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Vandals of the Void
In the Foreword, writing fifty years ago, the author describes his vision of a new space age; he predicts that by 1985 the age of space piracy will begin and that a Space Navy will be established, speculating that some of his younger readers might participate: "I hope that none of you serve with the pirates. The pay might not be so good in the Space Navy, but you'll live longer."
- GenresScience Fiction
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1953
1 person is currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Jack Vance
794 books1,560 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.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 22, 2019
I love the foreword that Vance put in this one, which outlines the probable future of space travel but is mainly improbable nonsense. This is the Vance that I know: charming and sardonic, a list-maker, smiling as if at his own secret joke. I love how it opens by declaring that the modern era is the most exciting one yet, now that the world is moving past boring, outdated European traditions. And I especially love how the foreword closes on a note of caution for the novel's young readers: kids, don't grow up to be a space pirate - you'll come to a bad end. Join the Space Navy instead!
Vandals of the Void was Vance's first novel, written for juveniles. It is about a deft and self-sufficient 15 year old who was raised on the lovely world of Venus and is now off on a voyage to meet his father on the Moon. And there he becomes involved in a murderous mystery featuring nefarious plots, double agents, an easily outsmarted bully, and of course dastardly space pirates whose penchant for wholesale slaughter really pisses young Dick off. Dick's morals are not of the flexible sort. He learns some life lessons like never judge a stranger by their hook nose, and also finds a fabulous dead city hidden under the Moon's surface. But the latter is not a particularly important part of the story, which is mainly about how this smart kid foils some evil plans and then eventually realizes that he wants to join the Space Navy. A boy after the author's own heart, who was once a Merchant Marine.
Vance doesn't put much of his trademark style into this one, but he doesn't dumb things down for the kids either. It's a swift, fun, satisfying tale, but mainly for Vance completists.
Vandals of the Void was Vance's first novel, written for juveniles. It is about a deft and self-sufficient 15 year old who was raised on the lovely world of Venus and is now off on a voyage to meet his father on the Moon. And there he becomes involved in a murderous mystery featuring nefarious plots, double agents, an easily outsmarted bully, and of course dastardly space pirates whose penchant for wholesale slaughter really pisses young Dick off. Dick's morals are not of the flexible sort. He learns some life lessons like never judge a stranger by their hook nose, and also finds a fabulous dead city hidden under the Moon's surface. But the latter is not a particularly important part of the story, which is mainly about how this smart kid foils some evil plans and then eventually realizes that he wants to join the Space Navy. A boy after the author's own heart, who was once a Merchant Marine.
Vance doesn't put much of his trademark style into this one, but he doesn't dumb things down for the kids either. It's a swift, fun, satisfying tale, but mainly for Vance completists.
July 27, 2015
Vance's first book, it's a bit too Juvenal, however the base needs to be builtl somewhere.
May 28, 2024
Vance mentions this 1953 novel in his autobiography where he informs us that his wife helped a great deal with the writing of it. Vandals of the Void was written as part of a series for younger readers, but adults need not shy away from it. It is a fast paced, easy to read, engaging, space opera type novel that should hold the interest of most Vance fans. The protagonist here is a 15 year old, adventurous, precocious boy named Dick Murdock who lives on Venus with his mother but is traveling to the Earth's moon to be with his father who works there as the chief astronomer and is the founder of the "Cosmic Ray Research Institute." En route Dick hears about a legendary monster called a "basilisk" and encounters a spaceship that has been ravaged by space pirates. The tale lacks Vance's witty, engaging dialogue, the plot is fairly simple, and there is minimal character development, but the story moves along quickly and has plenty of action and intrigue. Even though it is geared to younger readers, I enjoyed it and rated it a 3 "Liked it"
For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
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For the most recent review and other Vance reviews please see:
https://vancealotjackvanceinreview.bl...
February 23, 2025
Read in the VIE
June 15, 2020
His first novel, I think, and all I remember of it is the pulpy title. No hurry to reread, per other reviews. But you have to start somewhere....
May 13, 2014
reviews.metaphorosis.com
3 stars
Fourteen year old Dick Murdock leaves Venus to join his father at an observatory on Luna. But on the way, they find signs of dreaded space pirates, and Dick soon finds himself enmeshed in far more than he planned for.
