Posted by Peter R Booth on April 15, 1997 at 07:27:46:
In Reply to: Attel Malagate "The Woe" posted by Dom Ciocca, Jr. on April 14, 1997 at 21:16:04:
I actually thought Beauty Dasce was a worse villain. Malagate was originally called "Grendel" the Monster...now there's a rarity! Vance ripping off another source for a major character!
Grendel, of course, is the hairy bad-guy from Beowulf fame...in the original pulp serialisation, Malagate was Grendel...Vance shifted focus from the DP's being "Star Kings" to simply being space operatic Capones hence the possible renaming. I personally think Treesong was the most malicious...I still chuckle at what he did on Moudervelt at the school reunion. As fo sheer bad guy-ness, my vote goes for Lens Larque. As far a Vance-wide bad-guys go, no-one beats Aila Woudiver...the most villainest vilain Vance has described! In closing, I did feel sort of sorry for Viole Falushe...he was pathetic, rather than menacing, though Ian Kelly and the survivors of Mt pleasant will differ...