Au-delà du village enchanté

by A.E. van Vogt, Renato Pestriniero

312pages. poche. Broché.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Alfred Elton van Vogt was a Canadian-born science fiction author regarded by some as one of the most popular and complex science fiction writers of the mid-twentieth century—the "Golden Age" of the genre.

van Vogt was born to Russian Mennonite family. Until he was four years old, van Vogt and his family spoke only a dialect of Low German in the home.

He began his writing career with "true story" romances, but then moved to writing science fiction, a field he identified with. His first story was "Black Destroyer", that appeared as the front cover story for the July 1939 edition of the popular Astounding Science Fiction magazine.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Enchanted Village": a classic Van Vogt short, first published 1950, reprinted many, many times: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cg... . Be sure to scroll down for the vintage artwork. And I'd never seen the one here, for "Il villaggio incantato," which is neat. Story is no longer online, sfaict, boo hoo. Worth the effort to track down a copy!

I think this is my favorite of his shorts. This is the one with a spaceman shipwrecked on Mars, running out of food, water, and air, finds a mysterious, abandoned Martian village. He's saved in a VERY surprising way. Excellent story, a bit dated now but not to be missed. Makes my 100 best-ever list!

[Denis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most reviews for this book are of the 1950 short story "Enchanted Village" by A.E. van Vogt first printed in "Other Worlds" magazine. This novel version, "Au-dela du Village Enchante", was first published in 1982 by Italian scifi author Renato Pestriniero, under the title, "Il Viallio incantato". Pestriniero was born in Venice in 1933 and has published over a hundred short stories, novels and essays since 1958 - the film "Terrore Nella Spazio" by Mario Bava (1965) is based on one of his science fiction stories. "Enchanted Village" was one of van Vogt's most loved stories by his fans. For those who have not read it, suffice to say, that it is set on Mars and ends with a really neat Twilight Zone-like twist. It can be found in van Vogt's 1952, "Destination: Universe!" collection. (More info can be found here http://www.icshi.net/sevagram/biblio/...).

According to the French J'ai Lu jacket, Pestriniero sent an English translation of the novel titled, "The People of the Wide Sands" to then, 71 year old A.E. van Vogt in 1983 for review and authorization. Van Vogt explains that he reviewed the work, retyping it, while making minor changes at a rate of two pages per day, whenever he had time to spare, completing the job in May of 1986. Chapter 10, from a total of 19, consists of the 1950 van Vogt story almost word for word. Bookmarked between the original story is one full of classic vanVogtian twists and turns, which include changeling characters taking the form of human beings living amongst us...

(Spoiler Alert! For those who intend to read this - it is, thus far, only available in Italian, French and German)

The story, set in New Mexico, opens with Claire dreaming she is making love with her boyfriend, or lizard-type creature? Then learns she is pregnant, but she has never ever been intimate with her boyfriend... Olivia, notices a strangeness from an individual on the bus during her commute to work. Ends up in police station unable to explain while the individual claims she is simply crazy. The station is then attacked by some mysterious assailant, all but one are dead, but not a mark or cause of death can be determined on the victims. Meanwhile, astronaut Jenner is unknowingly recruited to be part of a secret Earth-based organization set up on Mars, who work in partnership with the decedents of the indigenous people of Mars to prepare for the ultimate and inevitable battle with the alien foe, known simply as the "Invaders", who infiltrate and assimilate all intelligent life in the universe. However, there is an "Overlord" entity who identifies themselves as the "Altairiens" who consider all organic living species, intelligent or not (such as human beings) as little more than we consider insects on our world. They eventually must intervene with the battle in order to preserve some sort of order within the universe...

Quite a yarn.

Cover art for the French edition, by renown artist James Gurney, as with many J'ai Lu books, does not reflect the story at all.

Revue en français:
La plupart des critiques de ce livre sont issues de la nouvelle de 1950 "Enchanted Village" de A.E. van Vogt, publiée pour la première fois dans le magazine "Other Worlds". Cette nouvelle version, "Au-dela du Village enchanté", a été publiée pour la première fois en 1982 par l'auteur italien de la science-fiction Renato Pestriniero, sous le titre "Il Viallio incantato". Pestriniero est né à Venise en 1933 et a publié plusieur nouvelles, romans et essais depuis 1958 - le film "Terrore Nella Spazio" de Mario Bava (1965) est basé sur l'un de ses récits de science-fiction. "Enchanted Village" est l'une des histoires les plus appréciées de van Vogt par ses fans. Pour ceux qui ne l'ont pas lu, il suffit de dire qu'il est placé sur Mars et qu'il se termine par une torsion vraiment soignée, semblable à celle de Twilight Zone. On peut le trouver dans la publication de van Vogt de 1952, "Destination: Univers!" collection. (Plus d'informations peuvent être trouvées ici http: //www.icshi.net/sevagram/biblio / ...).

Selon la veste française J'ai Lu, Pestriniero a envoyé une traduction anglaise du roman intitulé "Le peuple des sables étendus" à cette époque, A.E. van Vogt, alors âgée de 71 ans, en 1983 pour révision et autorisation. Van Vogt explique qu'il a révisé le travail en le saisissant à nouveau, tout en apportant des modifications mineures à raison de deux pages par jour, chaque fois qu'il disposait de suffisamment de temps, en achevant le travail en mai 1986. Le chapitre 10, de 19, ce compose de l'histoire de 1950 van Vogt presque mot pour mot. Parmi les signets entre l'histoire originale, il y en a une pleine de rebondissements classiques vanVogtian, qui incluent des personnages changelants qui prennent la forme d'êtres humains vivant parmi nous ...

(Alerte spoiler! Pour ceux qui ont l’intention de lire ceci - il n’est disponible jusqu’à présent qu'en italien, français et allemand)

L'histoire, qui se déroule au Nouveau-Mexique, commence par Claire qui rêve de faire l'amour avec son petit ami ou une créature de type lézard? Puis elle apprend qu'elle est enceinte, mais elle n'a jamais été intime avec son petit ami... Olivia remarque l'étrangeté d'un individu dans le bus lors de son trajet aller-retour au travail. Se retrouve dans un poste de police incapable d'expliquer alors que la personne prétend qu'elle est simplement folle. La station est ensuite attaquée par un mystérieux assaillant; tous sauf un sont morts, mais aucune marque ou cause de décès ne peut être déterminée sur les victimes. Pendant ce temps, l'astronaute Jenner est recruté à son insu pour faire partie d'une organisation secrète basée à Terre établie sur Mars, qui travaille en partenariat avec les défunts du peuple autochtone de Mars pour se préparer à la bataille ultime et inévitable avec l'ennemi étranger, connue simplement comme les "envahisseurs", qui infiltrent et assimilent toute vie intelligente dans l'univers. Cependant, il existe une entité "Overlord" qui s'identifie comme une "Altairienne" qui considère toutes les espèces biologiques vivantes, intelligentes ou non (comme les êtres humains) comme un peu plus que les insectes de notre monde. Ils doivent finalement intervenir dans la bataille afin de préserver une sorte d'ordre dans l'univers...

La couverture de l'édition française, réalisée par l'artiste de renom James Gurney, ne reflète pas du tout l'histoire, à l'instar de nombreux livres J'ai Lu.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those anthologies that feels less like a single book and more like a fragmented map of the anxieties, dreams, and wild intellectual gambles of mid-century science fiction.

It is a curated doorway into a period when the genre was still defining itself—bold, experimental, philosophical, and sometimes stubbornly resistant to tidy resolution. Reading through this collection is like stepping into a laboratory where ideas matter more than emotional softness, and where speculation is allowed to run to the very edge of absurdity—and sometimes beyond it.

Although the title story may be the best-known piece in the book, the true richness of the anthology lies in the diversity and tone of the other tales. They form a constellation of moods and narrative architectures, sometimes intersecting in theme and sometimes contradicting one another.

What unites them is an almost feverish commitment to using fiction as a speculative engine—to ask: ‘What if the rules of reality were just slightly wrong? What would we learn if we broke them?’

Take, for example, one of the more chilling pieces involving the transformation of the human mind under external influence—whether alien, technological, or psychological. Van Vogt repeatedly returns to the idea that human consciousness is not fixed but mutable, elastic, and vulnerable.

In one story, a protagonist begins as a confident and rational human being, anchored in their understanding of society and self, but is gradually pulled into a strange and unsettling mental framework, unsure whether their identity is dissolving or evolving.

At no point does the narrative offer complete clarity: ambiguity becomes part of the story’s DNA. The result is not horror in the traditional sense, but a quieter existential alarm—one that lingers long after the page is turned.

Another memorable tale plays with hierarchy, authority, and rebellion—but not through battlefield heroism or political manifesto. Instead, it unfolds through clues, half-understandings, and the protagonist’s attempts to decode invisible power structures.

Van Vogt’s approach to plotting here reflects his well-known “fix-up” style: scenes move like a chain of revelations rather than a smooth chronological arc. As a reading experience, this is both demanding and rewarding.

The story never allows the reader to drift into passivity; it forces engagement, deduction, and hypothesis. One senses Van Vogt’s deep fascination with systems—governmental, psychological, and technological—and the fragility of the assumptions that keep them running.

A different story in the collection shifts the tone entirely, leaning into speculative wonder more than tension. Here, the interplay between humans and the unknown feels surprisingly hopeful. Rather than framing extraterrestrial intelligence as a threat or cosmic mystery too vast to comprehend, the narrative explores the possibility of communication—not merely linguistic, but emotional and perceptive. It is one of those science fiction pieces in which the unknown is not darkness but invitation: a mirror that reveals how limited human perception truly is.

The result is a delicate sense of awe, the kind often attributed to early Golden Age SF but executed with a degree of psychological nuance that keeps it from becoming naive.

Perhaps the most intellectually provocative story in the anthology reframes human civilization in relation to evolution and adaptation. Van Vogt hints that humanity may not be the final form of intelligence on Earth—that the next stage might not emerge from biological continuity at all, but through artificial construction or unexpected mutation.

The tone is neither celebratory nor catastrophic. Instead, it feels speculative and strangely neutral: a detached acknowledgment that humans are only one step in a much larger and longer cosmic process. In moments, the narrative feels almost philosophical, echoing early existential and post-humanist thought decades before those terms became academic currency.

Throughout the anthology, dialogue plays a curious role. Sometimes it is brisk and utilitarian; at other times, it veers into the cryptic, almost ritualistic exchanges that typify van Vogt’s more symbolic storytelling style.

Characters often feel like vessels for ideas, yet there are moments when vulnerability emerges—not in sweeping emotional monologues, but in small gestures, silences, and insecurities. Those brief sparks of humanity prevent the collection from sinking into cold abstraction.

Stylistically, the stories reflect the transition period in which they were written. There are narrative leaps, abrupt shifts, and endings that refuse to resolve neatly. Some may find this frustrating, especially if accustomed to modern story structure, but the apparent roughness is part of their charm.

These are stories built during the era when science fiction was less about polished literary elegance and more about intellectual experimentation. The pleasure comes from wrestling with them—not merely reading passively but decoding, questioning, and speculating alongside the text.

Renato Prestiniero’s translation deserves mention, because it manages a delicate balance: the language remains accessible without smoothing over the inherent strangeness of van Vogt’s prose.

The translator allows the angularity, the halting rhythms, and the philosophical density to remain intact, preserving the original tone rather than reshaping it for local sensibilities.

In this sense, the translation respects the historical value of the work.

Taken together, the stories in ‘Il villaggio incantato’ form a layered reading experience. They revisit the anxieties of the atomic age, the thrill of space exploration, the fear of losing autonomy to machines or systems, and the philosophical urgency of asking where the human species fits in the grand architecture of existence.

They also remind us that science fiction, at its best, is not merely about futures or technologies—it is about the fragile, questioning, adaptive, and often bewildered minds trying to understand them.

This anthology is not for readers who demand straightforward narratives or emotional closure. It is for those who enjoy fiction that unsettles, provokes, and refuses to leave the brain in peace.

Long after finishing it, one does not remember only the plots—one remembers the atmosphere, the unease, the flashes of wonder, and the intellectual vertigo that van Vogt engineered with precision.

It remains, even now, a compelling fragment of speculative literature’s formative decades: strange, imperfect, and unforgettable.

One of the best sci-fi stories you’ll ever read. Most recommended. Give it a go.

[Julio · Rating 3 out of 5]

No estoy seguro que el libro que leí (que en español se llama Monstruos del Mar y que contiene el cuento de La Aldea Encantada) sea el mismo que este que aparece en GoodReads. Pero como encuentro mejor alternativa, reseño aquí lo leído.

Para decir solamente que es una pequeña colección de cuentos (4) de calidad bastante heterogénea. Pero el último cuento, La Aldea Encantada, es excelente. Cuenta la historia de una nave de exploración en Marte que se estrella y deja a un sólo superviviente. Este, en obvio peligro de muerte, explora lo que puede del planeta y descubre una pequeña aldea, totalmente abandonada, pero inevitablemente diseñada para una especie diferente. Los alimentos que genera, los líquidos que generosamente se producen cuando Jenner, el sobreviviente, los requiere, son todos dañinos y potencialmente mortales para un humano. Pero Jenner nota que, de alguna manera, la aldea hace esfuerzos para adaptarse a su nuevo y extraño visitante, esfuerzos que parecen totalmente insuficientes, sobre todo que el tiempo se acaba.

Hasta que la aldea encuentra un brillante solución al problema...

[Léa · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai adoré ce livre et j'en suis ravie, étant donné que je ne suis pas toujours la plus grande fan de science-fiction qui soit ! L'histoire est passionnante et pleine de surprises et de rebondissements, sans que cela en devienne grotesque. Mais au-delà de ça, elle se prête à des réflexions sans fin... J'ai adoré la manière dont le texte interroge sur ce que l'on est vraiment, ce que l'on connait de soi et ce qu'on en laisse apparaître, à travers les transformations des personnages et surtout de Bill, avec ses réflexions personnelles. Le passage du village enchanté m'a, justement, enchantée - je ne vois pas comment le dire autrement ! Enfin, j'ai beaucoup aimé la réflexion sur l'échelle et le point de vue de chacun.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was first published in 1950
in Other Worlds Science Stories.
It was then re-printed in
Destination: Universe! in 1952.

I will not talk about the plot
because I don't want to ruin
it for people who have not read
it.

I will just say that I have
read a ton of SF short stories
in my life and I think this is
among the 10 best that I have
ever read.