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Vor
Here is James Blish's novel written with brilliance and astonishing realism - about that ultimate moment in time when -
THE FIRST ALIEN FROM OUTER SPACE ARRIVES ON
How "it" communicates and what "it" wants.
How we greet "it", nourish "it", communicate with "it".
What we learn from "it" of interstellar worlds, galactic powers, the void beyond.
And how, in the terrifying moment of Earth's ultimate crisis - we defend the complex civilization of tomorrow from "it!".
THIS COULD HAPPEN TOMORROW, OR THE NEXT DAY - BUT THE AWESOME MOMENT IS CERTAINLY WITHIN THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY - AND MAY BE CLOSE AT HAND!
THE FIRST ALIEN FROM OUTER SPACE ARRIVES ON
How "it" communicates and what "it" wants.
How we greet "it", nourish "it", communicate with "it".
What we learn from "it" of interstellar worlds, galactic powers, the void beyond.
And how, in the terrifying moment of Earth's ultimate crisis - we defend the complex civilization of tomorrow from "it!".
THIS COULD HAPPEN TOMORROW, OR THE NEXT DAY - BUT THE AWESOME MOMENT IS CERTAINLY WITHIN THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY - AND MAY BE CLOSE AT HAND!
158 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1958
5 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
James Blish
454 books327 followersJames Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling Jr.
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 4, 2012
Blish took one interesting idea, and made it the central premise of what turns out to be a rather dull book. His characterisation is terrible, and it ends with an irrelevant and implausible dramatic revelation that must surely induce guffaws and rolled eyes in everyone who gets that far.
May 20, 2009
James Blish is my favourite author from the "Golden Age" of science fiction. This could be because I haven't read much by the other authors of the era since adulthood or it could be because he's more interesting to me than most of them, which is why I carried on reading him into adulthood...this means that I've read most of his ouvre and if I want to read something new to me by him it has to be something not terribly well known...like VOR.
The CAP unit (Civil Air Patrol?) based in part of the lower Michigan pine forest are a fairly competent bunch who help with rescues, forest fire watch and reconnaisance and fire fighting support. One of the most competent among them is a WWII vet with a fear of flying and a rival for his wife amongst his colleagues.
One otherwise routine day a crash and subsequent forest fire is reported. The CAP fly and report a severe fire blazing away from the site of a downed aircraft. Photos reveal that the aircraft is actually a spacecraft. Soon after, the vehicle's pilot steps out and our veteran protagonist is dragged into dealing with first and subsequent contact.
Blish then takes us through an unusual variation of the first contact theme. (According to the dedication the idea came from Damon Knight who collaborated with Blish on Torrent of Faces.)
Strangely, this book inverts the usual strengths and weaknesses associated with Blish: He is known for pouring more ideas into a 50,000 word novel than many another author can manage in a life's work, but this book has few other than the central McGuffin. He is usually accused of weak characterisation, particularly of women. This book's great strength is the "arc" the protagonist goes through, even if it is obvious where it will lead from the outset. (There are red herrings as to how he's going to reach the obvious end point however.) Blish recognised female characterisation as a weakness for him and generally dealt with it by relegating women to supporting parts only. The short story How Beautiful with Banners is an exception and, it transpires, so is VOR: the only female character is drawn very sparsely and yet her character comes through loud and clear as a church bell - and she is vile!
Much of the book is predictable in general terms but not in detail and one mighty strength of Blish's, the shock/surprise final sentence appears here. This one makes the reader want to start over at the beginning in order to completely re-evaluate one of the key relationships between characters....
A middling work from Blish that shows capabilities he is not often credited as having and of interest to any Blish fan for that and the final sentence, at the very least.
The CAP unit (Civil Air Patrol?) based in part of the lower Michigan pine forest are a fairly competent bunch who help with rescues, forest fire watch and reconnaisance and fire fighting support. One of the most competent among them is a WWII vet with a fear of flying and a rival for his wife amongst his colleagues.
One otherwise routine day a crash and subsequent forest fire is reported. The CAP fly and report a severe fire blazing away from the site of a downed aircraft. Photos reveal that the aircraft is actually a spacecraft. Soon after, the vehicle's pilot steps out and our veteran protagonist is dragged into dealing with first and subsequent contact.
