Telephone Was Ringing in the Dark, The-Jack Vance outline for a novel

Telephone Was Ringing in the Dark, The-Jack Vance outline for a novel

"The Telephone Was Ringing in the Dark" was apparently written in 1962 and is an outline for a novel.  It was first published in 2005 as part of the Vance Integral Edition.  This 78 page work is more than just an outline, however, even though it is obviously incomplete.  The story will probably appeal mostly to Vance fans rather than the general reader.  But it is an intriguing piece and could have been one of Vance's more interesting novels if it had been completed.

Our story begins with a late night telephone call to our main character Marsh.  The caller asks to speak with "Boko."  Even though he is told that he has the wrong number he continues to call back.  After the third call Marsh asks the caller if he is deaf or stupid and the caller objects to being called stupid.  The caller calls back four more times that night to wake Marsh up and call him stupid.  In the morning Marsh writes down 33 slight variations on his own phone number and begins calling all the numbers asking for Boko.

Eventually Marsh reaches a number where he is told that Boko is a Mr. Binkins and that he is not in.  Marsh obtains another number for Binkins and also looks up all the Binkins in the phone book.  Eventually Marsh reaches Binkins by phone.  He learns that only one of Binkins’ friends calls him by "Boko" and obtains the name of this friend.  Marsh then goes to great lengths, taking many complex steps to locate and obtain revenge on the late night caller.  But an unexpected twist in the plot makes this caller think that damage to his car is due to Marsh when, in fact, it is not.  An elaborate scheme of revenge develops involving loans, real estate purchases, phone tapping, physical assault, impersonations and several deaths. 

The plot is quite fascinating and if Vance had added more of his great dialogue and converted the brief summaries to actual narrative, I think this mystery novel might have been one of his more better ones.  It has a beginning, middle and end and is interesting to read but is clearly not a final draft or completed novel.  I liked it, was engaged by it and think it had much potential.  But, given its incompleteness, I'd have to rate it a 3 or "liked it."

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Wild Thyme and violets, Other Unpublished Works (2012)