Novel - Trial as Roman circus

[twils]

I read a book quit a few years ago about a trial on a planet that treated trial by law as a circus complete with the loser (and losing lawyer being torn apart by the audience). I do not remember the title or author (I would like to think it was jack Vance but I am not sure). Does anyone know this book?

 

[The Judge]

Would it be The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert? He deals with the same universe in Whipping Star, but I've not read that one, so I don't know if it also has the Gowachin's very strange trial system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dosadi_Experiment

Anyway, in case this isn't the right book, I'll take this over to Book Search so others can help you out.


There's a bit about the trial system here, in case it rings a bell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowachin

 

[clovis-man]

Gladiator-At-Law by Frederick Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth. That may not be it, but the title seems right.

Gladiator-At-Law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[twils]

It is not Gladiator-at-Law. I think that I have read that book and it plays out a lot like the Shadowrun books and game (No offense, Mr. Pohl!).

 

[twils]

Not the Dosadi Experiment but I think I will read that one: It sounds like a very good story.

 

[The Judge]

Not the Dosadi Experiment but I think I will read that one: It sounds like a very good story.

It's not the easiest of books to follow, to be honest, and I can't say I fully understood everything, but it was certainly interesting -- the trial system in particular.

 

[Ian Whates]

It's not the easiest of books to follow, to be honest, and I can't say I fully understood everything, but it was certainly interesting -- the trial system in particular.

I loved The Dosadi Experiment, and Herbert's earlier novel Whipping Star featuring the same central protagonist, Jorj McKie.

There were also a couple of earlier McKie short stories that were included in Herbert's collection Eye. All worth reading.