Customer Reviews

Empire of the Atom

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

 

 

This novel concerns a far-future Earth, thousands of years after civilization has been destroyed in a catastrophe of unknown origin. Aspects of advanced science remain (spaceships) simultaneously with primitive features (bows and arrows), and Earth is carrying on longstanding wars of subjugation with human cultures on Mars and Venus. This is the story of a mutant, Lord Clane, of noble birth, but with a body warped by radiation, and his efforts to raise society to a higher plane. The characters are mostly flat, but Van Vogt ladles out the imaginative concepts as skilfully as ever, and never fails to hold the reader.

A. E. van Vogt used to be up there with Heinlein and Asimov during the 1940s and early 50s - and now he's not in print. In my wiew, he was a better and much more ORIGINAL scifi-storyteller than all of them - and Clarke too. But, on the other hand: Without a doubt, he was much more crazy.... Ok, this is maybe his best novel, from a purely litterary wievpoint, with a great central personality, a (relatively) logical story-line, but incorporating the same great van Vogtian sense of wonder that shines in his more crazy novels (like the Null-A and the Wheapon Shops series. Sad that it is not available!.

To the noble house of Emperor Medron Linn (Augustus Caesar) is born the atomic mutation Clane (Claudius). Everyone thinks the physically deformed boy should be disposed of, but a temple scientist takes the youngster under his wing and trains him to use his brilliant mind. Clane survives the many plots and intrigues in the Capitoline Palace and outwits his scheming grandmother Lydia (Livia), quietly pursuing his scientific studies while she advances her son Tews (Tiberius) to the Linnan throne.

Clane offers brilliant tactical advice to his uncle Tews and his brother Jerrin (Germanicus) as they continue the imperial policy of conquering the barbarians. Mars and Venus fall to the empire, but Europa unexpectedly sacks the eternal city and kills Tews, leaving Clane the only imperial family member available to take charge of the army.

This book seems even more silly and quaint than most science fiction from the 1950s, because the imperial troops zip out in their spaceships to battle the barbarians from horseback with bows and arrows. This book is very obviously a retelling of I, Claudius by Robert Graves. If you like that sort of novel you must read Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn, a fabulous retelling of Jane Eyre.

In a post apocalyptic Earth a mutant is born within the ruling family of Earth. Mutant children are normally disposed of. However, in this case, the grandfather and ruler of Earth, intervenes on the child's behalf but not until he executes all the priests in the adjacent Temple of the Atom, toward which the blame for the mutant child was directed. The Mutant child is named Clane and though he is not mistreated, he grows up in virtual isolation.

Clane survives a Machiavellian court of intrigue and assassination, which eventually takes his grandfather and father. Using a combination of cunning and bravado, Clane manages to survive long enough to save Earth from a vicious attack of barbarians from the former outposts of space colonization on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

This invasion is led by the charismatic leader of the barbarians Czinczar who is captured by the ever-resourceful Clane. This sets the stage for the sequel - The Wizard of Linn.

This novel, published in 1957 was written by science fiction pioneer A.E. Van Vogt. Like many of the writers of the time, he writes of a society of low-tech weapons (swords and Bows and arrows) and high tech travel. (Space travel). The rational for this, in this case, is apparently the downgrading and elimination of high tech weaponry after an unremembered nuclear holocaust had sundered earth.

As with many books of the times, which were shorter than todays mega books, character development was a little weak. You never seemed to get a feel for Clane and he was the lead character. Except for Czinczar, forget the others.

Like many of his contemporaries, Van Vogt tends to write in a cynical style where the protagonists constantly have to be on guard for duplicity and deceit. I'm wondering if this is a product of the big scare of the time, Communism. The McCarthy hearings were going on around then and there were allegedly Communists under every rock.

Over the years, Van Vogt has written many science fiction novels including one called `The Voyage of the Space Beagle' which some credit as the inspiration for the sci-fi horror film `Alien.' His books, in comparison to the computer-aided books of today, usually were short - under two hundred pages. However, his stories are likely to be well written and very imaginative. The few readers that still read him, seem to be drawn to his work and sing his praises which is evident in the effusive reviews his readers give his books.

I read this book when I was a teen and thought is was a fantastic read. On this go around, I must admit that it is not as good as I remember. It is still good but I no longer consider it great. The duplicity is so overt, as to be absurd and the fact that it is known and not dealt with seems incongruous to me.

For thirty years I have remembered this as the best book I ever read, but now I have reread it and realize that my favorite was the sequel to this, where Lord Clane fights the aliens, but I can't remember the name of the sequel. They are both great books.

In a post apocalyptic Earth a mutant is born within the ruling family of Earth. Mutant children are normally disposed of. However, in this case, the grandfather and ruler of Earth, intervenes on the child's behalf but not until he executes all the priests in the adjacent Temple of the Atom, toward which the blame for the mutant child was directed. The Mutant child is named Clane and though he is not mistreated, he grows up in virtual isolation.

Clane survives a Machiavellian court of intrigue and assassination, which eventually takes his grandfather and father. Using a combination of cunning and bravado, Clane manages to survive long enough to save Earth from a vicious attack of barbarians from the former outposts of space colonization on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

This invasion is led by the charismatic leader of the barbarians Czinczar who is captured by the ever-resourceful Clane. This sets the stage for the sequel - The Wizard of Linn.

This novel, published in 1957 was written by science fiction pioneer A.E. Van Vogt. Like many of the writers of the time, he writes of a society of low-tech weapons (swords and Bows and arrows) and high tech travel. (Space travel). The rational for this, in this case, is apparently the downgrading and elimination of high tech weaponry after an unremembered nuclear holocaust had sundered earth.

As with many books of the times, which were shorter than todays mega books, character development was a little weak. You never seemed to get a feel for Clane and he was the lead character. Except for Czinczar, forget the others.

Like many of his contemporaries, Van Vogt tends to write in a cynical style where the protagonists constantly have to be on guard for duplicity and deceit. I'm wondering if this is a product of the big scare of the time, Communism. The McCarthy hearings were going on around then and there were allegedly Communists under every rock.

Over the years, Van Vogt has written many science fiction novels including one called `The Voyage of the Space Beagle' which some credit as the inspiration for the sci-fi horror film `Alien.' His books, in comparison to the computer-aided books of today, usually were short - under two hundred pages. However, his stories are likely to be well written and very imaginative. The few readers that still read him, seem to be drawn to his work and sing his praises which is evident in the effusive reviews his readers give his books.

I read this book when I was a teen and thought is was a fantastic read. On this go around, I must admit that it is not as good as I remember. It is still good but I no longer consider it great. The duplicity is so overt, as to be absurd and the fact that it is known and not dealt with seems incongruous to me.

To the noble house of Emperor Medron Linn (Augustus Caesar) is born the atomic mutation Clane (Claudius). Everyone thinks the physically deformed boy should be disposed of, but a temple scientist takes the youngster under his wing and trains him to use his brilliant mind. Clane survives the many plots and intrigues in the Capitoline Palace and outwits his scheming grandmother Lydia (Livia), quietly pursuing his scientific studies while she advances her son Tews (Tiberius) to the Linnan throne.

Clane offers brilliant tactical advice to his uncle Tews and his brother Jerrin (Germanicus) as they continue the imperial policy of conquering the barbarians. Mars and Venus fall to the empire, but Europa unexpectedly sacks the eternal city and kills Tews, leaving Clane the only imperial family member available to take charge of the army.

This book seems even more silly and quaint than most science fiction from the 1950s, because the imperial troops zip out in their spaceships to battle the barbarians from horseback with bows and arrows. This book is very obviously a retelling of I, Claudius. If you like that sort of novel you must read Jenna Starborn, a fabulous retelling of Jane Eyre.

I won't write you about the plot or anything like it. I'm 20 years old and i've been reading sci-fi for 12 years. From Orson scot card to Phillip hoze farmer, From ROGER ZEALAZNEY to LARRY NIVEN, From Frank herbert to Robert heinlein etc,Iv'e realy read alot. In the last year i've been exploring the early sci-fi, the writers thet wrote in a style thet can be described as pre-Campbellian. Allthough I admire the minds of contemporery giants such as CHARLES SHEFFILD for exemple, There's magic in the writings of Van-Vogt. Pre-Campbellian, free from constricting patterns of sci-fi as opposed to Fantasy, and derived from Super-science, almost all the books of A.E.VAN-VOGT are pure pleasure and delight to serius science fiction reader.