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Telek
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
About the author
Jack Vance
807 books1,648 followersAka John Holbrook Vance, Peter Held, Ellery Queen, Alan Wade.
John Holbrook Vance was an American writer widely celebrated for his imaginative contributions to science fiction, fantasy, and mystery literature. Over a career that spanned more than six decades, he became known for richly detailed worlds, inventive language, and stories that combined adventure with sharp social observation. His work influenced generations of speculative fiction writers and helped expand the literary possibilities of the genre. Vance wrote more than sixty books and numerous short stories, many first appearing in science fiction magazines before later being expanded into novels and collections. His fiction was widely translated and developed an international readership.
Vance grew up in California and spent part of his youth on a ranch near the Sacramento River delta, where he developed a love of the outdoors and an appetite for reading. The family experienced financial hardship during the Great Depression, prompting him to take a variety of jobs before completing his studies at the University of California, Berkeley. During these years he worked in several trades and cultivated interests in music, travel, and sailing, experiences that later informed many of the settings and themes in his fiction. Before becoming a full-time writer he held numerous occupations, including shipyard worker, merchant seaman, carpenter, and surveyor.
His earliest published story appeared in the mid 1940s in a science fiction magazine, marking the beginning of a long writing career. Throughout the following decades he produced stories across multiple genres, though he became best known for science fiction and fantasy cycles that combined imaginative settings with elaborate cultures and social systems. Among his most famous works are The Dragon Masters and The Last Castle, both of which received Hugo Awards. The Last Castle also earned the Nebula Award, confirming Vance's reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in speculative fiction. His fantasy trilogy Lyonesse later received the World Fantasy Award, while his memoir This Is Me, Jack Vance! earned another Hugo decades later.
In addition to speculative fiction, Vance wrote several mystery novels, some under pseudonyms including Ellery Queen. These works often blended crime elements with psychological or social themes and sometimes anticipated ideas that later appeared in his science fiction. His storytelling frequently emphasized cultural conflict, moral ambiguity, and intricate social customs rather than large-scale warfare, setting him apart from many contemporaries in the genre.
Vance maintained close friendships with other science fiction writers and participated in literary communities that shaped postwar American speculative fiction. He traveled widely with his family and spent extended periods abroad, experiences that influenced the exotic settings and cosmopolitan tone found in many of his books. Music also played a role in his life and writing, reflecting his long-standing enthusiasm for traditional jazz.
Despite gradually losing his eyesight later in life, Vance continued writing with the aid of specialized software and completed both fiction and autobiography in his later years. Over time his reputation grew steadily, and he received numerous honors, including the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and recognition as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Critics and fellow writers often praised his distinctive style, wit, and imagination, and his stories remain widely read within the science fiction and fantasy community.
John Holbrook Vance was an American writer widely celebrated for his imaginative contributions to science fiction, fantasy, and mystery literature. Over a career that spanned more than six decades, he became known for richly detailed worlds, inventive language, and stories that combined adventure with sharp social observation. His work influenced generations of speculative fiction writers and helped expand the literary possibilities of the genre. Vance wrote more than sixty books and numerous short stories, many first appearing in science fiction magazines before later being expanded into novels and collections. His fiction was widely translated and developed an international readership.
Vance grew up in California and spent part of his youth on a ranch near the Sacramento River delta, where he developed a love of the outdoors and an appetite for reading. The family experienced financial hardship during the Great Depression, prompting him to take a variety of jobs before completing his studies at the University of California, Berkeley. During these years he worked in several trades and cultivated interests in music, travel, and sailing, experiences that later informed many of the settings and themes in his fiction. Before becoming a full-time writer he held numerous occupations, including shipyard worker, merchant seaman, carpenter, and surveyor.
His earliest published story appeared in the mid 1940s in a science fiction magazine, marking the beginning of a long writing career. Throughout the following decades he produced stories across multiple genres, though he became best known for science fiction and fantasy cycles that combined imaginative settings with elaborate cultures and social systems. Among his most famous works are The Dragon Masters and The Last Castle, both of which received Hugo Awards. The Last Castle also earned the Nebula Award, confirming Vance's reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in speculative fiction. His fantasy trilogy Lyonesse later received the World Fantasy Award, while his memoir This Is Me, Jack Vance! earned another Hugo decades later.
