Servants of the Wankh

This second book of Adventure Planet series is another entertaining yarn from the inimitable Jack Vance. The first two thirds of the book is a travel story; the last third hinges on the protagonist's efforts to steal a spaceship that will return him to Earth. Servants of the Wankh is not formulaic tripe; this becomes quite obvious early in the book when the love interest pulls out a knife, starts stabbing people, and then throws herself to the sharks. Like many of Vance's other protagonists, Reith is a cynical hero who faces danger and deception (and at times makes mistakes). He's not particularly likable, but he does get things done. The planet and societies and mysteries of Tschai are the real stars here. You've got several competing show more alien races, each convinced of their own innate superiority, and many with evolved-human servants (i.e., thousands of years ago, at least one of the starfaring races must have stopped by earth to "recruit" some domestic servants). The titular Wankh (changed to Wannek is some British versions to avoid an unfortunate connotation) are a powerful, mysterious race who rarely interact directly with the inferior other species (think Vorlons and you won't be far off). Add mysterious aboriginal races, and you've got a very broad canvas for Vance's imagination. show less

Compared to the ERB-like planetary romance pastiche of TSCHAI 1: CITY OF THE CHASCH, this second volume of the Tschai quartet takes an abrupt turn. Ylin-Ylan, a weak-willed Dejah Thoris-like princess of the Yao, and the protagonist's Adam Reith's love interest in the first book, in a depiction of unique Yao violent mental aberration is soon shuffled off stage, leaving Reith in a mess of intrigue and assassination among the Yao from whom he hoped to garner the patronage to build a spacecraft to return him to Earth. The tale becomes a buddy story of adventure with Reith and his companions the steppe nomad Traz, the outcast fugitive Dirdirman Anacho, and Hesse, the devious friend/antagonist chamberlain courtier of Ylin-Ylan's father. show more Again, Vance's prodigious gifts in world-building (alien worlds, cultures, human-alien interactions) are fully evident and are what make reading Vance ennjoyable reading, despite the atavism in regard to the sexes (i.e., there are no strong women characters as role models in the Tschai quartet). show less

While I described Tschai, Vol 1, City of the Chasch, as pure escapist fun, I found Servants of the Wankh less light-hearted, more somber and even profound.

Marooned Space scout Adam Reith continues his quest to acquire a spaceship to take him back to Earth, encountering more strange alien races and bizare alien human cultures. The intrigue is deeper and more perplexing, as we confront a Byzantine society whose elaborate mores and customs are only partly amusing, partly distressing in the aberrations and suffering they impose on people.

The climax though is once again thrilling, as Reith, seemingly cornered at last, pulls another trick out of his hat and once again turns the tables on his adversaries.

Excellent science fiction adventure.

This book is the second volume of Vance's Tschai (Planet of Adventure) series. It is also the most difficult of the four to review; the plot is complex and fast-moving, and the characters evolve rapidly over the course of the episode.

NOTE: If you have not read 'The City of the Chasch' and don't want this review to ruin it for you, stop reading now! Read my review of 'Chasch' or just read the book!

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Reith and his companions have defeated the threat of the various factions of the Chasch, and have succesfully established the government of Pera as a going concern. Reith can no longer expect to use his wrecked shuttle, which is partly dismantled and unreachable in the Chasch city of Dadiche.

During the previous episode, Reith had rescued a show more young woman, the Flower of Cath, from a murderous cult of witches. The Flower now wishes to return to her home of Cath, thousands of miles to the east. She asserts (and Anacho confirms) that, a few hundred years before, a technological cult in Cath had built a radio transmitter; presumably the origin of the signals that Reith's spaceship had been dispatched to investigate. The transmitter and the faction were both destroyed by torpedoes from and unknown source; Reith finds this suspicious.

He agrees to escort the Flower back to Cath, and perhaps convince a faction there to help him. Neither Anacho nor Traz wish to remain in Pera, and decide to accompany him. The party appropriates a decrepit Chasch sky-boat and begin the long flight to the opposite coast of the continent.

They reach the southern port city of Coad, abandoning the now-defunct sky-boat. While arranging for further transportation by sea, the party meets another citizen of Settra, a city in Cath; a young pompous nobleman named Dordolio, well-known to the Flower. Dordolio joins the party (with some difficulty), and the group at last set sail by ship for the port cities of Cath.

During the voyage, Dordolio becomes increasingly disruptive; the Flower, becoming more and more remote from Reith, provokes a fight between the two men. Reith embarrasses Dordolio; the Flower explodes into a homicidal fit (apparently a commonplace occurrence in Cath). She is thwarted by the crew and passengers and commits suicide, much to the confusion of Reith.

At last the party arrives at the port city of Settra in Cath, Vervodei. The Flower had promised Reith a boon from her father on her return, and he wishes to claim it if can in spite of the circumstances; but they must follow Dordolio, who will surely spoil this plan.

When the three companions arrive in Settra, it is as Reith fears; the Flower's father, Lord Cizante, will do nothing for him. Furthermore, the 'cult', a remnant of the faction that built the original transmitter, is a furtive, superstitious, and actively persecuted group.

Reith is at a loss, but learns that another human race, the Lokhar, work as technicians in the space yards at Ao Hidis, a spaceport in the territory of the most aloof of the three 'invader' races; the Wankh. Reith decides that a longer stay in Cath will be fruitless: someone has hired a Guild assassin (another honored institution of Cath) to silence Reith.

Reith hires a Lokhar, Zarfo Detweiler, to guide and assist him to Ao Hidis, where he hopes to steal a Wankh spaceship and return to Earth. Reith, Zarfo, Anacho and Traz leave Settra by round-about means to avoid pursuit, then travel south for Ao Hidis... show less

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-of-planet-of-adventure-by-jack.h....

Varado en el planeta Tschai tras ser destruida la nave que lo había llevado allí, Adam Reith acepta conducir una expedición para devolver a la princesa Ylin Ylan, la Flor de Cath, a su tierra natal al otro lado del globo. Monstruos terrestres y marinos lo aguardan en su periplo, junto con seres humanos y alienígenas dispuestos a robarles, matarles o esclavizarles. Porque Tschai es un antiguo planeta, donde cuatro poderosas razas alienígenas luchan por la supremacía, mientras los seres humanos son tratados como peones. Nada va a ser fácil para Reith en este viaje. Pero el padre de la muchacha es inmensamente rico, y su país es tecnológicamente sofisticado. Si Reith tiene alguna posibilidad de regresar alguna vez a la Tierra, show more ¿dónde puede conseguirla mejor que en Cath? Por supuesto, si puede llegar hasta allí. show less

Nadat hij met de hulp van zijn kompanen, Traz de voormalige drager van het Embleem Onmale, en Anacho, een afvallige Dirdirman, de Blauwe Chasch uit Dadiche heeft verdreven, is Adam Reith nog steeds gestrand op de buitenissige planeet Tschai. Reith besluit om Ylin-Ylan, een prinses van de aristocratische Yao, terug naar huis te escorteren. Rekenend op de gulheid van haar vader, Heer Cizante van het Blauwe Jade Paleis, hoopt Reith weldra over voldoende fondsen te beschikken om een ruimteschip te kopen. Maar eerst moet het gezelschap de eindeloze steppen van Kotan en de Draschade Oceaan zien over te steken in het gammele luchtvlot dat ze op de Chasch hebben buitgemaakt. De motor stottert onheilspellend, en onder hen volgt geduldig een show more groep dodelijke Groene Chasch...
Onder de Wankh is het tweede boek van de Tschai-cyclus, een van de meest geliefde avonturenromans uit de hoogtijdagen van de science-fiction. show less