''The Witling'' is a 1976 science fiction

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by Vernor Vinge, about the planet Giri, whose humanoid inhabitants, the Azhiri, are able to teleport. This ability varies from person to person: those without the talent at all are called ''witlings'' and are the lowest class of person in Azhiri society.

Plot

Two human explorers become trapped on Giri. They struggle to find help from various powerful Azhiri factions. Each of these wish to exploit the relatively advanced technology the humans brought with them. The humans also face the problem of getting to a place from which they can leave the planet. When the Azhiri teleport, they keep the same absolute motion they had at the point of departure. Since the planet is rotating, this is considerable and can be lethal for long distances.

Reception

SF Signal ''SF Signal'' was a science fiction blog and fanzine published from 2003 to 2016. The site was launched by John DeNardo and JP Frantz and focused on writings, events, and other topics focusing on the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and other ...

'' praised Vinge's portrayal of Azhiri society, and his detailed extrapolation of how it would be affected by ubiquitous teleportation, but considered the characters to be largely "two-dimensional".REVIEW: The Witling by Vernor Vinge
by John DeNardo, at ''

''; published November 28, 2006; retrieved September 11, 2017 The '' SF Site'' stated that it was "not the most original of stories, and (...) very much a work of its era", but praised its worldbuilding, which it compared to Anne McCaffrey's

Pern ''Dragonriders of Pern'' is a science fantasy series written primarily by American author Anne McCaffrey, who initiated it in 1967. Beginning in 2003, her middle child Todd McCaffrey has written Pern novels, both solo and jointly with Anne. T ...

; it also noted that the book "foreshadow(ed) (...) the themes that would become central to Vinge's later work" — specifically, a "widely scattered human

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

" with worlds isolated from each other by the "crippling logistics of interstellar time and space".''The Witling'', by Vernor Vinge
reviewed by Paul Raven, at the '' SF Site''; published 2007; retrieved September 11, 2017

James Nicoll James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a Usene ...

similarly lauded the worldbuilding, but criticized the book for having "some fairly troglodytic gender politics", and declared that it was Vinge's worst novel.“She knew a happy ending when she saw it.” ''The Witling'' — Vernor Vinge
reviewed by

, at JamesNicollReviews; published September 6, 2015; retrieved September 11, 2017

References

* 1976 American novels 1976 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Novels by Vernor Vinge DAW Books books {{1970s-sf-novel-stub