The Moon Moth and Other Stories

by Jack Vance

The Dobson edition is a reprint of The World Between and Other Stories which was bound with Monsters in Orbit (Ace 1965) and contains the stories:

The World Between
Brain of the Galaxy
The Devil on Salvation Bluff
The Men Return

NOTE: The same title is used on ebook collections from Gateway and Spatterligt Press but the content differ radically. The ebook from Gateway contains 11 stories, same as the VIE volume (only three stories from the Dobson edition), and the ebook from Spatterlight contains 9 stories.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction

125 pages, Hardcover

First published February 27, 1976

About the author

Aka John Holbrook Vance, Peter Held, John Holbrook, Ellery Queen, John van See, Alan Wade.

The author was born in 1916 and educated at the University of California, first as a mining engineer, then majoring in physics and finally in journalism. During the 1940s and 1950s, he contributed widely to science fiction and fantasy magazines. His first novel, The Dying Earth , was published in 1950 to great acclaim. He won both of science fiction's most coveted trophies, the Hugo and Nebula awards. He also won an Edgar Award for his mystery novel The Man in the Cage . He lived in Oakland, California in a house he designed.

Reviews

[Earl Solper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection contains the following short stories:

The New Prime
The Men Return
Ullward's Retreat
Dodkin's Job
The Moon Moth
Green Magic
Alfred's Ark
Sulwen's Planet
Runfuddle

The Moon Moth (a story about the consequences of accidental violation of local mores) is the best of them. The Men Return (about a breakdown of the Laws of Physics) and Sulwen's Planet (office politics among academics set in space) are the weakest, but each story has at least one interesting element to recommend it.

[Steve Kimmins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing a belated learning experience with my first Jack Vance. Generally an enjoyable read of a short story compilation, with some certainly more fun than others. Though mostly SciFi themed the author avoids bringing heavy science concepts into the tales. Almost all are rather clever and imaginative scenarios and just the right degree of world building for the characters to use in filling out the story.

The Moon Moth tale stood out, a world where everyone wears decorative masks and communicates musically. Add into that a crime mystery. But I also enjoyed the other tales to varying degrees, except the last in this compilation, Rumfuddle, which just seemed far too complex a set up for a short novella.

My opinion is that the story endings mostly delivered what I usually find for the short story format where it’s often tough to find a really satisfying ending to the marvellously, imaginative build-ups. A clear example was a short tale about a modern Noah’s Ark. The build up is bizarre and interesting, threatened to become intriguing and then petered out quickly with an obvious message about selfishness on all sides.

I’m sure I’ll try some more Jack Vance, and related authors one day. And the author has expanded my vocabulary with typically one to two little used words per story! I don’t recall any major female characters either…
A light enjoyable 3.5-4*.

[Phil Dicemechanic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly clever sci-fi short stories, replete with wonderful twists.

Vance is probably better known for his Dying Earth series, but this is even better. Vance's colourful language is still in play, though somewhat more restrained. Vance employs his colossal imagination to great effect, taking strong single ideas and weaving gripping narratives around them. Worth the price of entry for the wonderfully laid-back inter-galactic investigator, Magnus Riddolph, protagonist of two of the tales, alone.

Highly recommended.

[RoadrunnerNM · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Moon Moth is one of the most amazing sci-fi stories I have read, I wish the author had kept writing about this fascinating world!

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This title is confusing because it has been used for at three different book editions and Goodreads has (at the time of this writing) two different book cover photos for the same title. The two book covers are the 1976 Dobson and the 2012 Spatterlight Press, each with different contents. The 1976 British book published by Dobson has five Vance stories, three of them novelettes and two of them short stories. (Brain of the Galaxy/The New Prime, Devil on Salvation Bluff, The Men Return, The Moon Moth and The World Between.) The U.S. book with the same title has eleven stories instead of five but the only two that overlap with this British issue are The Moon Moth and The Men Return. Since the 1976 British issue is long out of print, this review is of the Spatterlight 2012 trade paperback edition which is identical in contents to the Vance Integral Edition with the same title. (This is also the web page that comes up on Goodreads when entering the Spatterlight ISBN number.) Here is a review of the contents in alphabetical order.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...

"Alfred's Ark" is an 6 page short story first published in New Worlds Science Fiction in 1965. It is a short, simple story that cuts to the quick of human behavior. Alfred believes there will be a Biblical flood in less than a year so he sells his business for very little profit in order to build an ark. He even runs an ad in the local paper asking for donations and volunteers but receives mostly ridicule in response. Alfred will only take a few domestic animals along because he does not have the resources to include wild ones. He hopes that some woman will offer to join him but says if necessary he will hire a woman to board the ark with him on the day of the predicted storm. He feels she will eventually grow to like him if they end up being the last two surviving people on Earth. How Alfred is treated by people in his local community and human behavior in general is the underlying theme. In the Introduction Vance informs us that "Alfred's Ark" is one of his favorite stories and that it "tells you all you need to know in regard to the human condition." I really liked it and rated it 4.

"Dodkin's Job" is a 38 page novelette that was first published in 1959 in the magazine Amazing Science Fiction. This is not really science fiction, fantasy or mystery but more of an ironic dystopian story with hints of Kafka and even Monty Python. I loved this story and thought it was hilarious. If you have ever worked in a big bureaucracy or have had to deal with one, you will probably identify with the main character who lives in a "big brother" like society where, "The population ordered their lives by schedule, classification and precedent." Luke Grogatch is too rational for such a society so he keeps losing jobs and has now been demoted to the rating of "Flunky/ClassD/Unskilled." If he gets demoted again he could end up being sent to the "Disorganized House" where he would be nonclassified and isolated with "criminals, idiots, children and proved Nonconformists." He decides to "submit slavishly to witless regulations" and begins his new job shoveling debris in a sewage system by hand using a shovel. All of his suggestions for improving the job are rejected, and the work seems meaningless. One day a new directive is announced ordering all employees to turn in their tools at a central warehouse at the end of the day and pick them up again each morning. This applies to Luke's shovel. He asks if he can purchase his own shovel and not have to turn it in each day but is told that the directive says "all tools" so that even a self purchased tool would not be exempt. Luke complies at first. But after the lengthy trip to turn in the shovel, he has to wait in a long line with the whole process taking an hour and a half. This means he will have to spend three hours each day dropping off and picking up his shovel. Luke decides to object by appealing to those who issued the directive but each supervisor claims he was simply following orders from above. Luke continues appealing to those higher up in administration, assuming that he will finally encounter the person who is responsible for the directive. His encounters with ineffective, irresponsible, uncaring bureaucratic officials develop into one of the funniest stories I've read in a long time. Dodkin, by the way, is a person Luke meets later who has what Luke considers to be the ideal job. I rated this one a 5.

"Green Magic" is an 18 page short story that was first published in 1963 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. It is a philosophical fantasy story rather than science fiction. Howard Fair is well trained in white magic and black magic and knows some purple magic. He is intrigued when he finds an old notebook by his great uncle that describes green magic. He meets some sprites who come from a world of green magic but who warn him that it would be dangerous for him to study it. He is told that his grand uncle studied it and ended up regretting having done so. Despite their warnings, Fair's curiosity and desire to learn are greater than any concerns he has and he manages to persuade the sprites to allow him to learn green magic. His learning is described as a fascinating process and it changes him forever. Is it sometimes better to remain ignorant and innocent? Is it worthwhile to try to discover knowledge that might make you unhappy or discontent? These questions and others are explored in this story which I found to be quite interesting. I rated it a 4.

"The Men Return" was first published in 1957 and is a 9 page short story. It is rather like two universes that overlap after the law of causality, physics and reality on Earth is rendered somewhat inoperable and matter now fades in and out of existence. Humans evolved into two different creatures, one rooted in the laws of science and the other having developed in the coexisting world of randomness and surrealism where nothing seems real. Both groups spend all their time seeking food and are not above eating each other. As food becomes more scarce, the groups become more desperate. It is all very bizarre, but I found it rather fascinating and rated it 3: "Liked it."

"The Moon Moth," is a marvelous work, a novelette of 39 pages that was first published in Galaxy Magazine in August, 1961. It takes place on the planet Sirene where adherence to specific local customs and protocol is more important than money or even life itself. Edwer Thissell was recently appointed as the new Consular Representative from Earth after the previous Representative to Sirene was killed because he violated a social norm. Thissell has been taking lessons to learn to play various musical instruments in order to communicate with the locals. All communication on Sirene must be made by playing the appropriate musical instruments and singing in a certain respectful way. Social behavior expected on Sirene is so detailed and complex that it is almost incomprehensible to anyone not born in the culture. Slight violations or mistakes might be interpreted as a grave insult or offense and can lead to bodily harm or even death. All of the Sirene residents also wear special masks as must the four men from Earth. Only certain types of masks can be worn depending on the status and musical skills of the wearer. The mask Thissell wears is of the "moon moth." It is a mask of low prestige but a safe one to wear. Thissell is sent a special message by his superiors assigning him the duty of capturing an assassin from Earth who will soon arrive to Sirene. Unfortunately the message is delayed, and the assassin is able to elude capture. Thissell must begin the process of tracking him down in the town where he has to interact with the local people. He knows that violating the strict rules of behavior can lead to severe consequences but he also knows that he will lose his job if he fails. As in many of Vance’s writings he creates a world or society that has strange, often seemingly nonsensical rules and social norms that, although absurd to us as outsiders, are in many ways no more strange than ones in our own cultures on Earth. One obvious one is that masks in Sirene are like social fronts or facades that we encounter with people in our own culture daily. Esteem and status in Sirene culture are based on such things as the quality of singing and playing strange musical instruments. On Earth, in many places, social status is often based on such things as being a popular musician, actor, or athlete. Social communication varies among different cultures on Earth so we would expect it to be different on the planet of Sirene. If an outsider from another world viewed various cultures on Earth with their unique rules and social norms they would probably appear to be as odd and arbitrary as those on the planet Sirene seem to us. Vance is an amazingly skillful creator of other worlds and these strange worlds often prompt us to see the strange and irrational elements of our own culture.
The Moon Moth is complex, well thought out and skillfully written. I’ve read and reread every published work by Vance and this is probably the finest short work Vance ever wrote and is essential reading, a real classic. My rating: 5.

"The New Prime" was first published under the title “Brain of the Galaxy” in the February, 1951 issue of the magazine Worlds Beyond and is a 25 page novelette. It consists of five vignettes with different characters and settings. In the first vignette a man with no memory finds himself naked at a 19th century Boston coming out party and has to decide what to do. In the second a different character is in the midst of a losing battle with insect like creatures and decides to order his men to attack the main hive of the creatures he is fighting. In the third a man is in an ancient city of ruins seeking a parchment that can save his lords life. In the fourth a person finds himself in competition to mentally project imaginative images on a screen. In the final scene our main character is captured and tortured by his enemy. It is unclear how these vignettes are related until toward the end of the story where it all comes together. I rated it a 3 "Liked it"

"Rumfuddle" is a 57 page novella that was initially published in 1973 in an anthology called Three Trips in Time and Space. It had been commissioned for a collection of three stories on the same theme by three different authors. It is an odd and rather lose story about portals that open to different universes. The portals also allow time travel (backwards but not forward) and one might even encounter multiple selves that exist in alternate universes. Initially the portals were used to solve social, economic and other problems, but some people are now using the portals for entertainment purposes and even mischief. If you can go with the flow of this story and accept the loose ends, it can be entertaining and humorous. Where else would you encounter a football team where the quarterback is Machiavelli and the front line is manned by Achilles, Charlemagne, Hercules, Goliath, Samson, Richard the Lion Hearted and Billy the Kid? This is not a story that will appeal to everyone, but I liked it and gave it a 4.

"Sulwen's Planet" is a 15 page short story that was first released in The Farthest Reaches in 1968. It is a light, humorous story. Two language professors Gench and Kosmin plus twenty four others visit Selwyn's planet to investigate the wreckage remaining from a war fought by two alien species, one resembling wasps and the other sea cows. Although this happened sixty-two thousand years ago, the atmosphere and environment of the planet have kept the spaceships and wreckage in nearly pristine condition. Unfortunately Gench and Kosmin have overlapping duties and areas of expertise, resulting in repeated conflicts. Each tries to undermine the other and take control until their duties are finally divided up so that one is in charge of investigating the crashed ships of the wasps and the other of investigating those of the sea cows. But even this division of duties is not enough to keep the two professors from trying to outdo, embarrass and deprecate the other. You might be able to guess the ending. This is a fun read but minor Vance. I rated it a 3.

"Ullward's Retreat" was written by Vance in 1957 and published initially in 1958 in Galaxy Magazine. It is a 24 page novelette. Bruham Ullward is a wealthy man who lives in a futuristic society where real estate is incredibly expensive and conditions very crowded. He has the rare luxury of having a real tree and moss on his property. Sometimes he offers the rare gift of a real leaf to visitors. Electronic "illusion-panes" simulate three dimensional electronic scenes of beautiful views by generating mountains, valleys, skies and moons. Ullward wants to expand his property by purchasing small parcels even at their outrageously high prices, but other owners won't sell. He is delighted when he encounters an opportunity to lease half a planet where he will have plenty of room. Ullward builds his new retreat on this planet and moves. The owner lives on the other half of the planet, and there is a strict contract rule forbidding trespass on the other's property. Ironically when visitors arrive at his new home, they compare his beautiful natural views to illusion-panes, claim the natural rocks do not look real, are fearful of the waves on a real beach, and even object to Ullward's new privacy stating, "I love the privacy and solitude--but I thought there'd be more people to be private from." Ullward also begins having privacy issues with the owner even though each of them has half of the planet to himself. Was he better off back on his crowded home planet where nature, scenic views and many other things were synthetic or simulated? It is a fun and interesting story that Vance himself continued to like. I rated it a 4.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Hans van der Veeke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bunch a his earlier stories. Especially The Moon Moth is a favorite of me. What a culture to live in when music is determining what you mean. Classic.

[Tom W · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hit or miss for me with the hits being Moon Moth, Runfuddle, and Dodkin's Job.