The Killing Machine

The Killing Machine

First edition cover of The Killing Machine
Author	Jack Vance
Cover artist	Richard M. Powers
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Demon Princes
Genre	Science fiction novel
Publisher	Berkley Books
Publication date	1964
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Preceded by	Star King
Followed by	The Palace of Love

The Killing Machine (1964) is a science fiction novel by American writer Jack Vance, the second in his "Demon Princes" series, in which Kirth Gersen, having brought arch-villain Malagate the Woe to justice, sets his sights on Kokor Hekkus, another of the Demon Princes. The name Kokor Hekkus, which means "killing machine" in the language of the planet Thamber, does not refer to Hekkus's own predilection for homicide, but to his fondness for horrific and murderous devices, including the giant robotic executioner that first gained him his nickname.

To hone his skills, Gersen spends time as a "weasel", a police spy in the lawless Beyond. He is sent to disrupt a meeting between a known criminal named Billy Windle and a Mr Hoskins, with license to kill if necessary. Hoskins is killed, though not by Gersen, who recovers two torn pieces of paper that were being exchanged. One paper provides information on how to become a “hormagaunt,” an undying monster that steals children and lives on the mythical planet Thamber, and the other paper contains technical specifications that Gersen does not understand.

Gersen is made aware that Billy Windle was Kokor Hekkus. He then learns that Hekkus is masterminding a series of kidnappings. The victims are taken to Interchange, a planet in the Beyond, where exchanges between kidnappers and ransomers are facilitated. Gersen learns that the latest victims are the children of Duschane Audmar, a high-ranking Fellow of the powerful Institute, who must remain aloof under all circumstances. Gersen convinces him to finance a fact-finding mission to learn more of Hekkus’s activities and to ransom the children.

Gersen learns that Hekkus accumulates funds to ransom a young woman named Alusz Iphigenia Eperje-Tokay who claims to be from Thamber; she fled her homeworld when Hekkus became interested in her and settled on Interchange as her only refuge, since even he would not dare interfere with the organization. She had set her ransom at 10 billion SVU. Hekkus raised the sum by kidnapping the loved ones of the Oikumene’s hundred wealthiest citizens, ransoming them for a hundred million apiece.

Gersen also meets Myron Patch, an engineer from Krokinole. Patch had built Hekkus a walking “fort” in the form of a dnazd, a many-legged monster native to Thamber; but when Hekkus was dissatisfied with the result, Patch refused to refund the money already paid, and was kidnapped and shipped to Interchange to recover the sum. Gersen ransoms him as well as the Audmar children, and temporarily takes a controlling interest in his engineering company.