Blish then takes us through an unusual variation of the first contact theme. (According to the dedication the idea came from Damon Knight who collaborated with Blish on Torrent of Faces.)
Strangely, this book inverts the usual strengths and weaknesses associated with Blish: He is known for pouring more ideas into a 50,000 word novel than many another author can manage in a life's work, but this book has few other than the central McGuffin. He is usually accused of weak characterisation, particularly of women. This book's great strength is the "arc" the protagonist goes through, even if it is obvious where it will lead from the outset. (There are red herrings as to how he's going to reach the obvious end point however.) Blish recognised female characterisation as a weakness for him and generally dealt with it by relegating women to supporting parts only. The short story How Beautiful with Banners is an exception and, it transpires, so is VOR: the only female character is drawn very sparsely and yet her character comes through loud and clear as a church bell - and she is vile!
Much of the book is predictable in general terms but not in detail and one mighty strength of Blish's, the shock/surprise final sentence appears here. This one makes the reader want to start over at the beginning in order to completely re-evaluate one of the key relationships between characters....
A middling work from Blish that shows capabilities he is not often credited as having and of interest to any Blish fan for that and the final sentence, at the very least.
Want to read
May 20, 2011Have I outgrown the Golden Age?
Blish was a favourite of mine at one time, on the basis of 'A Case Of Conscience', the Cities In Flight novels and some short stories. But I've abandoned Vor halfway through.
A mysterious craft lands on our planet; within is a strange creature that can emit great amounts of heat and radioactivity, change density at will and baffle spectroscopic analysis. Around 70 pages into a 160 page book, all that has really happened is that the entity has been herded into an unused nuclear reactor for safety and numerous tests are being conducted on it.
Oh and most of the narrative has been advanced through highly technical conversations and gigantic chunks of passive-voice exposition.
There's a human angle too - the story of a WW2 air hero and general smart cookie whose experiences in the war have made him scared to ever fly again - which earns him the eternal contempt of his bitch wife, who also happens to be as sexy as an Esquire pin-up. All blame for the unease in their relationship is squarely heaped on the wife, and no matter how black Blish paints her, I'm just not willing to swallow this crap. It takes two to tango, and two to fail to tango as well.
And, damnit, there's all that passive-voice exposition. Pages full of it. 'Tests were conducted on the being. A team was sent to do xyz. It was found that queeglebrox the dafflebrock did not adnificate the sosoreel. The female staff stood by in the nursing bay to administer medicine to the injured.' And so in paragraph blocks stretching from here to the end limits of my patience and beyond.
Blish was a favourite of mine at one time, on the basis of 'A Case Of Conscience', the Cities In Flight novels and some short stories. But I've abandoned Vor halfway through.
A mysterious craft lands on our planet; within is a strange creature that can emit great amounts of heat and radioactivity, change density at will and baffle spectroscopic analysis. Around 70 pages into a 160 page book, all that has really happened is that the entity has been herded into an unused nuclear reactor for safety and numerous tests are being conducted on it.
Oh and most of the narrative has been advanced through highly technical conversations and gigantic chunks of passive-voice exposition.
There's a human angle too - the story of a WW2 air hero and general smart cookie whose experiences in the war have made him scared to ever fly again - which earns him the eternal contempt of his bitch wife, who also happens to be as sexy as an Esquire pin-up. All blame for the unease in their relationship is squarely heaped on the wife, and no matter how black Blish paints her, I'm just not willing to swallow this crap. It takes two to tango, and two to fail to tango as well.
And, damnit, there's all that passive-voice exposition. Pages full of it. 'Tests were conducted on the being. A team was sent to do xyz. It was found that queeglebrox the dafflebrock did not adnificate the sosoreel. The female staff stood by in the nursing bay to administer medicine to the injured.' And so in paragraph blocks stretching from here to the end limits of my patience and beyond.
July 27, 2013
I first saw James Blish's name on the shelves of a public library, in the form of a Star Trek novelization. I don't recall that I knew much about Star Trek at the time - it seems unlikely. But I wasn't impressed, didn't borrow the book, and thereafter thought of Blish as 'the Star Trek guy'. I found this book for free somewhere, and thought I might as well give a try.
I was pleasantly surprised. Blish is a better writer than I'd have predicted. That's a pretty low bar, though.