Very unusually for Jack Vance, the book begins with a note from the author predicting the future (including space pirates). Sadly for all of us, Vance gets much of it wrong (though he's pretty close with the moon landing).
The book is also unusual in being one of Vance's early works, before he found his distinctive voice. The story is young adult (juvenile, as they were then called) adventure novel, reminiscent of John Christopher and early Robert Heinlein. There are intrigue and excitement, and of course Dick is the unquestioned star.
The plot is relatively simple, as is the language - none of the later flourishes. The characters are also fairly standard for this sub-genre, with only hints of Vance's later norms. Most of the characters are fairly flat - the focus is on the action. Much of that action is only marginally credible, and some aspects are brushed past so fast that there's not even an effort at handwaving.
All in all, a fairly fun and readable adventure, but not really distinctive. It's interestingly mostly as a literary trace. If Vance had stuck with this style, he might have improved at it, but he'd not have developed into the startling writer that he became. If you're looking for some light reading, pick this up. If you're looking for the more famous Vance, there are better places to start.
CVIE VI
April 25, 2020
Wow...I really loved this story! It's a well written mystery that really moves at a good pace! This is the second book I've read from this series and I definitely prefer this one. It's actually very similar to the Hardy Boys so if you like that series you'll probably like this one too: only the setting is different. You have spaceships, a moon base, mysterious caverns and danger lurking everywhere!
The mystery part is very intelligent and well written. If you pay attention to small details in the plot it's very possible to figure out who the main villian is. Sadly I guessed the wrong character! But that's ok. I did guess one thing correctly about the plot. It's just a fun story with tons of danger, close calls, battles and all of that good stuff. You never know what will happen next. The plot is very unpredictable in regards to the danger. And that's very good! Never a dull moment in this book!
The story follows a teenage boy from Venus who takes a spaceship to visit his father on Earth's moon. Unfortunately there are nasty pirates attacking passenger spaceships and several had been destroyed. So of course things get scary when they see the hulk of an attacked ship. From there he starts poking his nose into places where it doesn't belong and soon he becomes a target. He will have to use all of his wits to discover who the pirate is before he ends up dead. There are countless suspects who all look guilty..but which one is the pirate?
A five star read!
The mystery part is very intelligent and well written. If you pay attention to small details in the plot it's very possible to figure out who the main villian is. Sadly I guessed the wrong character! But that's ok. I did guess one thing correctly about the plot. It's just a fun story with tons of danger, close calls, battles and all of that good stuff. You never know what will happen next. The plot is very unpredictable in regards to the danger. And that's very good! Never a dull moment in this book!
The story follows a teenage boy from Venus who takes a spaceship to visit his father on Earth's moon. Unfortunately there are nasty pirates attacking passenger spaceships and several had been destroyed. So of course things get scary when they see the hulk of an attacked ship. From there he starts poking his nose into places where it doesn't belong and soon he becomes a target. He will have to use all of his wits to discover who the pirate is before he ends up dead. There are countless suspects who all look guilty..but which one is the pirate?
A five star read!
March 31, 2021
Typisch sf verhaal uit de jaren 60. Gedateerd verhaal, waarin eigenlijk weinig gebeurt.
Dit verhaal volgt Kevin, een nieuwsgierige jongen van Venus.
Tijdens een reis naar de maan om samen met zijn vader, die als een astronoom werkt bij het Observatorium te gaan wonen, leert Kevin over een mysterieuze personage alleen bekend als "de Basilisk", en een schijnbaar samenhangende reeks van gebeurtenissen waar ruimtepiraten passagiersschepen aanvielen die tussen de planeten reisden.
Het plot ontvouwt zich dan geleidelijk als de identiteit van de Basilisk is blootgelegd.
DE titel vandalen lijkt mij willekeurig gekozen, want het gaat hier namelijk om piraten.
Plot had hier en daar wat verder uitgewerkt mogen worden, en soms wat meer diepgang hebben. Nu blijft het allemaal vrij plat en voorspelbaar., waarbij wel opgemerkt moet worden dat dit verhaal uit de jaren '60 van de vorige eeuw stamt.
Dit verhaal volgt Kevin, een nieuwsgierige jongen van Venus.
Tijdens een reis naar de maan om samen met zijn vader, die als een astronoom werkt bij het Observatorium te gaan wonen, leert Kevin over een mysterieuze personage alleen bekend als "de Basilisk", en een schijnbaar samenhangende reeks van gebeurtenissen waar ruimtepiraten passagiersschepen aanvielen die tussen de planeten reisden.
