Space Opera Fans discussion

For me, the most richly imagined, vivid, utterly marvellous space opera setting is the Oikumene of the dear departed Jack Vance, from his *Demon Princes* series. Five Demon Princes, galactic master criminals, exterminated Kirth Gersen's family, and he must take revenge; and he must do it on a one Demon Prince / one book basis. *The Killing Machine* and *The Face* are my favourites, with *Star King* following a close third and *The Book of Dreams* and *The Palace of Love* holding up the rear as Gersen's *Temple of Doom* and *Star Wars Episode 1*. Has anyone else ever read them? There really is no excuse for not having done so.

I have NOT read them. But I -am- pulling up their book covers so people can see them (and also 'cause those classic space opera covers are cool).

Anna wrote: "I have NOT read them. But I -am- pulling up their book covers so people can see them (and also 'cause those classic space opera covers are cool)."

They are really quite super. Vance's imagination is simply, clearly and only governed by what he thinks will be cool to happen at the next point in the story. Scientific believability takes a back seat upstairs, as far away from the driver as possible. His other fiction is also worth reading, but the acme of his achievement is the *Demon Princes* series in my limited experience. Has anyone read anything by him that is better?

I think I read a couple of his Dying Earth series a long time ago but I don't think I read these.

I've read a lot of the *Dying Earth* stuff. These are more focussed - novels, rather than short stories - and *The Face* in particular is on my list of the ten best books of all time. Well worth a read.