The novel “The Star King” by Jack Vance was published for the first time between December 1963 and February 1964 serialized in the magazine “Galaxy” and as a book in 1964. It’s the first book in the Demon Princes series.

Kirth Gersen meets the explorer Lugo Teehalt, who has discovered a planet of extraordinary beauty. However, he has learned that his exploit happened in the service of Attel Malagate, one of the infamous Demon Princes, and doesn’t want to reveal its location to him knowing that the planet would get exploited.

Some of Attel Malagate’s henchmen kill Lugo Teehalt and steal what they think is his spaceship to obtain the information necessary to find the planet discovered by the explorer. Actually, they stole a spaceship of the same model and Kirth Gersen takes advantage of that mistake to begin the search for Attel Malagate to carry out a personal revenge.