In addition to speculative fiction, Vance wrote several mystery novels, some under pseudonyms including Ellery Queen. These works often blended crime elements with psychological or social themes and sometimes anticipated ideas that later appeared in his science fiction. His storytelling frequently emphasized cultural conflict, moral ambiguity, and intricate social customs rather than large-scale warfare, setting him apart from many contemporaries in the genre.
Vance maintained close friendships with other science fiction writers and participated in literary communities that shaped postwar American speculative fiction. He traveled widely with his family and spent extended periods abroad, experiences that influenced the exotic settings and cosmopolitan tone found in many of his books. Music also played a role in his life and writing, reflecting his long-standing enthusiasm for traditional jazz.
Despite gradually losing his eyesight later in life, Vance continued writing with the aid of specialized software and completed both fiction and autobiography in his later years. Over time his reputation grew steadily, and he received numerous honors, including the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and recognition as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Critics and fellow writers often praised his distinctive style, wit, and imagination, and his stories remain widely read within the science fiction and fantasy community.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 2, 2025
Овехтяло. И липсва светостроене - действието изтопурка много набързо.
Конфликтът е между мнозинство от онеправдани и малцинство от всесилни, като в тази версия всесилните владеят телекинеза с такава мощ, че хвъркат за секунди до Юпитер и обратно, и - ако решат - могат да стоварят Луната върху земята. Това добре, но сюжетът направо липсва след средата нататък, а краят е приспивен, макар да се опитва да мине за епичен. Героите са съвсем неразвити.
Иначе любителският превод в читанката е чудесен.
Конфликтът е между мнозинство от онеправдани и малцинство от всесилни, като в тази версия всесилните владеят телекинеза с такава мощ, че хвъркат за секунди до Юпитер и обратно, и - ако решат - могат да стоварят Луната върху земята. Това добре, но сюжетът направо липсва след средата нататък, а краят е приспивен, макар да се опитва да мине за епичен. Героите са съвсем неразвити.
Иначе любителският превод в читанката е чудесен.
November 13, 2023
Любителският превод появил се в читанка ми дойде като изключително приятна изненада. Да не говорим, че като качество предварва половината „официални“ преводи от последните години.
Новелата „Телек“ е доста нетипична за Ванс, който е майстор на виолетовата проза и обикновено произведенията му са изпълнени със светостроене и доволно количество меланхолия. Тук имаме една чисто фантастично-утопична идея, леко куцаща от към научна достоверност, но за сметка на това с изненадващо оптимистичен финал.
Някъде в бъдещето част от човечеството е развило мащабни телекинетични способности. Тези Телеки в началото са водени от чисто филантропски подбуди, но скоро властта на силите им успява да ги опорочи. Шест години по-късно човечеството е брутално разделено на две социални прослойки – обикновени и телеки, като вторите доминират над първите във всички аспекти на социума. Това естествено води до съпротива, която се изражда в тероризъм и идеи за геноцид. Поне докато един обикновен дисидент не успява да се сдобие със силите на управляващата каста. Това ще доведе до нови и доста по-хуманни идеи за бъдещето на човечеството. Само да успеят да ги осъществят...
Новелата „Телек“ е доста нетипична за Ванс, който е майстор на виолетовата проза и обикновено произведенията му са изпълнени със светостроене и доволно количество меланхолия. Тук имаме една чисто фантастично-утопична идея, леко куцаща от към научна достоверност, но за сметка на това с изненадващо оптимистичен финал.
Някъде в бъдещето част от човечеството е развило мащабни телекинетични способности. Тези Телеки в началото са водени от чисто филантропски подбуди, но скоро властта на силите им успява да ги опорочи. Шест години по-късно човечеството е брутално разделено на две социални прослойки – обикновени и телеки, като вторите доминират над първите във всички аспекти на социума. Това естествено води до съпротива, която се изражда в тероризъм и идеи за геноцид. Поне докато един обикновен дисидент не успява да се сдобие със силите на управляващата каста. Това ще доведе до нови и доста по-хуманни идеи за бъдещето на човечеството. Само да успеят да ги осъществят...
