Customer Reviews

The Blue World (DAW Books, No. 527)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the first Vance novel I ever read- humans marooned on a world without solid land. The themes of human beings as the most alien creatures we'll ever meet, the exotic societies, the strange worlds we are cast down on all combined to a memberable book. Look for how the folks on this planet gather iron; it's an image that has stayed with me for over thirty years.

First, to all those who have never read Jack Vance: he is nothing like the vast multitudes of "space-opera" writers of today. And if you are expecting more of that kind of pulp you may not like his stories. If you are willing to let go of your notions of what scif-fi should be, then Vance is the writer for you! His writing style is detailed but very concise, and he rarely (basically never) wastes the reader's time with superfluous space-filler. This means his novels are usually quite short. His stories often have very strong themes (with a subtext of humor) and are generally very believable thought experiments; in the sense that all entities and characters act belivably within the context.

Blue World is a thought experiment. The setting revolves around a society situated on a planet with no land that must rely on a giant sea-plant for all of their needs. There is a strong conflict in the story between the the society (or members of it) and external factors (specifically a giant sea monster), but the real magic of this story is the interaction and conflict that goes on within the society (the sea monster is simply the catalyst, and the general theme of conflict is between religious conservatism and scientific progress). The individual characters in Blue World are generally static and proceed along specific trajectories from the outset. However, this is not a weakness since the interaction BETWEEN characters leads to dynamic and unpredictable results. It is almost as if the whole society of Blue World is Vance's character. It works very well.

A few further notes: the details in this story include a strange "religion" based sea-monster appeasment, comunication systems using towers and an interesting symbolic lights, and a whole slew of well thought out ways to use a sea-plant to build a civiliazation. Very imaginative!

My only complaint, the book is too short! But all great books are and this one leaves a lasting impression.

I had never read anything by Jack Vance before, and I expected this to be a rather juvenile effort. I mean, it was about a sea serpent, dammit! How do you make a decent story out of that? He sure as hell did! Everything in the book is not only scientifically but also sociologically plausible. If this is one of Vance's minor efforts, I can't wait to see his good stuff.

I read this book during a midshipman cruise in 1966. The book's title and its ingenious story stuck with me from that day to this. Now that amazon.com has identified the author to me, I'll be checking for Jack Vance in used bookstores.

I have reached a point now where I am continuously reading 100 to 200 pages of sci-fi/fantasy novels, then throwing them away and searching for the next Jack Vance work. I keep finding that he has already written entire, masterful books on random notions that I have had about what the next few decades will bring....and he wrote them decades ago. I've been tearing through his work at a steady clip, and haven't been disappointed yet.

For example, I just wrapped up Blue World, which is somewhat of a cross between Moby Dick and The Old Man and the Sea. It's a masterpiece, and more metaphorical and symbolic than most of Vance's works. On one hand it can be read as a straight-forward adventure story about the descendants of shipwrecked starfarers attempting to defeat an aquatic monster. However, it can simultaneously be read as an indictment of religion, orthodox thinking, and institutionalized bureaucracies as being stultifying narcotics that sap human free-will and advancement.

It is amazingly and deliciously subversive. A good read even for those who don't like science fiction or aren't familiar with Vance.

Jack Vance is one of my favorite authors although admittedly he has written a few duds. At his best, as in The Blue World, he has an uncanny knack of making his quirky and exotic societies and locations seem real and believable. While Blue World is technically Science Fiction it's really a story of human triumph and ingenuity. A shipload of people stranded on a world without land, who not only survive but flourish could just as easily have been a 16th century galleon stranding its crew on a desert island.

An entrenched quasi-religious priesthood built up over generations to worship a very large & vindictive sea creature (called a Kragen probably after the Kraken of Norse mythology) who demand orthodoxy and are willing to kill those who oppose their views or threaten to harm the monstrous Kragen is soundly based on human experience.

The interaction of those who want to rid themselves of the beast and those of orthodox view led by the "priests" who see the Kragen as a god-like entity to be worshiped and fawned over is at the heart of the story and rings so true it could be describing the U.S. Senate's conservative vs. liberal debates. The justification for war to rid the world of unorthodoxy is as old as time and shows a real understanding of human nature that Vance often uses to advantage.

Blue World is Sci-Fi at its best.

Jack Vance's The Blue World is a delightful (straightforward) sci-fi/fantasy adventure story. There's something truly wonderful about Jack Vance's world building skills, simplistic yet adept prose, and tightly constructed plots. He's a top-notch story teller. The Blue World is worthwhile read (as are all his books I've read so far).

Brief Plot Summary

In the distant past a spaceship crashed on the Blue World which consists of one gigantic ocean. The survivors discovered floating "pads" which are connected to stems which grow in clusters. These pads became their homes and a small population flourished. Each pad communicates with the others via a tower and a complicated coded system of lanterns. The primary purpose is to alert the other pads to the arrival of King Kragen and his lesser minions! King Kragen is a gigantic vindictive sea monster. The pads' inhabitants have developed a policy of appeasing King Kragen who still occasionally wrecks havoc destroying buildings, eating sponges, and breaking nets.

Sklar Hast, our rebellious hero, is an apprentice hoodwink (communication tower operator). Sklar believes that the policy of appeasement should be replaced with a policy to exterminate King Kragen so the pads can finally live without fear. He invokes the ire of the more traditionalist members of the the society. After an audacious attempt at killing King Kragen, Sklar Hast is forced to leave the pads with his followers.

Final Thoughts

The Blue World is great escapist fun! Don't expect any deep questions or philosophical discussions -- instead, expect a nice tight plot, likable characters, an interesting world and peculiar fauna. My only qualm concerns the the lack of attention given to the only female character -- Meril Rohan -- who fades completely out of the narrative about a third of the way through. Probably not close to Vance's best but highly recommended.

Jack Vance (1916) is an extraordinary science-fiction and fantasy author, deservedly honored with Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy awards.

Vance has a powerful imagination and devices very detailed alien worlds with complex social structures, free of any restriction. He populates it with alien races or strange animals competing with humans, and sometimes amongst themselves.
The author construct these universes with the same care for a novel as the present one or just for a short story as "The Moon Moth" (read it if you can).

The plot is as follows: a human community survives in a planet without land. The forefathers, twelve generations before, had rebelled inside a spaceship that was taking them into exile. As a result of this rebellion the spaceship crashed and the survivors managed to recreate civilization from nil over gigantic aquatic flora.

When the story starts this society is going thru a crisis between older generations serving the status quo represented by the adoration of a sea monster and the new ones that consider this submission an affront.

The author describes minutely this strange culture giving way at the same time to endless adventures that will be enjoyed by readers.

This is a very commendable book for sci-fi lovers.

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Jack Vance (1916) is an extraordinary science-fiction and fantasy author, deservedly honored with Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy awards.

Vance has a powerful imagination and devices very detailed alien worlds with complex social structures, free of any restriction. He populates it with alien races or strange animals competing with humans, and sometimes amongst themselves.
The author construct these universes with the same care for a novel as the present one or just for a short story as "The Moon Moth" (read it if you can).

The plot is as follows: a human community survives in a planet without land. The forefathers, twelve generations before, had rebelled inside a spaceship that was taking them into exile. As a result of this rebellion the spaceship crashed and the survivors managed to recreate civilization from nil over gigantic aquatic flora.

When the story starts this society is going thru a crisis between older generations serving the status quo represented by the adoration of a sea monster and the new ones that consider this submission an affront.

The author describes minutely this strange culture giving way at the same time to endless adventures that will be enjoyed by readers.

This is a very commendable book for sci-fi lovers.

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Jack Vance begins with a colony of humans isolated on a 100% ocean planet. They've been there for more than a dozen generations, and have settled into a surprisingly sophisticated life style considering their total lack of metals, glass, and masonry.

More than half the novel is used to set up the nature of the society and how a portion of the inhabitants become dissatisfied.

From then on Vance demonstrates how, with a few vague hints from the Memoria written by the revered Firsts, the dissenters can start a Renaissance on their Blue World.