Secret, The-Jack Vance short story

Secret, The-Jack Vance short story

The Secret is a 9 page short story that was written in 1951 and first published 15 years later in March, 1966 in the British magazine "Impulse," also known as "Science Fantasy" and "SF Impulse."  It is pure fantasy rather than science fiction and takes place on an island that could be somewhere in Polynesia.  It is inhabited by all younger people.  As islanders grow older they are tempted to find out the "secret" by taking a solo voyage to the west.  The secret is completely mysterious because nobody has ever returned to the island once they have left. Our main character, Rona ta Inga, is the oldest on the island.  Many of the others have formed a group and pledged to never leave their little paradise of an island and ask him to join in the pledge.  Rona, however, begins making a boat.  What does he find and what is the secret?  I’ve read this three times and rated it a 3 “Liked it.”

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Jack Vance Treasury (2007)

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Green Magic: The Fantasy Realms of Jack Vance (2012)

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled World-Thinker and Other Stories (2017)

 

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