Het plot ontvouwt zich dan geleidelijk als de identiteit van de Basilisk is blootgelegd.
DE titel vandalen lijkt mij willekeurig gekozen, want het gaat hier namelijk om piraten.
Plot had hier en daar wat verder uitgewerkt mogen worden, en soms wat meer diepgang hebben. Nu blijft het allemaal vrij plat en voorspelbaar., waarbij wel opgemerkt moet worden dat dit verhaal uit de jaren '60 van de vorige eeuw stamt.
September 22, 2008
Pirates in outer space. I think of this primarily as a young adult book. Not bad. Some good adventure stuff.
January 13, 2023
Teenager Dick travels from his home on Venus to train with his father, chief astronomer on the Moon, where he gets embroiled in the hunt for space pirates, led by the mysterious “Basilisk”, who have been preying on cruise ships in space. On the moon he meets the suspicious, yellow-eyed radiographer Sende, the old, eccentric scientist Mad Sam, who claims to have seen aliens in the moon’s caves, the station’s chief Dexter, and a handful of other people, one of whom he is soon convinced are working in league with the Basilisk. Decoding secret messages and roaming the old abandoned security station on his own, Dick thwarts murder attempts and gets captured by the Baslisk himself, but is soon able to deduce the secret of this master pirate, just in time for Earth’s small space fleet to come to the aid, outnumbered by the Basilisk’s numerous captured ships.
While he had already made his name as a short story writer in 1953, “Vandals of the Void” was Jack Vance’s debut novel, and as such it differs from his later, much more sophisticated output. “Vandals” is essentially a juvenile detective and adventure story in the vein of Isaac Asimov’s “Space Ranger” series – but perhaps slightly less childish. One can hardly accuse the book of misogyny, as there isn’t a single woman in it, apart from a mentioned mother. In Vance’s future, apparently, women are not allowed in space (oddly enough, as a great number of them seem to have emigrated to Venus).
Clunky and one-dimensional character descriptions are part and parcel of the genre, the most obvious candidates for villains being painted as obvious red herrings. The book reminds me of the “Three Detective” novels, where plucky lads uncover the worldly explanations of seemingly paranormal phenomena. It’s a fun little read for pulp fans, and despite the lack of women its morals and ideology haven’t dated all too badly. There’s hints of Vance’s later imagination and as a juvie novel it has some originality.
While he had already made his name as a short story writer in 1953, “Vandals of the Void” was Jack Vance’s debut novel, and as such it differs from his later, much more sophisticated output. “Vandals” is essentially a juvenile detective and adventure story in the vein of Isaac Asimov’s “Space Ranger” series – but perhaps slightly less childish. One can hardly accuse the book of misogyny, as there isn’t a single woman in it, apart from a mentioned mother. In Vance’s future, apparently, women are not allowed in space (oddly enough, as a great number of them seem to have emigrated to Venus).
Clunky and one-dimensional character descriptions are part and parcel of the genre, the most obvious candidates for villains being painted as obvious red herrings. The book reminds me of the “Three Detective” novels, where plucky lads uncover the worldly explanations of seemingly paranormal phenomena. It’s a fun little read for pulp fans, and despite the lack of women its morals and ideology haven’t dated all too badly. There’s hints of Vance’s later imagination and as a juvie novel it has some originality.
February 4, 2024
Vandals of the Void is a 213 page novel published in 1953 by The John C. Winston Company. Vance mentions this novel in his autobiography where he informs us that his wife helped a great deal with the writing of it. Vandals of the Void was written as part of a series for younger readers, but adults need not shy away from it. It is a fast paced, easy to read, engaging, space opera type novel that should be of interest to most Vance fans. The protagonist here is a 15 year old, adventurous, precocious boy named Dick Murdock who lives on Venus with his mother but is traveling to the Earth's moon to be with his father who works there as the chief astronomer and is the founder of the "Cosmic Ray Research Institute." En route Dick hears about a legendary monster called a "basilisk" and encounters a space ship that has been ravaged by space pirates. The tale lacks Vance's witty, engaging dialogue, the plot is fairly simple, and there is minimal character development, but the story moves along quickly and has plenty of action and intrigue. This was a difficult novel for me to locate but is now readily available in a high quality trade paperback edition by Spatterlight Press. Even though this is a very early work and is geared to younger readers, I enjoyed reading it and rated it a 3 "Liked it"
August 4, 2021
On its own terms, Vandals of the Void is a decently entertaining SF teen novel, very much indebted to Robert A. Heinlein's juveniles. But there are major problems with it in hindsight.
It's nothing like the later works that Vance is best known for; I love his fantasy novels with their skewed take on the genre and their sly humour. There's none of that here, it's a straightforward science-engineering heavy SF novel of the sort that John W. Campbell encouraged. And it has the flaws associated with Campbell - it's overwhelmingly male and almost certainly (as it's not explicit about race) I would assume that all the characters are meant to be white Americans. It could hardly fail the Bechdel test more blatantly: not only are there no named women characters, there are two mentioned women, one, a "pretty stewardess" on a passenger rocket, has a line, but the other, the hero's mother, is mentioned in passing: mothers stay at home and worry about their men. Science and engineering aren't for women in the world of this novel.
It's nothing like the later works that Vance is best known for; I love his fantasy novels with their skewed take on the genre and their sly humour. There's none of that here, it's a straightforward science-engineering heavy SF novel of the sort that John W. Campbell encouraged. And it has the flaws associated with Campbell - it's overwhelmingly male and almost certainly (as it's not explicit about race) I would assume that all the characters are meant to be white Americans. It could hardly fail the Bechdel test more blatantly: not only are there no named women characters, there are two mentioned women, one, a "pretty stewardess" on a passenger rocket, has a line, but the other, the hero's mother, is mentioned in passing: mothers stay at home and worry about their men. Science and engineering aren't for women in the world of this novel.
September 1, 2025
As far as I know, this is the only YA novel Jack Vance ever wrote: a pity, as VotV shows he could have given Robert Heinlein a run for his money.
The first interplanetary pirates seek their fortune through fear, destruction, and the general suffering of others. Fourteen year old Dick Murdock, journeying from his native Venus to visit his astronomer father on the Moon, becomes embroiled in their dastardly plots.
There's never a dull moment, with mad prospectors, spaceship wrecks, folk being burned alive, various other murder attempts, jewels, taciturn officials, aliens (possibly), brake-neck rocket journeys above -and within- the Moon, secret codes, space battles. There's little of Vance's usual style (this is an early novel), but he never talks down to his presumed younger audience (though proceedings are very Boy's Own). He gets quite a few facts wrong (and the charmingly upbeat introduction is almost worth the price of admission alone), but this was written in the 50's and hindsight is wonderfully smug thing.
Does what it says on the tin and does it very well.
The first interplanetary pirates seek their fortune through fear, destruction, and the general suffering of others. Fourteen year old Dick Murdock, journeying from his native Venus to visit his astronomer father on the Moon, becomes embroiled in their dastardly plots.
There's never a dull moment, with mad prospectors, spaceship wrecks, folk being burned alive, various other murder attempts, jewels, taciturn officials, aliens (possibly), brake-neck rocket journeys above -and within- the Moon, secret codes, space battles. There's little of Vance's usual style (this is an early novel), but he never talks down to his presumed younger audience (though proceedings are very Boy's Own). He gets quite a few facts wrong (and the charmingly upbeat introduction is almost worth the price of admission alone), but this was written in the 50's and hindsight is wonderfully smug thing.
Does what it says on the tin and does it very well.
March 10, 2020
This science fiction novel recalls the Heinlein juveniles written at the same time as this novel. As such, it is atypical for Vance. The setting is the near future (as imagined by Vance), and mankind has settements on the innnr planets and the moon. The society is peaceful, so there is no standing military. This is disrupted with the appearance of space pirates. The young protagonist is drawn into the action because his father is the head of the obervatory on the Moon, a strategic location important for the pirates. Standard fare with very little or none of the embellishments typical of Vance.
January 9, 2022
This is the last new Jack Vance I will ever read, having read all his other works, and fittingly it was actually his first book. I started it to complete the Vance canon, not expecting too much, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is not the fully-developed Vance-the-author, but there was enough here for me to have found it thoroughly enjoyable.
February 28, 2025
A decent space adventure. In the world of these space adventures, it's often hard to stand out, and I don't think this one really succeeded, but I enjoy space adventures so I guess that's okay.
There's a mystery on the moon, and a kid being way more skilled than he has any right to be unmasks the villain.
3.0, for nothing remarkable either way.
There's a mystery on the moon, and a kid being way more skilled than he has any right to be unmasks the villain.
3.0, for nothing remarkable either way.
March 8, 2019
Definitely not the average Vance we learned to know, this young adult novel is the first that has been published in 1953. Even if sometimes naive and scientifically inaccurate, the plot is enjoyable and you will get quickly involved in the space adventures of the fifteen-year-old Dick Murdock.
June 16, 2019
Eigenlijk is het een jeugdroman, dit eerste verhaal van Jack Vance. Het leest vlot weg en is een mooi voorproefje van alles wat daarna kwam.
December 5, 2019
fun adolescent sifi moon mystery
jack vance is very playful but doesnt pull back on the drama and adventure for young adult's sake
it perhaps is dated but the sense of adventure and mystery is there
jack vance is very playful but doesnt pull back on the drama and adventure for young adult's sake
it perhaps is dated but the sense of adventure and mystery is there
February 7, 2020
A short, juvenile Sci Fi novel - a nice way to pass a couple of hours!
August 10, 2021
Never knew this is his first story.
Funny fact: how the Mars city name Perseverine resembles to the Mars rover name Perseverance.
Maybe NASA got inspired :)
Funny fact: how the Mars city name Perseverine resembles to the Mars rover name Perseverance.
Maybe NASA got inspired :)
August 18, 2021
Vandals of the Void by Jack Vance
Vandals of the Void is an early Jack Vance SF novel that was written for the Winston Science Fiction series; which was a set of 35 juvenile novels written by a selection of popular SF authors of the time.
The book follows the adventures of Dick Murdock, a 15 year old inquisitive boy from Venus, as he investigates the strange disappearances of space crafts travelling through the solar system. The action takes place in the near future, where man has colonised the Moon, Venus and Mars. Space piracy has begun to occur in the under-policed frontier that is the solar system, and to that end the relatively new Space Navy has been established.
Whilst travelling to the Moon to stay with his father—who is an astronomer working at the Observatory—Dick learns about the mysterious character known only as “the Basilisk”, and a seemingly related series of events where space pirates have attacked passenger ships travelling between the planets. The plot then gradually unfolds as the identity of the Basilisk is uncovered and the space pirates schemes are revealed.
Since this book was written for the young adult market, it feels very different from other Vance books; it is missing the characteristic dialogue and rich prose that graces most of his other works. Yet still, there are some hints and elements of the typical Vance style in this early novel, particularly the theme of identity, which is explored more thoroughly in The Demon Princes series.
The only character who is really fleshed out throughout the story is the protagonist, Dick Murdock. Besides Dick, there are some intriguing characters, the most interesting of which was Crazy Sam, who provided some moments of humour that perhaps echo Vance's usual style. The strongest aspect of the book was definitely the fast moving plot; from start to finish this is quite an enjoyable read, never really slowing down at any point.
Vandals of the Void is quite a rare and probably often disregarded Vance novel—due to its lack of time in print and it being written for the young adult market—but it is definitely worth a read for fans of Vance's works.
Vandals of the Void is an early Jack Vance SF novel that was written for the Winston Science Fiction series; which was a set of 35 juvenile novels written by a selection of popular SF authors of the time.
The book follows the adventures of Dick Murdock, a 15 year old inquisitive boy from Venus, as he investigates the strange disappearances of space crafts travelling through the solar system. The action takes place in the near future, where man has colonised the Moon, Venus and Mars. Space piracy has begun to occur in the under-policed frontier that is the solar system, and to that end the relatively new Space Navy has been established.
Whilst travelling to the Moon to stay with his father—who is an astronomer working at the Observatory—Dick learns about the mysterious character known only as “the Basilisk”, and a seemingly related series of events where space pirates have attacked passenger ships travelling between the planets. The plot then gradually unfolds as the identity of the Basilisk is uncovered and the space pirates schemes are revealed.
Since this book was written for the young adult market, it feels very different from other Vance books; it is missing the characteristic dialogue and rich prose that graces most of his other works. Yet still, there are some hints and elements of the typical Vance style in this early novel, particularly the theme of identity, which is explored more thoroughly in The Demon Princes series.
The only character who is really fleshed out throughout the story is the protagonist, Dick Murdock. Besides Dick, there are some intriguing characters, the most interesting of which was Crazy Sam, who provided some moments of humour that perhaps echo Vance's usual style. The strongest aspect of the book was definitely the fast moving plot; from start to finish this is quite an enjoyable read, never really slowing down at any point.
Vandals of the Void is quite a rare and probably often disregarded Vance novel—due to its lack of time in print and it being written for the young adult market—but it is definitely worth a read for fans of Vance's works.
July 8, 2016
From 1953, this is one of Jack Vance's first published works, one of the old Winston Science Fiction series. The Enoch Pratt Library copy has gone missing, and I presume stolen. Fortunately, Project Gutenberg has a copy.
The novel begins with an author's introduction, a very optimistic forecast of man's conquest of space. Atomic energy will allow humanity to travel to the planets, which, of course, have friendly and habitable climates. Eventually, the age of space piracy will begin, in the far future year of 1985.
Winston (of Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, the textbook publishers) aimed their stories at teenagers. The protagonist, Dick Murdoch, is only 15 years old. He begins the story travelling from Venus to meet his father, an astronomer, on the Moon. En route, he learns that pirates have attacked other spaceships. He begins to suspect that someone on board his ship may be in league with the pirates. The plot takes numerous twists and turns as Dick tries to sleuth out the secrets of the pirates.
This book reminded me strongly of amateur detective yarns like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Dick is smart, resourceful, and plucky. Aside from his father, he can't be sure which adults to trust. Although he finds himself in dire circumstances, and sometimes feels terribly afraid, he somehow always finds the courage to carry on.
The setting is standard 1950s space opera. The plot develops quickly. Most of the characters seem straight from Central Casting, but a few display the little idiosyncrasies that would later become a hallmark of Vance's work. For science fiction and Jack Vance fans, this is a fascinating bit of nostalgia.
For fun, here's Vance's future history:
By 1965: Moon landing
By 1968: Mars and Venus landings
By 1975: Permanent space stations orbiting Earth, Venus, and Mars
By 1978: Atomic spaceships
By 1980: Permanent colonies on the Moon, Venus, and Mars, with space trade in rare items.
By 1985: The Age of Space Piracy!
The novel begins with an author's introduction, a very optimistic forecast of man's conquest of space. Atomic energy will allow humanity to travel to the planets, which, of course, have friendly and habitable climates. Eventually, the age of space piracy will begin, in the far future year of 1985.
Winston (of Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, the textbook publishers) aimed their stories at teenagers. The protagonist, Dick Murdoch, is only 15 years old. He begins the story travelling from Venus to meet his father, an astronomer, on the Moon. En route, he learns that pirates have attacked other spaceships. He begins to suspect that someone on board his ship may be in league with the pirates. The plot takes numerous twists and turns as Dick tries to sleuth out the secrets of the pirates.
This book reminded me strongly of amateur detective yarns like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Dick is smart, resourceful, and plucky. Aside from his father, he can't be sure which adults to trust. Although he finds himself in dire circumstances, and sometimes feels terribly afraid, he somehow always finds the courage to carry on.
The setting is standard 1950s space opera. The plot develops quickly. Most of the characters seem straight from Central Casting, but a few display the little idiosyncrasies that would later become a hallmark of Vance's work. For science fiction and Jack Vance fans, this is a fascinating bit of nostalgia.
For fun, here's Vance's future history:
By 1965: Moon landing
By 1968: Mars and Venus landings
By 1975: Permanent space stations orbiting Earth, Venus, and Mars
By 1978: Atomic spaceships
By 1980: Permanent colonies on the Moon, Venus, and Mars, with space trade in rare items.
By 1985: The Age of Space Piracy!
February 24, 2023
Ik kan me niet herinneren ooit al iets van Jack Vance te hebben gelezen en toch deed zijn naam ergens een belletje rinkelen toen ik een aantal van zijn boeken op een bibliotheekverkoop tegenkwam. Op goed geluk een stapeltje meegenomen en een paar dagen geleden op al even goed geluk een boek uit die stapel gekozen om eens te lezen. Het zijn allemaal zogenaamde luxe-edities van uitgeverij Meulenhof en de aandachtige lezer weet al direct dat er iets scheelt, want zo luxe zijn ze niet.
Zo wordt het voorwoord van de schrijver er gewoon uit geknipt en worden er bovendien nog eens een aantal elementen veranderd ten opzichte van het origineel. Zo is Dick hernoemd naar Kevin en klopt de informatie (de eerste roman van de meester!) gewoonweg niet. Erg jammer en slordig eigenlijk. Vandals of the Void is voor de rest zo'n typische jongensboek dat ik vroeger echt fantastisch had gevonden. Piraten (in de ruimte dan nog eens), een aimabel hoofdfiguur en een vlot lopend verhaaltje... Heerlijk! Let echter vooral op de verleden tijd, want eenmaal ouder geworden bezie je zoiets op een andere manier en dan blijkt dat dit toch wel een vrij voorspelbaar boekje is. Je weet vanaf het begin dat Sende niet de bad-guy gaat zijn en Vance is bijvoorbeeld ook niet al te subtiel in het begin met te verstoppen dat de piraten op de maan zitten.
Hoewel het niet de eerste roman van Vance was, was het wel één van zijn eersten. Ongetwijfeld moest hij zijn schrijfstijl nog ontwikkelen, maar ik verwacht toch iets meer dan zo'n soort (desalniettemin vermakelijk) jeugdboek. Toch is zijn toekomstbeeld wel interessant weergegeven en ben ik benieuwd wat de rest gaat geven.
Zo wordt het voorwoord van de schrijver er gewoon uit geknipt en worden er bovendien nog eens een aantal elementen veranderd ten opzichte van het origineel. Zo is Dick hernoemd naar Kevin en klopt de informatie (de eerste roman van de meester!) gewoonweg niet. Erg jammer en slordig eigenlijk. Vandals of the Void is voor de rest zo'n typische jongensboek dat ik vroeger echt fantastisch had gevonden. Piraten (in de ruimte dan nog eens), een aimabel hoofdfiguur en een vlot lopend verhaaltje... Heerlijk! Let echter vooral op de verleden tijd, want eenmaal ouder geworden bezie je zoiets op een andere manier en dan blijkt dat dit toch wel een vrij voorspelbaar boekje is. Je weet vanaf het begin dat Sende niet de bad-guy gaat zijn en Vance is bijvoorbeeld ook niet al te subtiel in het begin met te verstoppen dat de piraten op de maan zitten.
Hoewel het niet de eerste roman van Vance was, was het wel één van zijn eersten. Ongetwijfeld moest hij zijn schrijfstijl nog ontwikkelen, maar ik verwacht toch iets meer dan zo'n soort (desalniettemin vermakelijk) jeugdboek. Toch is zijn toekomstbeeld wel interessant weergegeven en ben ik benieuwd wat de rest gaat geven.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2019
Ok, this isn't a bad book, but it's a product of its time and the genre. Typical juvenile SF - young, resourceful lad uses tenacity, bravery and logic to overcome the nefarious schemes of adults. Vance's imaginary future timeline at the beginning of the novel is off, and it's actually rather odd seeing Vance write one of these and I wonder if an editor urged him into doing it (without researching the answer).
It's an average work of fiction, tightly plotted and written in a straightforward, serviceable manner that's largely unlike Vance's usual way - outside of his mystery and police procedural novels. But his fondness for baroque language threatens to break through the simple and flowing text, hinting at where he'd been with The Dying Earth, and where he would go with the remainder of his extensive SF and fantasy oeuvre.
Second order Vance for sure.
It's an average work of fiction, tightly plotted and written in a straightforward, serviceable manner that's largely unlike Vance's usual way - outside of his mystery and police procedural novels. But his fondness for baroque language threatens to break through the simple and flowing text, hinting at where he'd been with The Dying Earth, and where he would go with the remainder of his extensive SF and fantasy oeuvre.
Second order Vance for sure.
May 22, 2020
I am a big fan of the author's work and own copies of many of his books. Now I have belatedly discovered that the Spatterlight Press has reprinted all his work I am slowly adding the books I missed to my collection. This book aimed at younger readers was first published in 1953. The protagonist is a boy who has just turned 15 and the story is mainly set on the moon. This is the early days of space travel and is a far fetched story in which Dick Murdock foils the plans of a space pirate. The author tries to put some educational material in the story and there is some humour but it is not a patch on the author's books aimed at a more mature audience. Having said that, it is not a bad read and I am glad that I bought it.
May 27, 2015
Love the character Dick Murdock.
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