The story is decent - UFO lands, inscrutable alien emerges. The actual SF part is pretty by-the-book - not exciting, not bad. The resolution fits a short story better than a short novel. The human part is better - the protagonist, an ex-air force, and now reserve, pilot has an unexplained reluctance to fly, and trouble with his wife. Blish does a fair job of balancing action with introspection. Unfortunately, while the flying problem is finally explained, the explanation is pretty thin, and not carried through consistently. The marital problem is just never explained. It's too bad, because I found it the most interesting part of the book. The combination would have worked better a generation earlier.
All in all, a pleasant read, but nothing to go out of your way for. I picked up a number of his other books at the same time I go this one. I don't see them going to the top of my list any time soon.
I was pleasantly surprised. Blish is a better writer than I'd have predicted. That's a pretty low bar, though.
The story is decent - UFO lands, inscrutable alien emerges. The actual SF part is pretty by-the-book - not exciting, not bad. The resolution fits a short story better than a short novel. The human part is better - the protagonist, an ex-air force, and now reserve, pilot has an unexplained reluctance to fly, and trouble with his wife. Blish does a fair job of balancing action with introspection. Unfortunately, while the flying problem is finally explained, the explanation is pretty thin, and not carried through consistently. The marital problem is just never explained. It's too bad, because I found it the most interesting part of the book. The combination would have worked better a generation earlier.
All in all, a pleasant read, but nothing to go out of your way for. I picked up a number of his other books at the same time I go this one. I don't see them going to the top of my list any time soon.
May 21, 2014
You can tell Blish was a military man with how many acronyms he drops while explaining the setting in the first chapter, which was confusing because the doesn't explain each of them. On the other hand, some chapters get slogged with details, such as a little more time than needed establishing setting and profiling each character in the room. The marital issues the main character faces seem to be an attempt to build some character, which seems like it might play into the story well enough in the beginning, but falls by the wayside once VOR is introduced and arguably into misogyny by the end. The ending seems a little more abrupt than I would expect, but I'm forgiving of this in a short story.
Despite these issues the story is paced rather well, suspenseful at times, and is a pretty decent example of sci-fi of its kind from that era of the genre. I'd rate it a 3.5 if I could, but the shortfalls are making me choose a 3 over a 4.
Despite these issues the story is paced rather well, suspenseful at times, and is a pretty decent example of sci-fi of its kind from that era of the genre. I'd rate it a 3.5 if I could, but the shortfalls are making me choose a 3 over a 4.
August 16, 2013
A short novel from the Golden Age of science fiction that pits humans against an alien visitor with a strange request. Although the concept is not new, Blish does some interesting things here with the alien's demands and how the humans respond. The politics and internal conflicts of the main characters are more interesting than the alien visitor and the actual fighting. I especially enjoyed Chapter Seven where the wife of our hero appears to subtly accuse him of being gay, and his response took me by surprise: "In a gray shock, Marty thought: It might even be true." I'm not sure what Blish was trying to say there, but I was still surprised to see something like that written back in 1958. Not as much hardcore science as Arthur C. Clarke, but was still an entertaining read that took me two days to complete.
August 30, 2018
Okay...I've read some of the reviews here and most are right. But think of this book as one of those kitschy late-50's sci-fi movies on you tube that you watch at 1 in the morning when there is nothing else going on. Is it oscar-worthy? No. But it beats watching QVC or the paint dry.
February 14, 2025
This early Blish' novella carries itself with the typical sombreness he employed in the fifties. Details are technical, grounded, almost maniacally so, and characters look like common men, with common problems (except for the all the same excellent Holms, who feels a lot like a more realistic version of The Star Dwellers' Dr. Langer).
The immediate focus on Marty's marriage problems drew me in, as it put the whole situation down to the level of human affairs and then, only then, introduced the sci-fi element.
The narrative acquires a cinematic quality of sorts as it goes on, and it's with elegance the VOR steals the scene every time, like a very well made special effect that, a spectator knows, is still rather a plot device than a character.
A feeling I got a lot, is that this felt like an early Michael Crichton novel, in some ways reading curiously like Sphere - although with a different, less specialistic manner of tackling the psychological aspects.
