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The Moon Moth

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A short story by Jack Vance, first published in the Galaxy Magazine, August 1961. It has also appeared in Jack Vance's collections The World Between and Other Stories (1965), The Worlds of Jack Vance (1973), The Moon Moth and Other Stories (1976), The Best of Jack Vance (1976), Green Magic (1979), Coup de Grace and Other Stories (2001), and The Jack Vance Treasury (2007).

43 pages, ebook

First published August 1, 1961

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274 people want to read

About the author

Jack Vance

781 books1,589 followers
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.

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5 stars
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93 (42%)
3 stars
35 (15%)
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12 (5%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Lyn.
2,011 reviews17.7k followers
September 23, 2019
“We all wear masks, metaphorically speaking”

So said Jim Carrey as Stanley Ipkiss in the 1994 film The Mask.

Thirty-three years earlier, Grandmaster Jack Vance published The Moon Moth in Galaxy magazine and while the stories are not similar, the allegorical device of hiding behind a mask is a theme both works explore.

Actually, the book this most reminded me of was China Mieville’s 2011 novel Embassytown with it’s bizarre alien communications. Mieville does not list Vance as one of his influences, but I wonder if he has ever read The Moon Moth and having read it was inspired by Vance’s short work.

Ser Edwer Thissell (Vance’s names are almost Dickensian in their entertainment value) is a minor diplomat on a strange world, Sirene. Here, everyone wears a mask, it is considered the height of impropriety to go unadorned. Also, to communicate, they sing along with an accompanying set of handheld musical devices, the choice of device being decided upon by the social setting. Speaking to an equal, use one device, a more formal dialogue would dictate another, and sending or receiving an insult still another. Also, no money, the currency is a complicated system of social status and etiquette. This strict system of social mores is enforced with murderous exactitude.

Thissell gets an order from his superiors to track down a criminal on Sirene, but how do you find someone when everyone wears a mask?

A deliciously outlandish short story from one of the most inventive writers to ever publish.

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Profile Image for Raquel Estebaran.
299 reviews294 followers
December 14, 2022
Relato corto que narra las dificultades que enfrenta un diplomático para encontrar a un asesino y encajar en un mundo donde las normas sociales son muy complejas. Se valora la individualidad y la corrección social y cualquier error de etiqueta es susceptible de pagarse con la vida, todo el mundo se expresa utilizando cantos y distintos instrumentos, y usa máscaras para señalar su estatus y sus distintos estados de ánimo.

Muy original e ingeniosa. Otro relato que acabo de leer, "El hongo que sabía demasiado", creo que tiene influencias de esta obrita.
Profile Image for Ian.
503 reviews153 followers
December 30, 2023
4.4⭐ Fabulous Jack Vance short story, featuring a society where people express their personalities through the masks they wear. An Earth representative, charged with apprehending a criminal, is thrust into this world unprepared. He struggles to achieve his task while avoiding cultural blunders. Funny and engaging.
Profile Image for TJ.
277 reviews10 followers
May 28, 2024
"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.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
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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.
Profile Image for Jamie.
1,443 reviews225 followers
October 5, 2018
Odd, yet wonderful murder mystery set in an alien society where people don masks of widely varied styles to portray mood and social status, and use song as language. Vance uses these constructs as metaphor for all the means we employ for masking ourselves, through choice of clothing, makeup, etc to alter others' perceptions, no matter how thinly. As Vance says in the afterword "No matter what our inclinations, whether or not we like our faces, we are forced to live with them, and to accept whatever favor, censure or derision we willy-nilly incur."
Profile Image for Nikoleta L..
297 reviews24 followers
June 19, 2024
I really loved the story, which is not a big surprise because I’m a sucker for SF which leans heavily on anthropology and deals with language and challenges of communication.

Started reading it on kindle, then switched to audio. Audio is highly recommended, because the narrator sings some of the conversations which makes the story come alive.

More thoughts on The Moon Moth @Cheap Thrills, Guilty Pleasures.
Profile Image for Himanshu Karmacharya.
1,158 reviews114 followers
July 2, 2019
Very weird at first, but gets interesting as the plot and mystery is unraveled.
Profile Image for Bodhi Verboon.
48 reviews
July 2, 2025
aanrader van (en vertaald door) de baas. het stelde niet teleur. enorm gelachen
Profile Image for Anna Mattaar.
Author 3 books8 followers
June 5, 2018
Ik had nog niet eerder iets van Vance gelezen, maar dit verhaal (dat ik gratis kreeg op de Dag van het Fantastische Boek) smaakt naar meer! Het hele verhaal draait om de complexe Sirenese cultuur en de moeilijkheden en misverstanden die daar voor een buitenstaander uit voortkomen. Ik vond die cultuur boeiend en overtuigend, behalve misschien de wending op het einde, die me een tikje extreem leek. Tel daarbij een goed in elkaar zittend plot en je hebt een erg leuk verhaal.
Profile Image for Jacob.
1,722 reviews7 followers
July 2, 2014
Public library copy.

Well drawn and colored, an unusual sci-fi detective story; great production values from the publisher.
Profile Image for Laika.
92 reviews1 follower
July 21, 2023
Full of great unique details about the alien society that somehow also double as setup for the genius punchline of the finale.
Profile Image for Alba Marie.
758 reviews13 followers
March 21, 2022
A very strange short science fiction story recommended/referenced in a Neil Gaiman. Not my usual thing but I enjoy occasionally trying something a little different. This story takes place in a bizarre and complicated world called Sirene where inhabitants all wear masks (being maskless would be akin to walking around naked in our culture), each mask representing various statuses.

Communication is done via singing accompanied by a range of instruments, each meaning something different. It is an easy place to offend inhabitants, and a difficult and complex culture to master for "out worlders."

The hero Thissell is one of 4 outworlders, a sort of ambassador trying and mostly failing to fit in with Sirenese society. He often uses the wrong instrument, addresses people incorrectly, or asks for things above his perceived station. He wears the Moon Moth mask, which is a safe but lowly choice and he's frustrated at his low position in status due to this.

A dangerous assassin, Hexo Angerfell arrives in Sirene and Thissell is ordered to apprehend him - if only he can find him first. After all, everyone is always masked... Then a dead body winds up in the river and Thissell realises one of the 4 outlanders has been killed and Angmark has assumed one of their identity. But which one? Having never seen any of their faces and voices muffled by masks, how is Thissell to know?

He devises a simple plan to both discover which suspect is Angmark and also get himself a better mask and a higher societal position...

As other reviewers have remarked, this story is a thinly-masked (pun intended) attack on a society that values outward perceptions, deciding a person's worth by what "masks" ie clothes, makeup, cars, houses etc that we "wear" or hide behind in order to project our image. Vance would have a field day with social media profiles! It is a way to poke fun at all of the silly things we do that we think and allow to matter. Like chastising someone for wearing white during the winter or using the wrong salutation in an email.

We pay too much attention to these stupid and pointless details instead of pay attention to who is beneath the mask. In the story the suspects actually say that it didn't matter if Angmark had taken the place of one of them because they started with 4 outworld men and they still have 4 outworld men, so who cares who's wearing the mask?

And then we let all of these material things we buy or "earn" dictate treatment. If you are wearing a certain mask or pair of designer shoes or whatever, you get treated differently if you wear the "wrong" mask/shoes etc.

As for the language thing, we put a lot of power behind words. Instead of focussing on the meaning and concept behind the words, on communicating frankly, we get all up in arms about one misused word that offers a perceived offending slight. Usually this is so nuanced that it is difficult to keep track. This is very relevant today with the rise of woke-ness, when the terms change so quickly with such nuances that can easily offend making communication difficult and often ineffective.

It was an interesting and relevant story but definitely out of my usual remit and I had trouble following some of the terms. I'm not usually big into stories set in alien worlds.
Profile Image for Andreas.
632 reviews42 followers
April 7, 2021
Jack Vance gehört zu meinen absoluten Lieblingsschriftsteller und "Die Mondmotte" zeigt, was ihn so besonders macht. Sirene ist ein Planet, auf dem es kein Geld gibt und alles vom Prestige abhängt. Die Einwohner tragen Masken und verständigen sich, indem sie ihre Worte auf komplizierten Instrumenten begleiten. Mangelnde Virtuosität wird im besten Fall mit Herablassung bedacht, im schlimmsten Fall kommt es zu einem tödlichen Duell.

Alles andere als leichte Bedingungen für einen ausländischen Konsul und es kommt noch schlimmer...

Ich habe die sehr unterhaltsame Geschichte bereits mehrmals gelesen und mag sie immer noch, muss aber objektiverweise 1 Stern abziehen weil der Mittelteil leicht schwächelt. Dafür ist das Ende gelungen und sorgt für einige Schmunzler.

Die Kindle Edition enthält zusätzlich das von Andreas Irle verfasste Essay "Jack Vance – Weltenschöpfer, Wortschmied, Wunderwerker". Dabei handelt es sich um einen kurzen Streifzug durch das Leben und die Werke von Jack Vance mit Links zu aktuellen Ausgaben (das Essay findet sich in ähnlicher Form auf der Homepage von Andreas Irle).

Die deutsche Übersetzung ist übrigens sehr gut gelungen und liest sich stimmig. 4 von 5 Sternen und es wäre wieder an der Zeit, die Alastor Trilogie zu lesen.
Profile Image for Fredrik Wieneke.
17 reviews
September 1, 2020
Although a short story, Vance manages to capture not just the spirit of science fiction, but the spirit of anthropology. In this story we read about a man named Thissell who is assigned by the ruling body of the universal government to be a representative on the world of Fan, where people speak using song and instruments to convey emotion and thought and opinion, as well as hide their physical face under a mask that similarly conveys thought and emotion but more importantly status. Where this short story turns even more interesting is through the discussion of identity, who are you beyond the mask and how does this impact the communities view on you?
402 reviews
March 23, 2019
He crossed the square, stood looking up and down the esplanade. Hundreds of men and women sauntered along the docks, or stood on the decks of their houseboats, each wearing a mask chosen to express his mood, prestige and special attributes, and everywhere sounded the twitter of musical instruments.

Ahh, good old Golden Age science fiction. When the plot was just a veneer to answer The Question. In this case, The Question is: What would life be like if resources were abundant, climate were mild, and people had nothing to do but hone their skills?

The answer, according to Vance, is that such a culture would be fiercely independent, wear masks all the time, and speak with musical instruments. If this sounds far-fetched, you're missing the point.

"But he is a criminal," cried Angmark. "He is notorious, infamous!" "What are his misdeeds?" sand the Forest Goblin. "He has murdered, betrayed; he has wrecked ships; he has tortured, blackmailed, robbed, sold children into slavery; he has-" The Forest Goblin stopped him. "Your religious differences are of no importance. We can vouch however for your present crimes!" The hostler stepped forward. He sang fiercely, "This insolent Moon Moth nine days ago sought to preempt my choicest mount!" Another man pushed close. He wore a Universal Expert, and sang, "I am a Master Mask-maker; I recognize this Moon Moth out-worlder! Only recently he entered my shop and derided my skill. He deserves death!"

It wasn't longer or more ambitious than it needed to be, and for that it has my respect.

Shout out to The Jaunt:

Thissell paces restlessly back and forth in front of the office. There was no telling how long he would have to wait: trans-space transmission time varied unpredictably. Sometimes the message snapped through in microseconds; sometimes it wandered through unknowable regions for hours; and there were several authenticated examples of messages being received before they had been transmitted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for George.
603 reviews39 followers
June 27, 2021
There may be, as more than one review here assures me, a serious theme of personal identity in this story. I really do not think so. This is Vance in the same mode as when he wrote, e.g., the Cugel Saga.

Read in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two B: The Greatest Science Fiction Novellas of All Time Chosen by the Members of the Science Fiction Writers of America, for which it was chosen half a century later. They don't say why.
Profile Image for Tom Britz.
947 reviews27 followers
December 29, 2017
Jack Vance wrote some of the most colorful and whimsical space opera ever. This tale of a minor diplomat (Edwer Thissel) placed on a planet where everyone wears a mask (bare faces are treated like nudity) and they don't just talk, they play small hand-held musical instruments and they sing their messages. That in itself brought a smile to my face. But then Thissel has to apprehend a wanted and dangerous assassin, a man he'd never seen before, and no idea what mask he would be wearing. As Thissell stumbles around trying his best to understand this new planet, he goes about to accomplish his objective. And he does it with panache!
Profile Image for J_BlueFlower.
806 reviews8 followers
October 8, 2024
The Moon Moth
Jack Vance
Read in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two
Oct 2024

One of the best stories in the Hall of Fame Volume Two.

First published in 1961. I would not have guessed that. It feels far more modern.
I like stories with strange worlds and good world building, but by far the most important thing is that the author is serious about his world and uses the consequences. Well done here.
Profile Image for springheeled.
55 reviews2 followers
May 14, 2023
The Moon Moth is a highly imaginative story of alien custom and identity. It is also one of the few times where I feel the author's trademark concision has led him astray. There is enough grist here for a novel, perhaps several.
83 reviews
February 4, 2025
One of the most evocative Vance stories, short and sweet and paced just right. Most, maybe all, of the dialogue in this book is sung rather than spoken, and I could hear it in my head as I read. It sounded like autotuned voices for some reason.
Profile Image for Steven.
Author 1 book66 followers
March 25, 2018
OK, this short story is just bizarre - an alien society that has built its customs around masks, music and medieval values.
Profile Image for Bryn Hammond.
Author 21 books419 followers
March 29, 2023
I enjoyed this anthropological SF, which, because of the unimportant diplomat as protag and the story role given to music, put me in mind of my old fave Lloyd Biggle Jr.
358 reviews1 follower
October 21, 2024
I wasn’t sure about this story about an alien culture that uses face masks for standing in society. It did have a cool ending.
Profile Image for Jeff Ferry.
Author 4 books12 followers
May 12, 2025
An excellent sci fi story about living among another culture. There is a plot, and it's a good one, but the world is so easily fleshed out in such a short time that was the real highlight.
Profile Image for Ilia.
341 reviews3 followers
April 4, 2024
There is an interesting society sketched in the short story but Jack Vance’s sense of humour is a bit too silly to work on me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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