March 17, 2017
Telek is a 58 page novella that was first published in 1952 in Astounding Science Fiction magazine. It is set in the future where the world is controlled by Teleks who are humans who have learned telekinetic powers. These Teleks live apart from regular humans but interact with them and manage much of the industry and finances of the world. Although vastly outnumbered by humans, Teleks have immense power to do damage and to control society. If a Telek is attacked or killed by ordinary humans, there is terrible retribution against them so they are usually treated with deference. In our story a Telek is suddenly killed by an angry worker and the other workers decide to cover this up to avoid retaliation. But Teleks have bug like spying devices that fly around keeping surveillance, making such cover ups extremely difficult. One human, Shorn, who joins a group that is conspiring against the Teleks, offers the Teleks some vital information in exchange for their teaching him telekinesis so he can be a Telek. He hopes to teach other ordinary people this power so they are not dominated and terrorized by the Teleks. The alternative plan is to try to kill all of the Teleks. But if they do not kill every one of them, if even one is left alive, there will be terrible retaliation. This story was likeable enough but not top drawer Vance and I rated it a 3 Liked it.
January 27, 2023
Not the Master's best but enjoyable as always
July 11, 2019
Ik weet niet exact meer wanneer ik ben begonnen met het lezen van science-fiction, maar het moet meer dan 35 jaar geleden zijn en Jack Vance was waarschijnlijk de eerste of één van de eerste SF-auteurs die ik las.
Het oeuvre van Jack Vance is indrukwekkend, hij was een heel productieve schrijver en ik heb een groot deel van zijn boeken gelezen. Nu ik bij het opruimen van de zolder een deel van mijn oude boeken herlees, vallen mij een aantal zaken op. Het merendeel van zijn ouder werk, geschreven tussen 1950 en 1995, heeft de tand des tijds niet zo goed doorstaan, maar dat geldt o.a. ook voor het werk van Asimov. Een tweede opmerking is dat Jack Vance wel beschrijft wat zijn personages doen, maar dat je heel weinig te weten komt over wat ze ervaren of voelen.
De verhalen in dit boek zou je kunnen omschrijven als typisch Vance, maar er zijn er twee die er uit springen: nl. Telek en De gave van woorden. Die twee hebben de tand des tijds goed doorstaan en zijn ook nu nog relevant. In Telek gaat het over vrijheidsstrijders/terroristen (afhankelijk van aan welke kant je staat) die strijden voor een gelijke verdeling van de macht en welvaart omdat de macht en de rijkdom zich in dit verhaal steeds meer concentreren in de handen van de Telek (noem ze gerust de 1%). In De gave van woorden gaat het eerder over ongebreideld kapitalisme en het ontginnen van grondstoffen ongeacht de kost. Het zijn deze twee verhalen die vier sterren verdienen, de overige vier verhalen zijn eerder 2 à 3 sterren waard.
Het oeuvre van Jack Vance is indrukwekkend, hij was een heel productieve schrijver en ik heb een groot deel van zijn boeken gelezen. Nu ik bij het opruimen van de zolder een deel van mijn oude boeken herlees, vallen mij een aantal zaken op. Het merendeel van zijn ouder werk, geschreven tussen 1950 en 1995, heeft de tand des tijds niet zo goed doorstaan, maar dat geldt o.a. ook voor het werk van Asimov. Een tweede opmerking is dat Jack Vance wel beschrijft wat zijn personages doen, maar dat je heel weinig te weten komt over wat ze ervaren of voelen.
De verhalen in dit boek zou je kunnen omschrijven als typisch Vance, maar er zijn er twee die er uit springen: nl. Telek en De gave van woorden. Die twee hebben de tand des tijds goed doorstaan en zijn ook nu nog relevant. In Telek gaat het over vrijheidsstrijders/terroristen (afhankelijk van aan welke kant je staat) die strijden voor een gelijke verdeling van de macht en welvaart omdat de macht en de rijkdom zich in dit verhaal steeds meer concentreren in de handen van de Telek (noem ze gerust de 1%). In De gave van woorden gaat het eerder over ongebreideld kapitalisme en het ontginnen van grondstoffen ongeacht de kost. Het zijn deze twee verhalen die vier sterren verdienen, de overige vier verhalen zijn eerder 2 à 3 sterren waard.
December 20, 2015
Weer een bundeling van verhalen, waarvan de laatste 'De Wereld Tussenin' en 'De wonderbaarlijke verrichtingen van Sam Salazar' wel de leukste waren.
February 15, 2014
Great story, exciting from start to finish.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews