind that eventually leads to a bizarre climax with an even stranger outcome. Vance fans will probably want to read this work. I've read it twice and rated it a 3 “Liked it.”
Also included in the Jack Vance collection titled Dream Castles: Early Jack Vance, vol. 2 (2012)

[Almielag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miro Hetzel is your typical Vance protagonist: "a personable dark-haired man of obvious competence and a certain calm elegance that might have done credit to a gentleman. His clothes, neutral and unobtrusive, by some trick of reversal suggested not a neutral personality but flamboyance held under careful control."

The two stories in the book are basically each like a cutdown version of the Demon Princes novels.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable set of two novellas featuring galactic effectuator (aka science fictiony private detective) Miro Hetzel solving mysteries, dodging trouble, and flirting with the intergalactic ladies. Vance loves to throw an unpronounceable vocabulary of alien races, planets, and customs at the reader as he builds up the world of the stories, but once you get your bearings, it is all quite fun. Lots of humor, not too much sexism, and a very good time. Thanks to my husbrero for recognizing an amazing cover and picking this one up for me at a used book store in Houston awhile back <3.

[John Gossman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to rate this one. Two sci-fi mysteries, combining Vance's two favorite genres. The first one is in many ways typical mature Vance, with a dashing hero, sly dialogue, and bizarre cultures. It probably deserves 3.5 stars. The second story didn't work for me. It's the creepiest story I think Vance ever wrote.

I read Magnus Ridolph at the same time, also sci-fi mystery stories, written twenty years earlier. The difference in Vance's fundamental writing ability is stark: the Hetzel stories are much better written. And yet...Magnus Ridolph is a better character and the Kokod Warriors is such a fun story. My suggestion for all but Vance completionists is to seek out the Kokod Warriors in The Jack Vance Treasury and skip both of these collections until you've run out of other things to read.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

And to think 10 months ago I thought I had run out of Jack Vance. Turns out there was one more sci fi one left. While not a huge stand out it has what might be his best alien race ever, the Gomaz.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1981, Galactic Effectuator is a pair of connected stories featuring investigator Miro Hetzel. Set in the familiar territory of the Gaean Reach that features in so many of Vance's stories, they employ all of the eccentric characterisations and cruel edge of the best Vance. The first story, the novelette 'The Dogtown Tourist Agency' is especially creative, featuring the 'Gomaz', an indigenous race of the planet Maz whose psychology is shaped by the warfare required by their mating rituals.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I own this book but probably had not read it for at least twenty years. (Actually only fourteen years!) I certainly did not remember any of it! It's by no means one of Jack Vance's best but I do enjoy his writing style." was what I wrote on 31 March 2012.

This book contains two stories featuring Miro Hetzel written in the 1970s. One story is 145 pages long and the other is 69 pages long. Hetzel is a sort of inter-planetary private detective.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jack Vance has as usual a wondrous turn of phrase, economical and elliptical, the two stories here are standard sleuthing types of no special note. I feel a little bad about saying this, but facts must be faced and besides he has written many other books of a superior sort.

[Bevan Audstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

re-read for the fifth time?

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miro Hetzel ist Privatdetektiv und löst verzwickte Fälle - bevorzugt mit seinem Verstand und ohne sich die Hände schmutzig zu machen. Ein wenig erinnert er an Magnus Ridolph und man kann sich leicht vorstellen, wieviel Spaß Jack Vance beim Schreiben der beiden Geschichten hatte, die in diesem Buch vereint sind. Als Schauplatz dient das aus Alastor bekannte Gaianische Reich und man freut sich, einige Querverbindungen zu entdecken - auch wenn sie nur am Rande auftauchen.

Der erste Fall spielt auf dem Planeten Maz. 3 Rassen leben in unterschiedlichen Gebieten, darunter die kriegerischen Gomaz, die beim ersten Versuch die Galaxy zu erobern nur mit Mühe aufgehalten wurden. Es sind die vielen Einzelheiten, die das Lesen so angenehm machen und ein wunderbar abgestimmtes Gesamtbild ergeben. Actionreiche Abenteuer sucht man zwar vergebens aber wer sich an einem exotischen Planeten und eigenwilligen Rassen erfreuen kann ist hier genau richtig.

In der zweiten Geschichte begibt Hetzel sich auf die Suche nach einem alten Schulkameraden, der ziemlich intelligent ist aber auch eine sehr eigenwillige Lebensauffassung hat. Wesentlich besser als in der vorherigen Geschichte lassen sich die Ereignisse verfolgen und mit Genugtuung verfolgt man die verzwickten Ermittlungen von Miro Hetzel.

Fans von Jack Vance werden um dieses Buch sicher nicht herumkommen, aber auch Liebhaber von SF-Detektiv Romanen mit Fantasy Einschlag sollten einen Blick riskieren.

[Bryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't remember from whom I received this book but it was sometime in the 1980's. Since then this book has followed me unread disappearing and reappearing on random shelves in random rooms at random times. I finally decided to tackle it and I enjoyed the story. Very campy and dated by todays standards of sci-fi and not my usual space opera style. The Galactic Effectuator was all that it promised, a couple of short stories about a space faring, detective, rogue, gentlemen and fraud. Investigating mysteries and help his clients while lining his pockets. Feels good to not have to avoid the judgments of this book that has clunge to my life.

[Stephen Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vance is superb as always

Imaginative, wonderful dialogue and fascinating pair of stories. I enjoyed both immensely.
Miro Hetzel is an interesting character and a fascinating protagonist.

[Skyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I read back in the 80s is so very different from what I read today.

[Rog Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A droll galactic ramble from fiction's leading proponent of the word "obdurate".

[Jorgon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vance at the peak of his powers, especially in the first story. Skullduggery and derringdo galore, amazing flights of imagination enlivened with acerbically witty dialogue and a sense of humour.

[Thomas Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part one is excellent worldbuilding and detective drama, part 2 is less so, except for the wrestling scene at the beginning.

[Rusty · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two stories in this book feature Miro Hetzel, galactic effectuator, who takes interesting cases at extremely high fees. He can charge so much because he solves them and many seek his services. The first tale finds him searching to uncover the existence of and unknown company that is undercutting an entire industry. His search takes him to the planet, Maz, where its fierce residents fight battle after battle. Will Miro survive and discover the unknown company? In the second he is searching for man named Dr. Dacre, whose mysterious skill has harmed many others. As he investigates he finds numerous individuals who are missing body parts but continue to exist. It is up to Miro to discover why and where Dr. Dacre has gone. This author writes so well that I pick up one of his novels whenever I find them. So imaginative and well done.

[Reads-A-Lot · Rating 3 out of 5]

And lo he spake, and he effectuated all over the place

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dvě novely Jacka Vance se stejným hrdinou. Vesmírným detektivem a řešičem problémů Miro Hetzelem. Z toho, co jsem od Vance četl, mi to přišlo spíš jako solidní průměr, s příběhy, ve kterých detaily převládají nad celkem.

První novela, The Dogtown Tourist Agency, zavádí hrdinu na planetu, na které vedou domorodci, telepatičtí brouci ve velikosti člověka, ustavičné rituální války spojené s rozmnožováním. Na planetě vládne spousta pravidel... ale přesto na ní dojde k dvojnásobné vraždě. Obviněný je z ní týpek, který prošel zajímavým vymýváním mozku (asi nejzábavnější část téhle části knihy) a jelikož to trochu souvisí s Hetzelovým pátráním, rozhodne se to hrdina vyřešit. Což ho ovšem dovede až ke ztroskotání v pustině a přimotání se do jedné z válek.

Freitzke´s Run je o dost kratší příběh, se zajímavou zápletkou. Hetzela osloví muž, který zvítězil v souboji o dívku nad egomaniakálním chirurgem jménem Dacre. Ten ho následně přepadl, uspal a ukradl mu pohlavní žlázy. A úkolem detektiva je získat je zpátky.
Tady je hodně zajímavý záporák, jehož přesvědčení o vlastní výjimečnosti vede do souboje s realitou, ale celý ten příběh je možná až příliš rychle a obyčejně uzavřený.

Vance je pro mě nejzajímavější v okamžicích, kdy předestírá bizarní světy, komplikované rituály a podivné společnosti. Tady to má taky, ale přece jen v klasičtějším balení.