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The Men Return and Others
Five vintage stories from the 1950s by Science Fiction Grand Master, Jack Vance. SF stories of adventure, detection, horror, and humor.
Stories include The Men Return; The Devil On Salvation Bluff; A Practical Man's Guide; Worlds of Origin; and the haunting, When the Five Moons Rise.
Stories include The Men Return; The Devil On Salvation Bluff; A Practical Man's Guide; Worlds of Origin; and the haunting, When the Five Moons Rise.
101 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Jack Vance
777 books1,622 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 15, 2010
3.5 to 4.0 stars. I have not read all of the stories in this collection so this review is only for the two stories listed below (I will update the rating/review as I read additional selections):
Worlds of Origin (3.5 to 4.0 stars) - A neat science fiction mystery featuring some classic Vance characters and descriptions of alien cultures.
The Men Return (4.0 stars) - A classic Vance story about the last survivors of Earth living in chaos after the Earth experienced a phenomenon that has destroyed the "cause and effect" rule of nature (i.e. no action's consequence can be predicted). Bizarre and very interesting.
Worlds of Origin (3.5 to 4.0 stars) - A neat science fiction mystery featuring some classic Vance characters and descriptions of alien cultures.
The Men Return (4.0 stars) - A classic Vance story about the last survivors of Earth living in chaos after the Earth experienced a phenomenon that has destroyed the "cause and effect" rule of nature (i.e. no action's consequence can be predicted). Bizarre and very interesting.
June 9, 2010
Really good - Vance always exceeds expectations. However, the best two stories in this slim collection are the first two.
1) When the Five Moons Rise
5 Stars - really, really good!
This was a very haunting story - unforgettable. I'll always wonder about the Seguilo character... who was he? Impeccable Vance writing, verbiose and elegant. Perhaps the ending was a little frivolous, but a superbly fine read.
2) Worlds of Origin
5 Stars - really, really good!
This was another stunning story from Vance. Required reading for SF fans. It reminded me perhaps of Mike Resnick (when he's writing SF mystery stories).
3) A Practical Man's Guide
3.5 Stars - good
Not the same quality of writing... Vance doesn't exert himself, and this story does not soar with as elegant vocabulary as I've come to expect.
But overlooking that, where this story suffers a bit more is in the ending. A bit too gimmicky.
The story flows well, and is completely captivating in its short form.
4) The Men Return
3.5 Stars - good
Perhaps the strangest story in the collection, this will perhaps merit a re-read sometime in the future so that I can get a better grasp of it.
Mainly, this short story suffers from being too predictable. Some wild and crazy moments that remind you that you are reading Vance, but I did want more...
5) The Devil on Salvation Bluff
4 Stars - very good
Again, the ending was completely predictable, but at least this time Vance elaborated more on the strangeness of the world he had invented.
And while the previous story was the one I found the most bizarre, this one is a close second for weirdness. The contrast Vance sets up with the strange and mundane is too abrupt, however, and totally telegraphs how he plans to end the story.
OVERALL SUMMARY: Four Stars
And repeat after me:
"I will read more Jack Vance. I will read more Jack Vance. I will..."
1) When the Five Moons Rise
5 Stars - really, really good!
This was a very haunting story - unforgettable. I'll always wonder about the Seguilo character... who was he? Impeccable Vance writing, verbiose and elegant. Perhaps the ending was a little frivolous, but a superbly fine read.
2) Worlds of Origin
5 Stars - really, really good!
This was another stunning story from Vance. Required reading for SF fans. It reminded me perhaps of Mike Resnick (when he's writing SF mystery stories).
3) A Practical Man's Guide
3.5 Stars - good
Not the same quality of writing... Vance doesn't exert himself, and this story does not soar with as elegant vocabulary as I've come to expect.
But overlooking that, where this story suffers a bit more is in the ending. A bit too gimmicky.
The story flows well, and is completely captivating in its short form.
4) The Men Return
3.5 Stars - good
Perhaps the strangest story in the collection, this will perhaps merit a re-read sometime in the future so that I can get a better grasp of it.
Mainly, this short story suffers from being too predictable. Some wild and crazy moments that remind you that you are reading Vance, but I did want more...
5) The Devil on Salvation Bluff
4 Stars - very good
Again, the ending was completely predictable, but at least this time Vance elaborated more on the strangeness of the world he had invented.
And while the previous story was the one I found the most bizarre, this one is a close second for weirdness. The contrast Vance sets up with the strange and mundane is too abrupt, however, and totally telegraphs how he plans to end the story.
OVERALL SUMMARY: Four Stars
And repeat after me:
"I will read more Jack Vance. I will read more Jack Vance. I will..."
November 11, 2017
This is available as an e-book on Amazon and includes five early Vance short stories dated from 1954 to 1958. If you are a Vance fan and you haven't read any then you should certainly do so. Each story is listed alphabetically and described below.
