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christopherc's review
2.0
The Dirdir is the third volume of Jack Vance's Planet of Adventure tetralogy (eventually republished in one volume by Tor), written in the early 1970s. In this series of books, the earthman Adam Reith is stranded on the planet Tschai, home to four different alien races and the human slaves they plucked from Earth in some prehistorical era. In The Dirdir, Reith must evade this eponymous race of savage hunting aliens as he tries to collect the funds to build a spaceship back to Earth.
Before writing the Planet of Adventure series, Vance was commissioned to produce a young adult work. Eventually he added some sex and more profound themes, so the first two volumes ended up as more adult science fiction insted. The Dirdir however is squarely meant for teenagers. Its plot essentially that of any run-of-the-mill comic book, and Reith is saved from every trap by a deus ex machina or his undefeatable kung fu skills. The book may have some value in moving the series along from the second volume, Servants of the Wankh, to the much better final volume, The Pnume, but I was quite disappointed.
Before writing the Planet of Adventure series, Vance was commissioned to produce a young adult work. Eventually he added some sex and more profound themes, so the first two volumes ended up as more adult science fiction insted. The Dirdir however is squarely meant for teenagers. Its plot essentially that of any run-of-the-mill comic book, and Reith is saved from every trap by a deus ex machina or his undefeatable kung fu skills. The book may have some value in moving the series along from the second volume, Servants of the Wankh, to the much better final volume, The Pnume, but I was quite disappointed.
gavgav's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jadom's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
outcolder's review against another edition
4.0
Engrossing. The weirdness that is the big appeal for me with Vance was more in the background, shining out from some of the characters and Anacho’s backstory. Although there were no female characters, the Dirdir “mysteries” amount to an impenetrable web of genders and sexes, but Vance doesn’t stop to think about it much except to say that navigating the mysteries is so difficult that it has kept the Dirdir from expanding further into the galaxy. Chew on that for a minute. Vance doesn’t... it’s Planet of Adventure and there’s plenty of pulpy action, cliffhangers, and rising stakes. I am so excited for the next book in the series. What is the deal with the indigenous species of Tchai? I am expecting an abundance of strange and a finale with all the powerful factions going after our protagonist at once.
boborson's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
loxleyhall's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
trike's review
2.0
After Star Wars, publishers were trotting out their SF back catalogs, so I got to read a lot of crazy-ass stuff best left forgotten. All I remember from this was that it was basically a rewrite of [b:The Most Dangerous Game|157076|The Most Dangerous Game|Richard Connell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386885674s/157076.jpg|151586] and that the money on the alien planet was sequins. Given that I read this in the 1970s, that last bit was hilarious to me. If the barbarians of this book ever saw The Donny & Marie Show or Sonny and Cher, they would have lost their minds.
matgala's review
5.0
Sembla que la sèrie de llibres de Tschai millora a mida que va avançant.
Si el primer no em va agradar i el segon em va encantar, aquest tercer és genial!
En aquest cas, l'Adam Reith i els seus amics han de lidiar amb els Dirdir. Els Dirdir són uns bèsties, tot s'ha de dir. I he de dir que en algun moment em va fer patir bastant (com ja em va passar amb el primer llibre). Però, al cap i a la fi, ja saps que hi ha un quart llibre, així que tot ha de sortir bé...
El llibre es divideix en dues grans parts: en la primera l'Adam i els seus se'n van a buscar sequins, i han d'aconseguir una manera de sobreviure i obtenir molts de diners per aconseguir el seu propòsit: poder comprar una nau espacial per tornar a la Terra.
En la segona part, amb molts de diners a la butxaca, viatgen a una ciutat Dirdir, on intenten construir una nau espacial.
La primera part és més d'aventures, i a la segona part jo hi hagués posat una mica més de tècnica, perquè no explica massa com es construeix la nau i de què està feta... però vaja, cap problema. A la segona part han de tractar amb un dolent molt dolent (però a la Terra hi ha gent així...)
Quan et vas acostant al final, sembla que tot hagi d'acabar en desastre (recorda: hi ha un quart llibre!) Però, de cop... final sorpresa! Vale, no és massa creïble, però... què passarà perquè calgui tot un altre llibre de Pnume? Mmmm... Properament a les vostres pantalles! (I a la meva!!!)