The Thirteenth Majestral

by Hayford Peirce

Book Overview

Could Ryson conceivably hope to kill one of the 12 rulers of Earth, of Dinosaur Park, of the entire universe--and make good his escape? There had to be a way.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812548922
• ISBN13: 9780812548921
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Original title: The Thirteenth Majestral

_______________________________________Rating: "A-" -- very cool, very Vanceian dinosaur-adventure tale.Jack Vance fans shouldn't miss this one.My copy of this had gone astray, so I picked up another at the used bookstore the other day. I'd forgotten how Vanceian it is -- not really a pastiche, it reads pretty much like a mid-period, mid-quality Vance SF novel. 10-year old Kerryl Ryson pulls a prank that humiliates an offworld grandee and starts a riot. As a result, his father is executed, and Ryson and his whole clan are enslaved. Ryson grows up obsessed with vengeance. He makes a galaxy-wide search for the Immaculate Ultima of Aberdown, who ordered his father's death. Along the way, he encounters exotic worlds, strange people, stranger religions, and acquires a luxurious space yacht from one Baron Bodissey, in case you're still wondering who the book reminds you of... Even Vance's signature footnotes are here.Ryson's search eventually brings him to old Earth, which has become an extraordinarily reclusive, stratified world, with the arrogant, aristocratic Palatines served by pallid, puling leperons, an artificial human subspecies (another Vance trademark). He meets the beautiful but troubled Yveena Soolis, and the tale is resolved with some (somewhat) surprising revelations. Yes, dinosaurs are featured, along with possibly the silliest explanation yet for their demise.I really like The Thirteenth Majestral, and I'm pretty sure that you Vance fans will like it too. Peirce's hommage to Vance is, well, just about as entertaining and well-done as the real thing. Check it out.Happy reading!Pete Tillman