The only con I can think of, is that Blish wrote this rather early, and his style was therefore rather rougher than the average of his works (a sensation that sometimes one has also with A case of consciousness, though). While not lacking content, it lacked those dreamy paragraphs where he sometimes manages to express something vital with incredible beauty.
The immediate focus on Marty's marriage problems drew me in, as it put the whole situation down to the level of human affairs and then, only then, introduced the sci-fi element.
The narrative acquires a cinematic quality of sorts as it goes on, and it's with elegance the VOR steals the scene every time, like a very well made special effect that, a spectator knows, is still rather a plot device than a character.
A feeling I got a lot, is that this felt like an early Michael Crichton novel, in some ways reading curiously like Sphere - although with a different, less specialistic manner of tackling the psychological aspects.
The only con I can think of, is that Blish wrote this rather early, and his style was therefore rather rougher than the average of his works (a sensation that sometimes one has also with A case of consciousness, though). While not lacking content, it lacked those dreamy paragraphs where he sometimes manages to express something vital with incredible beauty.
August 13, 2021
It has an interesting concept at the center of the book and I like reading technobabble so I found the whole book strangely soothing. The main character Marty, though, is dull as mud and plodding as a... plodding animal of some sort, take your pick. Supposedly intelligent and capable, we never really get to see it. Quite frankly I reached a point where, realizing that saving the world required him to overcome his war-related trauma so he could fly again at the very last second, I sort of hoped the earth would explode instead. And there's a last minute revelation concerning him that comes out of nowhere and has no emotional payoff. So the book ends on a "huh"?
But it was entertaining and the description of Marty walking up to the radioactive landing zone in a hazard suit through a hellish landscape was worth it.
But it was entertaining and the description of Marty walking up to the radioactive landing zone in a hazard suit through a hellish landscape was worth it.
January 15, 2024
I wanted to read this book only to disprove all the 1 and 2 star reviews this was getting. I wanted to love the book and give it 5 stars, but this book is just as bad as advertised. There are some cool factoids and tidbits in here, but you have to wade through a confusing and disjointed read, that can also be quite dry and emotionally unrealistic. Still looking forward to reading Cities in Flight, which won the Hugo and should be a much better book. Only read this if you love James Blish and need to read all his books, otherwise just skip it. The title for the book is a 5 star idea, that revelation was pretty nice. (no, it has nothing to do with vore)
May 2, 2024
As human beings we are met with a being that challenges our own understandings of power, fear, and sense of helplessness in facing the dark and paralyzing forces of the unknown in our universe. In the background, Marty, the main character, struggling to maintain a loveless marriage, learns that romantic love isn’t earned or maintained through bravery or heroics. Fearful that he has lost her respect, he has been completely missing the point as his wife—quite the bitch, to be honest—drifts away from him. But at some point—and here’s the parallel with VOR—he must face his fears, trade them for equanimical acceptance, and ultimately let die what is already dead.
October 13, 2025
Pretty solid for a standard first contact book, no huge concepts more so just a cool mystery with a couple twists. Most of the characters in this book are pretty unlikeable which is sort of funny, they’re not bad people or anything just off putting. Some of the details are boring but the concept of VOR is interesting enough to get me to push through. A good pallet cleanser that showed me that blish is decent at what he does. Might recommend but probably not unless someone wants specifically a first contact book. Otherwise not revolutionary.
Read
October 23, 2025The glowing ovoid plummeted downward, the whole sky screaming like a metallic banshee as the air boiled away from its sides. A supersonic bang broke over the forest, but the thing was already gliding down to Earth. As the ovoid settled in among the trees, the entire forest burst into flames. A thin black line appeared and etched a perfect circle on the side of the metal egg, then thickened into a door. The air was rent by a searing hiss. Slowly, the strange being - soon to be known to all mankind as VOR - began to emerge . . .
August 27, 2024
Awful… I should have DNFed this book. A lot of bullsh*t filler for 150 pages including a nonstarter B line about Marty and his wife, who he has nothing nice to say about except she’s hot… oh and threatens to beat her at one point. Makes me glad I was not a woman in the 50s FFS.
Toxic masculinity, p*ssing contests, and government incompetence is on the menu for this read. No thanks.
Toxic masculinity, p*ssing contests, and government incompetence is on the menu for this read. No thanks.
September 12, 2019
The Golden Age SF authors knew how to pack in the drama into short novels. VOR is a classic featuring a WW2 veteran and pilot with PTSD, a troubled marriage, and a mysterious alien visitor.
January 6, 2023
Come for the space invaders, stay for the several dozen pages on government procedure
November 23, 2024
Straightforward hard sci-fi that is elevated by its prose and the truly alien nature of the titular visitor, but let down slightly by a weak conclusion.
January 13, 2025
Blish is cool, but this is not one of his best. Concept was really cool... but ending was clunky and somewhat predictable.
April 23, 2025
This is a story about an alien that lands on earth, and the think-tank set up to try and communicate, or deal, with it.
A lot of the story is taken up by this, but Blish makes it all interesting.
A short, fascinating read.
A lot of the story is taken up by this, but Blish makes it all interesting.
A short, fascinating read.
August 29, 2025
My introduction to James Blish. Not his best work. But good enough to encourage me to read the others.
February 10, 2023
James Blish does the "BEM" thing ("Bug-Eyed Monster") only he makes it interesting, and neatly gets around the problem of the asymmetry between the American military in the Fifties, and an interstellar traveler. Namely, he just bites the bullet - the titular VOR is absurdly powerful, but isn't immediately hostile...
And there's some decent characterization to boot. Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up, nice "hardened" sf, pulp premise taken seriously.
And there's some decent characterization to boot. Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up, nice "hardened" sf, pulp premise taken seriously.
June 22, 2015
An alien, containing unfathomable energy, has crash landed on Earth, and the local CAP team (Civilian Air Patrol), ends up dealing with it, including Marty Petrucelli, a former WWII pilot that won't fly, but has an unmatched knowledge of planes and aviation.
They eventually talk to the alien (which calls itself Vor), and it wants to die, but it's pretty much indestructible.. anything that would kill it would destroy most of the United States. The resolution in the end, and WHY Vor wants to die, is extremely clever (I won't spoil it)... a very different and unique first contact story.
On the down side, this is one of those stories that probably should have stayed a short story.. though I can't say for sure having not read it in that form. Much of the character development, which intriguing, seems out of plae, and doesn't really contribute to the story at all.. it's just there. While it helps make the characters real people, rather than the tropes they often are in classic sci fi, it really didn't add to the story, especially Marty's relationship with his wife, which had a lot of time used on it, for no particular reason.
At times the committee dealing with Vor reminded me of M*A*S*H, with everyone more concerned with how things turn out for them than the bottom line, but they get it together in the end and (barely) save the day.. which seems about right to me.
They eventually talk to the alien (which calls itself Vor), and it wants to die, but it's pretty much indestructible.. anything that would kill it would destroy most of the United States. The resolution in the end, and WHY Vor wants to die, is extremely clever (I won't spoil it)... a very different and unique first contact story.
On the down side, this is one of those stories that probably should have stayed a short story.. though I can't say for sure having not read it in that form. Much of the character development, which intriguing, seems out of plae, and doesn't really contribute to the story at all.. it's just there. While it helps make the characters real people, rather than the tropes they often are in classic sci fi, it really didn't add to the story, especially Marty's relationship with his wife, which had a lot of time used on it, for no particular reason.
At times the committee dealing with Vor reminded me of M*A*S*H, with everyone more concerned with how things turn out for them than the bottom line, but they get it together in the end and (barely) save the day.. which seems about right to me.
July 4, 2016
This has an interesting idea in it but never really develops it. The characterisation is simplistic and the story is too short to fully explore the questions of life and death or the nature of extra-terrestrial intelligence. A quick read but not really fulfilling.
May 13, 2023
I loved this book, it was just like one of the fondly remembered monochrome 1950s type B movies/creature features we cherish to this day, things like This Island Earth, It Came From Outer Space, that kinda thing.
July 31, 2010
Published in 1958, it is very much like the SF films of the time. A creature crashes to the Earth and a team of scientists and military men have to figure out what to do with it.
March 11, 2011
Grade A
October 13, 2015
Would like to re-read this one since i read is so long ago, but i can't seem to find a digital version of this anywhere.
Read
December 1, 2016Placeholder for reread of The Vor Game
July 5, 2015
Would have made a better short story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews