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A review by christopherc
The Dirdir by Jack Vance
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.