Seven Exits from Bocz-Jack Vance short story

Seven Exits from Bocz-Jack Vance short story

Seven Exits to Bocz is a 10 page short story that was published initially in June, 1952 in the fanzine “The Rhodomagnetic Digest, Volume 2, #3.”  The main character, Nicholas Trasek, visits a scientist, Dr. Horzabky, to confront him about his role at the Bocz prison camp. Years ago Dr. Horzabky was a scientist assigned to a prison that was really more of a concentration camp during a war.  During their conversation we learn of Dr. Horzabky’s activities in the prison. 

He also discusses the six panels with abstract paintings on them and a seventh one that is blank.  Dr. Horzabky explains that each of these panels has a portal to another universe.  The seventh panel leads to a universe that “is so alien to our world that light refuses to penetrate it.”  These portals were a product of an experiment done by Dr. Horzabky years ago

While working at Bocz Dr. Horzabky conducted cruel experiments including a final experiment with Sixty eight thousand slave prisoners when he had them all drugged and then forced them to focus their mutual attention on panels of plywood.  His instruction to all of them was to use their focused concentration to try to pierce holes in plywood panels painted with targets.  He hoped  that the combined mental power of 68,000 people would have a telepathic effect on the targets.

Dr. Horzabky’s plan was successful and each of the seven panels now had a hole in it.  When he examined the holes he found that each one was a portal to a different universe.  The enemy, the United Army of Occupation, was approaching and Horzabky did not want the prisoners to survive to become witnesses to his experiments so he forced all the prisoners to divide into seven groups and then for each group to go through one of the seven portals.

Each of the seven portals led to a different experience for the person going through it with some turning to dust, some living but inside out humans, etc.  Each of the seven pieces. One of these victims was Trasek's brother so Trasek has some ideas for revenge, but Dr. Horzabky has his own plans for dealing with Trasek and other visitors.

I’ve read this story three times so far, found it fairly engaging, and rated it a 3 “Liked it.”

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Lost Moons (1982)

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Wild Thyme, Green Magic (2009)

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