World Between, The-Jack Vance novelette

World Between, The-Jack Vance novelette (author’s preferred title)

AKA: Ecological Onslaught

The World Between is a 29/30 page novelette published in May, 1953 in the magazine Future Science Fiction. It is also known as "The Ecological Onslaught."  A potentially habitable planet is discovered by beings from Blue Star and they claim the planet as their territory.  The inhabitants of the planet Kay also claim this planet even though they never filed proof of their discovery.  This puts Blue Star Central and its citizens in direct conflict with the residents of Kay who send fighter craft to confront the Blue Star vessel.  When the Blue Star explorers try to introduce plants to the planet to eventually make it habitable, the Kay citizens, who want the planet for themselves, decide to release diseases and predators to disrupt things. This quickly becomes an ecological battle between two planets with the possibility of a military conflict or even war. It is an interesting story that I’ve read three times and rated a 4 each time.

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled The World Between and Other Stories (1965)

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled The Worlds of Jack Vance (1973)

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Moon Moth and Other Stories (1976 British )

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled When the Five Moons Rise (1992)

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

Included in the Jack Vance collection titled Golden Girl and Other Stories (2017)