Triplanetary: A Tale of Cosmic Adventure (Lensman Series, Book 1) [Paperback]

Edward E. Smith (Author), A. J. Donnell (Author)

Book Description

Series: History of Civilization | Publication Date: July 1997

Illustrated by Morey

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is the first of E. E. "Doc" Smith's six Lensman books, and although it isn't as fast-paced as later Lensman novels, it sets the stage for what is perhaps the greatest space-opera saga ever told. Through a series of vignettes spanning millions of years, readers will learn how the titanic struggle between the good Arisians and the evil Eddorians first came to pass, and about how humanity was chosen (and bred) to assume the awesome power of the lens. A short foreword by science fiction scholar John Clute puts the entire series into perspective.

Review

HUGO Finalist for Best Science Fiction All-Time Series -- Science Fiction Digest --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 287 pages
• Publisher: Old Earth Books; Third Printing edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882968093
• ISBN-13: 978-1882968091
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rating the Cosmos Books; Reprint edition, not the work, January 21, 2009

By 

Bad John (Weymouth, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Triplanetary (Lensman Sagas) (Mass Market Paperback)

The "Cosmos Books; Reprint edition" is not the same as any previous release I've owned. It opens with the Rodger the Space Private story and does not include any of the Arisia/Eddore series setup material. No Atlantis, no Rome, no WWI, II, or III.
Oddly the back cover suggests that all that material is included. Half the page count is some obscure Smith yarn called "Masters of Space".
Since I particularly like the early saga pieces, I am really ticked off.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT Lensman! This printing is unrelated to the classic series!, May 25, 2009

By 

Benjamin Scott "DragonHawk" (NH, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Triplanetary (Lensman Sagas) (Mass Market Paperback)

(This review refers to the volume copyright 2009 by Cosmos Books/Wildside Press; ISBN 978-0-8439-5949-9.)

I was born in the late 1970s, but I've always loved SF from earlier eras, such as early work by Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, etc. I've encountered many mention of the 'Lensmen' series, and had it on my list of 'classics' to check out. I'm quite capable of reading a classic piece in historical context -- I enjoyed "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", despite its somewhat dated style and science -- so I bought this book to get started with Lensmen.

I was quite confused when all the elements I'd read of -- Arisians, Eddorians, Boskone, even the Lensmen themselves -- were quite simply absent from this book. Was my memory wrong? Had I confused this story with something else?

No, it turns out, I was simply grossly misled by the publisher. This book doesn't contain any Lensman content, despite the claims on the cover. The first published Lensman story was "Galatic Patrol". "Triplanatary" was published prior to that, and originally had nothing to do with Lensman. After the success of the Lensman series, "Triplantary" was modifed to be connected to the Lensman world, apparently by prefixing and suffixing additional chapters. Those chapters ARE NOT PRESENT IN THIS BOOK.

The other story in this book, "Masters of Space", has apparently never had anything to do with 'Lensman', even retroactively. I can only assume it was just thrown in as padding.

The publisher flat-out lied. This is such a blatant misrepresentation I'm seriously intending to seek a return/refund on this book. I have purchased and own hundreds of books; this will be the first I've ever tried to return. Bad stories I've bought and kept; that's a risk associated with any book. This isn't a book I disliked; this is simply not the book the cover claims it is.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old School SF, January 14, 2003

By 

Kendal B. Hunter (Provo, UT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Triplanetary: A Tale of Cosmic Adventure (Lensman Series, Book 1) (Paperback)

This is one of the most energe6tic books I have read. Yes, it is pure "pulp fiction" in the non-Quentin Terantino sense of the word, but it was a powerful page turner. Every page was super-charged, and every chapter left you wanting more!

E. E. "Doc" Smith is one of the giants of SF, and one of it's greatest popularizers. He doesn't have the finesse that Asimov of Heinlein. He doesn't have the aura of humor of Niven. Doc's strength is his raw energy. This book is like watching Yoda's fight with Count Dooku at double-time. He overwhelms at times..

Another one of Doc's strength is his mixture of science and gadgets. You are immediate placed in a world of sub-ether communicators, atomic weapons, tractor beams, spacer ships, space armor, and all the other props associated with old school SF. I now know where Roddenberry and Lucas got many of their terms and gadgets.

This tale is layered, and you can actually smell the intrigue and forces control other forces and nothing is what it seems. "Wheels within wheels" and "plots within plots within plots." At times it can be over complex.

Sometimes the action runs too fast, and I find myself panting for the characters. I realize this is pulp fiction, but I wish there was a bit more character development. At times it is almost a melodrama, or a morality play.

After reading the first chapter of the first book, I bought the rest of the series. I am excited to finish the series. I wish I had listened to my grandpa and read these books earlier.