Man from Zodiac-Jack Vance novella

 

Man from Zodiac-Jack Vance novella

AKA: Milton Hack from Zodiac (author’s preferred title)

Man from Zodiac was written in 1957 and first published ten years later in August, 1967 in Amazing Stories Magazine and is a 40/49/52 page novella.  It is also known as "Milton Hack from Zodiac."  Its draft title was “Phronus-Sabo Contract.” This is a clever, witty story about a company called Zodiac that offers contracts to bring government and organization to other societies.  Milton Hack is their field representative and travels to other planets to try to sell contracts.  He also owns 8% of the company.  The rest of the company has just been inherited in equal shares by a brother and sister after their father died. Hack has been screening out applicants to avoid those that are especially problematic and unlikely to meet their financial commitments, but his new boss wants him to sign up anybody.  Giving in to pressure, Hack contracts with an especially uncivilized, warring group called the Phrones from Ethelrinda Cordas.  The Phrones, however, are not really interested in a government.  They just want arms to kill off their enemies, the Sabols.  The Sabols in the meantime have signed a contract with a different company that is in competition with Zodiac. Hack is tenacious and clever as he tries to explain that he is there to set up a government, not to provide arms.  The story is interesting with many twists.  I’ve read it several times rated it a 4 “Really liked it.”

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled The Augmented Agent (1989)

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Minding the Stars: Early Jack Vance, volume 4 (2014)

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Chateau d’If and other Stories (2017)