Devil on Salvation Bluff
"The Devil on Salvation Bluff," a short story of 21 pages was published initially in 1955. Two missionaries, a married couple, live outside the main city on a planet called "Glory" where their ancestors from Earth crash landed 500 years ago. They maintain a huge clock (which is very symbolic) and adhere to Earth time (and customs) even though it does not apply to this planet which has a number of suns that seem to rise unpredictably. The two missionaries are responsible for "civilizing" the local natives, who live in the wild, by teaching them about manners, social behavior, adherence to schedules, and the importance of time and clocks. The locals raise goats, run around half naked, live in filthy conditions, refuse to live in the houses that the missionaries built for them, copulate in public and destroy the canals the missionaries make. The chief of the tribe is the only one who speaks their language, but he won't cooperate and calls the giant clock the devil, threatening to roll boulders down on it. The couple are concerned how an upcoming inspection will reflect on them and think the chief must be mentally ill to be so uncivilized, so they decide to take him to one of their hospitals for mental health treatment. Things do not work out as they expect, however. This is very easy to read, rather fun and fairly interesting. I rated it a 3.5: "Liked it +"
Men Return
"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."
A Practical Man's Guide
"A Practical Man's Guide" is a nine page short story that was initially released in 1957 in Space Science Fiction Magazine. It is a humorous story about a Ralph Banks, editor of Popular Crafts Monthly. In addition to articles, sketches, photographs and working models of various crafts and inventions, he also receives some very odd plans, formulas and suggestions that are filed in a large basked labeled Screwball Alley. Ralph receives a bizarre set of directions with sensational claims from a man who provides a return address at the Archives of the Smithsonian Institute. He calls the Institute to talk with the man, but is unable to reach him initially. So while waiting for the return call he begins compiling ingredients for the formula that the man has provided. It is all light hearted and fun, and I rated it a 3.
When the Five Moons Rise
"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, including the disappearance of one of the men. Some readers seem to like this one but I thought the story was of minimal interest and a rather weak work and rated it a 2.5.
Worlds of Origin
"Worlds of Origin" is a twenty one page short story published initially in 1958 in the magazine Super Science Fiction. It is also known by the title "Coup de Grace." Magnus Ridolph is relaxing on a private space station called the Hub which is visited by many beings from other planets. Magnus is approached by an anthropologist who recognizes him and tries to hire him because he is fearful someone is trying to kill him. Magnus, however, is on vacation and declines the job offer. The next morning the anthropologist is found dead and Magnus is asked by the owner of the space station if he will help investigate because no law enforcement authorities have jurisdiction over a private space station and he wants to see that the murder is brought to justice. Magnus feels he cannot decline the offer so begins to investigate. Because there are so many alien beings with different customs and cultures, Magnus decides to conduct what he refers to as a "cultural analysis" to narrow down who might be the most likely suspects. One of the aliens, for example, is from a warrior culture where it would be extremely shameful to kill another except in face to face combat. Another is from a culture where human sacrifice is done for religious purposes, but the anthropologist was not killed in the ritualistic way that this culture requires. It is a murder mystery with various colorful aliens as suspects, all cleverly investigated by Magnus. My rating: 3 "Liked it."
Devil on Salvation Bluff
"The Devil on Salvation Bluff," a short story of 21 pages was published initially in 1955. Two missionaries, a married couple, live outside the main city on a planet called "Glory" where their ancestors from Earth crash landed 500 years ago. They maintain a huge clock (which is very symbolic) and adhere to Earth time (and customs) even though it does not apply to this planet which has a number of suns that seem to rise unpredictably. The two missionaries are responsible for "civilizing" the local natives, who live in the wild, by teaching them about manners, social behavior, adherence to schedules, and the importance of time and clocks. The locals raise goats, run around half naked, live in filthy conditions, refuse to live in the houses that the missionaries built for them, copulate in public and destroy the canals the missionaries make. The chief of the tribe is the only one who speaks their language, but he won't cooperate and calls the giant clock the devil, threatening to roll boulders down on it. The couple are concerned how an upcoming inspection will reflect on them and think the chief must be mentally ill to be so uncivilized, so they decide to take him to one of their hospitals for mental health treatment. Things do not work out as they expect, however. This is very easy to read, rather fun and fairly interesting. I rated it a 3.5: "Liked it +"
Men Return
"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."
A Practical Man's Guide
"A Practical Man's Guide" is a nine page short story that was initially released in 1957 in Space Science Fiction Magazine. It is a humorous story about a Ralph Banks, editor of Popular Crafts Monthly. In addition to articles, sketches, photographs and working models of various crafts and inventions, he also receives some very odd plans, formulas and suggestions that are filed in a large basked labeled Screwball Alley. Ralph receives a bizarre set of directions with sensational claims from a man who provides a return address at the Archives of the Smithsonian Institute. He calls the Institute to talk with the man, but is unable to reach him initially. So while waiting for the return call he begins compiling ingredients for the formula that the man has provided. It is all light hearted and fun, and I rated it a 3.
When the Five Moons Rise
"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, including the disappearance of one of the men. Some readers seem to like this one but I thought the story was of minimal interest and a rather weak work and rated it a 2.5.
Worlds of Origin
"Worlds of Origin" is a twenty one page short story published initially in 1958 in the magazine Super Science Fiction. It is also known by the title "Coup de Grace." Magnus Ridolph is relaxing on a private space station called the Hub which is visited by many beings from other planets. Magnus is approached by an anthropologist who recognizes him and tries to hire him because he is fearful someone is trying to kill him. Magnus, however, is on vacation and declines the job offer. The next morning the anthropologist is found dead and Magnus is asked by the owner of the space station if he will help investigate because no law enforcement authorities have jurisdiction over a private space station and he wants to see that the murder is brought to justice. Magnus feels he cannot decline the offer so begins to investigate. Because there are so many alien beings with different customs and cultures, Magnus decides to conduct what he refers to as a "cultural analysis" to narrow down who might be the most likely suspects. One of the aliens, for example, is from a warrior culture where it would be extremely shameful to kill another except in face to face combat. Another is from a culture where human sacrifice is done for religious purposes, but the anthropologist was not killed in the ritualistic way that this culture requires. It is a murder mystery with various colorful aliens as suspects, all cleverly investigated by Magnus. My rating: 3 "Liked it."
March 25, 2021
This brings together five of Vance's early short stories, which have (very broadly speaking) a common theme running through them.
When the Five Moons Rise: more to this one than meets the eye, so to speak: it's about the way we perceive the world, as opposed to the way it actually is;
Worlds of Origin: a science fiction murder mystery in which the differing traditions of alien societies—particularly their various views of 'right' and 'wrong'—are clues as to who killed the anthropologist studying them;
A Practicle Man's Guide: a reality-altering invention (and it is 'Practicle' not 'Practical');
The Men Return: the most surreal of the five;
The Devil on salvation Bluff: about missionaries on an alien planet, and what is, or is not, 'mad'.
Four of these are (to my mind anyway) conventional enough. It's the title story which wowed me when I first read it decades ago, and has puzzled me a bit ever since. It is set on an Earth which is passing through a weird region of space where the usual principle of cause-and-effect is no longer reliable: as a result, familiar logic no longer applies; landscapes, air, the laws of nature themselves, are capricious and bewildering; and while there are a few human survivors, behaviour bizarre and random enough to match this random world is what now 'makes sense'.
What I loved was how different it was from anything else I'd read up to that point (even Vance himself doesn't seem to have written anything else quite like it) and how unclassifiable: is this science fiction? Fantasy then? Or surreal fiction...magical realism...? What has puzzled me most, though, is that when first published (in Infinity SF magazine, 1957) the editor, in effect, almost apologised for including it. I've come across The Men Return a couple of times since too, in anthologies with introductions by the likes of Robert Silverberg and Brian Aldiss, who also as good as apologise ('...you'll probably think this next story mad, but...' etc., etc.)
I mean, I had no idea there was an outer limit to fiction, beyond which an author isn't really supposed to go. Myself, I wish there was a lot more of this sort of thing out there.
When the Five Moons Rise: more to this one than meets the eye, so to speak: it's about the way we perceive the world, as opposed to the way it actually is;
Worlds of Origin: a science fiction murder mystery in which the differing traditions of alien societies—particularly their various views of 'right' and 'wrong'—are clues as to who killed the anthropologist studying them;
A Practicle Man's Guide: a reality-altering invention (and it is 'Practicle' not 'Practical');
The Men Return: the most surreal of the five;
The Devil on salvation Bluff: about missionaries on an alien planet, and what is, or is not, 'mad'.
Four of these are (to my mind anyway) conventional enough. It's the title story which wowed me when I first read it decades ago, and has puzzled me a bit ever since. It is set on an Earth which is passing through a weird region of space where the usual principle of cause-and-effect is no longer reliable: as a result, familiar logic no longer applies; landscapes, air, the laws of nature themselves, are capricious and bewildering; and while there are a few human survivors, behaviour bizarre and random enough to match this random world is what now 'makes sense'.
What I loved was how different it was from anything else I'd read up to that point (even Vance himself doesn't seem to have written anything else quite like it) and how unclassifiable: is this science fiction? Fantasy then? Or surreal fiction...magical realism...? What has puzzled me most, though, is that when first published (in Infinity SF magazine, 1957) the editor, in effect, almost apologised for including it. I've come across The Men Return a couple of times since too, in anthologies with introductions by the likes of Robert Silverberg and Brian Aldiss, who also as good as apologise ('...you'll probably think this next story mad, but...' etc., etc.)
I mean, I had no idea there was an outer limit to fiction, beyond which an author isn't really supposed to go. Myself, I wish there was a lot more of this sort of thing out there.
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December 1, 2024Sci fic classic short story.with easly to read with mix of humer.the main issuse was survive with rare of food and go to hunter.at first i think that i read one of vawper story but that wasnt true.its nice read autmn story.
October 27, 2023
Not the best story even by sci-fi standards. However, the No Reply Press edition is amazing. Well bound, excellent letter press printing and great illustration.
September 10, 2023
Never one of my favourite Vance short stories and no more improved with this audio narration.
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May 29, 2014Ei se novellikokoelma, jota luen. Ihmisen paluu
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews