Chronicles of the Lensmen, Vol. 2 [Hardcover]

E.E. Doc Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

Volume 2 contains the last 3 books of The Lensmen Books. Gray Lensman - Second Stage Lensman - Children of the Lens. With the Lensmen books, "Doc" Smith set the standard for all space opera to come. Chronicles of the Lensmen, Vol.2 completes the famous series, taking you behind the front lines of a titanic struggle for control of the Universe.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 730 pages
• Publisher: Science Fiction Book Club; First SFBC Science Fiction Printing Edit edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739402625
• ISBN-13: 978-0739402627
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second Half of the Six Book Lensman Series, July 26, 2006

By 

Antinomian (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chronicles of the Lensmen, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

It's hard to believe I'm the first reviewer for this book considering the impact it's had on science fiction. Possibly because the combination of the six books into two volumes isn't as well known. Also that the book listed here has the plural version, Lensmen, in the title, while any original book of the series has the singular, Lensman. Note for anyone doing an Amazon or web search.

Personally I think the series starts to trail off starting with the second half. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the series, it's just maybe the datedness of the terminology used by Smith gets tiresome or I think just gets somewhat overused. The science is a bit oversimplified. Although the power of using an entire planet as a weapon is obvious, the little science given here and elsewhere stretches the imagination. But that's also what makes the series appealing. It's a large scale galactic conflict epic.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lensmen--slightly sweet popcorn that keeps you reaching for more!, December 4, 2010

By 

Richard Drown "The Urban Monk" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chronicles of the Lensmen, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

If you haven't read the entire Lensmen series--Triplanetary, First Lensman, Galactic Patrol, Gray Lensman, Second Stage Lensmen, and Children of the Lens--then you have missed out on some of the best that science fiction/space opera has to offer. Yes, it's dated. Yes, the science is thin to non-existant, but the plots, the stories are the reason for these books! Each one is a ripping good yarn. These books are the ones that I read on a rainy Saturday afternoon, when I don't want my villains too complex, and I don't need the heros to be too smart. I just want the good guys to triumph in the end, but still have enough of a "hook" that you pick up the next one to read it right away. It's like slightly sweetened popped corn, just salty enough and just sweet enough that you keep reaching for the bowl until you notice the bowl is empty, and the Saturday afternoon has gone by and it's almost 1:00 Sunday morning. By the way, don't worry about "Vortex Blaster", the seventh Lensman story. It has nothing at all to do with the other six. It is just a story about people who live in the Lensmen Universe.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lensmen Series, vol 1 & 2, June 8, 2007

By 

David J. Rogers "Doc Rogers" (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chronicles of the Lensmen, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

This series and Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination" empassioned my desire for the stars and science fiction. Star Trek and Star Wars would not be the stories they are or have the impact they do without the forward thinking of EE Doc Smith and Bester.

These stories enthralled me as a youth and still capture my imagination 30+ years later. Volume 1 and 2 are "must haves" for any serious sci-fi fan and library.

The anime movie... well, it wasn't so hot. It did a disservice to the books. IMHO.