Transfinite: The Essential A. E. Van Vogt (Hardcover)

by A. E. Van Vogt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
One of sf's grandest old men, van Vogt (1912-2000) made history with the first story he sold. Editor John W. Campbell featured it on the cover of the genre-changing Astounding Science Fiction in July 1939, attracting future sf titans and mavens including, according to his introduction here, young collegian Harlan Ellison. That story was "Black Destroyer." It opens from the perspective of Coeurl, the single inhabitant of his world, to which humans arrive in a huge starship. The nonhuman insinuates its way into the ship, and a scenario unfolds that eventually played out--with modifications, to be sure--on the silver screen as Alien. Van Vogt created genuinely different aliens, endowed with extraordinary physical and mental powers as well as appetites, and the genre, including other stories here, has thrived on them since. An "idea" sf writer and a bit of a libertarian, van Vogt's nifty concepts also include distinctive futurist satire ("Future Perfect"), enduring World War II propaganda ("Secret Unattainable"), and entrepreneurial swashbucklers ("A Can of Paint"). Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
Contains the most popular and important stories from van Vogt's wide and varied career.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Nesfa Press; First Edition edition (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886778345
• ISBN-13: 978-1886778344
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #610,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless classics of science fiction, August 20, 2003

By	Donald A. Ketchek (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most of these classic stories are from the years 1939-1950, an era where A.E. van Vogt was, along with Robert Heinlein, the most popular science fiction author in America. And although much science fiction written so many years ago has become dated, van Vogt's stories, for the most part, are still fresh and exciting.

If you have never read van Vogt, be prepared to be swept away from the very first sentence. His stories are not always logical, nor are all loose ends always tidied up, but they move along at breakneck speed, are filled with ideas, and will contain moments that you will remember forever.

From a historic perspective, you will see some of the first science fiction stories dealing with human-alien warfare (The Sound, The Rull), humans that can travel back through time (The Search), encounters with energy vampires (Asylum), humans of varied nationalities populating a spaceship that explores the galaxy, and beyond (Black Destroyer, War of Nerves), and so much more.

A few of van Vogt's classic novels have recently been reprinted, but sadly most of his work is out of print. Here is probably your last chance to own a large collection of his best short stories - stories that are timeless classics of science fiction.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, July 22, 2008

By	Blue Tyson "- http://freesf.blogspot.com" - See all my reviews

This 'best of' type Van Vogt seems to be a reasonable selection, definitely several of his best stories here - presumably Isher examples may make less sense standalone, or be too long, but are one of the things that are missing.

A 3.32 average which is pretty respectable for the 1940s.

Hal Clement writes an introduction, and says he became a fan after finding an issue with 'Black Destroyer' in it at a newsagent.

Further, he says "To sum up a lot of the foregoing, he was an explorer of ideas, to whatever extent that one central idea can make a story. He did not, as far as I can judge, have much interest in developing characters to the extent now considered politically correct for "real literature" I don't blame him."

Plenty of wild and crazy stuff to be found here, for sure. Van Vogt is a writer that can never, ever be accused of padding, and slow wasn't in his nature, either.

Transfinite : Black Destroyer - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Monster - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Film Library - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Enchanted Village - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Asylum - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Vault of the Beast - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Ghost - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Rull - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Recruiting Station - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : A Can of Paint - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Search - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Dear Pen Pal - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Harmonizer - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Great Judge - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Far Centaurus - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Secret Unattainable - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Future Perfect - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Great Engine - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Dormant - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Sound - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : The Rulers - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Final Command - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : War of Nerves - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Don't Hold Your Breath - A. E. Van Vogt
Transfinite : Discord in Scarlet - A. E. Van Vogt




A ship's crew lands on a planet and meets an alien with extraordinarily dangerous abilities.

3.5 out of 5


Dead race destruction discovery toasting.

3 out of 5


Where do you get the good stuff?

3 out of 5


City of sand transform.

3.5 out of 5


Us types just don't get along.

3 out of 5


Ultimate metal prime prison.

3.5 out of 5


Multidimensional hanging stop.

2.5 out of 5


One-on-one conditioning for galactic diplomacy.

4 out of 5


Masters of Time war. Some space, too.

4 out of 5


Venusian intelligence test.

4 out of 5


Possessor Immortality Palace resistance.

3 out of 5


Technological correspondence, long-distance.

3.5 out of 5


Plant is alive.

3.5 out of 5


Rad execution.

3.5 out of 5


Bachelor sun.

3.5 out of 5


Six file hyperspace machine ratzi revenge.

3.5 out of 5


Spending it all for alienation overthrow.

3.5 out of 5


No idea what it is, but it works.

2.5 out of 5


Old and nuclear.

2.5 out of 5


Broadcast discovery.

3 out of 5


Using the third person.

3 out of 5


Robot grunts might be people, too.

3.5 out of 5


"How in the name of all the hells can anything live in intergalactic space?"

Or, a guul you will be.

3.5 out of 5


Bombs and broads could leave you gasping.

4 out of 5


Can you boys agree on the aliens, please?

3 out of 5




3.5 out of 5