Sjambak: A Classic Science Fiction Adventure

Look, I have the free Kindle version of this, so the price is right. There is literally no reason not to download it for a quiet moment when you have nothing else to do. Sjambak is a nice little sci-fi story by Jack Vance, although it is not particularly "Vancian" with only a little of the characteristic dialogue and things just being slightly off-kilter. It's a quick read, 20 or 30 pages long if it were a book. Sadly, it is missing the Virgil Finlay art referred to in the text. To say it about a space cowboy is to both mislead and tell the truth: its really about a journalist looking for a story, space travel, terraforming and ambition. The Sjambak is...well, better to read it and find out. This not earthshattering stuff: it's a sci-fi short story of the type mass-produced in the 1940's and 50's. But its fun, cheap, and written by Jack Vance, so you know its better than it has a right to be.

A short example of Vance's craftsmanship. His use of language is unmatched, using spare words to paint a portrait of a culture, human or alien, in a paragraph while many other authors require an entire book. He will be greatly missed. Thank you, Mr Vance, for the many works of wonder which have given me countless hours of pleasure,

This science fiction adventure is fast paced and enjoyable enough, if rather far-fetched and not especially memorable. Murphy, a reporter, is ordered to get a sensational story on a remote world where it is rumored that a horseman rides out to meet spaceships. The conservative rulers of this planet want to show off their civilization without any sensationalism. Murphy, of course, gets around them.

In my opinion, Jack Vance is one of the best writers in the history of science fiction. Cordwainer Smith is the only name that eclipses him, and barely at that. Sjambak is in the second rank of this authors output, but if you already like Vance, just get it. If you like SF as literature, get Vance and Smith and you will then LOVE the genre.

I give this short story 5 stars because there simply is no bad Jack Vance work. Is this Vance at his very best? No. This is a run-of-the-mill sf short story of the kind that appeared in pulp magazines through the 40s, 50s and 60s. Writer's like Vance cranked out slightly interesting and amusing yarns like this by the dozen to put coin in their pocket. But Vance is most likely the greatest sf writer of them all, though far less known than the "big guns" such as Asimov, Heinlein and Bradbury. But Vance is a far, far superior writer to all of the above, (yes, even Bradbury) and the primary reason for that is his extremely unique and elegant style. Sjambak merely hints at the brilliant potential of Vance. Readers who have read only this story should not make a judgment on Vance until they have read some of his novels, such as "The Demon Princes" or "The Planet of Adventure" series, or "Lyonesse", which are sublime beyond belief. There is no true joy like reading a Jack Vance book.

Having read the entirety of Jack Vance, I have to say I was very disappointed in this book. Basically it is a short story and not one of his best. My favorite Jack Vance short story is "The Moon Moth". Vance's creativity is unparalleled in the world of science fiction as far as I am concerned.

While fairly well written, it makes a false assumption that makes it unworkable, something the author should have been able to find out about through research. For those who do not know why it does not work, it should be a good enough story. For me, since I know better, it fell a bit flat.

This novelette, published by Jack Vance in If magazine in 1953, could be described as a routine potboiler, the kind that science fiction authors churned out by the ream in the 1950s. Except that there is no "routine" Jack Vance story. This tale, like nearly all of Vance's fiction, portrays a fascinating planet, with a well-visualized sociology, history, culture and ecology. That Vance created so many planetary civilizations-- each unique in its own way-- is a tribute to his incredible gifts of imagination. If this free story whets your appetite for Jack Vance's SF, try this excellent Kindle anthology: The Men Return One caveat: despite the blurb, this Kindle book does NOT include Virgil Finlay's illustrations.

It is not a brochure with staples, just thin(5mm), but atleast in the size of the full reprint series. I don't know if its in a short story book of that effort. That's something to investigate. The printed version also lacks illustrations. Too bad about the ugly cover. What is that? Why? Did Vance paint it after seeing "painting for dummies"? Anyway, if you are hungry for more Vance, as you should be, do also try Matthew Hughes. Some Tepper books also carry the torch!

As good as all the other books by this wizard author

This is the story with a 'cowboy' riding a 'horse' in space. I was going to use that as my title to flag it to any Vance fan that has read this story already. Then I realised that the title "Cowboy riding a horse in space" would only make sense in context to those who have read the story. I generally concur with what has been written in the other two reviews. The story was very short, and has been printed in one of the Vance collections. There is an ending but the story didn't really feel 'finished'. It would have been better if it had been of novel length. What there was of it was enjoyable enough but it is more for completists. It was so short that instead of a spine it was bound with two staples; a booklet more than a book. The pages were of good quality paper but for the book to remain undamaged it will need to be stored safely. The unusual dimensions and paperback format of this slender tome render it somewhat vulnerable.

Jack can do no wrong. I'm still re-reading his Sci-Fi after 40 years - must be his use of language - adjectival descriptions par excellence. Pity about Ellery Queen

OK, but be aware that this is a very short story and is maybe not Jack Vance at his best