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Second Stage Lensman

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The story opens just as the predecessor in this series (Gray Lensman) closes. Our Hero and His Girl are walking off together, eager to get their marital relations off to a screaming start. All of a sudden, "Stop, Youth!" It's Arisia, the planet of secretive mental masters, dropping the other shoe. There's more to do before Kim Kinnison and Clarissa MacDougall can get down to baby-making.

So they go jetting off to do it. There's Lyrane, the matriarchal planet, with a few squabbling males for DNA donors. Of course, anything with women in charge must be comical and grotesque (this was written in 1953, remember) so we get a few good yuks out of that. Then there are various bad guys to demolish, in an inflationary arms race to see who can string the most superlatives together in describing their way-cool weaponry. It's improbable daring-do, hither and thither across intergalactic space. When it comes down to it, though, even the grandest space-battle of all time ends up in hand-to-hand, man-to-man combat.

The ending dangles obvious sequel-bait in front of the reader. After the biggest, gaudiest wedding in the history of the universe, the Gray Lensman and Red Lensman (not Lensgirl - phew) take off for the nearest room with a door that locks. But, even though Kinnison knows all that we know at this point, he's making kissy-face while the baddest bad guys in two galaxies are still at large. Huh?

Well, there's another book in the series, coming soon. In the mean time, this book provides plenty of entertainment in at least two ways. First, the swashbuckling and steady stream of victories make me wish for a rainy Saturday and a bucket of popcorn. Second, this artifact from the dawn of the Eisenhower doldrums captures the neolithic relations between men and women in those days, along with blind optimism in technology, democracy, and trickle-down economics. We now know better on all counts, so what was once the norm, then anti-feminist propaganda, can now be seen as quaintly comical.

-- wiredweird

The incredibly over the top and amazing space warfare continues.

There are a handful of Second Stage Lensman, those good enough at their craft to go beyond the Gray, and receive further treatment and training from the Arisians.

Kimball Kinnison is one of them, and he and his fellows, some of the best aliens you will meet in SF books, go out to do further battle. That is not all though, as Second Stage Lensmen abilities are ideally suited to spying and information gathering. The Second Stage powers include the 'sense of perception', an ability to sense what is going on around you, which basically gives you x-ray vision and the ability to see in the dark, among other things. Mind control is another.

The time spent with Nadreck, Worsel and Tregonsee, the other Second Stage Lensmen, is quite enjoyable.

Second Stage Lensman (1953) is the fifth SF novel in the Lensmen series, following Gray Lensman. The initial work in this sequence is Triplanetary.

In the previous volume, Kim was caught infiltrating the Eich home world and tortured by an Overlord. Worsel brought him back to the First Galaxy and the Prime Base hospital staff. Clarrissa was surprised to learn that Kim could communicate mentally without his Lens.

The Galactic Patrol attacked the Boskonians with the full fleet and a few surprise packages. Clarrissa was very pleased when Kim returned. Lacey and Haynes told them that the Patrol was throwing their wedding.

In this novel, Kimball Kinnison is a descendant of Rod Kinnison. Kim is now an Unattached Second Stage Lensman. He selects his own assignments.

Clarrissa MacDougall is a Galactic Patrol nurse. She is a descendant of Vergil Samms. Chris is now Kim's fiancee.

Haynes is the Port Admiral of the Galactic Patrol. He commands all of the Patrol other then the Unattached Lensmen.

Peter van Buskirk is a Lieutenant in the Galactic Patrol. Bus was born on Valeria, which has a surface gravity of 2.5 gees. He is mostly muscle and bone, massing over four hundred pounds.

Worsel is a second stage Lensman from Velantia. He looks like a dragon with too many arms and teeth.

Tregonsee is a second stage Lensman from Rigel IV. He looks like a leather oil drum with tentacles.

Nadreck is a second stage Lensman from Palain VII. He extends into the fourth dimension and seemingly changes shape.

Verne Thorndyke is a Master Technician in the Galactic Patrol. He has served with Kim on the Brittania and the Dauntless.

In this story, Worsel has an idea and mentions it to Thorndyke. Verne is impressed with the device and has one constructed. They implant that only copy within Kim's body. The device kills thinking beings instantly and cannot be detected afterward.

Kim and Chris are walking out of Haynes's office with nothing on their minds other than plans for their wedding. Suddenly Kim receives a thought from Mentor telling him to think. So he stops in the hall and starts thinking.

Kim and Chris talk over his thoughts and then walk back to the office. They interrupt the celebration by Haynes and Lacey to tell them what happened. The older Gray Lensmen are impressed by the intervention by Mentor, so they discuss the current situation.

First they consider the Terran defenses in terms of negaspheres and free planets. Then they ponder the significance of the Boskonian control of the Second Galaxy. They decide that the Boskonians will soon attack Earth.

Haynes starts rebuilding the fleet. Kim has a nagging thought in the back of his mind. When he finally resolves it, he points out that Boskone might well use a hyperspatial tube. Haynes now has something else to worry about.

When a hyperspatial tube starts to open, the scouts pick up the traces and warn the fleet. The patrol ships start moving to their preassigned positions and are almost ready when the Boskonian ships arrive. The momentary confusion of the enemy allows the last GP ships to complete the formation.

The enemy ships don't stand a chance, but the free planets are strongly defended. Haynes calls his attacking ships away from these planets and has the sunbeam fire on them. This new weapon is not really ready for use, but it stays on long enough to reduce the enemy positions on the planets.

After the battle, Kim receives numerous requests to do something about the drug dealers. The enemy war fleet is gone, but drugs are still being distributed. So Kim starts investigating the Boskonian drug syndicate.

He finds a zwiknik upon Terra itself. The entity is never quite where Kim expects. Finally, he gets close enough to put a CRX tracer on the departing ship.

Kim follows the ship to Lyrane II. He soon learns that an Elder One of Lyrane II was in command of the ship. She had dominated the zwilnik's mind and also tries to seize control of his thoughts. But his shields are too strong.

The zwilnik -- Illona Potter -- is from Lonabar, an unregistered planet within the First Galaxy. Kim takes her back to Terra on the Dauntless, asking her about her experiences on Lonabar on the way. Soon he learns that she is basically innocent, but knows much about Boskonian methods.

This tale takes Kim undercover into various Boskonians fronts. He works his way up the drug hierarchy until he reaches a level above the Council of Boskone. Galactic Patrol warships see more action.

Kim meets Nadreck in this volume. The next installment in this series is Children of the Lens.

Highly recommended for Smith fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of interstellar war, undercover agents, and young Talents. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin