What do you think?
Rate this book
Golden Girl and Other Stories
A collection of some of Jack Vance's best short fiction,
Golden Girl
Masquerade on Dicantropus
Abercrombie Station
Cholwell's Chickens
The Mitr
The World Between
When the Five Moons Rise
Meet Miss Universe
The Insufferable Red-headed Daughter of Commander Tynnott, O.T.E.
Golden Girl
Masquerade on Dicantropus
Abercrombie Station
Cholwell's Chickens
The Mitr
The World Between
When the Five Moons Rise
Meet Miss Universe
The Insufferable Red-headed Daughter of Commander Tynnott, O.T.E.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1951
2 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Jack Vance
778 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 28, 2023
Very weird, very corny. Very creepy that it's mostly stories about beautiful young girls. A point to its credit that most of them are more than capable of handling themselves and outsmarting the oafs around them, but I wouldn't call it feminist. These feel like B-movies from the 50s with a tad bit more cleverness.
Vance is sometimes really good at coming up with future tech. One story depicts "gunk" which is a drug that lets you experience other people's experiences and emotions, which is now commonplace in modern sci-fi. I don't know if he's the first to come up with it, but it's there. But then in a world with space flight being commonplace and gravity blankets they are still using paper mail. I've read too many "golden" sci fi novels that place emphasis on space flight or robots and clearly think computers were a gag or couldn't envision them any other way than cavernous room filling monstrosities. Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on Vance.
Anyway, "When the Five Moons Rise" is clearly and undeniably the absolute best story out of this collection and worth reading on its own. It is spooky, otherworldly and captivating. The others are good for a laugh at the naivety (and pervy-ness).
Vance is sometimes really good at coming up with future tech. One story depicts "gunk" which is a drug that lets you experience other people's experiences and emotions, which is now commonplace in modern sci-fi. I don't know if he's the first to come up with it, but it's there. But then in a world with space flight being commonplace and gravity blankets they are still using paper mail. I've read too many "golden" sci fi novels that place emphasis on space flight or robots and clearly think computers were a gag or couldn't envision them any other way than cavernous room filling monstrosities. Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on Vance.
Anyway, "When the Five Moons Rise" is clearly and undeniably the absolute best story out of this collection and worth reading on its own. It is spooky, otherworldly and captivating. The others are good for a laugh at the naivety (and pervy-ness).
May 25, 2024
Golden Girl and Other Stories
This collection of Jack Vance stories includes five short stories, one novelette and three novellas. Below is a brief summary of each work listed alphabetically.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
"Abercrombie Station" is a 62 page novella was initially published in 1952 in Thrilling Wonder Stories. The main character, a woman named Jean, obtains a job as a housekeeper at the home of a wealthy man, Earl Abercrombie, on a private satellite which he owns, Abercrombie Station. He is unmarried and has some terminal medical condition. The plan is for Jean to marry him and then, after he dies, to obtain two million dollars from the mysterious coconspirator who recruited her to do this. She is a "gravity girl" from Earth, however, and the place she goes to has no gravity and a much different concept of beauty. On this strange satellite the larger the person is the more attractive they are considered, so most are as wide as they are tall and float around in the air while hired help wear magnetic shoes to keep them on the floor. So there is a problem with attracting this billionaire because Jean is considered malnourished, unhealthy and scrawny by their standards and is thought to be extremely unattractive even though she is very pretty by Earth standards. Her billionaire employer also has a large collection of bizarre alien creatures that he keeps in his natural history museum and seems to find more attractive than any women. No challenge is too much for Jean, however. My rating: 4.
"Cholwell's Chicken" is a 50 page novella that is a sequel to the novel "Abercrombie Station" although it can be read and understood on its own. It was first published in 1952 in Thrilling Wonder Stories magazine. It is one of the very few times that Vance has portrayed a stand alone main character that was a woman, in this instance, Jean Parlier, an attractive, vivacious, charismatic, clever 17 year old girl who is also tough minded, very independent, and street smart. In Cholwell's Chicken, Jean finds that wealth she acquired in the story "Abercrombie Station" has not brought her the contentment she had anticipated. She never knew her parents because she was abandoned in a bar and raised by the bar owner. Jean thinks that finding her parents now might bring some meaning and direction to her life so begins to make plans to try to search out who her parents might be. While visiting at her attorney's office (he is also her guardian) she encounters a Dr. Cholwell who has an unusual scheme for becoming rich raising chickens. He needs an investor so tries to convince Jean and her guardian that his chicken ranch would make a great investment. Jean is planning to fly to the town where she was born in an effort to locate her parents and Cholwell's ranch is nearby so he invites her to visit. It is a very strange story. In attempting to locate her parents, Jean also finds herself. More accurately she finds "her selves" as she encounters some mysterious secrets and conspiracies that have remained hidden for many years. My rating 4.
"Golden Girl" was first issued in Marvel Science Stories in 1951. It is a ten page short story about a reporter, Bill Baxter, who becomes famous after he rescues a woman from a wrecked spaceship. The woman, Lurulu, is a remarkably beautiful golden colored human like alien who is sent to a hospital to recover. Baxter tries to protect her from the many reporters, CIA agents and others who want to talk with her or even relocate her. Eventually she is even invited with Baxter to stay at the White House. But fame and world attention cannot offset Lurulu's homesickness, and Baxter becomes increasingly attracted to her. This is a very simple story that should appeal mostly to Vance fans. I rated it a 3.
The Insufferable Redheaded Daughter of Commander Tynnott, OTE
"The Insufferable Redheaded Daughter of Commander Tynnott, OTE" is a fifty one page novelette that was issued first in 1974 in the collection titled Universe 4. It placed fourth in the 1975 Locus Awards and was a semifinalist in the 1975 Hugo Awards. An alternative title is "Assault on a City. The main character is Alice Tynnott, daughter of Commander Tynnott, with whom several male characters are infatuated. One of these is Bo Histledine a criminal and scoundrel and the other is the straight laced, pleasant, cordial Waldo Walberg. Part of the attraction for both of them is that Alice appears to be aloof and unobtainable. The planet of Hant provides a colorful background for their encounters. I found the story itself to be of only minor interest and rated it 4.
"The Masquerade on Dicantropus" is a 15 page short story that is an early work, originally published in 1951 in Startling Stories magazine. A couple named Jim and Barbara Root live on the planet Dicantropus where he is studying the planet's archeology and she is deeply bored and unhappy. Jim agrees to return to Earth in three months when the next supply ship arrives and suggests that they might engage in more swimming and badminton in the until then. There is an unusual pyramid on the planet that intrigues Jim but is afraid to explore it because he thinks it is guarded by the alien creatures who live on the planet. One day one of the resident creatures, a Dicantropus, swims up to them wearing a diamond necklace. They converse with the Dicantropus but it will only say that it found the necklace but not where. The Roots suspect it came from the pyramid and Barbara wants Jim to explore the pyramid in case there are more jewels there. Jim refuses because of the dangers involved but when another man crash lands on the planet, Barbara convinces the new visitor to explore the pyramid. They will soon find out what the pyramid is and who the Dicantropus are. The story is enjoyable and I rated it a 3 "Liked it"
"Meet Miss Universe" was published first in 1955 in Fantastic Universe. It is a twenty five page short story involving the California Tri-Centennial Exposition. Harderman Clydell, the Exposition's General Director asks his assistant, Tony LeGrand, if he can think of events or exhibits to enhance the exposition and Tony suggests a Miss Universe contest. LeGrand likes the idea so they begin making plans. They decide to include all species of intelligent alien creatures as long as they come from a socially organized society, an interpreter can be found and the species is not dangerous. Comparing humans to Pleiades dragon women would be difficult so they decide to score the contestants based on the standards of their home planet. The story is intended to be light and humorous and has an unpredictable ending, although it is clearly dated. I rated it a 3.
"The Mitr" first saw publication in 1953 in Vortex Science Fiction. It is an 8 page short story about a young woman named Mitr who has grown up alone on a planet where there are no other people and her best friends seem to be giant beetles that knock her down and suck her blood, although not to the point of killing her. One day she sees some men who arrive in a spaceship and seem to look somewhat like her. She is tempted to contact them but is also fearful of doing so. I won't divulge the ending, but it was very depressing.
"When the Five Moons Rise" was first published in 1954 in Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine. It is a 14 page short story. The setting is a lighthouse where two persons work. One of them tells the other not to believe anything when five moons rise at once. Strange things happen when the moons do rise together, including the disappearance of one of the men and things suddenly appearing when wished for. I rated it a 3.
"The World Between," a 29 page novelette written in 1953, is also known as "The Ecological Onslaught." A potentially habitable planet is discovered by beings from Blue Star who are in direct competition with residents of another planet called Kay. When the Blue Star explorers try to introduce organisms to the planet to eventually make it habitable, the Kay citizens, who want the planet for themselves, decide to release diseases and predators to disrupt things. This quickly becomes an ecological battle between two planets. It is an interesting story and easy to read. I rated it a 4.
This collection of Jack Vance stories includes five short stories, one novelette and three novellas. Below is a brief summary of each work listed alphabetically.
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
"Abercrombie Station" is a 62 page novella was initially published in 1952 in Thrilling Wonder Stories. The main character, a woman named Jean, obtains a job as a housekeeper at the home of a wealthy man, Earl Abercrombie, on a private satellite which he owns, Abercrombie Station. He is unmarried and has some terminal medical condition. The plan is for Jean to marry him and then, after he dies, to obtain two million dollars from the mysterious coconspirator who recruited her to do this. She is a "gravity girl" from Earth, however, and the place she goes to has no gravity and a much different concept of beauty. On this strange satellite the larger the person is the more attractive they are considered, so most are as wide as they are tall and float around in the air while hired help wear magnetic shoes to keep them on the floor. So there is a problem with attracting this billionaire because Jean is considered malnourished, unhealthy and scrawny by their standards and is thought to be extremely unattractive even though she is very pretty by Earth standards. Her billionaire employer also has a large collection of bizarre alien creatures that he keeps in his natural history museum and seems to find more attractive than any women. No challenge is too much for Jean, however. My rating: 4.
"Cholwell's Chicken" is a 50 page novella that is a sequel to the novel "Abercrombie Station" although it can be read and understood on its own. It was first published in 1952 in Thrilling Wonder Stories magazine. It is one of the very few times that Vance has portrayed a stand alone main character that was a woman, in this instance, Jean Parlier, an attractive, vivacious, charismatic, clever 17 year old girl who is also tough minded, very independent, and street smart. In Cholwell's Chicken, Jean finds that wealth she acquired in the story "Abercrombie Station" has not brought her the contentment she had anticipated. She never knew her parents because she was abandoned in a bar and raised by the bar owner. Jean thinks that finding her parents now might bring some meaning and direction to her life so begins to make plans to try to search out who her parents might be. While visiting at her attorney's office (he is also her guardian) she encounters a Dr. Cholwell who has an unusual scheme for becoming rich raising chickens. He needs an investor so tries to convince Jean and her guardian that his chicken ranch would make a great investment. Jean is planning to fly to the town where she was born in an effort to locate her parents and Cholwell's ranch is nearby so he invites her to visit. It is a very strange story. In attempting to locate her parents, Jean also finds herself. More accurately she finds "her selves" as she encounters some mysterious secrets and conspiracies that have remained hidden for many years. My rating 4.
"Golden Girl" was first issued in Marvel Science Stories in 1951. It is a ten page short story about a reporter, Bill Baxter, who becomes famous after he rescues a woman from a wrecked spaceship. The woman, Lurulu, is a remarkably beautiful golden colored human like alien who is sent to a hospital to recover. Baxter tries to protect her from the many reporters, CIA agents and others who want to talk with her or even relocate her. Eventually she is even invited with Baxter to stay at the White House. But fame and world attention cannot offset Lurulu's homesickness, and Baxter becomes increasingly attracted to her. This is a very simple story that should appeal mostly to Vance fans. I rated it a 3.
The Insufferable Redheaded Daughter of Commander Tynnott, OTE
"The Insufferable Redheaded Daughter of Commander Tynnott, OTE" is a fifty one page novelette that was issued first in 1974 in the collection titled Universe 4. It placed fourth in the 1975 Locus Awards and was a semifinalist in the 1975 Hugo Awards. An alternative title is "Assault on a City. The main character is Alice Tynnott, daughter of Commander Tynnott, with whom several male characters are infatuated. One of these is Bo Histledine a criminal and scoundrel and the other is the straight laced, pleasant, cordial Waldo Walberg. Part of the attraction for both of them is that Alice appears to be aloof and unobtainable. The planet of Hant provides a colorful background for their encounters. I found the story itself to be of only minor interest and rated it 4.
"The Masquerade on Dicantropus" is a 15 page short story that is an early work, originally published in 1951 in Startling Stories magazine. A couple named Jim and Barbara Root live on the planet Dicantropus where he is studying the planet's archeology and she is deeply bored and unhappy. Jim agrees to return to Earth in three months when the next supply ship arrives and suggests that they might engage in more swimming and badminton in the until then. There is an unusual pyramid on the planet that intrigues Jim but is afraid to explore it because he thinks it is guarded by the alien creatures who live on the planet. One day one of the resident creatures, a Dicantropus, swims up to them wearing a diamond necklace. They converse with the Dicantropus but it will only say that it found the necklace but not where. The Roots suspect it came from the pyramid and Barbara wants Jim to explore the pyramid in case there are more jewels there. Jim refuses because of the dangers involved but when another man crash lands on the planet, Barbara convinces the new visitor to explore the pyramid. They will soon find out what the pyramid is and who the Dicantropus are. The story is enjoyable and I rated it a 3 "Liked it"
"Meet Miss Universe" was published first in 1955 in Fantastic Universe. It is a twenty five page short story involving the California Tri-Centennial Exposition. Harderman Clydell, the Exposition's General Director asks his assistant, Tony LeGrand, if he can think of events or exhibits to enhance the exposition and Tony suggests a Miss Universe contest. LeGrand likes the idea so they begin making plans. They decide to include all species of intelligent alien creatures as long as they come from a socially organized society, an interpreter can be found and the species is not dangerous. Comparing humans to Pleiades dragon women would be difficult so they decide to score the contestants based on the standards of their home planet. The story is intended to be light and humorous and has an unpredictable ending, although it is clearly dated. I rated it a 3.
"The Mitr" first saw publication in 1953 in Vortex Science Fiction. It is an 8 page short story about a young woman named Mitr who has grown up alone on a planet where there are no other people and her best friends seem to be giant beetles that knock her down and suck her blood, although not to the point of killing her. One day she sees some men who arrive in a spaceship and seem to look somewhat like her. She is tempted to contact them but is also fearful of doing so. I won't divulge the ending, but it was very depressing.
"When the Five Moons Rise" was first published in 1954 in Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine. It is a 14 page short story. The setting is a lighthouse where two persons work. One of them tells the other not to believe anything when five moons rise at once. Strange things happen when the moons do rise together, including the disappearance of one of the men and things suddenly appearing when wished for. I rated it a 3.
"The World Between," a 29 page novelette written in 1953, is also known as "The Ecological Onslaught." A potentially habitable planet is discovered by beings from Blue Star who are in direct competition with residents of another planet called Kay. When the Blue Star explorers try to introduce organisms to the planet to eventually make it habitable, the Kay citizens, who want the planet for themselves, decide to release diseases and predators to disrupt things. This quickly becomes an ecological battle between two planets. It is an interesting story and easy to read. I rated it a 4.
July 2, 2021
Mixed collection
The last story had some Vance picturesque qualities the rest were sci fi tinged mysteries very different from his best novels
The last story had some Vance picturesque qualities the rest were sci fi tinged mysteries very different from his best novels
May 22, 2020
I was pleased to buy a copy of this book as six of the stories were new to me. The other three stories have appeared in "The augmented agent", "The narrow land" and "Fantasms & Magics" respectively. Eight of the stories were first published in the early 1950s and the final story was first published in 1974. Most of the stories are humorous and three of the longer stories feature female main characters which is unusual for this author. It's by no means classic but is an enjoyable read.
June 2, 2012
While several of the stories are forgettable, Golden Girl and The Insufferable Red-headed Daughter of Commander Tynnott, O.T.E. are definitely worth reading.
May 31, 2015
Great tidbits
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews