Sub-Standard Sardines, The-Jack Vance short story
Sub-Standard Sardines , The- Jack Vance short story AKA: Case of the Substandard Sardines The Sub-Standard Sardines is as strange a story as the title suggests. First published January, 1949 in the magazine Startling Stories it is a 22/24 page short story. Magnus is invited to a gourmet dinner of broiled grouse with truffles and compote of Marchisand cherries, Queen Persis salad, Sirius Fifth artichokes, incredible wines from three planets, and a final course of canned sardines. The dinner is magnificent until the end when he opens the can of sardines and they explode. Magnus is then hired by the sardine firm to investigate why some of their gourmet cans of sardines are bad and appear to have been tampered with. Magnus investigates by getting a job undercover at the sardine factory. It is a funny, bizarre, very creative story that even involves talking fish . I’ve read this several times and rate it a 4 “Really liked it.” Included in the Jack Vance co...