Customer Reviews

Triplanetary: The Lensman Saga, Book 1 (Lensman Sagas)

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First the preliminaries: this is THE classic space opera series, not full of cliches, but the wellspring of all space opera cliches. Horribly dated (or wonderfully so depending on your viewpoint) in its literary taste, social values, and science, it is a hoot nonetheless.

As is sometimes the case in popular series, after the capstone book (Children of the Lens), the author went back to do a prequel to tie up some of the loose ends and answer some of the questions fans had, and that is this book. And, it is good read in its own right. However, the series arguably stands better in publication order (2,3,4,5,6,1) than in narrative order (1,2,3,4,5,6), because this book lets the cat out of the bag. The original fans followed along with the author's expanding vision of the series, from a straightforward but innovative space adventure to a teleological history of the universe.

With _Triplanetary_ E.E. "Doc" Smith established a path for science fiction that still shows in today's sci-fi. Admittedly the science theory is woefully out-of-date, but hasn't it been said that one should never let science get in the way of a good story? As to that, what better story could you tell? The concepts of good and evil, responsibility, desire for human greatness (as a civilization, not as individuals), as well as socio-political theories of democracy and despotism are all covered here.

Following sci-fi greats drew strongly from Doc's work, as evidenced by Gene Rodenberry's love of the words Space-Time Continuum, which Doc was using before the fifties ever rolled around. Also, Heinlein's 1950's "juvies" included many of the same values, and even some very similar plot-lines (read _Have Spacesuit Will Travel_ and tell me I'm wrong). However, Doc's biggest influence came in the area of the powers of the mind. While everyone else was sitting around talking about the wonders of atomic energy, going to the moon, or breaking the sound barrier, Doc was dreaming up insane applications for the theories concerning the powers of the mind. He beat Asimov's Foundation by years to the idea of statistical psychology, or psychological statistics. He was playing with the idea of telepathic, telekinetic, tele-whatever you want, at least a decade before it became mainstream sci-fi material. He was an original, and, like so many true originals, had been forgotten to the point that only hard-core sci-fi junkies managed to glean bits and pieces of his work through the 90's. Now, however, he is being returned to print (Thank God) and his bloody fisted, swashbuckling, death-defying, self-sacrificing, and sometimes remorse-ridden heroes of space can return to people like me, average Joe's who never knew Doc existed until we got to digging through our college library stacks for sci-fi treasures after becoming utterly disgusted with trying to find anything decent on the mall bookstore's shelves.

So, I thank goodness for Amazon, and thank Doc Smith for sci-fi as I love it.

Brain set to off position. Enjoy. Brings tears to my eyes when I'm not shaking my head with chagrin. I read this series in 6th grade and have dreamed of larger than life space heros ever since. As an adult, I find it more comical than moving sometimes, but the Lensman saga fills the reader with big dreams not small ones. Accept: Incorruptablity is possible, absolute goodness and truth exist, the bad guys know they are bad but don't care, killing bad guys is good, the more technology you have the better off you are. If you are ok with these then you will love this series.

I read this series for the first time in 6th grade and have reread it every 5-10 years since. While its a bit dated in language and it reflects 40's mores, the storyline is solid. I have given my copies to teenagers in the neighborhood and they come asking for the next book about a day later the same way I did 40 years ago. This is a rip roaring space opera that pits ultimate good against ultimate evil with the predicatable result. The only real snag in the ointment is the last book of the series (masters of the vortex) it has never belonged to the rest of the series. books 1-7 (triplanetary to children of the lens) really encompasses the series.

If you're intending to read Doc Smith's classic "Lensman" series, then so you should; but you should definitely start, not with "Triplanetary", but with Galactic Patrol. Here's why.

Chronologically, the first Lensman story was Galactic Patrol, from Astounding magazine in 1937-38. This was followed by the next three stories: Gray Lensman, Second Stage Lensmen and Children of the Lens. When publication in book form was mooted, Smith revised his earlier Triplanetary to fit into the lensman universe, and wrote First Lensman to form a bridge between that and "Galactic Patrol". Masters of the Vortex, another unrelated story, was likewise modified.

I, and many others it seems, feel that the four books representing Smith's original conception are the essential ones, and the others are disposable ("Vortex", in particular, being a pot-boiler with virtually no relation to the others). Although "First Lensman" certainly has entertaining moments (as when Virgil Samms is almost deafened at a Rigellian construction site, because the Rigellians have no sense of hearing and can't understand what the problem is).

There's another problem with the books, although fortunately not an insuperable one. Smith's universe, although already huge at the outset of "Galactic Patrol", expands as the series progresses. Originally, the reader didn't discover the total significance of the struggles going on within it until the end of "Children". But the books (except, for some inscrutable reason, "Patrol") feature tacked-on and needless Forewords that give away the whole plot. I *strongly* recommend first-time readers to skip these.

"Triplanetary" is not as good as "Patrol"; and if you start here you may be disappointed - possibly enough to stop reading! Neither is it "really" the first book. But most importantly, you'll run headfirst into plot-spoilers that wreck the tension of the story.

When you've finished "Children", by all means go back and read this.

This was the first "Doc" Smith book I ever found, back when his stuff was being reprinted in the late sixties and early seventies. I've been hooked on his writing ever since, even written some in the same vein (unpublished, unfortunately). Every book of his that I've seen, including this one, I've bought and read, usually over and over. Doc's ideas that good and evil DO exist, and that villains really are nasty, sometimes creepy, types, are ones that are probably outdated now, but I still think they're valid, and I intend to keep after the few of his books I've been unable to get ahold of.

Pehaps Roddenberry was inspired by this series by E.E. Doc Smith. The characters and plots are a little dated but are still entertaining after all these years. While a little dated in spots it still stands up today for readers young and old.