Sjambak: A Classic Science Fiction Adventure

Review of free Kindle editionA Public Domain BookPublication date: March 24, 2011Language: EnglishASIN: B004TRPPDW36 pagesFirst published in the July 1953issue of If Worlds of Science FictionEven in a 36 page short story, Jack Vance excels in world building. A fascinating Islamic world and culture of peace and beauty breeds secrets, boredom and jihad.Not one of Jack Vance's more exciting stories. More thought provoking than action. No illustrations in the free Kindle edition.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lively fun, but extremely short. However the price is right. I suggest download & enjoy it while you can get it.

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.

This is a very short story for the price and, while there are indications of the master story teller that the author was to become, there is insufficient time here to really develop the plot. The main storyline just gets going, with some potentially interesting areas to be explored, when it comes to a sudden end. A sub plot, involving two members of management at the hero's employer, is incomplete and unsatisfying apart from providing an obvious - albeit amusing - vehicle for the ending. This story has the makings of a full length novel but doesn't work on any level as a short story in my opinion.

I have read most of vances books and was pleased to find one I hadn't seen before so I bought it and started to read it only to find that it is barely half a chapter long this is daylight robbery

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

As good as all the other books by this wizard author