What do you think?
Rate this book
Sjambak
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1953
23 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Jack Vance
777 books1,588 followersAka 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 1, 2015
I have been reading science fiction for over 30 years and Sjambak is the first work I’ve read from Jack Vance.
It will not be the last.
A pleasing blend of Philip K. Dick, Alfred Bester and John Brunner, Vance has crafted in Sjambak a lot of sci-fi served up in a short story / novelette size. An intriguing long sketch it nevertheless packs a big punch.
Told with economy, Vance nonetheless escorts his reader into a fun tale of intrigue and mystery, with a far future, far flung planetary colony, a Sultanic stratagem, some nifty Burroughs-esque science that still seems plausible and a reality TV show that also features a “smell-cam”.
I enjoyed it.
It will not be the last.
A pleasing blend of Philip K. Dick, Alfred Bester and John Brunner, Vance has crafted in Sjambak a lot of sci-fi served up in a short story / novelette size. An intriguing long sketch it nevertheless packs a big punch.
Told with economy, Vance nonetheless escorts his reader into a fun tale of intrigue and mystery, with a far future, far flung planetary colony, a Sultanic stratagem, some nifty Burroughs-esque science that still seems plausible and a reality TV show that also features a “smell-cam”.
I enjoyed it.
April 1, 2024
Sjambak is a novelette that Vance wrote for the July 1953 issue of If magazine. It's a typical slicky written Vance story about a man who works for an Earth-based television program. He goes to a planet with a Mid-Eastern flavor and encounters some quirky and interesting characters and situations and a nifty scientific concept that allows people to travel in space without a space suit. It's a good story, fun but not outstanding; I'm not sure why Wildside Press selected this one for presentation as a stand-alone chapbook volume, but they did a nice job with it and included the original Virgil Finlay illustration and a brief biography and bibliography of the author.
November 15, 2016
I grew up on my mom's collection of gold & silver age science fiction. This story encapsulates the exact way in which some of it it does not translate to a 21st century reader. Murphy doesn't have a personality; he's a blank slate who is never filled in, so there's no reason to care what happens to him. The plot is thin, the story as a whole veiled with racism and misogyny. That's not Vance's fault; the story is a product of its time. But it does leave me not wanting to take any more walks down memory lane with my sci fi.
October 12, 2019
Peace and contentment is an illusion
Review of free Kindle edition
A Public Domain Book
Publication date: March 24, 2011
Language: English
ASIN: B004TRPPDW
36 pages
First published in the July 1953
issue of If Worlds of Science Fiction
Even in a 36 page short story, Jack Vance excels in world building. A fascinating Islamic world and culture of peace and beauty breeds secrets, boredom and jihad.
Not one of Jack Vance's more exciting stories. More thought provoking than action. No illustrations in the free Kindle edition.
Review of free Kindle edition
A Public Domain Book
Publication date: March 24, 2011
Language: English
ASIN: B004TRPPDW
36 pages
First published in the July 1953
issue of If Worlds of Science Fiction
Even in a 36 page short story, Jack Vance excels in world building. A fascinating Islamic world and culture of peace and beauty breeds secrets, boredom and jihad.
Not one of Jack Vance's more exciting stories. More thought provoking than action. No illustrations in the free Kindle edition.
May 28, 2024
This is a 36 page, oversize, 2010, Wildside, paperback with a 25 page Jack Vance short story titled "Sjambak", two pages "About the Author" and just over three pages of a "Selected Bibliography." Sjambak was originally published in 1953 in If Worlds of Science Fiction. I'm not sure why it was released by itself as a stand alone book because it is just an average early Vance short story. It is not without interest, of course, since it was written by Vance who is always interesting and entertaining, and he does manage to create another, interesting world in only 27 pages.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
In addition to this Wildside edition and its first publication in 1953 Sjambak was also issued in the following: The Augmented Agent collection in 1986, Gadget Stories in 2005 (Vance Integral Edition), Hard Luck Diggings: The Early Stories of Jack Vance, volume 1 in 2010, Potter of Firsk and Other Stories (ebook) in 2011 and Sail 25 and Other Stories (ebook) in 2012. As of June 12, 2018 this Wildside paperback is in print and available from Amazon.
Wilbur Murphy is a reporter from a TV series on Earth called "Know Your Universe!" It has two hundred million viewers, but its ratings have been down and his boss wants a story that is very sensational. They hear about a planet called Sirgamesk where there is a rumor about a horseman who flies through space without a space suit and so Murphy is sent there to film a story. Murphy's interest for something exciting to write about contrasts with the wishes of the sultan who rules the planet. He wants a very conservative report that reflects positively on their society. "We are quiet Mohammedans and indulge in very little festivity." Murphy's boss, in contrast, is insisting on a show that is full of "Sex! Excitement! Mystery!" The Sultan wants his Minister of Propaganda to provide an educational program, "stressing our progressive social attitude, our prosperity and financial prospects." In contrast Murphy is more interested in bands of roving bandits, prisoners who are publicly displayed naked in cages, a prince who might be planning jihad, ancient ruins, gamelan players, exotic dancers, and anything else that might increase his show's ratings. Sjambak is well worth reading, especially for Vance fans, but it is not one of Vance's great stories like "The Moon Moth." I've read it a number of times and rated it a 3: "Liked it."
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
In addition to this Wildside edition and its first publication in 1953 Sjambak was also issued in the following: The Augmented Agent collection in 1986, Gadget Stories in 2005 (Vance Integral Edition), Hard Luck Diggings: The Early Stories of Jack Vance, volume 1 in 2010, Potter of Firsk and Other Stories (ebook) in 2011 and Sail 25 and Other Stories (ebook) in 2012. As of June 12, 2018 this Wildside paperback is in print and available from Amazon.
Wilbur Murphy is a reporter from a TV series on Earth called "Know Your Universe!" It has two hundred million viewers, but its ratings have been down and his boss wants a story that is very sensational. They hear about a planet called Sirgamesk where there is a rumor about a horseman who flies through space without a space suit and so Murphy is sent there to film a story. Murphy's interest for something exciting to write about contrasts with the wishes of the sultan who rules the planet. He wants a very conservative report that reflects positively on their society. "We are quiet Mohammedans and indulge in very little festivity." Murphy's boss, in contrast, is insisting on a show that is full of "Sex! Excitement! Mystery!" The Sultan wants his Minister of Propaganda to provide an educational program, "stressing our progressive social attitude, our prosperity and financial prospects." In contrast Murphy is more interested in bands of roving bandits, prisoners who are publicly displayed naked in cages, a prince who might be planning jihad, ancient ruins, gamelan players, exotic dancers, and anything else that might increase his show's ratings. Sjambak is well worth reading, especially for Vance fans, but it is not one of Vance's great stories like "The Moon Moth." I've read it a number of times and rated it a 3: "Liked it."
August 16, 2013
Typical of early science fiction, it's more fiction than science. A story about people given a foreign planet and future setting the same way nineteenth century writers used South America, Asia or Africa to free themselves from actual cultures of their day.
It was okay.
It was okay.
September 29, 2019
Sjambak is a story I first ran into in The Augmented Agent collection. This is a really early tale written before Jack Vance had fully developed the baroque style he became so justifiably famous for. So though it is a pretty straightforward story there are some Vancean touches that show the promise of what was coming.
May 12, 2011
A chapbook of a story originally published in 1953, it's the tale of a television series, KNOW YOUR UNIVERSE!, looking for new sensations for flagging ratings.
Wilbur Murphy is sent to the planet Sirgamesk to investigate the tale of the Horseman of Space, a figure that rides up on a horse from the planet to greet incoming spaceships, no spacesuit in evidence and a planet with no horse.
An airless world settled by Javanese, Arabs, and Malay, the people lived in the valleys, airtight roofs sealing out the vacuum. The surrounding lands held million year old ruins from the time of an atmosphere.
Wilbur gets more than he bargained for, landing in the middle of a crowded valley. The Sultan wants to open more valleys, but his son, The Prince, thinks it will cost to much. Why build the expensive roofs when there were already valleys with roofs?
A fine Vance story.
Wilbur Murphy is sent to the planet Sirgamesk to investigate the tale of the Horseman of Space, a figure that rides up on a horse from the planet to greet incoming spaceships, no spacesuit in evidence and a planet with no horse.
An airless world settled by Javanese, Arabs, and Malay, the people lived in the valleys, airtight roofs sealing out the vacuum. The surrounding lands held million year old ruins from the time of an atmosphere.
Wilbur gets more than he bargained for, landing in the middle of a crowded valley. The Sultan wants to open more valleys, but his son, The Prince, thinks it will cost to much. Why build the expensive roofs when there were already valleys with roofs?
A fine Vance story.
August 4, 2013
Sjambak is a space adventure in the simplest sense. It deals with a little political intrigue on a planet colonized by muslims living in a very traditional-perspective, non-violent Middle Eastern way. It starts with an engaging enough premise, a journalist looking to find out what is the story behind sightings of a man on a steel horse in outer space, by people on ships arriving at the planet. This mystery is indeed resolved, but its resolution isn't very interesting. Instead the short story focuses on a brief exploration of the planet and culture and a quick resolution of the political conflict. The premise is here for a longer story, but as-is it is engaging if not particularly interesting.
January 9, 2021
A beautiful story
December 19, 2020
A fun space-planet adventure story, about a man visiting a planet to see if there's material for his company's movie / TV business, and gets embroiled in the struggles of two factions for the planet's future amid the mystery of incoming spaceships encountering a man on a horse.
August 11, 2024
A photographer for the interplanetary TV series, Know Your Universe, is assigned to the planet Cirgamesç to investigate rumors of a horseman who flies into space to greet incoming ships. While on the Cirgamesç, the photographer learns of a group of outlaws called Sjambak’s, one of whom is imprisoned in a cage for public display. However, all attempts to inquire about the Sjambaks are met with silence or discouragement, until the photographer finds himself embroiled in palace intrigue.
July 1, 2019
A great little story in the typical Jack Vance style. Love this author!
July 8, 2019
A brief tale of interplanetary intrigue made somewhat less than quintessetial Vance by some silly science.
May 14, 2023
Vance is known for his abrupt endings, this is the first story I've read from him however where I was left wondering whether half the manuscript went missing and no one noticed.
October 25, 2024
You'll never guess
What a Sjambak is :) or why Amazon or Goodreads requires 20 word reviews, but that would be easier. :)
What a Sjambak is :) or why Amazon or Goodreads requires 20 word reviews, but that would be easier. :)
November 18, 2025
Great scifi, short story, by a master with great narration.
March 18, 2014
A reporter “journalist” from Earth is sent to a distant planet to investigate the rumors of a man on a horse greeting incoming spacecraft less spacesuit and necessary attire. Like all entertainment endeavors the producers are searching for the exotic, strange, and mysterious to boost ratings. Wilbur Murphy is the story's Geraldo Rivera reporter willing to open and solve the mystery in a blaze of hoopla.
I don't know how to classify this story. I could tell the story (spoiler), or maybe explain parts of it, but the “story” beginning, middle, end is kind of thin start to finish. Don't misunderstand. This is a story by a Grand Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy... it can keep your interest despite a rather abrupt conclusion. Sadly, to me it is only “ok” which is only two stars. Sorry Vance. The cover artwork for the Feedbooks epub is kind of cool!
I think if I looked back at it after a few days I may bump it up to three stars. This could easily be fleshed out into a novel or maybe even a series of novels.
In 2009 New York Times Magazine said that Science Fiction and Fantasy *Grand Master* Jack Vance was "one of American literature’s most distinctive and undervalued voices."
Free Feedbook: http://www.feedbooks.com/book/4216.epub
Free Librovox: http://www.archive.org/download/short...
Author bio:
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?136 To see Mr. Vance's astronomical body of work.
March 20, 2024
This is not a short story, this is an aborted story without an ending.
February 7, 2011
I had a good time reading this one. Although I had read better from Vance, he goes through a lot of good ideas here, but nothing to deep, philosophically or sociologically, as far as I could tell. A good short story, and I'm not sure if it isnt part of a larger story as is the case with a lot of his stories like this one. If your a Jack Vance fan then youll like it. For the most part not much stands out except the character of the Sjambak and the twist at the end, which is kinda cool.
August 30, 2012
Un recueil touffu (sept nouvelles), mais qui se lit avec plaisir.
Je n'irai pas jusqu'à dire que toutes les nouvelles m'ont plu (La planète de poussière m'a moyennement convaincu par exemple), mais dans l'ensemble, on retrouve dans ce livre tout ce qui fait le charme de Jack Vance : du dépaysement, de l'aventure, des récits à la frontière entre la science-fiction et le fantastique, voire le polar (pour l'excellent robot désinhibé)
Au final, un ouvrage plaisant.
Je n'irai pas jusqu'à dire que toutes les nouvelles m'ont plu (La planète de poussière m'a moyennement convaincu par exemple), mais dans l'ensemble, on retrouve dans ce livre tout ce qui fait le charme de Jack Vance : du dépaysement, de l'aventure, des récits à la frontière entre la science-fiction et le fantastique, voire le polar (pour l'excellent robot désinhibé)
Au final, un ouvrage plaisant.
June 9, 2010
I actually read the version available at Project Gutenberg.
This is early Vance from the 1950s and fits well in that milieu. Vance is well known for his exotic locales, a trait on exhibit here although modern readers might find it trite and backwards.
This is early Vance from the 1950s and fits well in that milieu. Vance is well known for his exotic locales, a trait on exhibit here although modern readers might find it trite and backwards.
February 14, 2012
A good story, with intrigue, tension and action.
The story is told in a narrative and conversational style.
The narrator is well spoken, his voice is clear and easy to listen to.
The recording good is clean with out any background noises. There plenty of volume.
The editing is seamless.
The story is told in a narrative and conversational style.
The narrator is well spoken, his voice is clear and easy to listen to.
The recording good is clean with out any background noises. There plenty of volume.
The editing is seamless.
January 16, 2011
OK, but ended too abruptly for my taste. It also seemed to lack the density of convincing alien detail that Vance normally puts in his work - but I guess it was an early work of his.
January 1, 2012
A pleasing short story that travels into Dune country, technology that effects human physiology . The"twist" is highly improbable but the characters and setting are so strong it's quickly forgiven.
September 12, 2014
Well, that took less than an hour...more of short story than a book. As always, Vance is a good read.
June 6, 2015
There is no bad Jack Vance but there are occasional mediocrities. Still, as usual, the planet's culture and setting was creative and unique.
December 21, 2015
Jack Vance is fun to read. He's creative, and intelligent. This sci-fi tale is perfect reading for a short flight, or a long commute.
December 10, 2016
Not one of the best Jack Vance stories I have ever read. It was just OK.
September 17, 2015
Meh. I expected more. Clever humor. Ends too abruptly.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews