Vancealot: Jack Vance in Review

Abercrombie Station - Jack Vance novella Abercrombie Station is a 59/62/63 page novella that was initially published in February, 1952 in Thrilling Wonder Stories. This is one of the few Vance works that has a woman as the main character.   Jean Parlier is an attractive, vivacious, charismatic, clever sixteen year old girl who is also tough minded, very independent and street smart.   Jean is encouraged by a mysterious man to obtain a job as a housekeeper at the home of a wealthy man, Earl Abercrombie , on a private satellite which he owns called Abercrombie Station.   This is one of twenty two resort satellites.   Abercrombie is unmarried and has some terminal medical condition.   The plan is for Jean to marry Abercrombie and then, after he dies, to obtain two million dollars from the mysterious coconspirator who recruited her to do this.   Jean is a " gravity girl " from Earth, however, and the satellite she visits has no gravity and also has a muc...

Assault on a City - Jack Vance novella AKA: “The Insufferable Redheaded Daughter of Commander Tynnott, OTE” (author’s preferred title) Assault on a City is a 49/51 page(17,400 words) novella that was issued first in 1974 in the anthology Universe 4 under the title “Assault on the City.” It placed fourth in the 1975 Locus Awards for Best Novella and was a semifinalist in the 1975 Hugo Awards for Best Novella.   It has been listed as a novelette and as a novella but at 17,400 words it is just above the 17,000 word minimum level for novellas. The main character in this novelette is Alice Tynnott, daughter of Commander Tynnott, O.T.E.   The O.T.E. title stands for Order of the Terrestrial Empire and is an honorary designation of “ galactic nobility ” that elevates the entire family to superior status.   Alice and her parents have reserved an aerie on Earth because her father has a work related assignment to complete.   These aeries are like luxurious mobile homes...

Brains of the Earth-Jack Vance novella AKA: Nopalgarth (author’s preferred title) Brains of the Earth is a 99/101/103/108 page novella that was first published in 1966 in an Ace Double paperback along with "The Many Worlds of Magnus Ridolph.”   The title was changed to "Nopalgarth" when it was issued by DAW publishers in 1980.   The Vance Integral Edition of 2005 also lists the title as Nopalgarth so this was the preferred title by Vance. It is currently in print in the trade paperback collection titled Chateau d’If and Other Stories by Spatterlight Press.   Note: In the DAW issue the novella Nopalgarth was published in a paperback along with two other novellas: The Houses of Iszm and Son of the Tree.   This collection was titled “Nopalgarth.”   There is no such thing as a series called Nopalgarth, however.   I contacted Jack Vance’s son to verify this. Our story begins on Ixax, a dreary planet where an amphibian like creature "evolved into an intel...

Chateau d'If - Jack Vance novella (author’s preferred title) AKA: New Bodies for Old Chateau d'If is a 61/65 page novella that was first issued in August, 1950 in the magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories under the title “New Bodies for Old.”   Five friends are sitting together at the Oxonion terrace having drinks and conversing. They seem bored and have had enough to drink but decide to continue drinking anyhow.   One of them comments, "Might as well spend my money on liquor as anything else."   Another comments that "drunkenness is about the only adventure left." Someone else mentions how expensive adventures are and that it costs twenty million dollars for planetary rocket.   One member says that he heard interesting things about an adventure that might be more affordable.   It is called Chateau d'If. While they are talking a telescreen commercial appears with the message, "Jaded? Bored? Want adventure? Try the Chateau d'If."   Members ...

Cholwell's Chickens -Jack Vance, novella "Cholwell's Chickens" is a 47 page novella that is a sequel to the novel " Abercrombie Station " although it can be read and understood on its own.   It was first published in February 1952 in Thrilling Wonder Stories magazine .   It was later published along with Abercrombie Station as a collection titled Monsters in Orbit . Abercrombie Station is actually a sequel to Cholwell’s Chicken with the same main character, Jean Parlier . Cholwell’s Chickens is one of the very few works by Vance where he portrays a stand-alone female main character, in this instance, Jean Parlier, an attractive, vivacious, charismatic, clever 17 year old girl who is also very savvy and independent. She is “wary and wild, characterized by a precocious feral quality, a recklessness that made ordinary women seem pastel and insipid.” Jean finds that the wealth she acquired in the story "Abercrombie Station" has not brought her the cont...

Crusade to Maxus - Jack Vance novella (author’s preferred title) AKA: Overlords to Maxus Crusade to Maxus is a 49/71 page novella (sometimes incorrectly listed as a novelette) that was first published in the magazine Thrilling World Stories in February, 1951 under the title "Overlords to Maxus."   The main character, Dyle Travec, goes to the planet Maxus to try to find his family members who were kidnapped by a slave trader ("slaver") who is taking them to the planet to sell as slaves.   The planet has an extensive manufacturing economy that is based on slavery. Travec is hoping he can arrive in time to buy back his mother, two sisters and a brother at the "Slave Distribute" when they are put up for auction. By the time arrives, though, his mother is dead and all of his other family members have been sold. He is able to speak with one of his sisters who asks him to save a friend of theirs who was very helpful and kind on the flight to the planet.   ...

Dragon Masters , The- Jack Vance novella Dragon Masters is a 81/116 page novella that was first published in the Galaxy Magazine in August, 1962. It was initially released in book form in 1963 in an Ace Double paperback. It won a Hugo Award in 1963 for “Best Short Fiction.” This is a very well known Vance work and should have rather widespread appeal to science fiction readers. It is an entertaining and enjoyable novel that involves much imaginative combat and action, using strange lizard like creatures referred to as dragons and large genetically modified humanoids . The story takes place on the planet Aerlith , a rocky planet with a few fertile valleys.   One colony of humans, led by Joaz Banbeck, lives in Banthen Valley in caves and another, led by Ervis Carcolo, resides in Happy Valley in huts. Another group of humans called the Sacerdotes live in deep caverns and consider themselves to be a different species, referring to other humans as " Utter Men ."   They ar...

Freitzke's Turn - Jack Vance novella Freitzke's Turn is a novella that was written by Jack Vance in 1974 and first published in 1977 in the anthology titled Triax .   It was later released in 1980 along with the Vance novella Dogtown Tourist Agency as "Part Two" of the book " Galactic Effectuator ."   Both novellas involve the same protagonist, Miro Hetzel .   "Galactic Effectuator" was reissued in 1980 by Underwood-Miller, in 1981 by Ace Books and in 1983 by Coronet.   In 2005 Freitzke's Turn was published as part of the Vance Integral Edition .   In 2012 it was released in a Subterranean Press collection of Vance works titled Dream Castles and as e-books by Gateway/Obrian and Spatterlight.   In February of 2018 it was issued by Spatterlight Press under the title "Miro Hetzel, Effectuator" along with The Dogtown Tourist Agency .   This is a new title for the same two novellas that were initially issued under the title "Galac...

Gift of Gab , The- Jack Vance novella The Gift of Gab is a 51/54/56 page (17,900 words) novella that was first published in Amazing Science Fiction in September, 1955.   Our main character, Fletcher, works on a barge on an alien planet where they harvest barnacles and sea slugs from the ocean to make chemical compounds. One of his men turns up missing and then a strange creature grabs Fletcher by the leg and tries to pull him into the sea.   This is a planet where there are supposed to be nothing that is predatory toward people .   All of the animals on the planet seem harmless, including the very common seal like marine creature called a dekabrach .   But much more is going on with the habitants of the planet and also with his coworkers on another barge.   The intrigue builds as Fletcher, who is stuck on the planet with his crew until relief arrives, tries to investigate the mystery.   "Gab," incidentally, refers to communication between different s...

Houses of Iszm , The- Jack Vance novella This is a novella of 126 pages that was written by Jack Vance in 1953 and first published in April, 1954 in Startling Stories magazine .   It is currently in print in a high quality paperback edition from Spatterlight Press along with Vance's novella Son of the Tree .   The Houses of Iszm is sometimes listed as part two of the “ Nopalgarth ” series but this is incorrect.   Although there is a novella by the title Nopalgarth, there is no series called Nopalgarth. (I confirmed this with Jack Vance’s son.)   This novella is not part of any series.   Initially the setting is on the planet called Iszm where trees are carefully grown from seeds (with proper care and secret incantations) and end up developing into houses with integrated rooms, walls, ceilings, plumbing, decor, etc.   Some develop into simple one room dwellings, but others are luxurious homes with multi levels, bathing pools, and atmospheres charged w...

Insufferable Redheaded Daughter of Commander Tynnott, OTE, The- Jack Vance novella (author’s preferred title) AKA: Assault on a City The Insufferable Redheaded Daughter of Commander Tynnott, OTE is a 49/51 page novella that was issued first in 1974 in the anthology Universe 4 under the title “Assault on the City.” It placed fourth in the 1975 Locus Awards for Best Novella and was a semifinalist in the 1975 Hugo Awards for Best Novella.   It has been listed as a novelette and as a novella but at 17,400 words it is just above the 17,000 word minimum level for novellas. The main character in this novelette is Alice Tynnott, daughter of Commander Tynnott, O.T.E.   The O.T.E. title stands for Order of the Terrestrial Empire and is an honorary designation of “ galactic nobility ” that elevates the entire family to superior status.   Alice and her parents have reserved an aerie on Earth because her father has a work related assignment to complete.   These aeries ...

Kragen, The- Jack Vance novella The Kragen by Jack Vance was first published in July, 1964 as a 62 page novella length work in the magazine Fantastic Stories of Imagination.   Most of "The Kragen" was incorporated into Vance's novel "The Blue World" which was published in 1966 and was 192 pages long.   In "The Kragen" the complex, interesting and highly structured society of the people who live on the Blue World is only hinted at.   "The Kragen" is more of an adventure story while “ The Blue World ” involves world building and has much more psychological, sociological and anthropological material.   (See my review under that title.) Each work deserves to be read alone.   In both stories the residents live on small lily pad like islands on a planet that has no dry land and was settled over a hundred years ago by their ancestors.   Both stories also feature a long lived squid like sea monster creature called King Kragen .   A kragen is a ...

Last Castle, The- Jack Vance novella The Last Castle was first published in Galaxy Magazine in April, 1966.   It is a 55/59/66/113 page novella, but it has sometimes been incorrectly labeled as a novelette and as a novel.   It won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 1967 and the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 1966.   It was also nominated for a Nebula Award for Best Novel. The setting is in the far future where for the past seven hundred years most humans on Earth live in luxury castles as elite clans of arrogant, ruling aristocrats who call themselves “ gentlemen .”   Working under them are two alien, nonhuman species the Peasants and the Meks . The Peasants are “small andromorphs originally of Spica Ten” who are incapable of being aggressive. The Meks were brought to Earth from another planet called Etamion Nine and seem very submissive. They have a large maw and syrup sacs on their body that were once used for extracting “decayed swamp vegetation” on t...

  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 es...

Milton Hack from Zodiac novella (author’s preferred title) AKA: Man from Zodiac Man from Zodiac was written in 1957 and first published ten years later in August, 1967 in Amazing Stories Magazine " It is a 40/49/52 page (17.500 words) novella and is also known as "Man 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, infrastructure 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 stock has just been inherited 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 un...

Miracle Workers , The- Jack Vance novella The Miracle Workers is a 65/74 page novella published in July, 1958 by Astounding Science Fiction . The original inhabitants of the planet Pangborn are called First Folk .   They are the size of humans but have foam sacs that bulge from their arms with orange lipped foam vents pointing forward.   Their backs are wrinkled and loose with skin acting as a bellows to blow air through their foam-sacs.   Enormous hands end with sharp chisel like fingers.   The “head was sheathed in chitin.   Billion-faceted eyes swelled from either side of the head, glowing like black opals.”   They lived in fields of moss but were forced to move into the forests when humans arrived sixteen hundred years ago and displaced and marginalized the First Folk who now consider humans to be their enemy.   These humans once had spaceships and advanced weapons and machines but over the years they lost the knowledge and skills that supporte...